This is the story of an eight-year-old little boy who first came to me for treatment on June 1, 1993. His mother described him as “out of control.” Everything was a constant drama in the house, with the child craving constant attention. He mimicked others’ behavior to spite them and was angry and demanding almost all of the time.
He had been like this for years, but over the last year he had become increasingly unmanageable. His mother said he threw frequent temper tantrums, had to be -supervised 100% of the time and wouldn’t “accept no as an answer.”
When I saw him in my office, the first thing out of his mouth was a reaction to my computer. He came over to my desk, stood very close to me, and with a little malicious grin on his face said: “Your computer just quacked,” referring to the sound effects my Macintosh computer makes.
The child would hit the mother and other children and smile while he was doing it. The mother described him as enjoying others’ pain and hurt. Afterward, he usually showed guilt or remorse and felt momentarily sad for the pain inflicted. He was described as defying his mother, and using anything as an argument.
He loves to read, but his attention and behavior was unpredictable-one moment nice, sweet or excessively affectionate and the next moment being violent and uncontrollable. He refused to go to bed at night, had a huge appetite, had frequent stomach pains, took frequent cat naps, slept on his side, was very opinionated, craved ice, beef jerky, candy, chocolate, orange juice, tomatoes, tomato juice, and fruit (especially -bananas, pears, and peaches). He disliked salty foods.
He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and had been on Prozac for three months at the time of his first visit with me. His mother reported that his behavior was a little improved on the Prozac, but not significant enough to keep him under control. They had also tried psychological counseling with little improvement. The mother decided to take him off Prozac without discussing it with the doctor (not something I would recommend!).
I prescribed a homeopathic remedy called Medorrhinum. I recommended taking the remedy only three times, at a frequency of every other day. The mother called me ten days later and reported that there was at least a 50% improvement in behavior. The mother had accidentally given the remedy daily, rather than following my instructions. I told her to wait and to not give him any more of the remedy, since improvement often will take place once the remedy is stopped. Ten days later she called again and said there was a setback. I recommended one dose of Medorrhinum in a higher potency.
Ten days later the mother called to say there was immediate improvement, but that it didn’t last. I recommended one more dose of the remedy. I didn’t hear back from her so I assumed she and the child were doing well. I phoned a few times to check but my calls were never returned.
I was curious about this case. Since the behavioral problem was so severe and the improvement so quick and dramatic, I wanted to know if it was holding. I finally reached the mother nine months later and she reported complete and lasting improvement without any more doses of the remedy. He just “snapped out of it” and “never snapped back,” she reported.
This type of case is very gratifying for me as the doctor. This little boy’s entire life will be changed thanks to the power and magic of homeopathy. Note that there are about 50 homeopathic remedies for ADD. Do not try to treat this yourself. Also, nutrition plays a large role and in my treatment program, I select a specific and individualized nutritional regimen based on either the child’s blood, urine or hair lab tests.
Questions about Hyperactivity and Attention Deficit Disorder:
Q. What are the potential side effects of Ritalin therapy?
A. There are many, but the primary side effects are loss of appetite, insomnia, loss of creativity, apathy, depression, lethargy and allergic reactions.
Q. Is there a natural way to treat hyperactivity and ADD?
A. Yes! Using herbs, vitamin supplements, a change in diet, homeopathic medications and amino acids has a proven track record. More and more medical literature is now available showing the positive effects of these natural therapies.
Q. What are the causes of hyperactivity or ADD?
A. It can be a physiological imbalance, nutritional disorder, chemical imbalance, blood sugar disturbance, allergy to foods or artificial additives, or sensitivity to sugar or -caffeine.
Q. What are the most common foods that can cause problems?
A. Holistic doctors have performed a lot of research and determined that the most -common foods to cause problems are the following: milk, cheese, corn, chocolate, wheat, eggs, yeast, sugar, food coloring and artificial food additives.
Q. How do we determine if foods are a problem?
A. The best way is to eliminate all suspected foods for twenty-one days and then to add them back one at a time for forty-eight hours each, and see if there is any adverse -reaction. If your child shows a reaction, eliminate the food. After the body chemistry is brought into balance, you may be able to add the food back to the diet.
Q. What are typical food allergy reactions?
A. Typical reactions are as follows: fatigue or sleepiness, nervousness, mood swings, restlessness, irritability, inability to concentrate, nasal congestion, headaches, muscle aches, abdominal pains, bed-wetting, facial pallor or puffiness, and dark shadows under the eyes.