WOW SO MUCH INFORMATION HERE

 The link below is an article that talks about the link between eczema and ADHD. It explains the correlation between the two and why this link is possible. Not only does it address this issue, but it speaks of the many things that I have blogged about thus far. There is more in this article on the correlation between exercise and more focus in children with ADHD as well as more information on the medication Ritalin and its inability to work for all children. Remember the blog post about pesticides? There is also more information on the link between the foods we eat and the presence of ADHD.  I learned a lot from this article, and it actually explains the many links to ADHD that I have addressed. If you have time, please take a look at the link below.



http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread684801/pg1

More on Sudden Deaf in Children who Take Ritalin

Source: New York Times
Date: 16 June 2009

Study Shows Possible Link Between Deaths and ADHD Drugs

By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer Children taking stimulant drugs such as Ritalin to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are several times as likely to suffer sudden, unexplained death as children who are not taking such drugs, according to a study published yesterday that was funded by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Mental Health.
While the numbers involved in the study were very small and researchers stopped short of suggesting a cause and effect, the study is the first to rigorously demonstrate a rare but worrisome connection between ADHD drugs and sudden death among children. In doing so, the research adds to the evolving puzzle parents and doctors face in deciding whether to treat children with medication.
Doctors have speculated about such a connection in the past because stimulants increase heart rate and have other cardiovascular effects. Physicians are currently advised to evaluate patients for cardiac risks before prescribing the drugs, and FDA officials said yesterday that those guidelines do not need strengthening in light of the new study. About 2.5 million children in the United States take ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.
In a press briefing called on short notice yesterday, FDA officials said that given the seriousness of ADHD and the rarity of sudden death -- which strikes fewer than 1 in 10,000 children -- the benefits of the drugs outweigh their risks. Agency officials urged parents to discuss concerns with doctors rather than deciding on their own to discontinue a child's medication. The study's lead author, Madelyn Gould, a professor in child psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University, said she agreed with the FDA's advice.
"This study reports a significant association or 'signal' between sudden unexplained death and the use of stimulant medication, specifically methylphenidate," the study researchers concluded, referring to the chemical name of Ritalin. "While the data have limitations that preclude a definitive conclusion, our findings draw attention to the potential risks of stimulant medications for children and adolescents."
Since an experimental study comparing the risk of sudden death among children taking medications with those not taking medications would have had to include millions of children to generate a useful scientific result, Gould and a number of colleagues conducted what is known as a matched case-control study: They obtained information about 564 children in the United States who died suddenly and inexplicably between 1985 and 1996. The researchers evaluated how many of the children who died had been taking stimulant drugs by asking their parents and caregivers and by reviewing medical documents.
For every child who died suddenly and inexplicably, the researchers then found another child closely matched in terms of age, sex and other variables who died in a traffic accident. Taking a stimulant drug is unlikely to have played any role in a child getting killed in an accident. If stimulant drugs had nothing to do with sudden, unexplained death, then the number of victims on stimulant drugs who suffered such deaths and the number of victims on stimulant drugs who died in traffic accidents ought to have been about the same.
But Gould found that 10 children in the group that suffered sudden, unexplained death had been taking stimulant drugs, whereas only two children in the group killed in traffic accidents were taking such medications.
Robert Temple, director of the Office of Drug Evaluation at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, said that the study had been well conducted, but that he was concerned that not all parents may accurately recall whether children who died were taking stimulant drugs. When a child dies suddenly, he said, it is natural for a parent to pay close attention to all the medications the child was taking at the time and to report that to researchers. By contrast, he said, parents whose children die in traffic accidents may be less likely to note whether their children are taking medications -- and less able to report it years later.
In an editorial accompanying the study, Benedetto Vitiello of the National Institute of Mental Health said that ADHD itself might have increased the risk for sudden, unexplained death. If that were the case, he said, it would explain why more children taking stimulant drugs were found in the group that suddenly died than among the children who died in traffic accidents.
The researchers who conducted the peer-reviewed study acknowledged that its design precluded definitive answers, but they said that they had taken care to eliminate each of these potential confounders. They did not consider cases of sudden death in which children had asthma or cardiac abnormalities -- conditions known to be associated with ADHD -- because those factors might have independently raised the risk of sudden death. They also included one child who died in a traffic accident who seemed to have been abusing amphetamines, rather than taking an ADHD medication.
Gould said she had her colleagues had compensated for biases not only on the part of parents, but in medical records -- medical examiners are more likely to conduct toxicology tests among children who die suddenly than among children who die in traffic accidents. The researchers first eliminated all records that relied on parental memories and looked only at medical records. They then eliminated all cases that had medical records and looked only at what parents reported. No matter how the data were sliced, Gould said, there were significantly more children taking stimulant drugs who suffered sudden, unexplained death than those were killed in traffic accidents.
Vitiello said Gould's study underscores that ADHD drugs are not innocuous. Indiscriminate prescription of the drugs for general behavioral problems and the growing number of healthy teenagers and adults using the drugs to boost mental performance could have deadly consequences, he added.

