NHS prescribing drugs 'when diet might help children with autism'

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/her...ith_autism.php


THE NHS is failing to provide advice on nutrition which could help children
with conditions such as autism and attention deficit disorder, amid a
culture of prescribing powerful drugs with potential side-effects.

That is the claim made by Dave Rex, lead child health dietician with NHS
Highland, who has warned that despite evidence that special diets can help
some individuals, nutrition is still being treated as a "Cinderella" subject
in the health service.

Speaking ahead of a major conference on diet and children's behaviour later
this month, Rex told the Sunday Herald that while many NHS professionals
will prescribe powerful drugs, they are reluctant to consider dietary
interventions.

continued...

"It is very strange that we within the NHS are in the culture of prescribing
medication which runs the risk of side-effects," he said, "yet we are so
nervous about giving tailor-made advice on what a healthy diet would look
like.

"As soon as you talk about diet and autism or attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), people assume you are going to be suggesting
something wacky, because some people have done so in the past.

"But you can give responsible, tailor-made advice on diet, which is more
likely to do good than harm."

While there is wide debate about the causes and treatment of autism and
ADHD, some research has suggested that dietary interventions such as
removing milk and wheat, topping up nutrients or using fish oil supplements
can help in some cases.

But Rex, who is one of just a few dieticians employed by the health service
to give specialist advice on such conditions, said that the lack of interest
in the subject within the NHS meant that parents often had to turn to the
private sector for information, without knowing what advice or treatments
could be relied upon.

"There are often all sorts of supplements and potions, sometimes at great
expense. Sometimes they are ones that are potentially useful, sometimes it
is based on half-baked science and sometimes it is downright irresponsible,"
he said.

"I think families feel that they are caught between a rock and a hard place
because, while they would trust the NHS, there isn't enough knowledge or
interest in these topic areas.

[more]

"Jan Drew" wrote in message
et...

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/her...ith_autism.php


copyrighted material deleted

The fact that there is little evidence that diet helps ADHD or autism
explains why the NHS is doing this. I guess they think it will help the kids
if the parents do things that actually work.

who they kidding

its just as hard to get the drugs

itn took me most of last yr to get ritalin!!

all i got was loase wieght and do exerrcise crap


"Jan Drew" wrote in message
et...

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/her...ith_autism.php


THE NHS is failing to provide advice on nutrition which could help
children with conditions such as autism and attention deficit disorder,
amid a culture of prescribing powerful drugs with potential side-effects.

That is the claim made by Dave Rex, lead child health dietician with NHS
Highland, who has warned that despite evidence that special diets can help
some individuals, nutrition is still being treated as a "Cinderella"
subject in the health service.

Speaking ahead of a major conference on diet and children's behaviour
later this month, Rex told the Sunday Herald that while many NHS
professionals will prescribe powerful drugs, they are reluctant to
consider dietary interventions.

continued...

"It is very strange that we within the NHS are in the culture of
prescribing medication which runs the risk of side-effects," he said, "yet
we are so nervous about giving tailor-made advice on what a healthy diet
would look like.

"As soon as you talk about diet and autism or attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), people assume you are going to be
suggesting something wacky, because some people have done so in the past.

"But you can give responsible, tailor-made advice on diet, which is more
likely to do good than harm."

While there is wide debate about the causes and treatment of autism and
ADHD, some research has suggested that dietary interventions such as
removing milk and wheat, topping up nutrients or using fish oil
supplements can help in some cases.

But Rex, who is one of just a few dieticians employed by the health
service to give specialist advice on such conditions, said that the lack
of interest in the subject within the NHS meant that parents often had to
turn to the private sector for information, without knowing what advice or
treatments could be relied upon.

"There are often all sorts of supplements and potions, sometimes at great
expense. Sometimes they are ones that are potentially useful, sometimes it
is based on half-baked science and sometimes it is downright
irresponsible," he said.

"I think families feel that they are caught between a rock and a hard
place because, while they would trust the NHS, there isn't enough
knowledge or interest in these topic areas.

[more]

Aren't doctors in the same place as parents? The doctors are not doing
the science that would confirm nutritional claims nor is it their
responsibility to sort out the possible beneficial from the many snake
oil marketers. For them it is a matter of it is the devil known rather
then the devil of non-science. Read this bit and consider:

"But Rex, who is one of just a few dieticians employed by the health
service to give specialist advice on such conditions, said that the lack
of interest in the subject within the NHS meant that parents often had
to turn to the private sector for information, without knowing what
advice or treatments could be relied upon.

"There are often all sorts of supplements and potions, sometimes at
great expense. Sometimes they are ones that are potentially useful,
sometimes it is based on half-baked science and sometimes it is
downright irresponsible," he said.

"I think families feel that they are caught between a rock and a hard
place because, while they would trust the NHS, there isn't enough
knowledge or interest in these topic areas."

"Jeff" wrote in message
news:qlPoh.15655$Pe7.8037@trnddc04...

"Jan Drew" wrote in message
et...

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/her...ith_autism.php


copyrighted material deleted

The fact that there is little evidence that diet helps ADHD or autism
explains why the NHS is doing this. I guess they think it will help the
kids if the parents do things that actually work.

http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDai...=20060316-0911...

Ped Med: The skinny on ADHD contributors
By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer


SAN FRANCISCO, March 17 (UPI) -- Nutritionists are convinced that, just like
everyone else, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are
what they eat.


Specifically, the specialists have their eye on so-called omega-3 fatty
acids as playing some role in the condition that, in general, is marked by
trouble keeping still, difficulty in maintaining attention, propensity
toward acting impulsively or some combination of the three.


Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in cold-water fish, such as salmon,
herring, tuna, clams, crab, cod, flounder, sole, halibut, catfish, trout and
shrimp. They also abound in nuts; soybeans; walnut, olive and flaxseed oil;
seeds; whole grains and dark leafy greens.


The fatty acids comprise a hefty component of the brain, which weighs in at
about 60-percent fat.


