Pathways Article Summaries and References

Issue 25 - Spring 2010

Articles

 

Letter from the Editor
Jeanne Ohm, DC

There’s a Moody Blues album from the late 60s entitled To Our Children’s Children’s Children; my husband Tom and I used to listen to it frequently. Their songs reflected hope and vision for a new generation of social and spiritual change. When we were still kids, we would spend hours talking about our philosophy of life. One day in high school, we skipped classes and spent the entire day discussing “how kids should be raised.” Being kids ourselves, and still intimate with that perspective, we outlined some essentials.

First and foremost, we agreed that kids are born inherently good and that they are seeking to express their own, innate potential. Allowing this to manifest requires a sense of trust in a greater good, and a respect for a higher intelligence that connects and oversees the expression of all life, kids included. We recognized that kids have their own soul’s purpose to fulfill, and that they are here to teach parents as much as parents are here to teach them. In other words, the relationship is multidimensional, and the parameters of “right and wrong” are not a polarized black-and-white set of rules, but rather many hues of color, depending on each moment in time.

That led us to our next conclusion: The spirit of the law, not the letter of the law, should be the determining factor in making rules and enforcing boundaries. Each situation brings its own set of circumstances, and decisions should be adapted to the situation at hand. Parenting requires the ability to shift perspectives, adapt ideas and, yes, embrace continued growth and change.

When we were just 19, Tom and I were introduced to chiropractic. Although specific spinal adjustments facilitated my healing from a serious injury and also eliminated lifelong symptoms of headaches, asthma and intense allergies, it was the philosophy of chiropractic that inspired us to become chiropractors. Here we saw a perspective that recognizes an innate intelligence in all living things, a wisdom that oversees and coordinates function on all levels: physical, emotional and spiritual. From the traditional
teachings of chiropractic, we learned trust and respect for the natural process of life in all situations. We were fortunate to be introduced to the essence of the chiropractic philosophy as being far beyond “healthcare”—it’s a way of life.

Tom and I married and had six wonderful, expressive and happy kids. We offered an environment of love and security and chose home birth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baby wearing and attachment parenting before these were even terms used in the parenting arena. We, like many chiropractic families, chose these approaches because they respected the evolution and expression of a child’s own innate potential and his or her importance as an individual expressive soul. These ideals are consistent with our philosophy of life, as well as the chiropractic philosophy of honoring our innate wisdom.

As our children grew older, we continued this trust and respect by allowing them to co-create the parameters of our home“boundaries.” Communication between parents and children in our house is safe, open and very dynamic, with everyone’s input expressed, heard and considered. Even if choices are made that we do not wholeheartedly agree with, we often allow them so we can all learn and grow together. And so we do.

We continue to realize that children are born with an inherent connection to their source—a deep, inherent wisdom untainted by worldly ways. Allowing them to live and express this wisdom helps us stay connected to our source as well.Jeanne Ohm, DC

Many Blessings,
Jeanne Ohm, DC

 

About the Author:

Read Dr. Ohm's bio here.

 

 

THE CONSCIOUS PATH

Trailmarkers: Pathways as a Guide to the Paradigm Shift
Lisa Reagan

From the Article:

What do you find when you open and peer into the vibrant pages of Pathways magazine? Are you taking in only the individual content, or do you see each article as part of a greater whole?

Do you wonder what New Science advocate Bruce Lipton has to do with Food, Inc., or a mother’s personal experience with artificial food colors? Or can you sense something exciting and revolutionary, a hopeful context, emerging just beyond phrases like “spontaneous evolution,” a “21st century manifesto for parents,” and “the art of self-care”?

If you are like most people drawn to holistic magazines, you probably know there is a global paradigm shift afoot, a shift that is moving every human, individually and collectively, from a fragmented, industrial worldview to a holistic, life-affirming one. This shift affects every aspect of our daily lives and individual choices, whether we acknowledge it or not. And in return, we are affecting it.

