NATURAL HEALTH LIBRARY
HYPERACTIVITY, MOODINESS AND A.D.D.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Many youngsters are perceived to be "bad" children who really suffer from A.D.D. While it may be true that a little more discipline and structure in their lives can be truly beneficial, there are also some natural things that are of benefit. Many report positive changes by doing the following. A.D.D. may be found in adolescence and even in adulthood.
Suggested Supplements:
B complex - 50mg.
Vitamin C - 500mg.
Vitamin E - 400 IU
Vitamin A - 400 IU
Zinc - 25mg.
Flaxseed Oil. 2 tsp. Daily (can be mixed in food or drink)
Evening Primrose Oil 2300 IU daily
Ginkgo -2 capsules 2x daily
Wild Yam root - 2 capsules 3x daily
Aloe gel 2 oz daily
(These dosages are rated for someone weighing 50-70 lbs.)
It is worth while having a talk with a knowledgeable person in a ‘health food’ store as there are some wonderful new supplement formulas on the market now for ADD and such.
During "brain storm" times when hyperactivity is at its worst, catnip tea or a little (1/4 cup max.) valerian root tea will take the edge off of the undesirable activity. Many will benefit from oat straw tea. This is preferable to valerian. Use ½ cup 2x daily.
Exercise: Sustained, brisk, exercise can help burn extra energy and help the body to produce balancing hormones. The type of exercise is important– anything competitive or highly exciting is best avoided– Hiking, biking, playing in the park, casual ball playing or running round the block just for fun kind of thing is much better than team sports with competitive aspects.
Hydrotherapy: Hot showers or very warm baths can help calm the nerves. Relaxing back rubs, soaking feet in hot foot bath draws blood away from an over-stimulated brain.
Rest: Get to bed early. Have a couple hours ‘wind down’ time in the evening where you develop a routine– first a quiet walk outdoors if possible, then some relaxing herbal tea (Catnip, lemon balm, chamomile are good) with a bit of honey, (no sugar or nutri-sweet!!) follow with a quiet warm bath, (avoid bubble baths or shampoos containing SLS as they may aggravate the nervous system.) Some children are greatly helped by a good back rub and massage, A ‘cuddle time‘ some 1 on 1 attention, some quiet reading or telling stories. (Not exciting ones) Then into bed. It will take time and persistence (and patience) to develop a routine but it is worth it. Be strict about the time for bed as then after a while the child’s body will know when it is to rest.
Structure: Help arrange a structured life for the individual. Work and structured recreation will help them to begin to focus their energy in a positive way. Part of the trouble with today’s kids (and all of us) is the fact that people in general have no routine to their lives– they eat, sleep and live with no pattern at all– the body and nervous system suffer as it doesn’t know when to get ready to digest food, wake up or go to sleep. This makes strain on the mind and nerves.
Dietary: This is the big factor in nervous system disorders– and yet seldom do doctors or specialists even mention it. There are literally thousands of chemicals added to our foods these days and one must learn to be a label analyzer– simple reading isn’t enough! Did you know that if a drink label says ’contains or with 100% juice’ that there may be only 1 drop of real juice in it and they can still say that? The rest is all chemicals, sugar and water. These chemicals can be the very thing causing your child's problem so believe me– it is worth the effort to make changes. And I know it takes effort– but so does dealing with ADD!
Eliminate refined foods. Junk foods like cookies, chips, candy, soda pop, and many more all contain refined products that are not beneficial to the system.
Sugar, white flour, spices, MSG, preservatives, and chemical food additives all serve to upset the nervous system. Read labels, you will be amazed how many commercial foods contain sugar! Combinations of sugar and cinnamon are able to cause hyperactivity in kids. It is a hard battle to kick the sugar addiction, but the benefits make it worth the struggle. Use foods high in Vit. B complex and suppliments to overcome the hypoglycemia that sugar eating creates.
Substitute fresh fruit, honey, dried fruit, fruit juices.
Do not allow caffeine into the diet! Avoid all cola drinks like the poison they really are!! (Most pop contains caffeine) Some ADD and hyper children are ‘cured’ just by stopping these drinks!