I copied and pasted the above link. These studies show that there is a link between sudden deaf in Children and the Medicine Ritalin. This article argues that the cases are so small that children's benefits of taking the drug actually outweigh their risks.

*Disclaimer. I did not write this article, I copied and pasted it from the reference below.  The New York Times is referenced above.

 Works Cited:
 "ADHD Drugs (Ritalin Etc) and Sudden Death among Children." ADHD Drugs (Ritalin Etc) and Sudden Death among Children. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.biopsychiatry.com/methylphenidate/risks.html>.

Here is More on Ritalin as an addictive drug

 Here is more information on Ritalin as an addictive drug like I promised. This Link is actually a newsletter published by the University of Utah. What I have learned from taking a look at this newsletter is Ritalin is not addictive to the children who are prescribed it. The drug can become addictive as a recreational drug, or if taken in high doses. The cause for this is, Ritalin has the same structure as cocaine. The two drugs are very similar. There were also studies that showed a link between adults with ADHD and addiction to cocaine. Children that took Ritalin as a child, and stopped taking it when they became an adult, are more likely to become addicted to cocaine. Since Cocaine and Ritalin are similar drugs, adults with ADHD find that they are calm and focused after cocaine and thus become addicted to using it.

Check out the Newsletter in the link below

 http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/ritalin.html

Genetic Science Learning Center (1969, December 31) Ritalin and Cocaine: The Connection and the Controversy. Learn.Genetics. Retrieved May 31, 2012, from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/ritalin.html

The Video Below

I apologize for creating separate post for the video and the information about the video, but at this time I am unaware of how to write on the same post as the video.

In the video posted below, Studies have shown that there is a link between the fruits and vegetables that your child eats everyday. The pesticides found in fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, and celery will increase your child's chances of developing ADHD.

Check out the video below! (Previous Post)

Pesticides and ADHD

About The Video Posted Below

The video below explains studies that have been done that show an increase risk in sudden death of children who take Ritalin. Other studies have also shown that Ritalin can become an addictive drug. I have found articles on both of these issues and will post them both tomorrow.

Don't forget to check out the video Below.

Thanks,
Ashley

Critical Alert about Ritalin and Your Child

Ritalin Study is Child Abuse

I have taken a quote from the following link. This is what really captured my attention and made me want to read the full article. Hopefully, you will also decide to take a look.

"The kids will start getting Ritalin at small daily dosages, which will gradually increase to 7.5 mg and 10 mg three times a day, depending on how the drug affects them.

The side effects that, in part, determine dosage limits are headaches, abdominal pain, difficulty sleeping, fever, nausea, dizziness, chest pain and, in some rare cases, Tourette's disorder, depression and psychosis.

The kids who cope with 10 mg will get a dosage of 15 mg - so researchers can see what happens.

