Role of Homeopathy in treating ADD and ADHD

Characteristics of children with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder:

• These kids show lack of attention and easy distractibility like Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes books. They are unable to stick with tasks. They are easily bored. But, they can focus attention on the tasks they like such as television, Nintendo, and computer games. Socially the children are not paying attention, miss the clues and body language. They are oblivious to what is going on around them. They are disoriented socially. It takes a long time to get simple tasks done. They need reminders all the time. The short-term memory is very poor. They completely forget what they set out to do.
• The hyperactive characteristic brings in constant movement. They run before they walk. They are constantly bouncing off the walls. They exhaust parents. They do not sleep well. These children are into everything but finish nothing. They are sloppy. They never stop.
• These children are impulsive and reckless. They act without thinking. There is no restraint. They have to do it now. It can get dangerous when a thought comes to mind and they have to cross the street or climb on the roof without realizing the danger behind these situations.

The difference between ADD kids, and kids having some of these characteristics some of the time, is the intensity and severity of the symptoms

Horrifying Facts

• About 6 to 8 million children in the U.S. are taking mentally stimulating drugs. The source of over-prescription can be because there are no blood tests for ADD. The diagnosis is subjective.
• About 4-6 million children are diagnosed with ADD. This number is 4-5 times higher than anywhere else in the world. This in itself is reason enough for the parents to reflect on this.

Research on ADD

Most physicians and mental health professionals attribute ADD to an imbalance in transmitters within the brain, often Serotonin. When a study to this effect was done at the University of Georgia, it was found that, although there is evidence of neurological differences in children with ADD, no definite mechanism has been found for these differences. It may be more accurate to view the syndrome as a cluster of various behavioral deficits, including hyperactivity and impulsivity, which share a common response to psycho stimulants. This means neurotransmitter imbalance is an impressive way to explain ADD but remains questionable.

Researchers have concluded that every person with ADD has a deficiency or excess of one specific neurotransmitter. Researchers of the University of California recently reported finding the first abnormal gene associated with ADD. The gene controls Dopamine receptors in the brain. Children with a more severe form of ADD have an abnormality of this gene causing less sensitivity to dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Ritalin is known to stimulate dopamine release, perhaps accounting for the drug's efficiency.

An over stimulated society as a contributing factor to ADD?

There is a growing atmosphere of hurriedness, intensity and urgency. Children live with fear of missing something. We eat fast and play fast. We drink caffienated drinks/stimulants to keep up. Our society places little value on tranquility, quiet, solitude and the simple joy of being in nature.

Is ADD a dietary problem?

Researchers at Yale University of Medicine, found that within a few hours after substantial sugar intake, children release large amounts of adrenaline, which causes shakiness, anxiety, excitement and concentration problems with decreased ability to focus. Those children who have eliminated allergen have not experienced a consistent and significant improvement in behavior or learning. It is helpful to remove or restrict the allergens.

Many experts have documented a hereditary aspect to ADD. Even if they have two parents with ADD and eat sugar all day, some children will develop ADD, and some will not.

Similarity & Difference between Homeopathic & Conventional Treatment

Could it be that relative success in using stimulants for ADD is in fact because the physicians have stumbled upon a crude form of homeopathy? If stimulants can produce hyperactivity in healthy people, can they also cure it in those with ADD? If that is the case, what is lacking in conventional treatment with stimulants is the individualization of treatment which homeopathy offers.

Homeopaths choose a single remedy made from a substance that could produce the client's unique pattern of ADD symptoms, rather than trying to treat all clients with ADD with the same medicine.

What makes Homeopathy Unique?

Homeopathy uses only a single remedy because of the single principle that guides homeopathic practice, the law of Similars.

The challenge in homeopathy is to pick the one substance from nature that truly matches the client's symptoms. Rather than giving many different drugs to a client»a homeopath gives only one single natural remedy that is individualized according to the client's pattern of symptoms. The homeopath treats the person not the disease. This means that ten client's with ADD may need ten different homeopathic remedies based on their individual differences. The homeopathic remedy must match the symptom pattern to be effective. Although homeopathic remedies are made from substances which can cause symptoms if given too frequently or in too large a dose, in the microdoses used in treatment, the remedies are extremely safe. The homeopath will carefully interview you and your child, basing the remedy on the unique character of your child rather than results of psychological testing.