There is good news in all of this shifting. The key components of these two worldviews, one in rapid decline and the other emerging at light speed, are moving us (and science and culture) from a short-term focus to sustainability, from competition to cooperation, from separateness to connectivity and from outward-directed to inward-directed awareness. As the book Spontaneous Evolution states, it’s imperative that humans stop believing the old storyline that we are here to “live by the law of the jungle,” and instead, embrace the scientifically-supported and spirituallyintegrated truth that we exist to “live in balance with Nature, recognizing that all life is connected.” (You can read an excerpt on page 52.)

It’s the “all life is connected” part that is the shimmering context supporting each story you read in Pathways. It is this same missing context in the fading industrial worldview that has allowed, as Food, Inc. reveals, consumers in a consumer-driven culture to not question (and therefore ignore) that their often tainted food is dependent upon animal cruelty and environmental degradation. How could we not know where our food comes from? Because an industrial worldview keeps us too busy and distracted by the content of our lives to inquire after the context. (Pathways’ Facebook fans voted Food, Inc. as the must-see DVD of 2009. Read about it and nine
other DVDs on page 58.)

A holistic worldview, however, confers the understanding that it is imperative to protect all interdependent parts of the whole of nature. And more important—because there are no divisions or separations between energy and matter, thought and action—each individual choice we make affects the whole. No energy is ever wasted; no thought or deed lost. We can, therefore, always choose to make a difference with confidence and chuck the old, sad song of “all is lost.”

As you listen to the voices in these pages, remember to listen for your own inner knowing and common sense, and you will find:

Courage, in the roar of fierce fathers like John Breeding, as he beats his chest and exclaims in his “21st Century Manifesto for Parenting” that he will protect his children from the harmful lies of the industrial paradigm (page 8). Honesty, in a mother who confesses that, while our best-laid plans for our children can be lost in the rubble of life’s challenges, they can be found again, and we can heal (page 25). Defiance, as another father, Thom Hartmann, rejects the tired, old tales that castigate our children as defective through labels like ADHD, and instead instructs factory-modeled schools “that we are not interested in our children being the villains in [your] dramas any more. It is time for us to give our children back their humanity and their hope” (page 16). In this issue, you will also find safe, alternative approaches to healing that might be as simple as taking a walk in the park (page 48) and permission slips to make self-care an art (page 40).

If worldviews create worlds, what will the world we seek to create for our children look like? As we continue to find our footing in the midst of an epochal paradigm shift, where will we find the courage to break with tired traditions that do not serve our families and, instead, confidently follow our inner wisdom—the knowledge that we are never separate from one another or our earth? That is the purpose of the empowering stories and images you’ll find every season in these pages: to gently guide us toward our own pathways to family wellness.

About the Author:

Lisa ReaganLisa Reagan is the president and co-founder of Families for Conscious Living, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that facilitates a national network of self-directed community groups and learning programs for parents. She is the U.S. Contributing Editor to Kindred magazine, www.kindredmedia.com.au, a global magazine for conscious parenting, and the parent representative on the board of directors for the Holistic Pediatric Association. Lisa lives with her family on their organic farm in Williamsburg, Virginia.

 

FEATURE

A 21st Century Manifesto for Parenting
John Breeding, PhD

From the Article:

Is Western civilization harming our children?

Let’s look at the evidence. If health indicates the quality of an individual’s relationship with his environment, then increases in chronic illnesses among children reflect our society’s failure. If literacy and psychological well-being indicate the quality of child development, then the growing numbers of illiterate, “learning-disabled” and otherwise psychiatrically afflicted children signal failure, as well. If drug addiction, violence and incarcerations reveal failed character development, then the way we raise young people is a disaster.

Parenting is always a difficult challenge, but these days it is especially hard, considering the lack of support in our society and the sense of alienation and separation within our communities.