"They want to see how much these children can tolerate," said Vera Hassner Sharav, who heads the New York-based Alliance for Human Research Protection. "The research is absolutely child abuse.""  (Page 1)

http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=44K8-B8H0-008R-F23P&csi=164207&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true

I Finally Caught Up With My Cousin ...

I know some of you may have been waiting for me to conduct that interview with my cousin. I have been searching for a block of her schedule that I was free and vice versa. With her being a student as well, It is hard to catch up with her. Well my sister plays softball for the same community center that her son plays baseball for. Knowing this, I took my questions to the park, since they both have practice on the same day. Now, I did not want to be out in public, interrogating my cousin about something she may feel was private business. So, I studied my questions really hard and conducted my interview as casual conversation. She was really open and honest about the situation. I explained to her that I would post to my blog, but her name and her son's name would be anonymous. She was relieved to know that this would be done confidentially. Here is a synopsis of our conversation.

When I wondered what ever happened with the ADHD situation at school with her son, She explained to me that she did not allow the observations to go on. She talked about how she did not see the need to have people observe her child's behavior for ADHD, when he was perfectly fine at school. She talked more about how if he was acting up at school  or pretending to have trouble staying focused it was an act. I asked her why did she feel he is putting on this act at school, and she said, "Well, you know how young boys want to show out for their friends, especially at that age". I agreed.

We continued to talk about how young boys strive to be accepted by their peers, constantly doing things to get their attention thus leading to class clown situations or worse .. testing for ADHD. Now, I am around my cousin quite a bit. To me, he does not show any of the signs of ADHD. He just acts as most children his age do. On the other hand, I have never watched him interact at school. The teachers could have very good reasoning to why they want to have him "tested" for ADHD.

Here is a question that we both was curious about. If a child's off task and unfocused behavior is inconsistent between their home and school life, then is their even a reason to test for ADHD?

Like always, Thanks for reading!
Ashley 

Riding is my ritalin

Riding is my ritalin


After conducting study after study, researchers found that there is a correlation between exercise and focus in children with ADHD. Adam, a young boy of fifteen at the time decided that he did not like the side effects of the drug ritalin. He asked his parents to allow him to stop using the drug and they complied. Adam enjoyed being off the drug, but as soon as he stopped, he lost focus and his grades began to slip. Adam parents made him get back on the drug. Adam decided it was best for schooling purposes to stay on the drug, but he really did not like it. Adam started going for bikes rides with his dad and found that he really enjoyed riding. After only taking his medication on the weekdays, he noticed that for some reason he had great focus on the weekends with out medication,so he bagan to experiement. Adam noticed that when he did not take his medication on the weekends and rode his bike his focus was great! On weekends when he did not take his medicine or ride his bike, he was bouncing off the walls. Adam decided to ask to get off medication for a second time. This time Adam used riding as his Ritalin. Adam just made sure he rode his bike everyday and he had little to no need to take his medication.

The studies prove that this correlation does exist, but there is still an issue of getting the word out there. schools are cutting out physical play and physical education in oder to reserve more time to teach to the test. Studies have shown that schools that allow physical exercise and that have a unique P.E program, have children that are better fit and children that are passing test that other schools are so worried about passing.

All in all, This article is really insightful and I learned alot. Take some time, click the link at the top of the page and read the article. It includes the findings of a few studies and you will really learn something about the correlation between exercise and focus in children with ADHD.

CEC | What Teachers and Parents Should Know About Ritalin

CEC | What Teachers and Parents Should Know About Ritalin


I decided to post twice today because I did not want to lose focus of medication in ADHD. The most used medication in children with ADHD is Ritalin. This article addresses a concern one of my classmates have. He expressed that every child will not respond to medication and he is exactly right. This article states that while not all children will not respond to medication, a high percentage of them will! The article discusses what Ritalin had done for a young boy who had ADHD. While he was attentive and focused at school, he was tired and irritable at home, with a loss of appetite and frequently argumentative with his parents.

Parents this articles will also be very helpful information about the drug Ritalin.

