Many of us who have children have been confronted with scenarios such as these: 
  • The kindergarten teacher is complaining that she can’t get Johnny to stay in his seat.  He keeps wanting to move around the room.
  • Joey frequently gets in fights on the playground.  He is quick-tempered with the other children.
  • Suzie daydreams all of the time and she just can’t concentrate.  Her grades aren’t what they should be. 
  • Jimmy fidgets and fusses all through school.  He’s always bothering the other students and talking out of turn.
At one time, behavioral problems such as these were recognized for what they are—normal problems with childhood behavoir. While there are some children that could rightfully be labeled as having “Attention Deficit Disorder” (ADD)  or “Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder” (ADHD), today too many kids are being “diagnosed” by school officials and parents pressured to put their children on “meds” as a solution. With overfilled classrooms and underpaid teachers, Ritalin and other medications are often being used as a “quick fix” for these types of behavioral problems at school. Something is wrong when up to 50% of the children are on Ritalin in some American  classrooms!

Few people that are caught in the Ritalin-Go-Round stop to think about what drugs do to the child.  Ritalin is an amphetamine, more commonly known as an “upper” or “speed.”  How safe is it to be using speed  on a regular basis (even in small doses)? These medications blunt appetite and may have other side effects, including a rebound effect that makes the child even more “hyper” when the medication wears off than he was before putting him on meds.

Beyond that, what lesson is a child being taught when adults put him or her on medications to make him behave?  Have a problem with behavior? ...emotions? ...paying attention?  Pop a pill!  That’ll fix it!  (And we wonder why we have a drug problem in this country!)

So what should parents do when the school system insists that their child is impossible to handle and MUST be put on medication NOW?  This issue of Sunshine Sharing will provide you with information onnatural alternatives.

Let’s take a look at some of the cases of children’s behavioral problems and what we can do to help.

Normal Behavior

First, we need to understand what “normal” behavior is for children.  Children are not little adults.  They are in a different stage of neurological development where they learn primarily by touch and feel.  This is called kinesthetic learning and some children, particularly boys, are naturally more kinesthetic than others.  It is the kinesthetic learner that is most frequently labeled ADHD.

Children are supposed to be full of wiggles and giggles and energy that just doesn’t end.  That’s a sign that they are healthy.  It used to be that adults worried if a child was too quiet! 

It is also natural for children to have shorter attention spans. They learn best in short blocks of time, interspersed with physical activity and exercise. When children play, they move from one interesting object or activity to another.  The younger the child, the shorter their attention span.  As adults, we need to respect these needs of children and adjust our expectations accordingly.

Being active and being hyperactive, however, are too different things. There has been a marked tendency to increased hyperactivity and disruptive, uncooperative behavior in children during the past 15-20 years.  However, it is unlikely that our children suddenly developed a “Ritalin deficiency,” so what has changed during this time?

Diet and Nutrition

One of the most important needs that young, growing bodies have is the need for not just good, but  great nutrition. To supply the minerals, vitamins and everything that children’s bodies and minds need, they have to eat fresh vegetables and fruits.  General nutritional deficiency lies at the bottom of a great deal of ADD and ADHD problems.  Here are specific nutritional problems that contribute to behavioral problems in children.

Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates.  From sugar-coated breakfast cereals to start their mornings, to  candy and soda vending machines at school, to stores stocked  with candy, pastries and monster sized sodas, America’s kids are eating their way, not only to high dentist bills, but to wild blood sugar swings that make them overly active, unable to pay attention in school, and to aggressive behavior.  Teachers note that when kids return from high sugar-filled lunches and snacks, they “bounce off the walls.”  Hypoglycemia (blood sugar imbalances) creates both hyperactivity and attention deficit behaviors. Licorice root, HY-A and Super Algae can all help hypoglycemia and sugar cravings.

Insufficient Protein. Protein gives sustained energy and provides the amino acids that are necessary to create neurotransmitters in the brain.  Protein helps stimulate ephinephrine production, so it directly helps ADHD (see sidebar on Stimulants) by aiding mental focus.  Adequate protein intake also helps balance blood sugar levels, which contributes to more stable thinking.  Studies show that children who ate protein for breakfast performed better in school, while kids who ate carbohydrates (especially sugar sweetened breakfast cereals) did worse than kids who ate no breakfast at all.  Feed kids eggs, red meat or protein shakes for breakfast and it will help stabilize their mood. Spirulina and Super Algae, due to their high content of amino acids, are often helpful in ADHD, especially when taken during breakfast and lunch.

Food Additives.  Aspertame (Nutri-Sweet™) contributes directly to ADHD symptoms.  Some children improve just by taking this one thing out of their diet.  Food colorings and other food additives  may also exacerbate ADHD symptoms. Using a general cleansing formula like Enviro-Detox can help the liver deal better with these chemicals and get them out of the body.

Food allergies and “leaky gut” syndrome. Many times food allergies are at the root of behavioral problems.  Teaching children to eat the right foods for their blood type  is helpful.  Closely associated with food allergies is “leaky gut” syndrome, which is caused largely by compromised intestinal membranes which allows molecules of partially digested food to be absorbed into the bloodstream. This hypersensitizes the immune system and creates allergic responses.  

It appears that most children who are true ADD also have leaky gut syndrome.  Licorice root, una d’gato and chamomile are three herbs that can help to treat leaky gut.  Enzymes like Proactazyme and Small Intestine Detox are also helpful.  Kudzu/St. John’s Wort  and l-glutamine are good supplements for repairing the gut permeability.  Careful attention to diet is also important.  Healing the digestive system will often help ADD and ADHD.

Lifestyle Factors

Heavy metal poisoning.  Mercury, lead, and asbestos, poison the body and may be hidden causes of ADD,  ADHD and serious health problems.  Algin and Heavy Metal Detox are helpful for getting heavy metals out of the body.

Lack of exercise.  Couch potato kids don’t get the exercise they need.  This causes a lack of oxygen in their brains, poor metabolizing of nutrients to fuel the body, and makes it harder for them to stay well. Physical activity also helps burn off stress and promotes ephinephrine production in ADHD children.  This is particularly helpful for children who are kinesthetic learners (kids who learn primarily by physical involvement).  These children learn best through touch and movement and are the most likely to be labeled ADHD even when they aren’t. 
Lack of sleep.  Today’s children are getting less sleep than previous generations.  This effects their ability to concentrate and for the body to function properly and stay well.

TV, video games, computers.  These gadgets, gizmos and electronic babysitters may be making kids seem smarter, but they don’t move around enough, and movement is what children need to keep their bodies healthy and growing.  By sitting for long periods of time and  focusing their attention on these devices, children experience energy explosions when they are freed from their fixation.  Some children and adolescents actually develop an addiction to electronic devices, exhibiting obsession and withdrawal cycles similar to those of substance abusers.

Emotional Issues.  Stress and tension from school or home can contribute to ADD and ADHD.  Family issues, fears of life and death, moving, shifting relationships, etc. can cause children to become stressed and irritable.  Simply recognizing and dealing with these issues can help bring behavior back into normal range. 

Boredom.  Face it, school is arranged so everyone can pass. Therefore, most of the kids are bored most of the time. This, in and of itself, causes children difficulty with keeping their attention focused.

Vaccine reactions.  Vaccines sometimes cause low grade encephalitis, which damaged the nervous system and may contribute to ADHD problems.

The bottom line for a great deal of hyperactive behavior and difficulty with attention span is this: Get the children off of sugar, feed them nutritious foods, get them off of the electronic babysitters and get them exercising.