The compounds, which studies indicate are essential for forming and
maintaining the dopamine system, have been found in short supply in some,
though not all, children diagnosed with ADHD.


Many researchers see ADHD as a hereditary imbalance of brain chemicals, such
as dopamine -- which regulates movement, emotion, motivation and sensations
of pleasure.


That view is strongly contested by critics who point to a dearth of physical
evidence for such a notion.


Whatever their connection to the "feel-good" chemical in the brain, the
omega-3 fatty acids appear to have an impact on a child's behavior,
portending problems in youngsters who don't have enough of the compounds.


As one example, a recent Duke University study of 96 boys ages 6 to 12
indicated those with low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids face increased
risk of ADHD-like behavior, learning and health challenges.


There is also some evidence the compounds may play a benevolent role in the
production of myelin, a protective insulation that coats the brain's
internal wiring,


A novel model of human brain development and degeneration proposed by
researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles implicates
disruption of myelin production in such childhood developmental disorders as
autism and ADHD.


From a review of scanned and autopsied brain tissue, the investigators
unraveled the role of myelin in these conditions.


Laden with more cholesterol than any other brain component, the sheet of fat
surrounds the spindly nerve-cell extensions called axons, permitting them to
carry messages to their neighbors in the safety and security of their armor.


The thicker and heavier the cells' coat, the faster and more effective their
communication, said team leader Dr. George Bartzokis, professor of neurology
at the David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the UCLA Memory
Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic and the Clinical Core of the UCLA
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.


The pioneering neuroscientist discovered that myelin production continues
unabated throughout the first four decades of life before peaking and
plummeting at age 45. His latest research portrays the protective shield as
the neural system's Achilles' heel, vulnerable to a host of environmental
assaults.


"Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in humans, arguably is the most
important and most vulnerable process of brain development as we mature and
age," Bartzokis said.


Without adequate insulation, cells won't connect properly, he has found in a
series of experiments that showed a breakdown in the sheath can expose the
naked wiring beneath and open the gates to an array of neurological and
behavioral problems.


Bartzokis's theory holds that humans "myelinate" different circuits at
various points in life, which could explain the sizeable differences between
brain diseases of the young and old.


An early disruption of the process, for instance, may throw for a loop the
development of the basic circuits that govern language and social
communication, two key impairments in autism.


A glitch during the early school years could hamper the ability to process
information efficiently and effectively, leading to deficits in attention
that characterize ADHD. Later in life, the result of a malfunction could be
Alzheimer's disease.


To Bartzokis, the human brain is akin to high-speed Internet.


"The speed, quality and bandwidth of the connections determine the brain's
ability to process information, and all these depend in large part on the
insulation that coats the brain's connecting wires," he said.


The findings may explain why developmental disorders leave no calling card
in the brain. "There's no dead anything on autopsy," Bartzokis said. "Those
brain connections just never developed normally."


Bartzokis's studies also show female brains make better myelin, which could
explain why boys are at much greater risk for autism, ADHD and other
problems.


"On the positive side, there are some interesting things to consider,"
Bartzokis said. "For example, essential fatty acids are fats that are
necessary for membrane production, and myelin is essentially pure membrane."


"They are called 'essential' because the human body cannot produce them,
and, therefore, they are like 'vitamins' -- they need to come from a good
diet," he added. "Thus, nutrition is very important because the brain is
very busy trying to build the myelin sheaths."


Still, researchers don't have the skinny on the exact relationship between
the fats and ADHD.


Although alternative medicine practitioners report some success in
ameliorating symptoms with the use of fatty acid, mineral, vitamin B and
other supplements, none of these has been embraced as standard therapy.


Conventional and complementary practices also part ways on the role, and
remedial potential, of food additives, sugar or allergens. All of these
remain controversial, having failed to withstand rigorous scientific
scrutiny, according to a compilation of ADHD data by Dr. Peter Jensen,
director of the Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health at
Columbia University.


Next: Seeking environmental clues to ADHD.


(Editors' Note: This series on ADHD is based on a review of hundreds of
reports and a survey of more than 200 specialists.)



http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=28786

Excerpt:


Many parents are noticing dramatic changes in their children's behaviour
after putting them on a preservative-free diet.


Nobody would expect to find a toy in a toy shop that was unsuitable for
children.


But in supermarket aisles all over Australia, food blatantly aimed at
children is in many cases unsuitable for them to eat.


Everything we need to know about packaged food is right there on the label,
but to decode that information, you practically need a science degree.


A myriad of colours and preservatives are on the market and just do not
agree with some kids. Even food that claims to be free of artificial
additives can contain natural preservatives which are harmful.


Tracey Sheppherd thought her son Aidan was just one of the difficult ones.
Doctors advised ADHD medication, but Tracey felt there had to be another
option.


She stumbled on Sue Dengate's book, Fed Up.


"I started reading it and I thought 'this just what I've been looking for,
it's incredible'," Tracey said.


"I actually cried when I was reading it. I thought, 'how can she know all of
this about our family?'."


Following the book to the letter, Tracey was able to eliminate additives and
preservatives from Aidan's diet. While it meant a great deal more time spent
in the kitchen, it changed life for the whole family.


"He is a completely different person," Tracey said.


More at link.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...document_id=20...


Millions have misused ADHD stimulant drugs, study says


By Shankar Vedantam
The Washington Post


WASHINGTON - More than 7 million Americans are estimated to have misused
stimulant drugs meant to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and
substantial numbers of teen-agers and young adults appear to show signs of
addiction, according to a comprehensive national analysis tracking such
abuse.


The statistics are striking because many young people recreationally using
these drugs are seeking to boost academic and professional performance,
doctors say.


Although the drugs may allow people to stay awake longer and finish work
faster, scientists who published a new study concluded that about 1.6
million teen-agers and young adults had misused these stimulants during a
12-month period and that 75,000 showed signs of addiction.