Include wholesome foods. 70% or more raw of fruits & vegetables. Canned fruits containing sugar should be avoided.
Exclude excess fats, especially refined fats. Steer clear of the fast food pitfall.
ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, CAFFEINE AND DRUGS-
There is the obvious side to this subject but also a less obvious one.
Combinations of milk and sugar such as ice-cream, ferment and produce alcohol in the blood!
Sugar and refined flour products such as cake and doughnuts can do the same.
Nutra-sweet (aspartame) breaks down into a very dangerous form of alcohol in the body.
Caffeine is high in most soft drinks and has a terrible effect on the nervous-systems of our kids!
Sweet cereals with all their chemicals and refined flours create alcohol in the stomach when eaten with milk!!
Fried foods, because the fat interferes with digestion also tend to ferment and putrefy in the system causing alcohol and other poisons to enter the blood.
ASPARTAME (NUTRA-SWEET)- This product breaks down at 86% F to form Methanol– a highly toxic form of alcohol, and aspartic acid , a neuro-excito-toxin. It is highly addictive and also leads to overeating and craving for sweets.
It is found in many products, pop, gum and even in kids medicines! I urge everyone to eliminate this deadly additive from your family’s diet. This alone often ‘cures’ ADD etc.!
ANYTHING CONTAINING SPICES AND/OR VINEGAR- Includes all pickles, relishes, catsup, most sauces in bottles, most salad dressings. These destroy the liver and also sour the disposition. Even 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar on a meal will seriously impair its digestion and promote fermentation especially of starches. It is not unusual for sclerosis of liver to develop in vinegar users even if they do not use alcohol.
Canned Spaghetti – You may not realize it but the popular ‘kid’s treat’ canned spaghetti is a nutritional fiasco! Most contain vinegar for taste and/or citric acid. When a starch is eaten with a strong acid like that– it cannot digest and will ferment causing alcohol and toxins to enter the blood – often causing hyperactive and erratic behavior. Did you know that the popular ‘side-kicks’ products almost all contain sugar??
Don’t give up in despair! See back page for a battle plan.
Peaceful Surroundings: Many people will say– yah? You have peaceful surroundings with a hyperactive child!? Yes– it will be a challenge. But there are many things a family can do to promote a calm environment Avoid over-stimulating situations such as parties and entertainment with a lot of shouting and excitement. Avoid yelling and Talk softly to your children .
Loud and exciting TV should be avoided– in fact one of the best ways to calm your environment is to turn off the TV. Music with a strong beat has a bad affect on the nervous system and should be avoided. Try to encourage a calm way in the home avoiding the ‘rush and crisis’ pattern so common these days.
Prayer: Help them to realize that God cares about their situation and will help them be under His control. Teach them that Jesus loves them and He will help them to be calm, teach them a simple prayer and let them know that Jesus will always hear them no matter where they are. Remember– He will help you also –ask for the patience and wisdom you need! Spend some time reading the Bible in the Psalms and Gospels– look for the promises and ask God for them.
SUGAR– SWEET AND NOT-SO-INNOCENT!
"If you look for sweetness,
Your search will be endless;
You will never be satisfied:
But if you seek the true taste-
You will find what you are looking for."
Buddhist axiom
Like opium, morphine, cocaine and heroin, sugar is an addictive, destructive drug, yet North Americans consume it daily in everything from cigarettes to bread. If you are overweight, of suffer from migraine, hypoglycemia, acne, frequent colds and flu, PMS, painful menstruation, mood swings, irritability, poor memory, the plague of the "sugar blues" has hit you! In fact, by accepted diagnostic standards, our entire society is pre-diabetic!
What specific health problems does refined sugar cause? Diabetes, tooth decay, obesity, coronary thrombosis, gum disease, varicose veins, stomach trouble, mental disturbances, and indirectly, many forms of mental illness!
How does refined sugar work such havoc in the finely tuned human system that it results in disease of every kind?