Such is often the effect of a society that values militarism, industrialism and capitalism. It’s not that parents are doing a bad job; most are doing heroically well under the circumstances. Nevertheless, the decline of civilization as we know it may be seen in the tremendous stress and neglect from which so many of our children suffer. Denying this effect only supports its perpetuation, whereas facing it allows for the possibility of real help for our children, in the form of everyday actions by parents...

About the Author:John Breeding, PhD

John Breeding has been a counseling psychologist for over 25 years for individuals, couples and families of all ages. He is also an author of a few books.

www.wildestcolts.com

 

 

 

WELLNESS LIFESTYLE

Expect the Expected: How ADHD Can Be a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Thom Hartmann

From the Article:

At a recent national conference on ADHD, one speaker suggested that “good science” argues that ADHD is entirely a pathological condition—a genetic illness—and that there is no value whatsoever in a person “having ADHD.” Anybody who may seek to offer hope to ADHD children or parents was accused of telling “Just So” stories. The speaker suggested that ADHD is purely a genetic defect; his neo-Darwinist theory being that sometimes genetic problems are simply “weaknesses in the evolution,” and that “qualities of ADHD place individuals at the lower tail of an adaptive bell curve.” If you have the “defect” of ADHD, you’re doomed to struggle and most likely fail.

Let’s say (as a “Just So” story) that we identified two hundred cars as they came off the assembly line that had transmission gears made of an inferior metal. All the rest of the cars made that year had good gears, but these two hundred were weak and marginally defective. Nonetheless, we let the car company sell them in the open marketplace, and tracked all the people who bought them. Two, five, ten and fifteen years later, we would contact the cars’ owners and ask them how things are. As you can predict, there would be a higher incidence of transmission failure among those cars than among the rest of the cars manufactured that year...

 

Hunters and Farmers: The Origins of ADHD
Thom Hartmann

If ADHD is a genetic disease or an abnormality, it’s a popular one, possibly afflicting as many as 25 million individuals in the United States. Some estimates put ADHD as occurring in 20 percent of males and 5 percent of females. With such a wide distribution among our population, is it reasonable to assume that ADHD is simply a quirk? That it’s some sort of an aberration caused by defective genes or child abuse?

When a condition is so widely distributed, inevitable questions arise: Why? Where did ADHD come from? A look at our evolutionary history can give us some answers. People with ADHD are the leftover hunters, those whose ancestors evolved and matured thousands of years in the past in hunting societies...

About the Author:

Thom HartmannThom Hartmann is live daily from noon-3 PM ET in Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Grand Rapids, and on over fifty other stations nationwide including Chicago, Washington DC, Santa Barbara, Minneapolis, and on XM and Sirius Satellite radio. He is also a four-time Project Censored-award-winning, New York Times best-selling author. His national daily progressive radio talk show, now in its sixth year on the air, replaced Al Franken on the Air America Radio Network, is also distributed to radio stations nationwide on the Jones Satellite system. More people listen daily to the Thom Hartmann Program than any other progressive talk show in the nation.

www.thomhartmann.com

 

NUTRITION

Why Nutrition for ADD?
Alexander Rinehart, MSACN

From the Article:

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, affects 5 to 10 percent of children worldwide. It is characterized by disordered conduct, learning disability, mood and anxiety disorders and aggressiveness, as well as difficulty with arousal, working memory and muscular control. Dealing with a child who has ADHD can be tiring. Parents quickly feel overwhelmed and frustrated; their lives become controlled by their child’s disorder as they continually work with teachers and other professionals to meet their child’s special needs.

What is increasingly clear is that parents are eager for alternative options beyond masking and suppressing symptoms medically. Alternative therapies include nutrition, chiropractic, aromatherapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, tai chi, occupational therapy and sensory integration techniques. Many of these options are not covered by insurance, and Centers for Disease Control statistics show that parents of ADHD children already spend $1,574 in direct care costs for an ADHD child and have almost triple the healthcare expenses of other families. What type of program is a parent to choose?...