The study published online this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol
Dependence culled data from a 2002 national survey of about 67,000
households.


The data paint a concrete and sobering picture of what many experts have
worried about for years, and present ethical and medical challenges for a
country where mental performance is highly valued and where the number of
prescriptions for these drugs has doubled every five years, said Nora
Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.


"We live in a highly competitive society, and you want to get the top grades
and you know your colleagues are taking stimulants and you feel pressured,"
she said. "Yes, you are going to study better in the middle of the night if
you take one of these medications. The problem is a certain percentage of
people become addicted to them, and some have toxic effects."


Volkow said it was impossible to disentangle the skyrocketing prescriptions
of drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder from the risks of
diversion and abuse.


"As a child, you have multiple friends who are being treated with stimulant
medications," she said. "You get the sense that these are good."


Studies have shown that the drugs are highly effective, especially among
children, and also that they reduce the risk of substance abuse among those
correctly diagnosed with the psychiatric disorder, which is characterized by
inattention and unruly behavior. Untreated ADHD has also been associated
with conduct and academic problems.


At the same time, there have been growing concerns that the drugs are
over-prescribed. A Food and Drug Administration panel earlier this month
warned that the medications carried risks of rare, but serious,
cardiovascular problems, and it recommended that the agency place serious
"black box" warnings on the drugs, as a way to restrain spiraling
prescriptions.


Lawrence Diller, a pediatrician in Walnut Creek, Calif., who prescribes the
drugs but is worried about their overuse, said that the new study showed the
real health concerns are with diversion and abuse, not with rare side
effects. "Seventy-five thousand addicts to prescription stimulants is much
more troublesome than the 100 to 200 adults who have strokes," he said.
"Houston, we have got a problem because we are just in the middle of this
epidemic."


The study found that men and women were equally likely to be misusing the
drugs, but that women seemed to be at greater risk of dependence -
characterized by a lack of control, physical need and growing tolerance for
the drug - while men seemed to be at greater risk of abuse, in which the
medication was used in dangerous situations, said lead author Larry Kroutil,
who studies health behavior and education at RTI International, a nonprofit
research group.


To obtain their findings, Kroutil and a team of researchers culled data from
a 2002 national survey conducted by the federal government's Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). H. Westley Clark,
director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said the 2002
data were obtained through face-to-face interviews. RTI has not yet culled
data from subsequent years regarding the misuse of ADHD drugs.


Since then, prescription rates and the popularity of various drugs have
changed, and Kroutil said continuing research is needed to track the
phenomenon. Clark noted that data from 2003 suggested that the problem of
stimulant misuse was greater among young adults 18 to 25 years old than
among teen-agers.


The RTI study was paid for by Eli Lilly and Co., which makes the
non-stimulant ADHD drug Strattera. Although non-stimulant treatments such as
Strattera were an option for ADHD patients, they were often not as potent as
stimulant drugs, Volkow said.


Both Volkow and Scott Kollins, who heads Duke University's ADHD program,
said the full range of ADHD drugs is a valuable tool. But Kollins said the
study brought home what he has seen anecdotally: A colleague who visited his
college-age son's fraternity was mobbed by requests for Adderall
prescriptions by youngsters seeking to boost academic performance.


"If I took Ritalin, I would probably stay up longer and write my grants
faster," Kollins said. But besides the fact that he did not think this is
right, Kollins said the rare side effects highlighted by the FDA panel meant
people using the drugs for nonmedical purposes were placing themselves at
risk for those adverse events.


Volkow was more blunt: "You are playing roulette," she said. "If you get
addicted, you will not only not get into Harvard, you will not finish high
school."

the dopamine affect is more real to more people


of course what you eat is important

what the researchesr forget it becasue of dopamine issues someone with adhd
and similar does not have much choice of what they like or dont like

they are drawn to in some cases excessive eating of foods considered bad orr
drugs and alocholo/excessive spending and other over indulgences and
addictions

just telling us to eat better is no good at all ,ok if you back that up witn
dieticians and so on helping every day of every week then maybe

but for my now subject of a complaint phyciatrist and nurse "lose weight and
do exercise" is rubbish and neglecting my needs

the ritalin i now take has affected my dopamine and for first time in 40 yrs
i am calmer than ever in terms of meltdown rages,i push my points more and
am most disagreeable with people but i dont go into meltdown .

i have had highq omega 3 nothing
i cut down from 2 litrres of coke a day to 1 pint a week nothin aparrt from
less farting

to eat salads and indeed copious amounts of fruit and veg i find difficult
,salds being a no no for me i hate every type of salad food,some veggies i
eat

in last few weeks my appetite and piggin out appetite ie see 20 sweets and
put in hand and eatin one go,secoinsd and thirds of dinner have again thanks
to my rritalin gone

i still eat a nice big meal,i eat it slower and am less inclined to go for
more and more and have loads of sweets in between,i have less an hour than i
previously had

again not down to wilpower as my adhd aspergers makes will power impossible
but due to my ritalin the drgu it took me ahges to get becadue of my so
called support in NHS blocking me

my speicalist at maudlsey agreees yes food if it can be modified and indeed
lifesty changes if they can be met byt child or adult are good of course
they are,but only a small percentage can do that and a smaller perecntage
still really see a differance

i see it on my emaiol groups all the time parents swearing by the food they
give there kids but then still saying "jonny is having meltdowns how do i
deal with them" and then i am thjinking hang on this kid you have said is on
omega 3,eating salads doing exercise yet then if dietary and lifestyl makles
so much differance then surely his rages have stopped

its clear brain chemical and indeed hormones imbalances are the key factor
for most,i dont say all as one persons adhd etc may be more food controlled
another its not and more brain chemical imbalance

so instead of saying lets drug all or lets change diet[if possible in all]
lets have a mulit faceted apporach using drugs and if possible diet and
other things

its the ritalin that has allowed modest changes in food intake,so wothout
that i would be piggin out at every available moment

its alright saiying some foods are bad we all know that,its stopping eating
then thats the prrobme and i would rather die knowing i enjoyed what i ate
then being made to eat things that make me "Healthy" but cant stand.