When God made our foodstuffs, He saw to it that they were balanced for our needs- that is, they naturally contain the vitamins, minerals, and catalysts for them to be used by the body. When man refines either sugar, flour, or rice, the resulting product is lacking in the necessary elements needed to digest and utilize the food in the body.
Think of it this way- If you earn $10. a day and you spend $11. It does not take a genius to figure out that soon you are going to be badly in debt.
So with our food- If I have a whole grain- I am OK- I have what I need in the grain to digest it- But the minute I add sugar to it- even a little- I have more calories and they do not contain any elements to digest them. The grain has the elements but it just has enough for itself- the sugar has to leech elements from your body stores to be utilized - Results- imbalances, clogging, and eventually bankruptcy in the body. Disease is the end result of such imbalance.
Dr. William Coda Martin classified refined sugar as a poison because it has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins, and minerals. "What is left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates. The body cannot use this refined starch and carbohydrate unless the depleted proteins, vitamins and minerals are present. Nature supplies these elements in each plant in quantities sufficient to metabolize the carbohydrates in that particular plant. There is no excess for other added carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of "toxic metabolites" such as Pyruvic acid and abnormal sugars containing 5 carbon atoms. Pyruvic acid accumulates in the brain and nervous system and the abnormal sugars in the red blood cells. These toxic metabolites interfere with the respiration of the cells. They cannot get enough oxygen to survive and function normally. In time some of the cells die. (Note: it is also significant that cells with insufficient oxygen become cancerous) This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease. With over 50% of our diet today composed of these refined carbohydrates [ refined sugar, white flour, white rice, macaroni and most breakfast cereals], does it require a million dollars for research to find out why this generation is developing more and more degenerative diseases?"
Did you know that you can live a long while on water alone- but if you use water with sugar added to it, you will sicken and die rapidly? This has been proven by experiments on animals and accounts of shipwreck victims.
How does sugar affect your mental and emotional state- well to simplify the process- basically it works like this- You eat sugary foods, as the sugar pours into your blood stream it upsets your blood sugar balance- at first you feel invigorated- full of energy- but the body must bring down that excess sugar in the blood back to normal so the adrenal glands, the pancreas and various control systems spring into action, insulin is released among other things and as with something that goes fast it goes too far and your blood drops below normal you feel weak, sweaty, tired, irritable and run off for more stimulant or sweet food to start the process again.
Now the key thing here is that the brain can use only glucose- blood-sugar for fuel- nothing else can penetrate the blood-brain barrier— so when the sugar drops in reaction to the body trying to combat dangerous imbalance of blood-sugar, the brain begins to starve and shortout as it were. In a starving brain, emotions and thought processes will be deranged and confusion will occur.
Many quarrels and no doubt many divorces are due to hypoglycemia. (Low blood sugar) It is a good chance that many car accidents are also caused this way!
The disease-establishment and the sugar pushers like to group refined sugar, flour and such as a carbohydrate, the same as the whole grains and whole foods- and the worse they are likely to tell you is that it is an empty calorie- That doesn’t sound bad in itself- the fact is, that empty calorie is a thief - it will steal from your body minerals such as calcium, and many other elements- it will slow down and clog your whole system, weaken it and open the door to infection and decay -( throw it in your gas tank and see what happens!)
Don’t be fooled by some so called health authorities who tell you that refined sugar is no different to the body than naturally sweet fruits- this is not so. Fruits in their natural state contain the elements needed for your body to process them and as such are not harmful. There are cases where people whose bodies are so badly sugar damaged may have to use moderation in the use of extremely sweet fruits such as dates and bananas but these foods do not affect the body like refined sugar. Fruit juices, even when not sugared, can cause hypoglycemic reactions in sugar damaged folk and should be diluted at least half and half with water.
A word about brown sugar- It is no different than white except they have added a bit of molasses back into the refined white stuff. Don’t be fooled. What about honey- Make sure you get pure untreated, un-messed with honey and it can be used moderately in place of sugar but some commercial honey contains sucrose ( refined sugar).
In the 1800s sugar use per capita was only a fraction of what it is now- Sugar clogs the system. It hinders the working of the living machine. The free use of sugar in any form tends to clog the system, and is not infrequently a cause of disease."