References:

  1. Faraone SV, Aergeant J, Gillber C, Biederman J: The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: Is it an American condition? World Psychiatry 2: 104-113, 2003
  2. www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html
  3. Table 11-4, Rakel D. 2007. Integrative medicine (2nd Ed). Saunders: Philadelphia
  4. Adapted from: Chan E, Rappaport LA, Kemper KJ: Complementary and alternative therapies in childhood attention and hyperactivity problems.
  5. Complementary and alternative medicine use in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Paediatr Child Health 41:23-26, 2005.
  6. Braun J, Kahn RS, Frochlich T, et al. Exposures to environmental toxicants and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in U.S. children. Environ Health Perspect 2006:114:1905-1909
  7. House SH: Nurturing the brain nutritionally and emotionally from before conception to late adolescence. Nutr Health 19:143-161, 2007
  8. Narendran S, Nagarantha R, Narendran V, et al: Efficacy of yoga on pregnancy outcome. J Altern Complement Med 11:23-44, 2005

About the Author:

Alex, an honor graduate from New York Chiropractic College's Master's in Applied Clinical Nutrition program. Alexander Rinehart He has a B.S. in "Social Issues and Health" from Juniata College. Alexander recently contributed to a book chapter on "Diet-Related Behavioral Mechanisms in Times of Economic Restraint to be published in the International Handbook of Diet, Behavior and Nutrition. Alex is the founder of CoActive Health (www.CoActiveHealth.com), an integrated wellness practice currently offering nutrition consultations in Northeast Philadelphia and Northern New Jersey. 

 

A Mother’s Experience With Artificial Food Colorings
Jenafer Medina

When I began my family, much planning went into what we ate. I made my children’s baby food from scratch, buying high-quality organic fruits and vegetables, free-range meats and organic dairy products. But as our lives changed, our commitment to this diet didn’t survive the test of time. It was a bit of a shame, as we had been exclusively organic before moving to a new home. I had even pureéd all of my kids’ baby foods, and freezing them in ice cube trays for storage.

When my children were three and four years old, I started to loosen up on their diets, mostly while trying to keep myself sane in the process of moving (we found ourselves living in a hotel for two months, then a onebedroom apartment, then in a new house stacked with boxes). While I didn’t give up entirely on nutrition, I did allow some candy every week or so (colorful Skittles were a favorite). I also allowed fast food more often than I liked, since we went without a stove in our new house for weeks...

About the Author:

Jenafer MedinaJenafer Medina is a former elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom. She currently lives in Syracuse, New York, and homeschools her children. In addition to being a freelance writer and photographer, she is founder and president of Home Learners Association of Central New York, a not-for-profit home-schooling group.

http://cagefreemonkeys.blogspot.com

 

 

Side Effects of Ritalin Use
Claudia Anrig, DC

According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of 2003, 2.5 million kids aged 4 to 17 were receiving medication to treat ADHD. The most prevalent of these medications is methylphenidates, marketed as Ritalin and other brand names. With this drug so widespread, we must ask ourselves: What is it really doing to our children? What kind of effect is this going to have on a child who has been taking this drug for an extended period of time? And are there any other treatment methods that could be just as effective at dealing with ADHD, without the risk of side effects?

About the Author:

Claudia Anrig, DCDr. Claudia Anrig has been in full-time chiropractic practice since 1981. She is the founder of Peter Pan Potential, the first pediatric chiropractic community outreach program. Claudia mentors chiropractors to grow their family wellness practices through her Generations coaching program. She is a former president of the ICPA and remains an active board member. Dr. Anrig's textbook, Pediatric Chiropractic, is the first of its kind and is the fastest-selling text in chiropractic history. www.drclaudiaanrig.com

 

CHIROPRACTIC FOR LIFE

The Case for Improved Function
Jeanne Ohm, DC

From the Article:

Attention deficit disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD and ADHD) have become one of the most controversial health topics of our time. The alarming rise in diagnosis and evidence of risky treatment has spurred the mainstream media into addressing these concerns. It has been estimated that 4 to 6 million children are now being prescribed drugs, and the recommended age for treatment has dropped to include toddlers. The CDC has estimated that, in the United States, 9 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls are taking ADHD stimulant medications. ADHD drug prescriptions rose by almost 12 percent a year between 2000 and 2005.