also linking things like adhd to alzheimers that just pie in the sky

lots of differant peopkle oveactive busy to sedentarry people get alzheimers
my uncle and aunt neither have shown much in way of adhd type symptome,yet
both have well one alzheimers the other we are not wquite sure as yet it may
very well be ealry stages,these not being maried so not blood line

my uncle my mums sisters husband my aunt my dads brothers wife

now mt dad and dad brother ie my other uncle we all have adhd autism
traits,and my dad and uncle have no major demetia problems though yes
throughout life both have been forgetfull and adhd ish like me but not as
pronpounced as me.

people can make any research fit.

alll i know is the reality for me of taking a drrug that increases or
changes dopamine and noradrrenoline levels and how differant my behavoiurs
are than of 8 weeks ago

"Jan Drew" wrote in message
t...

"Jeff" wrote in message
news:qlPoh.15655$Pe7.8037@trnddc04...

"Jan Drew" wrote in message
et...

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/her...ith_autism.php


copyrighted material deleted

The fact that there is little evidence that diet helps ADHD or autism
explains why the NHS is doing this. I guess they think it will help the
kids if the parents do things that actually work.

http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDai...=20060316-0911...

Ped Med: The skinny on ADHD contributors
By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer


SAN FRANCISCO, March 17 (UPI) -- Nutritionists are convinced that, just
like
everyone else, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are
what they eat.


Specifically, the specialists have their eye on so-called omega-3 fatty
acids as playing some role in the condition that, in general, is marked by
trouble keeping still, difficulty in maintaining attention, propensity
toward acting impulsively or some combination of the three.


Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in cold-water fish, such as salmon,
herring, tuna, clams, crab, cod, flounder, sole, halibut, catfish, trout
and
shrimp. They also abound in nuts; soybeans; walnut, olive and flaxseed
oil;
seeds; whole grains and dark leafy greens.


The fatty acids comprise a hefty component of the brain, which weighs in
at
about 60-percent fat.


The compounds, which studies indicate are essential for forming and
maintaining the dopamine system, have been found in short supply in some,
though not all, children diagnosed with ADHD.


Many researchers see ADHD as a hereditary imbalance of brain chemicals,
such
as dopamine -- which regulates movement, emotion, motivation and
sensations
of pleasure.


That view is strongly contested by critics who point to a dearth of
physical
evidence for such a notion.


Whatever their connection to the "feel-good" chemical in the brain, the
omega-3 fatty acids appear to have an impact on a child's behavior,
portending problems in youngsters who don't have enough of the compounds.


As one example, a recent Duke University study of 96 boys ages 6 to 12
indicated those with low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids face
increased
risk of ADHD-like behavior, learning and health challenges.


There is also some evidence the compounds may play a benevolent role in
the
production of myelin, a protective insulation that coats the brain's
internal wiring,


A novel model of human brain development and degeneration proposed by
researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles implicates
disruption of myelin production in such childhood developmental disorders
as
autism and ADHD.


From a review of scanned and autopsied brain tissue, the investigators
unraveled the role of myelin in these conditions.


Laden with more cholesterol than any other brain component, the sheet of
fat
surrounds the spindly nerve-cell extensions called axons, permitting them
to
carry messages to their neighbors in the safety and security of their
armor.


The thicker and heavier the cells' coat, the faster and more effective
their
communication, said team leader Dr. George Bartzokis, professor of
neurology
at the David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the UCLA Memory
Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic and the Clinical Core of the UCLA
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.


The pioneering neuroscientist discovered that myelin production continues
unabated throughout the first four decades of life before peaking and
plummeting at age 45. His latest research portrays the protective shield
as
the neural system's Achilles' heel, vulnerable to a host of environmental
assaults.


"Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in humans, arguably is the
most
important and most vulnerable process of brain development as we mature
and
age," Bartzokis said.


Without adequate insulation, cells won't connect properly, he has found in
a
series of experiments that showed a breakdown in the sheath can expose the
naked wiring beneath and open the gates to an array of neurological and
behavioral problems.


Bartzokis's theory holds that humans "myelinate" different circuits at
various points in life, which could explain the sizeable differences
between
brain diseases of the young and old.


An early disruption of the process, for instance, may throw for a loop the
development of the basic circuits that govern language and social
communication, two key impairments in autism.


A glitch during the early school years could hamper the ability to process
information efficiently and effectively, leading to deficits in attention
that characterize ADHD. Later in life, the result of a malfunction could
be
Alzheimer's disease.


To Bartzokis, the human brain is akin to high-speed Internet.


"The speed, quality and bandwidth of the connections determine the brain's
ability to process information, and all these depend in large part on the
insulation that coats the brain's connecting wires," he said.


The findings may explain why developmental disorders leave no calling card
in the brain. "There's no dead anything on autopsy," Bartzokis said.
"Those
brain connections just never developed normally."


Bartzokis's studies also show female brains make better myelin, which
could
explain why boys are at much greater risk for autism, ADHD and other
problems.


"On the positive side, there are some interesting things to consider,"
Bartzokis said. "For example, essential fatty acids are fats that are
necessary for membrane production, and myelin is essentially pure
membrane."


"They are called 'essential' because the human body cannot produce them,
and, therefore, they are like 'vitamins' -- they need to come from a good
diet," he added. "Thus, nutrition is very important because the brain is
very busy trying to build the myelin sheaths."


Still, researchers don't have the skinny on the exact relationship between
the fats and ADHD.


Although alternative medicine practitioners report some success in
ameliorating symptoms with the use of fatty acid, mineral, vitamin B and
other supplements, none of these has been embraced as standard therapy.