Now people consume mountains of the stuff right from birth- with babies sucking sugared formulas from bottles, they are addicts from infancy. Anyone whose body workings are damaged by sugar, must avoid it, if he would attain his optimal health.
Don’t believe you could be addicted to the white stuff ? After all, you don’t use excess sugar right? (I have yet to meet anyone who would admit he uses excess anything- even a drunk ‘only had a drink’)— I challenge you- eliminate all sugar and anything containing sugar from your diet for a few days— If you are like most people- even so called ‘health nuts’ - you will find it is easier said than done- you find yourself craving all kinds of sugared ‘goodies’ .
You will also be surprised as to just how much of our daily food contains sugar- either openly or hidden. Read labels and you will find it in almost every supermarket creation- breads, canned vegetables, package and canned soups, canned beans, cereals, spaghetti sauces, ketchup, salad dressing, —You can be sugar bingeing and not even know it!!
Kicking the sugar habit isn’t going to be easy- no addiction ever is—but it can be lots of fun. If you live alone, kicking cold turkey is probably the best way to go. Collect everything in your abode that has sugar in it ; throw it in the garbage and start over. This way if you yen to start bingeing, you haven’t made it easy for yourself.
You can make one decision at the store instead of fighting temptation full time at home. It may take a month or so to change the way you shop, cook and entertain. The details of your daily struggle are not important but the general direction in which you are headed is vital.
If you have small children, watch their behavior carefully for a few days -record it- are they cranky when awakening, moody, irritable?- Next eliminate everything from their diet containing refined sugar- observe the changes - in ten days you won’t believe you have the same child! You will never want to see them back on sugar! Sugar-free babies seem to be a different breed altogether from the average, sugar-glutted children.
With older children and family members, you will need to try and enlist their co-operation- make it a family project. Be patient but persistent- you will never regret breaking free from the Sugar Blues! (-thanx to William Dufty-)
For a real eye opening look at the history of the sugar business and its legacy of disease, death, and insanity as seen in each country’s deterioration as sugar came into use- get William Dufty’s book- "Sugar Blues"
Ev’rybody’s singing the Sugar Blues...
I’m so unhappy, I feel so bad
I could lay me down and die.
You can say what you choose
But I’m all confused
I’ve got the sweet, sweet Sugar Blues
More Sugar!!
I’ve got the sweet, sweet Sugar Blues.
song- written in 1923
BASIC RECOVERY PROGRAM -
NO! NO! NO!
Sugar, White flour, White rice, Sugared cereals, Alcohol, Cocoa, Chocolate, Caffeine, Tea (except herbal), Coffee, cola , Aspartame, Pop, spices (cinomin, pepper etc.)
Read labels and eat nothing that contains the above.
1- exercise 1/2 hour daily.
2- Sleep 9 hours every night.
3. Eat less meat until you can do without.
4. Increase fiber in your diet.
5. Drink 2 glasses of water 1/2 hour before your meal and 1 glass 2 hours after.
6. No fried foods, fat, margarine or grease.
7. No junk-foods.
8. Get some fresh air and sun each day.
See page 1 for suggested suppliments.
HYPOGLYCEMIA- IT MAY AFFECT YOUR FAMILY!
Most North-Americans are suffering from hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, which is the forerunner of hyperglycemia, high blood sugar, or diabetes. What causes it? Empty calories. What is an empty calorie? An empty calorie is a food that has that has no vitamins, minerals, or enzymes. It is a food totally without nutrients except calories. Sugar, white flour, white rice, sugared cereals, and alcohol are all empty calories.
What is the process by which empty calories cause hypoglycemia? The answer is that all carbohydrate foods, properly digested, become sugars. When you eat white flour, it becomes white sugar, when you eat white rice, it metabolizes into white sugar. In order for these carbohydrates to be used for energy, it is necessary to have B- complex vitamins and certain minerals- Since the empty calories don’t have these nutrients to properly metabolize these foods and release the sugar gradually into the blood stream, instead, the refines sugars move rapidly into the blood stream and your blood sugar level shoots up right after eating refined, sugary foods. The Islands of Langerhans, in your pancreas become over stimulated. These secrete excess insulin to burn up this sudden rise in sugar. This excess insulin not only burns up the extra sugar but some of your own necessary sugar as well.
