Are you sure it's ADD/ADHD?

Shrinks get it wrong so much of the time it’s scarry. Bipolar? I’d question that one too. I question the entire notion of bipolar disorder for anyone. I think it’s a made up catch-all phrase for people who act like A-holes. A lot of things can cause a 10 year-old to freak out such as withdrawal from speed (Ritalin). Reye’s syndrome. food allergies, enviromental toxins, our toxic food, Mcdonalds, lack of nutrients.

Start by not feeding him crap. No candy. Milk can be a culprit especially in spring when the cows diet changes. Corn is another allergen. Nutrasweet can raise hell with some peoples brains. I think it was him being on speed for so many years, especially when he didn’t really need it. Sounds like he needs detox.

Not to sound rude, but all the allergy stuff has already been ruled out because his five year old brother has seventeen documented food allergies and I insisted he be tested as well and that they both be tested extensively and not just be given the basic tests. So I am pretty confident that he as well as myself are both bipolar. But I do appreciate you bringing allergies into the equation. For those that don’t know or would not have thought of them, it is a very good idea to have your child checked for them whenever there is an initial diagnosis of ADD, ADHD, and Bipolar Disorder. So thank you for your reply and your ideas.

Hi ball,
I was wondering if you could recommend some place to start for researching all of the diet stuff you contribute. I find it fascinating and would really like to try it, but don’t really know where to start and probably don’t want to go drastic right off the bat. Any suggestions? Thanks

What kind of extensive allergy tests would you ask for, and would the pediatrician know what I was asking for or would I need to go somewhere else?

YOu probably already know this but some docs have their own definition of allergies — so when you say “but doc, *every time* I eat X, Y happens” they say “oh, well, you might have a sensitivity, but it’s not an allergy.” Sweet semantics!
Friend of mine’s doc told him some key words to look for on the web for a pretty debilitating condition; he found an elimination diet that pretty much gave him his life back. He went back to the doc, who said “good. I was hoping you’d find that… I’d catch it if I told you about it as a doctor.”
This Internet thing - dangerous but powerful!

Thanks for sharing what actually happened to your child and what can happen when a child is misdiagnosed too quickly with ADHD - attention deficit.

Classic ADHD - attention deficit - likely represents a smaller population of persons than is often presented in the general news media. Years ago ADHD was considered a rare diagnosis but it appears somehow today - year 2002 - it is often misapplied to too many persons along the lines of a diagnosis of the month - and too easy to misapply to persons who actually fit different diagnostic categories. The consequences of a misdiagnosis are real: wasted time - sometimes measured in years, wasted energy, wasted money. Glad you’re now on the right track (better late than never).

Thank you for your kind words. That is what I was trying to get across that sometimes the first diagnosis may not be the correct or only one.

My son’s complete diagnosis is ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and childhood onset bipolar disorder. Now that he is getting treatment for all of these disorders, he is beginning to excel in school and in life in general. Before it was always like there were pieces of a puzzle missing.

I was not trying to say that a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD may not be correct, just that there may be more there to look for. ADD/ADHD can often mask so many other disorders it is often hard to find out what the complete problem is. I am just trying to encourage parents to keep looking until they are sure they have found everything that could be going on.

Thank you for sharing that you went the allergy route and the allergy route by itself did not answer everything at all. In my view, characterizing all neurological challenges as being some sort of mysterious allergy is nonsense and for many people can lead to lots of wasted time, wasted money, and false ideas.

Certainly healthy foods are essential to good health in general (good nutrition is important) but that is quite different than falsely implying all neurological challenges from ADHD to epilepsy etc. are all due to some sort of mysterious hidden allergy which may take years or decades to track down. Characterizing all neurological challenges as being due to allergy only is a big fib and those persons who promote being allergy-free as being the only way or best way to go for all neurological challenges are not to be believed or trusted at all. They are only selling incorrect information. That’s my view.

Sure. You’re right. In my view classic ADHD is much rarer than the false high numbers which too often appear in the general news media. False high numbers tend to promote misdiagnoses and the consequences of misdiagnoses which your story so clearly illustrates. Best wishes.

No one is characterizing LDs cause to be exclusivly allergies. Even the best allergy tests are incomplete. We are also subjected to an increasingly toxic enviroment and nutrient deficient food that is laden with toxins. Many schools suffer from sick building syndrome. Checking for allergies is not a waste of time although doctors use allergy testing to fleece their patients. 10 years of speed willcost a lot more than allergy testing.

Some people are probably genetically predisposed for impaired brain function but I don’t think the “LD gene” has been identified so saying that LD is genetic maybe true but it’s still conjecture. The fact that many children respond favorably to diet change show a connection to allergy/toxin and brain function. If a child from birth was fed a brain imparing toxin then neurological damage would occour and manifest itself as “LD”Taking him off that toxin will not show immediate improvement as brain development was hindered by said toxin. Keep in mind the brain isn’t some piece of hardware. The brain is a process… a universe. Think about that when some numb nuts doctor puts a lable on a kid. The experts aren’t!!

ADD is a very complex thing. There are many sub-types and also it occurs with other disorders. I encourage all parents to keep educating themselves, by no means is the human mind and all its intricacies understood. Dr. Daniel Amen has a book on the seven different types (by his count) of ADD. One of them is closely related to bi-polar disorder. My brother had that, I think. His book is called Healing ADD, and he also has a web site www.brainplace.org. Crystal, I am glad you have found a more accurate diagnosis for your son.

I do not believe ADD is over diagnosed. For every person who is mis diagnosed as ADD and doesn’t really have it, there are 3 people diagnosed as “lazy,” “stupid,” “learning disabled,” or “depressed,” but who really have ADD. I am coming from the perspective of discovering that I have ADD myself, in adulthood, as does my husband, his brother, several of my friends and several of my children. We knew we were “different” and that we didn’t always “fit in” but we didn’t understand why.