Conventional and complementary practices also part ways on the role, and
remedial potential, of food additives, sugar or allergens. All of these
remain controversial, having failed to withstand rigorous scientific
scrutiny, according to a compilation of ADHD data by Dr. Peter Jensen,
director of the Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health at
Columbia University.


Next: Seeking environmental clues to ADHD.


(Editors' Note: This series on ADHD is based on a review of hundreds of
reports and a survey of more than 200 specialists.)



http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=28786

Excerpt:


Many parents are noticing dramatic changes in their children's behaviour
after putting them on a preservative-free diet.


Nobody would expect to find a toy in a toy shop that was unsuitable for
children.


But in supermarket aisles all over Australia, food blatantly aimed at
children is in many cases unsuitable for them to eat.


Everything we need to know about packaged food is right there on the
label,
but to decode that information, you practically need a science degree.


A myriad of colours and preservatives are on the market and just do not
agree with some kids. Even food that claims to be free of artificial
additives can contain natural preservatives which are harmful.


Tracey Sheppherd thought her son Aidan was just one of the difficult ones.
Doctors advised ADHD medication, but Tracey felt there had to be another
option.


She stumbled on Sue Dengate's book, Fed Up.


"I started reading it and I thought 'this just what I've been looking for,
it's incredible'," Tracey said.


"I actually cried when I was reading it. I thought, 'how can she know all
of
this about our family?'."


Following the book to the letter, Tracey was able to eliminate additives
and
preservatives from Aidan's diet. While it meant a great deal more time
spent
in the kitchen, it changed life for the whole family.


"He is a completely different person," Tracey said.


More at link.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...document_id=20...


Millions have misused ADHD stimulant drugs, study says


By Shankar Vedantam
The Washington Post


WASHINGTON - More than 7 million Americans are estimated to have misused
stimulant drugs meant to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,
and
substantial numbers of teen-agers and young adults appear to show signs of
addiction, according to a comprehensive national analysis tracking such
abuse.


The statistics are striking because many young people recreationally using
these drugs are seeking to boost academic and professional performance,
doctors say.


Although the drugs may allow people to stay awake longer and finish work
faster, scientists who published a new study concluded that about 1.6
million teen-agers and young adults had misused these stimulants during a
12-month period and that 75,000 showed signs of addiction.


The study published online this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol
Dependence culled data from a 2002 national survey of about 67,000
households.


The data paint a concrete and sobering picture of what many experts have
worried about for years, and present ethical and medical challenges for a
country where mental performance is highly valued and where the number of
prescriptions for these drugs has doubled every five years, said Nora
Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.


"We live in a highly competitive society, and you want to get the top
grades
and you know your colleagues are taking stimulants and you feel
pressured,"
she said. "Yes, you are going to study better in the middle of the night
if
you take one of these medications. The problem is a certain percentage of
people become addicted to them, and some have toxic effects."


Volkow said it was impossible to disentangle the skyrocketing
prescriptions
of drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder from the risks of
diversion and abuse.


"As a child, you have multiple friends who are being treated with
stimulant
medications," she said. "You get the sense that these are good."


Studies have shown that the drugs are highly effective, especially among
children, and also that they reduce the risk of substance abuse among
those
correctly diagnosed with the psychiatric disorder, which is characterized
by
inattention and unruly behavior. Untreated ADHD has also been associated
with conduct and academic problems.


At the same time, there have been growing concerns that the drugs are
over-prescribed. A Food and Drug Administration panel earlier this month
warned that the medications carried risks of rare, but serious,
cardiovascular problems, and it recommended that the agency place serious
"black box" warnings on the drugs, as a way to restrain spiraling
prescriptions.


Lawrence Diller, a pediatrician in Walnut Creek, Calif., who prescribes
the
drugs but is worried about their overuse, said that the new study showed
the
real health concerns are with diversion and abuse, not with rare side
effects. "Seventy-five thousand addicts to prescription stimulants is much
more troublesome than the 100 to 200 adults who have strokes," he said.
"Houston, we have got a problem because we are just in the middle of this
epidemic."


The study found that men and women were equally likely to be misusing the
drugs, but that women seemed to be at greater risk of dependence -
characterized by a lack of control, physical need and growing tolerance
for
the drug - while men seemed to be at greater risk of abuse, in which the
medication was used in dangerous situations, said lead author Larry
Kroutil,
who studies health behavior and education at RTI International, a
nonprofit
research group.


To obtain their findings, Kroutil and a team of researchers culled data
from
a 2002 national survey conducted by the federal government's Substance
Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). H. Westley Clark,
director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said the 2002
data were obtained through face-to-face interviews. RTI has not yet culled
data from subsequent years regarding the misuse of ADHD drugs.


Since then, prescription rates and the popularity of various drugs have
changed, and Kroutil said continuing research is needed to track the
phenomenon. Clark noted that data from 2003 suggested that the problem of
stimulant misuse was greater among young adults 18 to 25 years old than
among teen-agers.


The RTI study was paid for by Eli Lilly and Co., which makes the
non-stimulant ADHD drug Strattera. Although non-stimulant treatments such
as
Strattera were an option for ADHD patients, they were often not as potent
as
stimulant drugs, Volkow said.


Both Volkow and Scott Kollins, who heads Duke University's ADHD program,
said the full range of ADHD drugs is a valuable tool. But Kollins said the
study brought home what he has seen anecdotally: A colleague who visited
his
college-age son's fraternity was mobbed by requests for Adderall
prescriptions by youngsters seeking to boost academic performance.


"If I took Ritalin, I would probably stay up longer and write my grants
faster," Kollins said. But besides the fact that he did not think this is
right, Kollins said the rare side effects highlighted by the FDA panel
meant
people using the drugs for nonmedical purposes were placing themselves at
risk for those adverse events.


Volkow was more blunt: "You are playing roulette," she said. "If you get
addicted, you will not only not get into Harvard, you will not finish high
school."

on omega 3 i dio believe in some they work


but we as kids lived on oily fish ,and at college whee my attention was bad
still i was eating tinned oily fish every lucnh ytime lots of it and i still
had no attention and failed

regards paul
"Jan Drew" wrote in message
t...