Your brain lives solely on glucose and when it does not receive enough it is starved- when the brain is starving, any part of your nervous system can be affected.
There is something else that causes hypoglycemia- Caffeine and Theobromine also Aspartame. These are found in cocoa, chocolate, coffee, tea and cola drinks. This false stimulant action gives you a feeling of energy, but all it does is whip up your adrenals, force stored blood sugar into the blood, and then comes the excess insulin, and the drop to hypoglycemia and you are running for another coffee, another candy bar, or another coke to get you up and running again. It is an endless yo-yo, and it is the way most people are living today.
Trying to solve the problem by using diet drinks? It won’t work! Aspartame (nutri-sweet) metabolizes to a harmful type of alcohol- bad for the brain and liver. Also when sweet taste comes onto the tongue, the body prepares to receive sugar by releasing insulin. When there is no sugar to require this insulin -blood glucose levels drop, resulting in hypoglycemia, hunger and excess eating to compensate. So if you are trying to reduce by using diet drinks and aspartame- you are sabotaging your program from the start!
Hypoglycemia causes shakiness, weakness, tired feeling, IRRITABILITY! (Yes, much of this PMS thing is really hypoglycemia)- It can lead to mental illness, neuro-muscular diseases, allergies, low memory, hyperactive children, and marital unhappiness because of the moodiness and grouchiness it causes.
One of the most obvious symptoms that we are a hypoglycemic nation, is the institution of the coffee break! In pioneer days, people would get up, eat a hearty breakfast and go to do heavy work all day, arriving home in the evening for their supper. Sometimes they may have had lunch but certainly not coffee breaks!
What is happening is this, We grab a sweet roll and a cup of coffee for breakfast and race to work- in almost exactly 2 hours, our blood sugar has shot up, and then dropped to bottom as the surge of insulin does its work. We feel hungry, we are shaky, weak, irritable- we have to have another coffee and doughnut- then we are up again, two hours later, another drop, more coffee, more empty calories- so goes out day!
Our children are now in the same boat with breaks for milk and cookies. Children come home with bad grades and reports of unruly behavior. Mother says, "If you don't straighten up, I am going to tell Dad to punish you!" Here the child is punished when it isn’t his fault but the fault of the parents who feed him the junk! When you feed empty calories to your child, you cannot expect him to have a brain that can operate properly.
The big question is- How do you get rid of Hypoglycemia? The answer is that you must reverse the process. In other words it was the lack of Vitamins and minerals in the diet that caused it; so we reverse the process, by giving high doses of the vitamins and minerals until the body can recover itself, and avoiding the empty calories and chemicals that caused the problem.
The old medical books show the normal fasting blood sugar after a 14 hour fast should be 80-120 milligrams of glucose per 100 C.c.s of blood- Now many medical texts have lowered this to 65! Why? Because the vast majority are suffering from hypoglycemia, the medical labs have adjusted the "normal" blood sugar levels to reflect the common- it is now normal to be abnormal!
Glucose tolerance tests are not necessary to ascertain hypoglycemia- do 1 blood test after 14 hours fasting and another 1 hour after lunch- If the first one is less than 80 and the second less than 120, you have a problem even though doctors will tell you you’re normal! If you know a diabetic friend who has a glucometer machine for measuring blood sugar, ask if they would test yours for you.
Even with-out a test, if you get shaky or irritable 2 hours or less after you eat- you are hypoglycemic.
Some of the symptoms brought on by hypoglycemia are- Nervousness, Nervous breakdown, schizophrenia, melancholy, crying without cause, insomnia, fearfulness and paranoia, hay fever, Parkinson’s, migraines, allergies, asthma, some forms of seizures, moodiness and confusion. You cannot starve your brain and expect it to work well!