Regulation and Availability of Homeopathic Remedies

Remedies are regulated by FDA as over the counter drugs. Homeopathic pharmacies follow rigid guidelines established by the homeopathic pharmacopoeia of the U.S. They are available through health food stores.

The Homeopathic Approach to ADD

Homeopaths are able to treatADD-ADHD effectively in many cases by bringing the individual into balance. Homeopaths treat people with symptoms of ADD. What is treated is the specific pattern of symptoms that an individual with diagnosis of ADD- ADHD presents. Only the one homeopathic remedy that specifically matches the unique symptoms of the individual will bring the balance.

Benefits of choosing homeopathy to treat ADD-ADHD

• The foremost reason is Homeopathy works effectively and naturally to treat the person who is experiencing symptoms of the ADD-ADHD. This will be illustrated by the case later. You will see not only ADD-ADHD symptoms leading to learning disability, concentration difficulty, impulsiveness, fidgetiness, and inability to follow multiple tasks totally resolved but also bed wetting, eczema, stomach aches that were present during and before the diagnosis of ADD-ADHD for this child. Newsweek, April 25, 2005: Your family and your health with Harvard Medical School in reference to effectiveness of conventional drugs quotes “In the child study center survey, about 28% of parents who gave their kids drugs deemed the treatment somewhat unhelpful or extremely unhelpful. This means many kids may be on wrong meds. The children, who respond best to medication, experts say, are often the ones who fit snugly into widely recognized diagnostic categories like add or obsessive compulsive disorders. For quirkier kids, whose symptoms are hard to classify or who seem to have several disorders at once, pinpointing the right treatment can depend more clinical judgment than on hard science. For those kids, says Dr. Richard Gorman, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics, committee on drugs there is a lot more ambiguity and a lot less data about what works. Medicine aimed at one set of symptoms can exacerbate other symptoms.
• The second reason for choosing homeopathy over any other medical system is that history; research, records and clinical experience of over 250 years indicate that homeopathic remedies are free of any side effects. If you compared this statement with the most recent data published in Newsweek issue, April 25, 2005: Your family and your health with Harvard Medical School, you will understand exactly what I am stating. “Stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and dextroamphetamine (Adderall) are leading treatments for ADD/ADHD. The most common side effects such as appetite suppression are easily managed, but recent studies have raised more troubling possibilities. In a small trial involving 12 children with ADHD, researchers found a high number of chromosome abnormalities in those who took methylphenidate for 3 months, abnormalities seen in some forms of cancer. Other studies have found that rats given stimulants as pups become passive and helpless as adults. IN another troubling episode, Canadian regulators suspended sales of Aderall XR this winter citing reports of sudden death. But US officials concluded that the death rate was no greater than expected in light of the kids’ underlying medical problems. The FDA suggests only that children with heart defects avoid Aderall XR. Doctors use antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and antidepressants to treat a range of mood and behavioral problems in kids. Antipsychotics like olanzapine (Zyprexa) and reisperidone (Risperdal) can cause significant weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes. The mood stabilizers valproic acid (Depakote) and carbamazepine (Tegretol) can damage the liver and dangerously alter the production of blood cells. Lithium can affect heart; thyroid and kidney function and worsen acne. And common antidepressants may foster suicidal thoughts and actions in some kids.”
• Homeopathy treats the whole person. Not only do learning and behavioral problems improve, so do most or all of the other physical, mental, and emotional complaints of the person. Conventional medications for ADD work only on specific learning and behavioral problems. A parent of a child formerly on Ritalin, stated, "Ritalin makes your child available to learn. You and your teachers have to work on all the rest."
• Homeopathic remedies are generally given infrequently and over limited periods of timewith long lasting, satisfactory and permanent results. Conventional medications are given frequently, cost a lot and symptoms come right back when you stop the medications. Thereby put only a temporary lid on ADD symptoms. Homeopathic treatment is most intense first year, needing 4-8 week regular consultations with your homeopath but once the improvement comes about the frequency of visits is notably reduced. As the case presented here will illustrate, in last year I have seen this child only 2-3 times with long lasting, satisfactory and permanent results.