"Jeff" wrote in message
news:qlPoh.15655$Pe7.8037@trnddc04...

"Jan Drew" wrote in message
et...

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/her...ith_autism.php


copyrighted material deleted

The fact that there is little evidence that diet helps ADHD or autism
explains why the NHS is doing this. I guess they think it will help the
kids if the parents do things that actually work.

http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDai...=20060316-0911...

Ped Med: The skinny on ADHD contributors
By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer


SAN FRANCISCO, March 17 (UPI) -- Nutritionists are convinced that, just
like
everyone else, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are
what they eat.


Specifically, the specialists have their eye on so-called omega-3 fatty
acids as playing some role in the condition that, in general, is marked by
trouble keeping still, difficulty in maintaining attention, propensity
toward acting impulsively or some combination of the three.


Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in cold-water fish, such as salmon,
herring, tuna, clams, crab, cod, flounder, sole, halibut, catfish, trout
and
shrimp. They also abound in nuts; soybeans; walnut, olive and flaxseed
oil;
seeds; whole grains and dark leafy greens.


The fatty acids comprise a hefty component of the brain, which weighs in
at
about 60-percent fat.


The compounds, which studies indicate are essential for forming and
maintaining the dopamine system, have been found in short supply in some,
though not all, children diagnosed with ADHD.


Many researchers see ADHD as a hereditary imbalance of brain chemicals,
such
as dopamine -- which regulates movement, emotion, motivation and
sensations
of pleasure.


That view is strongly contested by critics who point to a dearth of
physical
evidence for such a notion.


Whatever their connection to the "feel-good" chemical in the brain, the
omega-3 fatty acids appear to have an impact on a child's behavior,
portending problems in youngsters who don't have enough of the compounds.


As one example, a recent Duke University study of 96 boys ages 6 to 12
indicated those with low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids face
increased
risk of ADHD-like behavior, learning and health challenges.


There is also some evidence the compounds may play a benevolent role in
the
production of myelin, a protective insulation that coats the brain's
internal wiring,


A novel model of human brain development and degeneration proposed by
researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles implicates
disruption of myelin production in such childhood developmental disorders
as
autism and ADHD.


From a review of scanned and autopsied brain tissue, the investigators
unraveled the role of myelin in these conditions.


Laden with more cholesterol than any other brain component, the sheet of
fat
surrounds the spindly nerve-cell extensions called axons, permitting them
to
carry messages to their neighbors in the safety and security of their
armor.


The thicker and heavier the cells' coat, the faster and more effective
their
communication, said team leader Dr. George Bartzokis, professor of
neurology
at the David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the UCLA Memory
Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic and the Clinical Core of the UCLA
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.


The pioneering neuroscientist discovered that myelin production continues
unabated throughout the first four decades of life before peaking and
plummeting at age 45. His latest research portrays the protective shield
as
the neural system's Achilles' heel, vulnerable to a host of environmental
assaults.


"Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in humans, arguably is the
most
important and most vulnerable process of brain development as we mature
and
age," Bartzokis said.


Without adequate insulation, cells won't connect properly, he has found in
a
series of experiments that showed a breakdown in the sheath can expose the
naked wiring beneath and open the gates to an array of neurological and
behavioral problems.


Bartzokis's theory holds that humans "myelinate" different circuits at
various points in life, which could explain the sizeable differences
between
brain diseases of the young and old.


An early disruption of the process, for instance, may throw for a loop the
development of the basic circuits that govern language and social
communication, two key impairments in autism.


A glitch during the early school years could hamper the ability to process
information efficiently and effectively, leading to deficits in attention
that characterize ADHD. Later in life, the result of a malfunction could
be
Alzheimer's disease.


To Bartzokis, the human brain is akin to high-speed Internet.


"The speed, quality and bandwidth of the connections determine the brain's
ability to process information, and all these depend in large part on the
insulation that coats the brain's connecting wires," he said.


The findings may explain why developmental disorders leave no calling card
in the brain. "There's no dead anything on autopsy," Bartzokis said.
"Those
brain connections just never developed normally."


Bartzokis's studies also show female brains make better myelin, which
could
explain why boys are at much greater risk for autism, ADHD and other
problems.


"On the positive side, there are some interesting things to consider,"
Bartzokis said. "For example, essential fatty acids are fats that are
necessary for membrane production, and myelin is essentially pure
membrane."


"They are called 'essential' because the human body cannot produce them,
and, therefore, they are like 'vitamins' -- they need to come from a good
diet," he added. "Thus, nutrition is very important because the brain is
very busy trying to build the myelin sheaths."


Still, researchers don't have the skinny on the exact relationship between
the fats and ADHD.


Although alternative medicine practitioners report some success in
ameliorating symptoms with the use of fatty acid, mineral, vitamin B and
other supplements, none of these has been embraced as standard therapy.


Conventional and complementary practices also part ways on the role, and
remedial potential, of food additives, sugar or allergens. All of these
remain controversial, having failed to withstand rigorous scientific
scrutiny, according to a compilation of ADHD data by Dr. Peter Jensen,
director of the Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health at
Columbia University.


Next: Seeking environmental clues to ADHD.


(Editors' Note: This series on ADHD is based on a review of hundreds of
reports and a survey of more than 200 specialists.)



http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=28786

Excerpt:


Many parents are noticing dramatic changes in their children's behaviour
after putting them on a preservative-free diet.


Nobody would expect to find a toy in a toy shop that was unsuitable for
children.


But in supermarket aisles all over Australia, food blatantly aimed at
children is in many cases unsuitable for them to eat.


Everything we need to know about packaged food is right there on the
label,
but to decode that information, you practically need a science degree.


A myriad of colours and preservatives are on the market and just do not
agree with some kids. Even food that claims to be free of artificial
additives can contain natural preservatives which are harmful.


