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Each noon hour, more than a million children across North America line up at
school to get their midday dose of Ritalin, a stimulant drug used to treat
attention deficit disorders. And the number of children lining up each day is
skyrocketing.
Does your child display any of the following behaviors?
1. Does your child get upset too easily?
2. Is your child's motor stuck on fast forward?
3. Do you sense that your child really can't help the way he/she behaves?
4. Do all the teachers in the school know your child's name?
5. Does your child have difficulty playing with other children?
6. Is your child fine one minute and out of control the next?
7. Does your child seem to be off in his/her own world?
8. Does your child get upset when he/she shouldn't be, and brush off things
that would upset other children?
These are some of the symptoms often interpreted as being caused by an
attention deficit disorder. However, this list is a sampling of symptoms
triggered by exposure to chemicals in foods and/or the environment.
Attention deficit disorders in children are usually first identified by the
child's teacher. Many parents have told me they would prefer not to put their
child on Ritalin, but the constant calls from the school complaining about the
child's poor work habits and behavior, makes it difficult to consider other
choices.
How much do we really know about Ritalin? The Federal Drug Enforcement
Administration identifies Ritalin as an amphetamine and classifies it with
drugs like codeine, morphine and even heroin.
The military considers Ritalin to be a dangerous, mind altering drug. Potential
recruits are rejected because of their past or current use of Ritalin.
There are concerns over the long term health of the children who use Ritalin.
And because ritalin has become so easily available, teenagers are sharing their
pills and snorting it, a fad that is leading to addiction and even death.
Many parents who medicate their children with Ritalin believe they have solved
the problem. The teacher stops calling and there is peace in the household.
But why does a child who takes Ritalin during the school year return to their
hyperactive ways during school breaks when they are off the medication? Because
Ritalin only masks the hyperactive behaviors, it doesn't cure it.
Before the teacher calls again and suggests you up your child's dose of
Ritalin, now may be a good time to get informed about the causes of attention
deficit disorders and how to eliminate the problem without the use of drugs.
Check out some of these helpful resources.
(a) Jane Hersey's book, Why Can't My Child Behave? This book talks about how
the foods children eat can dramatically affect their behavior. Published by
Pear Tree Press, Inc. For more information or a copy of this book, contact Jane
Hersey by e-mail at: [email hidden] or call (703) 768-3287.
(b) Dr. Sandra Starr's book, Calming the Chaos, is a guidebook for eliminating
attention deficit disorders without the use of drugs. For more information or a
copy of this guidebook call Dr. Starr at (905) 257-6205.
(c) Dr. Doris Rapp's book, Is this your child's world? How schools and homes
are making our children sick. Her book explains how our foods and environment
may be behind many unexplained illnesses, behavior and emotional problems.
Conclusion: As a society, we have become so overly reliant on drugs to quickly
solve our problems that we may be using Ritalin to control childhood behavior
rather than spending the time with our children to uncover the real reasons for
their poor behavior.
By using drugs, we are teaching children that they don't have to be responsible
for their own behavior. If they want to change, they can just take a pill.
In the United States the prescription rate for Ritalin is five times higher
than in the whole rest of the world combined. American children may not only
have to worry about drugs from the corner pusher, but from the doctors and
schools as well.
We have choices! When it comes to Attention Deficit Disorders, get all the
information necessary to make an informed choice, a choice between using drugs
or trying a drug-free alternative.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to send your child to school drug free and focused?
Pamela Sims, M.Ed., is an educational speaker and the winner of two awards for
her international best selling book, Awakening Brilliance: How to Inspire
Children to Become Successful Learners. Her book is available from Amazon.com,
Barnes and Noble, and Borders bookstores. ISBN: 0-9651126-0-8.