Two dictionaries define attention deficit disorder.

Mirriam Webster says:

Any of a range of behavioral disorders occurring primarily in children, including such symptoms as poor concentration, hyperactivity, and impulsivity

The American Heritage Medical Dictionary says:

A syndrome, usually diagnosed in childhood, characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span, and sometimes hyperactivity.

A 'syndrome'????

That's defined as:

1. A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition.

2. A complex of symptoms indicating the existence of an undesirable condition or quality. A distinctive or characteristic pattern of behavior.

Am I the only one who thinks that calling ‘poor concentration, impulsiveness, and a short-attention span’ a disease or syndrome odd?

There are several reasons for children to be impulsive, over-active and have short-attention spans......and none of them have to do with diseases or syndromes.

In nearly all cases, it’s environmental. Change the environment and you can change the disease.

1. remove high-fructose corn syrup from your diet. (clinical studies show that HFCS decreases IQ after 6 weeks of continued use.)
2. remove artificial sweetners from your diet. (they are neurotoxins so they hurt your brain.)
3. remove pesticides and herbicides from your diet. (common sense tells you that eating poison is never a good idea. These sprays are created to KILL other living things.....of course they will cause harm in your body.)
4. remove techno-overload. (gross motor skills help to wire the brain. running, hopscotch, kickball, baseball, soccer....any thing......keep kids outside from sun-up to sun-down.)
5. add old-fashioned board-games or jig-saw puzzles to the mix.
6. add library cards to the mix. (encourage imagination through reading great books.)
7. add crayons, coloring books, markers, etc. (encourage imagination through art.)

I am encouraging parents, teachers and government officials to call ADD/ADHD what it REALLY is.....

Toxic Brain Syndrome.

Remove the toxins. The brain will perform better.

Adding more chemicals is not the answer.

Ritalin is the drug of choice for add/adhd. Let’s see what our government says about Ritalin’s side-effects:

FDA “Black Box” Warning Label

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires the following "black box" warning on all methylphenidate drugs, including Ritalin, which means that medical studies indicate Ritalin carries a significant risk of serious, or even life-threatening, adverse effects.

Adderall is another drug used to ‘treat’ add/adhd.....let’s look at their side-effects:

• The long-term use of Adderall can cause death or stroke. In addition, the long-term use of Adderall can cause permanent complications related to development. Adderall is also known to interfere with other medications used to treat underlying illnesses or medical conditions.

Does it seem reasonable that, given how the U.S. government defines attention deficit disorder, we should take, or worse yet, give to our children medicines that have the side-effect of death?

Based on the environmental components listed above, it seems to me that we have an attention deficit disorder treatment protocol that makes more sense and doesn’t have any dangerous side-effects.

But, it doesn’t really matter what I think. What do you think?