Tracey Sheppherd thought her son Aidan was just one of the difficult ones.
Doctors advised ADHD medication, but Tracey felt there had to be another
option.


She stumbled on Sue Dengate's book, Fed Up.


"I started reading it and I thought 'this just what I've been looking for,
it's incredible'," Tracey said.


"I actually cried when I was reading it. I thought, 'how can she know all
of
this about our family?'."


Following the book to the letter, Tracey was able to eliminate additives
and
preservatives from Aidan's diet. While it meant a great deal more time
spent
in the kitchen, it changed life for the whole family.


"He is a completely different person," Tracey said.


More at link.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...document_id=20...


Millions have misused ADHD stimulant drugs, study says


By Shankar Vedantam
The Washington Post


WASHINGTON - More than 7 million Americans are estimated to have misused
stimulant drugs meant to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,
and
substantial numbers of teen-agers and young adults appear to show signs of
addiction, according to a comprehensive national analysis tracking such
abuse.


The statistics are striking because many young people recreationally using
these drugs are seeking to boost academic and professional performance,
doctors say.


Although the drugs may allow people to stay awake longer and finish work
faster, scientists who published a new study concluded that about 1.6
million teen-agers and young adults had misused these stimulants during a
12-month period and that 75,000 showed signs of addiction.


The study published online this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol
Dependence culled data from a 2002 national survey of about 67,000
households.


The data paint a concrete and sobering picture of what many experts have
worried about for years, and present ethical and medical challenges for a
country where mental performance is highly valued and where the number of
prescriptions for these drugs has doubled every five years, said Nora
Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.


"We live in a highly competitive society, and you want to get the top
grades
and you know your colleagues are taking stimulants and you feel
pressured,"
she said. "Yes, you are going to study better in the middle of the night
if
you take one of these medications. The problem is a certain percentage of
people become addicted to them, and some have toxic effects."


Volkow said it was impossible to disentangle the skyrocketing
prescriptions
of drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder from the risks of
diversion and abuse.


"As a child, you have multiple friends who are being treated with
stimulant
medications," she said. "You get the sense that these are good."


Studies have shown that the drugs are highly effective, especially among
children, and also that they reduce the risk of substance abuse among
those
correctly diagnosed with the psychiatric disorder, which is characterized
by
inattention and unruly behavior. Untreated ADHD has also been associated
with conduct and academic problems.


At the same time, there have been growing concerns that the drugs are
over-prescribed. A Food and Drug Administration panel earlier this month
warned that the medications carried risks of rare, but serious,
cardiovascular problems, and it recommended that the agency place serious
"black box" warnings on the drugs, as a way to restrain spiraling
prescriptions.


Lawrence Diller, a pediatrician in Walnut Creek, Calif., who prescribes
the
drugs but is worried about their overuse, said that the new study showed
the
real health concerns are with diversion and abuse, not with rare side
effects. "Seventy-five thousand addicts to prescription stimulants is much
more troublesome than the 100 to 200 adults who have strokes," he said.
"Houston, we have got a problem because we are just in the middle of this
epidemic."


The study found that men and women were equally likely to be misusing the
drugs, but that women seemed to be at greater risk of dependence -
characterized by a lack of control, physical need and growing tolerance
for
the drug - while men seemed to be at greater risk of abuse, in which the
medication was used in dangerous situations, said lead author Larry
Kroutil,
who studies health behavior and education at RTI International, a
nonprofit
research group.


To obtain their findings, Kroutil and a team of researchers culled data
from
a 2002 national survey conducted by the federal government's Substance
Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). H. Westley Clark,
director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said the 2002
data were obtained through face-to-face interviews. RTI has not yet culled
data from subsequent years regarding the misuse of ADHD drugs.


Since then, prescription rates and the popularity of various drugs have
changed, and Kroutil said continuing research is needed to track the
phenomenon. Clark noted that data from 2003 suggested that the problem of
stimulant misuse was greater among young adults 18 to 25 years old than
among teen-agers.


The RTI study was paid for by Eli Lilly and Co., which makes the
non-stimulant ADHD drug Strattera. Although non-stimulant treatments such
as
Strattera were an option for ADHD patients, they were often not as potent
as
stimulant drugs, Volkow said.


Both Volkow and Scott Kollins, who heads Duke University's ADHD program,
said the full range of ADHD drugs is a valuable tool. But Kollins said the
study brought home what he has seen anecdotally: A colleague who visited
his
college-age son's fraternity was mobbed by requests for Adderall
prescriptions by youngsters seeking to boost academic performance.


"If I took Ritalin, I would probably stay up longer and write my grants
faster," Kollins said. But besides the fact that he did not think this is
right, Kollins said the rare side effects highlighted by the FDA panel
meant
people using the drugs for nonmedical purposes were placing themselves at
risk for those adverse events.


Volkow was more blunt: "You are playing roulette," she said. "If you get
addicted, you will not only not get into Harvard, you will not finish high
school."

wrote:
Aren't doctors in the same place as parents? The doctors are not doing
the science that would confirm nutritional claims nor is it their
responsibility to sort out the possible beneficial from the many snake
oil marketers.

That is the responsibility of the FDA and the NIHs. But since their
funding for research
primarily comes from the food and pharma industries, their focus is to
approve drugs and
make it easy for the food and pharma industries to make money. And
concentrating
on healthy real foods is not conducive to selling crap manufactured
nutritionally-deficient
foods.

For them it is a matter of it is the devil known rather
then the devil of non-science. Read this bit and consider:

Non-science? Like the greater than 70% of research that is marketting
and not science?

You food industry cultists are so funny.

TC

Jan Drew wrote:

While there is wide debate about the causes and treatment of autism and
ADHD, some research has suggested that dietary interventions such as
removing milk and wheat, topping up nutrients or using fish oil supplements
can help in some cases.


This may be of interest to you. Enjoy your day.

