adhd and the reward deficient brain drugs that harm, alternatives that heal! “our son is now...

ADHD AND THE REWARD DEFICIENT ADHD AND THE REWARD DEFICIENT BRAINBRAIN

••••DRUGS THAT HARM, ALTERNATIVES DRUGS THAT HARM, ALTERNATIVES

THAT HEAL!THAT HEAL!

“Our son is now Ritalin Free! He is now doing remarkably well in a busy classroom setting,

something never possible before without drugs!”

C.B.

COPYRIGHT 2001 • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED • David Melendez, D.C, C.Ad. • 760-944-0563

INABILITY TO FILTER OUT INCOMING STIMULI

HENRY: “When I am at a business lunch and really need to listen to the conversation, I can only get part of the story because I am trying so hard to shut out the noise of other conversations and distractions in the room. I am aware of meaningless word conversations and fragments that come catapulting at me from every direction, of dishes clattering, phones ringing, people moving about. The people with me seem to have a fence around them that protects them from this barrage of noise and activity. I don’t have a fence.”

Source: Overload: ADD and the Addictive Brain, Kenneth Blum, Ph.D.

ADHD AND THE ADDICTIVE BRAIN

“Many experiments since 1990 have found the D2 dopamine receptor gene to be associated with a variety of impulsive, compulsive and addictive behaviors, including polysubstance dependence, crack cocaine, smoking, carbohydrate bingeing, pathological gambling and most important, behavioral conditions such as Tourette Syndrome and ADHD.”


REWARD DEFICIENCY SYNDROME

“Realizing that there was a common underlying genetic route to all these behaviors we decided to give this complex condition a name. I chose Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), related to the deficiency in the reward part of the brain where dopamine works (the limbic system).”


THE LIMBIC SYSTEM(Location of Brain Reward Cascade)

THE SPINE AND LIMBIC SYSTEM

“Giesler, Katter and Dado found specific spinal pathways which project to the limbic system for nociceptive information, and these pathways seem to include the hypothalamus bilaterally.”

Source: Giesler GJ Jr., Katter JT & Dado RJ, 1999. Trends in Neurosciences, 17(6):244-50.

RISK OF ADDICTION

Drug Users Look For Good Feeling

Children have higher rates of “addictive propensity” when their brain structure limits their capacity to feel rewarded. Neurochemists say children born with high levels of stress hormones and/or abnormally low levels of dopamine function (neurochemical production) may turn to street drugs to “self-medicate.”

Children with ADHD are at higher risk for addiction.

Source: Charles Schwarzbeck, Scripps Howard News Service



“Our conviction wasthat ADHD was indeed

an important precursor toa life of despair and potential

addiction to mood-altering drugs.”

DRUGGING SCHOOL CHILDREN

Researchers from the Center for Pediatric Research in Virginia report that doctors appear to be overprescribing drugs to grade-school children. This study finds that between 8-10 percent of children in second through fifth grades routinely take medication for ADHD. Among fifth graders, one of every five white males is taking ADHD medication. Most experts seem to think that doctors are misdiagnosing these children.

Source: American Journal of Public Health September 1999

EXPERTS TROUBLED

Use Of Potent Medications On Preschoolers Increases

The number of 2- to 4-year-olds on psychiatric drugs including Ritalin and anti-depressants such as Prozac soared 50 percent between 1991 and 1995, researchers reported in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

*Experts are troubled by the findings because effects of such drugs in children so young are largely unknown. Doctors worry that such powerful drugs could be damaging to children’s development.

Source: The San Diego Union Tribune, February 23, 2000


Significantly more children with ADHD develop problems with alcoholism or drug addiction than do children without ADHD.

People who become alcoholics show higher frequency of symptoms of ADHD as children than those who don’t.

Children of alcoholics have been shown to perform poorly on test measuring attention memory, perceptual motor coordination, motor speed, spatial sequencing, and language capacity.


Many people with ADHD are children of alcoholics and ADHD is common in relatives of ADHD children

Up to 1/3 of alcoholics meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD

Children of alcoholics are at a higher risk of becoming addicted

Sensory information is often amplified in addicts before they start taking drugs



GOVERNMENT STUDY

Pediatric Drug Concerns Prompt New StudyWhite House to step up research into children’s use of prescriptions

such as Ritalin and Prozac. Experts agree issue needs attention.

