http://www.ritalindeath.com/maryannblocktestimony.htm
TESTIMONY BY MARY ANN BLOCK,
D.O., OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN FROM TEXAS
Committee on House Government Reform
September 26, 2002
Thank you for inviting me to testify at this hearing. I am Dr. Mary Ann Block,
an Osteopathic physician from Texas. For those of you who are unfamiliar with
the Osteopathic profession, let me tell you about us. We are fully licensed
physicians with the ability to write prescriptions, perform surgery and be
residency trained in all of the same specialties as M.D.'s. The difference
between M.D.'s and D.O.'s is two-fold. As a D.O., I had 150 more hours of
education in medical school. Osteopathic physicians tend to be more holistic in
their approach because of a philosophy that teaches us that the body and mind
should be viewed as a unit. Because of my medical training, my goal as a
physician is to look for and treat the underlying conditions causing the
patient's problem, rather than just covering up those symptoms with drugs. I
have seen and treated thousands of children from all over the United States,
who had previously been labeled ADHD and treated with amphetamine drugs. By
taking a thorough history and giving these children a complete physical exam as
well as doing lab tests and allergy testing, I have consistently found that
these children do not have ADHD, but instead have allergies, dietary problems,
nutritional deficiencies, thyroid problems and learning difficulties that are
causing their symptoms. All of these medical and educational problems can be
treated, allowing the child to be successful in school and life, without being
drugged.
The American Osteopathic Association has published my program as the
Osteopathic approach to treating the symptoms called ADHD. This approach is
supported by the medical research as well. The Annals of Allergy, reported in
1993, that children with allergies perform less successfully in school, across
the board, than children who do not have allergies.
A study in the Journal of Pediatrics, 1995, reported that children who ate
sugar had an increase in adrenaline levels that caused difficulty
concentrating, irritability and anxiety. A double blind, crossover study
published in Biological Psychiatry, 1979, found that Vitamin B6 was more
effective than Ritalin in a group of hyperactive children. Another study found
that children with magnesium deficiencies were characterized by excessive
fidgeting and learning difficulties. There are many more studies indicating an
association between nutritional deficiencies and attention and behavior
problems.
There is no valid test for ADHD. The diagnosis called ADHD is completely
subjective. While some compare ADHD to diabetes, there really is no comparison.
Diabetes is an insulin deficiency that can be objectively measured.
Insulin is a hormone manufactured by the body and needed for life. ADHD cannot
be objectively measured and amphetamines are not made by the body or needed for
life.
The prescription drugs that are used to treat symptoms of attention and
behavior come with a host of potential side effects. According to the
manufacturers of the drugs, the following side effects can and do occur:
insomnia, anorexia, nervousness, seizures, headaches, heart palpitations,
cardiac arrhythmia, psychosis, angina, abdominal pain, hepatic coma, anemia,
depressed mood, hair loss, weight loss, tachycardia, increased blood pressure,
cardiomyopathy, dizziness and tremor to name a few. These drugs are classified
as schedule II controlled substances with high abuse potential. According to
reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the drug Ritalin
has been found to be very similar to and more potent than cocaine. Ritalin and
cocaine are so similar that they are used interchangeably in scientific
research.
There are no long-term studies on the safety and effectiveness of these
amphetamine drugs, though millions of children are treated with them for years
at a time.
When I was in school and when my children were in school, there was no need to
drug millions of children. While there are children who have attention and
behavior problems, these problems may have increased due to poor diets, an
increase in soda and candy in our schools, an increase in allergies due to
changes in our environment and an increase in learning problems. It does not
mean these children have a psychiatric disorder called ADHD. It means they have
medical and educational problems that can be fixed.
Most of the children I have seen who have been prescribed these drugs have
never even had a physical exam. No doctor listened to their hearts even though
many of the side effects are heart related. Since there is no valid test for
ADHD, most doctors get the information for the diagnosis from the child's
teacher in the form of a checklist. If the teacher wants the child to be taking
these drugs, all she or he has to do is fill out the checklist indicating the
child has many problems in the classroom. One child was diagnosed as ADHD and
prescribed Ritalin. I treated him instead. Once his allergies and learning
problems were corrected he went on to become a National Merit Finalist and
accepted to an Ivy League University.
Every child deserves that opportunity. Many of the parents of these children
have told me that the teachers and principals have pressured them to put the
children on these drugs, threatening to report them to Child Protective
Services if they do not comply. CPS actually removed a child from his home
after the school reported the mother for not giving the child his drugs. The
ironic thing was, she had given him the drug, but the drug made his symptoms
worse, not better.
I cannot imagine any reason to give a child an amphetamine to cover up symptoms
when the problem can be fixed and no drug is required. Let's give our children
the medical and educational evaluations they need to diagnose the real
problems. Let's treat those real problems and give our children the future they
deserve, without drugs. Thank you.