Roman


Roman Bystrianyk, "Reversing autism and seizures - Jonathan's
story", Health Sentinel, November 20, 2006,

When Jonathan was four years old it was apparent that he wasn't quite
the way a four-year-old should be. He didn't focus and was not very
verbal. He often got angry and punched his own head and physically
attacked others. He didn't sing. He just didn't seem normal.

His parents, Denise and Jose, took their son to the pediatrician. After
several visits he was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder
(PDD) and more specifically with autism. PDD refers to a group of
disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization
and communication skills.

After his diagnosis, a pediatric neurologist saw Jonathan and performed
and EEG. An EEG or electroencephalogram is a test to detect
abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain. Although there
were no petit mal or grand mal seizures detected, as you would see in
epilepsy, there was clear evidence of brain seizures.

As a result of those tests he was taken to a psychiatrist who
prescribed Depakote, which is a medication used to control seizures and
convulsions. The Depakote was too strong for Jonathan - because he
would lose his balance and also "space out" - so he was switched
to Topamax, which he seemed to tolerate better. He was also prescribed
Strattera because of his violent outbursts.

In October of 2005, Denise happened across a radio program in New York
City on 91.5 FM WNYE. The program was the Gary Null show and that day
Dr. Null was reading a news story titled "Stopping epileptic seizures
using omega-3, vitamin E, diet and more". Denise found it very
interesting and exciting, and when she got home she found the article
on the Internet and read it.

Absorbing as much of the information as she could, she decided that she
wanted a change for her son. She found the scientific information
referenced in the article, "absolutely amazing", and she was
determined to try a natural approach. On her own she began giving her
son supplements that were discussed in the article. She started him on
1000 mg of omega-3, 400 IUs of vitamin E, 500 mg L-Carnosine, 500 mg
L-Glutamine, selenium, Vitamin C, zinc, and B-complex.

She made changes in his diet, eliminating dairy and wheat and all
processed food, which Jonathan frequently ate. "Now that I look back
at it he had an awful diet." She switched to all organic food and
began using filtered water. She also started reducing the amount of
Jonathan's medication.

Within two weeks Jonathan started showing some amazing changes. Denise
noticed improved eye contact and increased "clarity". He suddenly
became more focused and articulate. He had more patience playing games
and wasn't as angry. Jonathan also began singing, something that he
never really did before. Denise was happy and surprised, "He's
actually singing! Oh my God he's singing!"

Each week Jonathan improved. They got letters from school asking what
has changed at home because Jonathan was now doing "wonderful". He
became more focused and patient.

She went back to her pediatrician to let him know that she was trying a
natural approach and was reducing the medications Jonathan was taking.
"I was so sorry I did". The doctor became very angry and yelled,
"Your son needs to be on Ritalin. He needs to be on stronger
medication than he's already on what are you thinking about cutting
his medications in half?" Denise was stunned by the pediatrician's
belittling attack and didn't go back to see this pediatrician and
instead switched to a more understanding pediatrician.

In November they went to see Dr. Marty Feldman, who added a brain
supporting powder that Denise adds to soymilk to make a shake for
Jonathan for breakfast. He also recommended a product called Ultra
Clear to help detoxify, vitamin B-12, and increased the omega-3 fatty
acids.

In December, 2 months after the start of the protocol, she went back to
the pediatric neurologist that had done the original EEG on Jonathan.
She explained that she hadn't been given Jonathan all the prescribed
medication and that she felt he should be retested to see if he is
having any brain seizures. They performed the EEG again and this time
Jonathan had "no clinical evidence of seizures".

Denise asked the doctor, "So is there any reason for him to be on any
medications to control seizures?" The pediatric neurologist replied,
"No. He doesn't need them." The neurologist asked what she was
doing and Denise let her know of the protocol she had put Jonathan on.
She was very supportive, "Great! Keep doing what you're doing."

Denise made an appointment with a new pediatrician and informed him
that Jonathan was off all his original medications. The new
pediatrician made a suggestion that Jonathan get plenty of physical
exercise.

"He rides his bicycle and scooter weather permitting. In the winter
the family goes ice-skating twice a week. He often plays baseball with
his Dad and he does nightly yoga with the family. In school Jonathan
has Adaptive Physical education daily."

Today, a little over 1 year from the start of a journey, Jonathan is a
normal and happy boy. His behavior is excellent and he has even been
awarded "Student of the Week" numerous times in his class. "There
are no problems with his behavior. None. He doesn't hit other
children - he's very kind to them. He compliments his teachers.
He's a model student. Everybody in their family is shocked at the
amazing changes."

For more information please contact Denise at or
Roman at

REFERENCE: Stopping epileptic seizures using omega-3, vitamin E, diet,
and more -
http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_ne...st_item&id=058

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:52:06 GMT, "PromaBoss"
wrote:

just telling us to eat better is no good at all ,ok if you back that up witn
dieticians and so on helping every day of every week then maybe

I saw three or four dieticians (as a result of staffing problems). The
problem was, their basic assumption seemed to be that if you weren't
eating right, then it *must* be the result of ignorance and / or lack
of "motivation".

In fact I live alone, on a low income, and have problems with shopping
(due to disabilities). And quite frankly their suggested menus were
totally unrealistic for someone in my position. My mother who's a
widowed pensioner (though still able to do her own shopping) thought
much the same about their applicability to her.

They wanted to tell me *what*, but were quite unable to tell me *how*.

Unfortunately their ideas of healthy eating tend to be time consuming,
labour intensive (or expensive if bought pre-prepared) and to be based
on frequent shopping and / or a *large* freezer.

(And before anyone suggests it - home delivery would add about 25%
onto my shopping bill - I wouldn't get through enough fresh food &
can't store enough frozen to qualify for free delivery).

Basically - going by their suggested menus - the UK NHS dieticians
don't seem to have considered the problems of single people on a low
incomes (even though many pensioners fall into this category, and may
also have mobility of other problems which affect shopping or food
preparation).

--

Terry