The government said it will launch a $5-million research project over five years to study children who take Ritalin to treat attention-deficit disorder.

Its [Ritalin] label warns that the drug should only be used by children at least 6 years old. But many children younger than that are given the drug.

“More and more younger children are coming in on multiple medications. That’s a cause of great concern.”

Source: Nick Anderson, Staff Writer, The Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2000

LIVER TUMORS

Ritalin May Cause Cancer In Mice,But FDA Isn’t Ready To Ban Drug

Government scientists have uncovered a sign that the widely used children’s drug Ritalin may cause cancer in mice.

“We felt physicians and parents should know this and have a right to know this,” said Dr. Murray Lumpkin, the FDA deputy drug director.

Source: The San Diego Union Tribune, January 13, 1996

ADVERSE STIMULANT EFFECTS

“Methylphenidate’s (Ritalin) pharmacological effects are essentially the same as those of amphetamine and methamphetamine. The abuse of methylphenidate can lead to tolerance and severe psychological dependence. Psychotic episodes, violent and bizarre behavior have been reported.”

Source:The International Narcotics Board, 1996

IRREVERSIBLE BRAIN CHANGES CAUSED BY STIMULANTS

“In animals chronically administered high doses of amphetamines [the drugs] produce long-lasting depletion of dopamine, alterations in dopamine uptake sites, and reduction in serotonergic activity. Methamphetamine in particular seems capable of inducing damage to serotonergic fibers...In monkeys the toxic effects of chronic amphetamine use include damage to cerebral blood vessels, neuronal loss [brain cell death], and microhemorrhages.”

Source: The Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, Jerome Jaffe, 1995

PRESCRIPTION-INDUCED MURDER

A North Dakota man is suing the manufacturer of a drug used to treat ADHD for damages after the drug induced a psychotic episode that led to the death of his daughter. The man, who had been diagnosed with ADHD as a child, began taking the drug Adderall to better cope with college classes. A few weeks later, he killed his five-day-old daughter and shot himself in the abdomen.

A judge declared the man innocent of murder because the drug prevented him from knowing what he was doing. The drug labeling warns that it can occasionally cause “psychotic episodes at recommended doses.”

Source: Associated Press, September 23, 2000

DRUGS & SCHOOL VIOLENCE

Drugs For Unruly Children AttackedState legislators told of school-violence ties

A parade of experts appeared before a group of legislators to point accusatory fingers at psychotropic medications, such as Ritalin and Luvox, claiming a connection between the drugs and an epidemic of school shootings.

Such drugs were linked to killings, including the May 1997 murder of a 7-year-old girl in a Las Vegas casino restroom by Jeremy Strohmeyer, and school killings in Pearl, MS, West Paducah, KY, Jonesboro AR, Springfield, OR and Littleton, CO.

Source: Peter G. Chronis, Staff Writer, The Denver Post, November 10, 1999

HEART ATTACK

Ritalin May Have Caused Boy’s Death

A medical examiner says long-term use of Ritalin may have led to a 14-year-old boy’s death.

Matthew Smith collapsed at his home on March 21 while playing with a skateboard and was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later.

Oakland County Medical Examiner Hubisa Dragovic concluded the boy died of a heart attack likely caused by 10 years of taking Ritalin for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Source: The San Diego Union Tribune, April 17, 2000

Artist: Mitch Williams, 14 Grade 8 Source: San Diego Union Tribune

WHAT IF THEY WERE ON RITALIN, ADDERALL OR DEXEDRINE?

ALBERT EINSTEIN didn’t speak until the age of four and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was expelled and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

BEETHOVEN handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer!

SIR ISAAC NEWTON did very poorly in grade school.

LEO TOLSTOY, author of War and Peace, flunked out of college. He was described as “both unable and unwilling to learn.”

THOMAS ALVA EDISON was told by his teachers that he was too stupid to learn anything, inattentive and unruly. He also ran away from school.

WINSTON CHURCHILL failed the sixth grade.

