Subject: Health & Beyond Weekly No. 10
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 09:05:00 -0500

Chet Day's 
Health & Beyond Weekly No. 10

March 18-19, 1999

Copyright (c) 1999 by Chet Day. All rights reserved.

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ADD/ADHD affects millions of American families. Please help me
make more people aware of alternatives to the drug approach by
forwarding a copy of this issue of H&B Weekly to anyone who
might be interested. 

To receive a free subscription to this free weekly newsletter,
send an e-mail to [email-masked]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Featured Article -- The Drug Solution to ADD

2. Featured Recipe -- Lemon Cups by the Raw Gourmet

3. Recommended Reading -- New H&B Online Articles

4. Featured Chuckle -- More Humor from Kids

5. Closing Words -- ADD/ADHD: Natural Alternatives

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In this issue and the next one of Health & Beyond Weekly we're
going to explore the health challenges of ADD/ADHD and the 
medical profession's use of drugs, especially Ritalin, to 
deal with them.
 
Because this is a complex and controversial topic, I'm devoting
today's issue to a letter I received recently from H&B reader
Mark Wylie. 

Mark's story describes his positive experiences with ADD and
Ritalin.

Some may conclude that by printing Mark's letter I am
advocating the use of Ritalin.

Let me make it abundantly clear that I do NOT endorse or
recommend the use of Ritalin, or any other drug for that matter,
for any one at any time for any reason.

But I do endorse and recommend a close look at all sides of
important health issues.

Mark's narrative movingly expresses a problem affecting
millions of American families. Though I disagree with the
solution expressed in the letter, I have deep sympathy for
similar family situations that all-too-often lead to powerful
drugs as offering the only answer, the only hope.

Mark's letter clearly expresses the medical solution as well as
a typical parental dilemma in dealing with ADD/ADHD. Since I'm
going to disagree in next week's issue with the pharmaceutical
approach that uses drugs the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) keeps
on its controlled list, I thought it only fair that we first
learn about the answer that most pediatricians and psychiatrists
offer their patients, both children and adults.

So let's begin Part 1 of our series with...

POSITIVE EXPERIENCES WITH RITALIN

by Mark Wylie

Dear Chet:

I wanted to share with you my experiences with ADD and Ritalin.
They are very positive experiences, and I hope you'll take a few
moments to read this. 

My son was always a very difficult person to live with. He was
never hyperactive, but he had absolutely no attention span. His
grades when he started school were terrible, and many of his
teachers had almost no luck in getting him interested in reading
or any activity that didn't offer instant gratification. 

During his eighth grade year, one of his teachers suggested
that he might be suffering from ADHD. My wife and I had never
heard of that, and the teacher informed us that she had done her
Master's thesis on the subject. 

We contacted a psychiatrist who spent a great deal of time
talking to my wife and me, as well as a considerable amount of
time with our son. She was convinced that he indeed was
suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder, but in her opinion he
did not suffer from the Hyperactivity part of the condition. At
first she prescribed Dexedrine for him, but this was quickly
dropped when his appetite fell off drastically. The decision to
go to Ritalin was made at that time. 

The change in him was incredible. His grades in school improved
as well as his relationship with his peers. We gasped as we
actually started catching our son READING without having to have
his arm twisted! 

We did a lot of reading on this problem. The doctor's have
explained to us that it has been noted that in the ADD mind, the
blood vessels that feed the frontal, higher logic portions of
the brain do not dilate to feed more oxygenated blood during
times of peek usage. This results in the ADD person not being
able to concentrate for more than a few seconds on any one
subject. 

The Ritalin, which is an amphetamine in 'normal' persons,
actually allows the ADD'er to slow down his flip flopping of
thoughts and stay locked on one subject for an extended period. 

About six years ago, we read an article about ADD existing into
adulthood. For the longest time, according to our doctors, it
was thought that ADD was a 'childhood' problem that was always
outgrown. Sadly, that is rarely the case. The true ADD mind is
like that because of a genetic birth defect, and it is a problem
that won't go away. 

All of my life, I had a very, very difficult time learning new
things. In the early 1960's my parents were so concerned about
my grades that I was given a series of 'tests' by my junior high
counselor to determine if I was 'slow.' 

The test consisted of tasks that took very little concentration
to perform. I passed all but a few of them with 'flying colors.'
The report that the school sent to my parents stated that I was
a 'bright child,' perhaps above average, but that I was lazy. 

The bad grades and beatings continued until graduation from
high school. 

What was going on in my mind was an inability to focus on any
one subject for more than thirty seconds. Someone could be
talking to me about history, and I might snap to the fact that
the first part of the word "history" sounds like the sound of a
snake hissing. Suddenly, instead of listening to information
about the signing of the Magna Carta, I'm thinking about snakes,
then snakes remind me of ropes, and now I'm thinking about the
rodeo I went to last week. 

The loop is endless. Hey, I'm not lazy, I just can not
concentrate, my brain structure won't allow it! 

If you spend the first fifteen years of your life with bad
eyes, it's easy to assume that the world is supposed to look
fuzzy like that. Then one day you put on your buddy's glasses to
see if you'd look as goofy as he does in those old ugly black
frames. 

Instead of laughing at yourself, you're standing in amazement!
You can suddenly see, and it astounds you that the world can be
in such sharp focus. 

All of my life I assumed that EVERYONE thought like I did. The
word "concentrate" was meaningless to me. While learning new
jobs where I work, things that some guys learn in three weeks
would take me five. My wife would accuse me of not loving her
and not caring enough to pay attention to what she was telling
me. It broke my heart to know she thought I felt that way, but
could I fault her? 