CASE OF DN, MALE, and AGE 9 year old: FIRST SEEN IN OCTOBER 2000

This is the information that was shared in the first consultation by mom and DN. DN did not like going to school last year because he usually had to do 5 pages of homework when he would come home as he could not get it done in school because of his ADD symptoms. He likes to get good grades. Mom says this year he is frustrated with math homework. He thinks he is slower than other kids. He gets upset, and can not calm down. He is near tears every time when he is doing his homework. We keep on reminding him to calm down. He keeps on saying, “I need help, and I can not do it.” In the frustration he bangs the table. At home the rest of us need to be very patient with him. He needs help, as he is slow. He has to line decimal points clearly. He wants to get it done quickly and gets frustrated that he cannot. He likes to play with legos. He likes to be alone when he feels bad. He is easily short tempered. Math and spelling he needs help and he is couple years behind than where he should be for his age. He is doing better in reading class but he is still not up to reading level. He tries to read fast and skips words. He is not building up the comprehension. He has improved quite a bit over summer but they still have him in special group for reading. We are used to him being active and fidgety. He has food sensitivities especially to sugar. I adjust the sugar when I see him particularly being hyperactive. With sugar he gets hyperactive and irritable. He gets argumentative and oppositional. He cannot do homework as every other minute he keeps on saying I am bad at subtraction. He fights about doing homework, fights with his brother. If we say grass is green, he says it is purple.

• I noticed his cheeks; lips and ears were pretty red. There were circumscribed patches of eczema between elbows, behind knees, and on both cheeks. He described eczema was quite itchy.
• He has warts. One of them is pretty big. Warts: one on palm, few small ones on the lip. He gets stomachaches and misses school. Usually stomachaches are followed by headaches.
• He gets croupy coughs.
• He still continues to wet the bed and he sleeps deeply.
• When asked about his food preferences, he told me he likes oranges and lemons.
• When I inquired about his fears or worries, he said, “I would worry if dad did not eat peanuts on couch. I worry about mom and dad not being together. I also worry that my dad would get sick as he smokes a lot.”
• When asked about dreams, he reported dreams of fights and battles. Fights with brother where brother was a bad guy. Fight never finished. He also had dreams of robots battling with each other.
• He is taking Karate lessons.

I gave him the homeopathic remedy Nitricum acidum 200C one dose every 4-8 weeks apart or less as needed. The repetition of the dose was to be done when improved symptoms of ADD were to return.

As DN improved, mom reported, “Stomach aches: none, headaches are practically unheard of. There have been ZERO ABSENCES at school. Overall he is very happy and doing well at school. SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IS GREAT, grades are better, report card so much better, everything improved. It has boosted his self-confidence. When I work with him on homework, it is so much easier. Writing is better. No bed-wetting.

• BETTER CONCENTRATION
• SPELLING TESTS WAY BETTER THAN BEFORE
• LEARNING IN GENERAL++
• WAY CALMER+
• VERY VERY HAPPY and CALMER
• Wart on back of palm has almost gone away
• Not wetting the bed. ++
• HE IS HUNGRY A LOT still. And he is more talkative in school.
• He got his black belt.

(++ Indicate 80-100% improvement, + indicates 60-80% improvement)

DN continues to live up to his potential and is free of any ADD-ADHD symptoms along with total improvement in eczema, stomachaches, headaches, warts, and bedwetting with 2 or 3 doses of his remedy per year. When he comes back for a follow up, I evaluate the symptoms and give him few doses of his remedy Nitricum acidum to last until next follow up which is scheduled 3 to 6 months apart.

Bibliography:

Ritalin Free Kids by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Bob Ullman

Newsweek, April 25, 2005: Your family and your health with Harvard Medical School