ANTIBIOTICS ANDDEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

A nationwide survey of nearly 700 children between the ages of 1 and 12 years linked developmental delays (DD) in children and the amount of antibiotics they have taken. According to a report issued by the Developmental Delay Registry (DDR) in Silver Spring, MD:

Those who have taken more than 20 cycles of antibiotics in their lifetime are over 50% more likely to experience developmental delays.

Source: ADVANCE for speech & language pathologists and audiologists, May 1995


Developmental Disordersautismspeech and language problemsmulti-system developmental disorders


Symptoms

skin irritations

sleep disturbances

repetitive behavior

loss of language

“The difference in the occurrence of DD between children who take high doses of antibiotics and those who don’t is astounding.”

-Patricia Lemer, co-founder, DDR


Children with DD were 37% more likely to have had three or more ear infections than children who were not affected.

Children who were affected were nearly 4 times as likely to have had negative reactions to immunizations.

Children who were affected were twice as likely to have had ear tubes than children who were not affected.

Nearly 75% of the children with delays were reported to be developing normally in their first year of life.



“Parents who utilize antibiotics prophylactically could jeopardize their children’s development. Alternative approaches to treating ear infections should be considered.”

“The incidence of children in the United States with developmental, behavioral and mental disorders is increasing dramatically.”

- Kelly Dorfman, RD, co-founder of DDR


HEALTH COMPLAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH YEAST-RELATED COMPLEX (YRC)

Skin rashes Behavior problems Chronic headaches Intestinal complaints Fatigue, lethargy, weakness Depression* Irritability and easy anger Anxiety

Problems thinking clearly or remembering

Muscle aches Insomnia Hyperactivity Asthma Recurrent infections of ear,

nose, bladder, etc.

*A change in the balance of intestinal flora can weaken the mucus lining of the intestines. Toxins from the yeast can therefore enter the blood through the damaged intestinal lining,affecting the area of the brain that controls mood and emotion, thus causing depression,irritability and many other health problems.

Source: Is This Your Child?, Doris Rapp, M.D.

IMMUNE CELLS AND EMOTION

“Immune cells also make, store, and secrete the neuropeptides themselves. In other words, the immune cells are making the same chemicals that we conceive of as controlling mood in the brain. So, immune cells not only control the tissue integrity of the body, but they also manufacture information chemicals that can regulate mood or emotion. This is yet another instance of the two-way communication between brain and body.”

Source: Molecules of Emotion, Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., 1997

ADHD: ALLERGIC REACTION TRIGGERS

Symptoms of ADHD are often triggered by environmental factors. These are examples of children’s writing before, during and after controlled testing for various allergens and causative chemical substances such as dust, mold, aerosol disinfectant, school air, and pollen.


THE NEW “SAFETY PIN” CYCLE

“What we were now seeing was astounding and very revolutionary. The immune system was capable of both sending information to the brain via immunopeptides and of receiving information from the brain via neuropeptides. Our work pointed irrefutably to the existence of a chemical mechanism through which the immune system could communicate not only with the endocrine system but with the nervous system and the brain, as well.”


COMMON SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA (low blood sugar)

Fatigue Irritability Mood swings Muscle twitches Wiggly legs

Headaches Problems concentrating Dizziness Anxiety


SYMPTOMS SUGGESTING A POSSIBLE NEED FOR ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Dry, flaking skin “Chicken skin” or bumps on the outer upper arms,

thighs, or cheeks Brittle, soft, or splitting fingernails Nails with longitudinal lines Dry hair Dry scaling in the ear canal Hyperactivity Eczema Asthma


DIETARY FOODS AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES TO AVOID

SUGAR– One can of soda has 11 tsp. of sugar, which weakens the

immune system by 30%

CAFFEINE– Adversely affects brain chemistry

COW’S MILK– FDA allows the residue of up to 60 different antibiotics plus

growth hormones.– Remember, cow’s milk is for calves!