The article about adult ADD opened my eyes because the things
the article described that the adults who have ADD were
experiencing sounded just like what my life was. I consulted
with my son's doctor about this, and she agreed that it was
highly possible that I had been suffering from ADD all my life. 

I started taking Ritalin. 

Chet, the difference in my brain was as dramatic as it was when
I put on my first set of glasses. I didn't start talking a blue
streak like someone on speed, and I didn't start bouncing off of
the walls. When I found myself following a thought process
without drifting in a dozen different directions I was so
incredibly thankful! 

My life with my wife of twenty-five years improved remarkably.
Once both of us understood what had been happening, a real
healing and new bonding took place. My performance at work
improved to the point where I was offered a place in supervision. 

I know that there are a lot of people out there whose children
are incorrectly diagnosed. It's so easy for a parent who won't
spend the proper amount of time with their kids to blame the
behavior of the child on anything but themselves. Kids are often
being drugged into discipline rather than being loved into
discipline. 

Chet, please, for the sake of those like me and my son (and for
the families of those people), please don't try to dismiss ADD
as something that can be treated with diet, exercise, or
therapy. It is a very real genetic disorder that, if untreated,
can and does ruin lives. 

I have known parents of ADD children and adults who have ADD to
try to treat this in a 'natural way.' The result was non-ending
confusion and misery. I know of at least one near-suicide. 

Well, this certainly got long-winded, and if you read all of
this, I thank you. Maybe you do or you don't agree with what I
had to say, but either way, thanks for respecting me enough to
let me share this with you.

Mark

[I want to thank Mark Wylie on behalf of all of us for taking
the time to write such a moving and thoughtful letter. Next
week, in No. 11 of H&B Weekly, I'll share the results of my
reading and research on " The Drug Solution to ADD." -- Chet]

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TODAY'S RECIPE

(Courtesy of Nomi Shannon, the Raw Gourmet)

LEMON CUPS

2 cups very finely grated carrots
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil
Stevia or maple syrup (optional)
4 lemon halves, after juicing

How can anything this simple taste so good? These adorable
stuffed lemons are a great side dish with a main course of
sprouted sunflower pate. Use more lemon if you like, and if it
is too tart for you, add a touch of maple syrup or stevia.

The recipe works best when the carrots are grated very fine.
Use whatever grating method you have that will give the best
results. A heavy-duty juicer without a screen makes the finest
grate but be sure to exercise extreme caution while using it,
and keep children out of the way. Do not leave the machine set
up without a screen in it.

In a small mixing bowl, toss the carrots, lemon juice, zest,
and oil. Taste. Sweeten if desired with maple syrup or stevia.
Fill the lemon halves with the carrot mixture. Serves four.

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RAW GOURMET'S BOOK IS READY!
Nomi Shannon, frequent contributor to the H&B Weekly recipe
section, recently received the first shipment of her new book,
"The Raw Gourmet." This is one of the best raw food recipes
books I've ever seen. Learn all about this fantastic new
resource for your kitchen by visiting Nomi's website at
http://www.rawgourmet.com or by writing Nomi at 

[email-masked]

Additionally, you can sign up for a free seven-part course that
Nomi's offering through e-mail that reveals the secrets of the
living food approach to wellness. Details at her website.

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RECOMMENDED READING

HOMEWORKER'S WEEKLY
On Tuesday I mailed out the third issue of my latest
newsletter. Called "Homeworker's Weekly," this free e-mail
publication explores ways people can supplement their income or
earn an honest living while working out of their homes. If
you're ready to break out of job prison, sign up today by
sending an e-mail to [email-masked]

HEPATITIS A VACCINE AND DISEASE FACTS
If the doctors are trying to get you to put hepatitis A vaccine
into your body or the body of your children, you should have him
discuss the following facts with you. Then see if he'd willingly
put the stuff into his bloodstream.

http://chetday.com/hepatitisa.html

WHY NOT EAT "CLEAN" CHICKENS?
Poultry grower Aaron Sugar offers an alternative to
vegetarianism in this article on why consumers should purchase
chicken flesh from local producers if they don't want to avoid
eating meat.

http://chetday.com/cleanchicken.html

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FEATURED CHUCKLE
(Courtesy of Michele)

KIDSPEAK
 
A three-year-old boy went with his dad to see a litter of
kittens. On returning home, he breathlessly informed his mother,
"There were two boy kittens and two girl kittens."  

"How did you know?" his mother asked. 

"Daddy picked them up and looked underneath," he replied. "I
think it's printed on the bottom."

-----
 
On the first day of school, the kindergarten teacher said, "If
anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers."  

A little voice from the back of the room asked, "How will that
help?"

-----

A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read,
"The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of
the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." 

His son asked, "What happened to the flea?"

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CHET'S CLOSING WORDS

I'm way over the word count already so I'll just ask you to be
as loving and patient as you can with everyone during the coming
week. And please make good decisions regarding what you eat and
how you live. 

In next week's issue, we'll take a close look at the long and
short-term dangers of the pharmaceutical approach to the
ADD/ADHD challenge. After doing that, I'll provide some natural
alternatives which don't involve drugs with dangerous side
effects.

Chet

Chet Day
Editor, H&B Weekly
[email-masked]

P.S. If you're not using Barleygreen and/or Herbal Fiberblend
in your daily health program, you should give them a try. Send a
note to [email-masked] for details on Barleygreen and a note
to [email-masked] for details on Fiberblend.

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To cancel your subscription to this publication, send an e-mail
to [email-masked]

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I provide the material in this file for informational purposes
only. I do not prescribe and I do not diagnose. If you use the
information in this file without the approval of a health
professional, you prescribe for yourself, which remains your
constitutional right, but the author assumes no responsibility.

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