Thanks for reading!

CEC | Attention Deficit Disorder

CEC | Attention Deficit Disorder


The link above is something I found on the council for exceptional children's website. I had been led there by Dr. Carr and I really found some interesting things about diagnosis of ADHD. I decided to post this one right away because Dr. Carr mentioned ADHD not having "blood test" to determine if a child has ADHD. That statement is true and this mini article agrees. It states that there is not one test to decide whether a child has ADHD.

To any parents that feel that teacher observations are bias or inaccurate, you may feel a bit relieved after reading this article. The article states that  "An accurate diagnosis requires an assessment conducted by a well-trained professional usually a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, child psychiatrist, or pediatric neurologist." (Attention Deficit Disorder, page 1)

Check out the article it is very short!

As always thanks for reading :) 

ADHD Medication is Addressed Within My Very Own Famiy

You all will not believe this,

As I was eating dinner Saturday, my mom received a call from my cousin. After I heard my mother say something about medication, I decided to chime in to see what was going on.  My cousin then informed me that her son was suspected to have ADHD. His teachers are requesting that he have tests done and later be put on medication if needed. She expressed to me that she did not want her son on the medication at all; even if the test results showed that he has ADHD. Her son (my younger cousin), seems to be a normal behaved young boy. I do not believe he has ADHD but we will see what the test results say.

I did not ask my cousin why she did not want her son on the medication, but I do plan to conduct an interview with her to see exactly what her reasoning is, so look forward to that post. 

I just decided I would drop in to let you all know what was going on in my very own family.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Thanks,
Ashley 

A Parent Guide to Understanding the Effects of Ritalin

To everyone who is interested,

As promised, I have done my best to locate an article for parents about the effects of Ritalin on their children. There are many articles out there in the University of Cincinnati databases, but I wanted to provide parents with something that is fairly easy to understand and quick to read. The link that I am posting may be a little lengthy, but the words are fairly large and the information is presented in a question and answer form.

After I read through this article, I had to post it for everyone to see. You will learn about Ritalin and its effect on children who take it, but you will learn so much more. This article breaks everything down and I think its a must have resource. You will notice that this is in PDF form. I encourage parents and families to print it off and keep it. This will answer just about every question that you have. You will even be able to help others out who seek these answers.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/detail?accno=ED385080

instructions on opening link above:
Highlight the link, press ctrl and right click the link.
When the options menu come up click open link
When the link is opened you will need to click view full PDF document

I hope you enjoy
Ashley

Something Parents May Want to Know

I know that I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to find scholarly journals and articles, but I stumbled across an article that I found interesting. I do not want to limit my findings to any one type of article or journal because what I find in my research may be something someone really wants to know.
I debated for a while whether or not I should post this link, but I decided to do it just in case it may help some parents and families out. This link is intended for parents, but I that anyone curious will take a look.
I noted the mentioned drug in this article "Ritalin". This will be the first drug I take a look into. The article mentions Ritalin as a safe drug with side effects. I hope to find the side effects of this drug and whether or not families can actually deem it as safe.

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/choosing-adhd-medication-child

I hope you enjoy!

Ashley

Upcoming Post ...

Are you a parent of a child that suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Or are you on the outside looking in, Like myself? We can all assume that every child with ADHD should be medicated, but we do not know what adverse side affects or penalties medication may cause a child to have. Personally, I am interested in how the parents and families of children with ADHD feel about medication. Is the medication helpful to their children? How does it make them feel? Have they even refused to allow their children to take medication?

I have heard and read in some instances that medicine provided to children with ADHD has done nothing but make children like zombies. That's not good right? I wonder if parents and families of children with ADHD would agree with this statement.

I started this blog so that my research may also help someone else curious about these things. I plan to interview some parents of children with ADHD. I will also post some scholarly articles and journals that talk about the different types of medicine and what they are supposed to be used for, and how they affect children. I am very excited to begin, and please be on the look out for my blog posts.

Thanks,
Ashley Matthews