HYDROGENATED OILS– Replaces essential fatty acids in cell membranes of your brain,

causing the cells to leak, function poorly or not at all


EDTA– A preservative that causes kidney damage and

calcium imbalances MSG

– Preservative found to damage the retina of infant rats and destroy nerve cells in the hypothalamus of the brain

NUTRASWEET (ASPARTAME)– A very poisonous neurotoxin


BHT/BHA– Preservative - weakens the immune system

ARTIFICIAL COLORING– Some are known carcinogens; many create allergic

reactions that affect brain chemistry PROPYLENE GLYCOL

– Food additive that is also used to de-ice airplanes SODIUM NITRITE

– Used to cure meat, a known carcinogen


PESTICIDES– Buy organic

ANTIBIOTICS– Kills healthy intestinal flora and thus weakens the immune

system

OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS– Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, etc. - all suppress white blood cells and

therefore weaken the immune system. Causes intestinal bleeding, kidney and liver damage.

THE SPINE AND EMOTION

“We can no longer consider the emotional brain to be confined to the classical locations of the amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus...we have discovered other anatomical locations where high concentrations of almost every neuropeptide receptor exist, such as the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which is the first synapse within the nervous system where all somatosensory information is processed.”


LOVE’S LABORS FOUND…DEEP IN THE BRAIN

Scientists now say that they have identified the regions of the brain responsible for those deep romantic feelings.

“Our goal was to find out what region of the brain actually makes a person fall in love or makes them feel like they are in love,” says Dr. Andreas Bartels of University College London. “We found that the emotional response was greater - an increase in blood flow to specific regions of the brain - when they looked at photos of the person they were in love with.”

Specifically, four regions, found in the part of the brain known as the limbic region, were activated.

Source: Reuters Health, November 7, 2000

NERVE STIMULATION IMPROVES EMOTION

Nerve Stimulation Fights Depression

The former shipbuilder had severe depression unrelieved by any conventional therapies, so sick he had trouble even leaving his house. Then doctors implanted a pacemaker-like device to stimulate a part of his brain thought important for mood - and that very day the man laughed.

Stimulating the vagus nerve, by sending tiny electric shocks into this nerve, which runs from the neck into the brain’s most mysterious regions, appears promising at relieving once untreatable depression.

Source: Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press, North County Times, October 12, 1999

NERVE INTERFERENCE

Compression of the nerve root with as little as 10mm Hg pressure resulted in decreased conduction of the message.

Source: Konno S, et al. Intermittent cauda equina compression Journal of Spine 1995;20(1):1223

SPINAL NERVE STRESS

At 6% strain on a nerve, conduction of the message was decreased by 70% at one hour.

At 12% strain, conduction of the message was completely blocked by one hour, and showed minimal recovery.

Source: Wall EJ, Massie JB, et al. Changes in nerve conduction tension. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery Jan 1992;74(1):126-129

THE FIRST SUBLUXATION

A child’s first subluxation is commonly caused by the birth process

Newborn infants should be checked and adjusted if necessary within hours after birth

The birth process, even under optimal controlled conditions, is potentially a traumatic, crippling event for the fetus

Mechanical stress imposed by obstetrical manipulation, even standard orthodox procedures, may prove intolerable to the fetus

Most signs of neonatal injury observed in the delivery room are neurological

Source: Towbin A. Latent Spinal cord and Brain Stem Injury in Newborn Infants Develop. Med. Child Neurol. 1969;11:54-68

THE MOST NEGLECTED PART OF A CHILD’S BODY IS THEIR

SPINE

Get your children checked

for spinal subluxations!

GROWN THREE INCHES!

“ Since I have been going to the chiropractor and taking amino-acid vitamins, I have been doing a lot better. I have grown 3 inches and gained 15 pounds. I can focus on my homework, I fall asleep within about 15-20 minutes, and I look forward to going to school because I don’t get in trouble any more. I also have more friends than I used to. My 8th grade teachers didn’t know that I had ADHD until my mom told them. I feel better about myself and am glad that I am under chiropractic and taking vitamins instead of drugs because it is a more natural way.” J.M.

AMAZES THEM!

“My son has been coming for adjustments, and is improving every day. Thanks to the doctor’s expertise, he is able to concentrate, and follow directions. His depression is gone, and his level of frustration and anxiety are much less. Now, professionals specializing in this condition, remark that they never would have known that my son has ADHD. His ability to sit calmly, follow directions, and concentrate amazes them!”

