by Anthony Kane, MD

Before We Proceed

We are about to discuss what is officially labeled as an alternative medicine treatment for ADHD.

You should understand that a synonym for “alternative” is controversial. The officially orthodox medical community does not sanction what we will be discussing. If this gives you goose bumps you had better stop reading now.

If not we can proceed.

Feingold and Food Dyes

Historically, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, was first person to promote idea that dietary items might be responsible for causing ADHD. Feingold focused on food additives, which are essentially anything that nature did not put in your food. Each American consumes 8 to 10 pounds of food additives every year. Feingold also implicated some natural chemicals, such as naturally occurring salicylates.

Feingold maintained that salicylates, artificial colors, and artificial flavorings were responsible for 40 to 50 percent of hyperactivity found in children. He claimed that most effective form of treatment for hyperactivity was to prepare and serve children foods that were free of these substances. His ideas received tremendous media attention and Feingold Associations, comprised primarily of parents, developed in almost every state.

The Anti Feingold Position

Initially, medical community took Feingold very seriously. His idea was so popular, that it was impossible to ignore. However, after some investigation final verdict was that Feingold was wrong.

The most vocal opposition of Feingold came from Nutrition Foundation.

In 1980, an expert review team assembled by Nutrition Foundation concluded:

“Based on seven studies involving approximately 190 children, there have been no instances of consistent, dramatic deterioration in behavior in hyperactive children challenged, under double-blind conditions, with artificial food colorings. . . . There are three . . . exceptions to these generally negative conclusions; but, in all three cases, deterioration is reported by mother with no other objective, confirming evidence available. . . . Without confirming evidence of objective tests and/or outside observers, even these exceptions cannot be considered as definite evidence that there may be an occasional, genetically determined, sensitivity to food colorings. Though one cannot prove that no such children will be found, sufficient numbers of highly selected children have been studied to feel confident that such specific sensitivity, if found,will be rare."

These negative findings stand in sharp contrast to 32-60 percent of children reported by Dr. Feingold and others to improve dramatically when additives were eliminated from their diets.

Nevertheless, in 1980 Nutrition Foundation, a well-respected group of scientists dedicated to furthering of better health through proper nutrition, strongly rejected Feingold’s hypothesis and concluded that additives used by food industry are perfectly safe. Just so you should know, Nutrition Foundation was established and funded by Coca Cola, Life Saver Company, and a number of other food industry giants.

The Pro-Feingold Position

The information supporting Feingold is actually much easier to find. You can view most of it yourself by going to Feingold Association web site.

by Anthony Kane MD

Introduction

Developing healthy peer relationships is critical for normal development of a child. Peer relationships have been found to be an important predictor of positive adult adjustment and behavior. Difficulty in finding friends leads to feelings of low self-esteem and these feelings usually continue into adulthood.

Children with poor social skills are at risk for delinquency, academic underachievement, and school drop out. Even though inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and restlessness frequently persist into adult life, these problems are of less importance as child gets older. Rather, main difficulty ADHD patients encounter as they reach maturity is their inability to interact appropriately with others.

An ADD ADHD child often lacks social skills that are essential to success in life. These children can be socially inept, and their lack of interpersonal skills may cause them a multitude of difficulties. In addition, positive relationships with friends in childhood provide a critical buffer against stress and help to protect against psychological and psychiatric problems. ADHD children lack these positive interactions and thus are at risk for a number of emotional problems.

Probably 60% of ADHD children suffer from peer rejection. ADHD children are less often chosen by peers to be best friends, partners in activities, or seatmates. As children grow older, their social problems seem to get worse. Their inappropriate behavior leads to further social rejection and exacerbates their inability to relate to others appropriately. Long term these children are more likely to have difficulty finding and maintaining successful careers. This is not surprising since social aptitude can make or break careers and relationships in adult world.

Causes of Poor Peer Relationships

ADHD children are frequently disliked or neglected by their peers. It is difficult to determine all factors that make a child unpopular, but children who frequently display aggressive or negative behavior tend to be rejected by their peers.

Impulsivity and Aggression

ADHD children tend to be more impulsive and aggressive than other children. Teachers observe that social interactions of ADHD children more often involve fighting and interrupting others. These children are more intense than others and behave inappropriately in social contexts. For example, ADHD children are more likely to yell, run around and talk at unsuitable times. They also tend to want to dominate play, engage in off task behaviors and engage more in teasing and physical jostling of peers. This sets up a process of peer rejection.

Academic Problems

ADHD children often do not do well in school. Poor school performance by itself does not result in social rejection. However, way child responds to his academic difficulties can contribute to inappropriate social behavior. Children who cannot engage themselves with classroom work assignments often disrupt and irritate their peers.

Inattention