Lets look at hyperactive children. One mother had 3 sons, the first two were hyperactive but the 3rd was OK. On looking into this case the doctor found she had nursed the last boy but not the first two. For the first two she did not seem to have enough milk- then she changed doctors and was told to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day so as to make milk and she had no problem. The first boys were raised on formula with sugar in it and they developed hypoglycemia as infants and were still suffering from it! Once onto the natural, whole food diet and supplementation, they soon were problem free.
If you have children, please don’t feed them on the sugared cereals, Kool-pop, chips, cheezies and trash! These are bad for all of us, but worse for kids-
When you see totally sugar-free babies or toddlers you wouldn’t believe the difference!
Feed Whole foods for Whole kids!
ADDICTIVE HABIT FORMING FOODS-
I am including this list as it shows that it isn’t so simple to ‘just change the diet’. But if you understand the addiction principle, you have the battle half won already. Many think that the symptoms they suffer when leaving off some of these foods meant that the food was really needed– no– it is just you’re addicted to it– like alcohol or tobacco.
Meat – The purines and uric acid in meat makes it highly stimulating and addictive.
Fried or grilled fat — This is as addictive as cocaine. That’s the secret of the burger barons– It’s legal ‘drug pushing’.
Hot dogs and deli meats– in addition to the fat and purines– these have nitrates and other chemicals. These are addictive also.
Cheese — Tyramine and other chemicals as well as the high salt level make this a highly addicting food.
Sugar— one of the hardest addictions to kick that there is. Doesn’t bother you? Try going two days with out ANY! (You’ll have to read a lot of labels– it’s in almost everything.) Our craving for sweets is actually because we were designed to live on a high fruit diet. Replace sweets with fresh fruit. In a few weeks– you’ll be free of ‘sweet cravings’.
Dairy — There is a tendency for people to be addicted to foods they are allergic to– milk is #1 offender. Eliminating all dairy often ‘cures’ not only allergies but ADD and hyperactivity. Got milk? Got Allergies!
Chocolate– Theobromine in chocolate is as addicting as caffeine. Switch to Carob.
Caffeine– Coffee, tea, colas and pop– They don’t refresh you! You are addicted to them. And the manufacturers get richer while you get sicker.
Vinegar and spices– The irritating and stimulating effect of these are also addictive.
Ice Cream– Full of chemicals and the combination of milk and sugar ferments in the stomach creating blood alcohol.
DIET BATTLE PLAN-
1st– eliminate ALL pop, cola, Kool Aid, Crystal Lite or anything with Aspartame or nutrisweet in it. Give child only PURE unsweetened fruit juice– diluted with water– try to wean child back to drinking water. (Distilled or reverse osmosis is best)
2nd– Eliminate ALL sugar, candy, cakes, cookies, read labels, many products contain sugar that you wouldn’t expect. Replace with raw fruits, dried fruits, and fruit canned in juice (sugar and aspartame free) For ice cream freeze ripe bananas then whiz them into soy milk for a healthy treat.
3rd – Eliminate all sugared cereals, anything containing cinnamon, artificial flavors and colors. Replace with whole grain cereals – (read labels!) and whole grain breads.
4th— Eliminate canned spaghetti and cheezies, chips, snack foods . Replace with raw fruit– carrot sticks– whole grain crackers.
5th– Eliminate all meat hot dogs and deli slices– ham and pork. Replace with Yves veggie dogs and burgers and slices available in your produce section. The chemicals and fat in these meat products are bad for health and nerves.
Still no improvement? - Are you watching closely enough that these things are truly out of the diet??
Then– 5th – Eliminate all cow’s milk and dairy products– replace with soy milk or almond milk– readily available in stores but check labels– some have sugar added– avoid chocolate– carob is great.
Again read labels– milk and dairy products are in many foods.
Keep increasing raw fruits and vegetables in the diet– as well as whole grain foods. Children will often eat raw veggies as finger foods that they wouldn’t eat cooked. Be faithful with the vitamins and supplements, be firm but patient– remember– the child is likely addicted to several foods and will resist giving them up. It is best to simply not have them around and offer other things instead. Remember– if it’s bad for your child– it’s bad for you also!
