Green Options

A common prescription for ADHD is a stimulant medication. You’ve probably heard the brand names Adderal and Ritalin.

Problem is, stimulants like these make kids who take them 7 times more likely to die suddenly.

What we found — to our surprise — is that even if you take out confounding factors, the association between stimulant use and sudden death was still significant.

Preschoolers exposed to pollutants from gas-powered appliances are more likely to exhibit attention and cognitive disorders, according to a new study from Spain.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that early childhood exposure to indoor air pollution, specifically NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), led to lower scores on cognitive tests and was found to affect the child’s ability to pay attention.

One mother’s frightening odyssey into the world of ADHD and multiple drug treatments for her children highlights the unhealthy relationship between big drug companies and child psychiatry, and the effectiveness of following half-finished studies.

“When a major study said kids with ADHD could benefit from drugs, we gave my son Ritalin. Then he became manic and delusional—and now the study’s researchers say they might have been wrong all along.”

It is estimated that 3 to 7 percent of American children suffer form Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

That adds up to over 2 million kids, one in every class of 25.

Traditional treatments involve medications such as Ritlin and Adderall, as well as other prescription drugs.  Side effects linked to ADHD medication include depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to fall or stay asleep, rapid heartbeat…the list goes on and on.

Research has shown that nutrient deficiencies can exacerbate ADHD symptoms.  For many children, proper nutrition may effectively work as an ADHD alternative treatment.  (If your child is currently taking prescription medication for ADHD, don’t stop the medication without discussing it with your physician first.)

There’s a lot of controversy right now about over-medicating children for both medical and mental/emotional reasons. Before you let your doctor prescribe any medications for your child, please do some research. Ask questions. Lots of them.

I’m not a doctor or a psychiatrist, but as a parent, I am very protective about my kids. Messing with their brain chemistry or masking symptoms while the root causes go untreated seems like it will come back to haunt us later.

First, a clip from the new movie GenerationRX:

For decades, scores of doctors, government officials, journalists, and others have extolled the benefits of psychiatric medicines for children. GENERATION RX presents “the rest of the story” and unveils how this era of unprecedented change in Western culture really occurred - and what price has been paid by our society.

A new study published in the journal “Minerva Cardioangiologica” finds that Pycnogenol, an extract of French maritime pine bark, reduces the symptoms of jetlag.  According to the Environment News Service, “Pycnogenol lowered symptoms of jetlag such as fatigue, headaches, insomnia and brain swelling in both healthy people and hypertensive patients.”  French maritime pine bark extract has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of [...]

I find two trends in education alarming: the growing number of schools that eliminate recess and physical education programs and the large number of children on Ritalin for attention problems. As a teacher, I can’t help but wonder if the attention problems some children experience is due to the structure and expectations of education and life in the 21st century. Children were not designed to just sit at desks all day long without much opportunity for movement and interaction.

A friend of mine, who also happens to be our school nurse, has a son with ADD.  This child takes rRitalin during the school year; however, during summer vacation, he is drug free.  It is only during the structured, restricted environment of school that this child needs drugs to focus.  Given recent research on the subject, I can’t help but believe recess and play matters greatly for all children, especially those suspected of having attention problems.

Last September, we reported that food additives and colorings were linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. In fact, all children are affected, not just those who develop ADHD.  Despite calls from activists to ban artificial food dyes, many of which are derived from petroleum and coal tars, the FDA insists they are safe.  Now, the UK is taking these concerns seriously and calling for voluntary ban by next year.

Nature Birthday PartyEditor's note: We're pleased to welcome our newest writer, Jennifer Lance, to the team. Jennifer is the author and publisher of the blog Eco Child's Play, where she reviews natural toys. She'll be covering green family issues for us.

You've probably heard of attention deficit disorder, but have you heard about nature deficit disorder? Richard Louv has written about the link between these two disorders and their

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