-D.R., a thankful mom

SWEET SON BACK!

“Family and friends have commented on my son’s improved behavior. I am no longer called to preschool for my son’s out of control behavior. Instead, he receives daily good to excellent reports. Both my husband and I feel we are on the road to recovery and have our sweet son back. We are blessed and grateful!”

H.Z., RN

RITALIN-FREE! Our son was diagnosed with ADHD officially in 1997 during the middle of first grade. He was soon prescribed Ritalin because he was unable to function in school without medication. We really wanted to get him off Ritalin. We tried various nutritional supplements with very limited or no success. We finally pulled him out of school and started home schooling. Even this was difficult.

He soon started under the doctor’s care, showing slow but gradual improvements in the beginning. The end result has been tremendous! Our son is now Ritalin-free! He is now in a charter school two days of the week and home schooled the other three days. He is doing remarkably well in a busy classroom setting, something never possible before without drugs. We now notice a difference in every aspect of his life, especially socially, athletically and in our family relationships.

We praise and honor God for the restoration brought to our son’s life (and to our family’s lives) through the doctor’s chiropractic care.

C.B., A Thankful Mom

THE SPINE AND BEHAVIOR

“Burstein and Potrebic of the Department of Neuro-Biology, Harvard Medical School, provide evidence for direct projections of the spinal cord neurons to the amygdala (limbic system) and orbital cortex (1993). Their distribution in the spinal cord and the involvement of the amygdala and orbital cortex in limbic functions suggest that these pathways play a role in neuronal circuits that enable somatosensory information, including pain, to affect autonomic, endocrine and behavior functions.”

Source: Burstein R & Potrebic S. Retrograde Labeling of Neurons in the Spinal Cord” J. of Comparative Neurology 1993;335(4):469-485

AMINO ACIDS ESSENTIAL FOR THE BRAIN REWARD CASCADE

Amino Acids AmountRestored

Neurotransmitter Expected

Behavioral Change D-Phenylalanine 750 mg Enkephalins Anticraving

Antidepression

L-Phenylalanine 750 mg DopamineNorepinephrine

Sense of well beingAttention

Antidepression

L-Tyrosine 900 mg Dopamine,Norepinephrine

Sense of well beingAttention

Antidepression

L-Glutamine 300 mg GABA AnticravingAntistress

L-Tryptophan 400 mg Serotonin AntidepressionAnticraving

Antiinsomnia

Source: Neurotransmitter Restoration for Treatment for Alcohol, Cocaine and Opiate Abuse, Integr Psychiatry, 1989, Kenneth Blum, Ph.D.

STRUCTURE CONTROLS FUNCTION

Removing nerve interference in the spine restores proper neuro/chemical flow in the brain and spinal cord, which is essential for healthy brain chemistry.

REMEMBER:Fertilizer is good for

your lawn, but without water, the grass turns brown!

REMEMBER:Fertilizer is good for

your lawn, but without water, the grass turns brown!

ADJUSTMENT ENHANCED WELL BEING

“This further supports our speculation that via adjustment of the spine, a subluxation-free spine would facilitate an enhanced sense of well being via limbic activation of dopamine release at the nucleus accumbens.”

Source: Blum R PhD, Holder J DC, et al. RDS. The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Nov 2000

ADJUSTMENTS SHOW PROMISE

“There are many modalities which have potential in treating individuals with RDS behaviors…many proven non-traditional therapies seem to show promise, such as cranial electrical stimulation, neuronal regulation, auriculotherapy, and chiropractic adjustments (to resolve subluxation).”


ADDICTION TREATMENT ENHANCED WITH CHIROPRACTIC

“…our preliminary studies at the Exodus Tx Center in Miami, FL, where we incorporated chiropractic (TRT) to see if we could affect psychological states, drug withdrawal, and patient retention rates in substance use disorder residents. The results reveal that chiropractic adjustments are producing a significantly improved retention rate (100%, compared to the best national average of 72%) within a 30 day residential model compared to both placebo and standard groups with a statistically significant improvement in anxiety and depression scores, as well as significant reduction in nursing station visits compared to controls.”


adhd and the reward deficient brain drugs that harm, alternatives that heal! “our son is now...

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