In a 2008 article on his Mercola.com website, Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading health educator in the U.S., wrote,“In 2007 alone, half a million children and teenagers were given at least one prescription for an antipsychotic, including 20,500 under the age of 6.” American children are also about three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic drugs than children in Europe.

Many parents have had legitimate concerns about the treatment of ADHD with drugs for many years. Current media exposure has led even more parents to question the rise in the use of psychiatric drugs in children. On the CBS news special Healthwatch, a piece titled “ADHD Drug Warning” reported on recent research associating the risk of heart attacks with Ritalin use. Dr. Jennifer Ashton, CBS’s physician spokesperson, expressed good reason for concern and recommended safer, alternative models of care, such as chiropractic and nutrition...

About the Author:

Jeanne Ohm, DCDr. Jeanne Ohm has been working with pregnant mothers for almost 30 years in her family wellness, chiropractic practice. Dr. Ohm's professional mission is fulfilled by traveling internationally to provide chiropractors with the skills and passion to care for more pregnant mothers and children. Additionally, she is committed to educating birth practitioners with the information to support natural birthing in their practices. She and her husband Dr. Tom are the parents of 6 healthy, home-birthed children.  She can be reached at www.makinmiracles.com or on Facebook. 

 

PREGNANCY

Lifelong Lessons From the Womb
Marcy Axness, PhD

From the Article:

Gone are the days when we could consider pregnancy a nine-month “grace period” before the job of parenting began. Mounting research tells us that everything we do—beginning, even, before conception—shapes our children in critical, life-altering ways.

Scientists are finding that our health throughout life is greatly determined by the prenatal circumstances in which we develop. This fetal “programming” is different from what happens in conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome, where the toxic effects of the womb environment are noticeable at birth, or early in life. New findings in fetal development indicate that certain conditions may not show up until as late as an individual’s forties or fifties! For example, we now know there are strong links between low birth weight and heart disease, poor gestational nutrition and diabetes, and links between high birth weight and breast cancer in women...

About the Author:

Marcy AxnessMarcy Axness, Ph.D., is an early development specialist, adjunct faculty member of Santa Barbara Graduate Institute’s Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology program, and counselor in the L.A. area, specializing in fertility, pregnancy psychology, adoption, and early parenting.  She can be reached 818-366-7310, or via her website at www.QuantumParenting.com. This article appeared in the Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology and Health, 21(4), 2007. 

 

BIRTH

The Limbic Imprint
Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova

From the Article:

Our first experiences in the world affect us in profound ways. How can we best make our child’s first experience as joyous and loving as possible?

Anew baby is an extremely sensitive being—in fact, more sensitive than he or she will ever be during adult life. Yet despite that sensitivity, we don’t cognitively remember our birth experiences. Nonetheless, for better or worse, those early impressions stay with us for the rest of our lives. Twenty-five years of thorough research in the field of prenatal psychology shows a
direct correlation between the circumstances of our birth and the subconscious behavioral and emotional patterns in our adult lives.

We are very familiar with establishing the basic settings in our TVs, cameras and other devices. Imagine setting the tint of your television to maximum green. No matter what appears on the screen, everything will have a greenish cast. Similarly, if the brightness is set on dim, your screen will show an unusually dark picture.

A similar mechanism is at work in our brains. This mechanism, called a limbic imprint, has been deliberately used for thousands of years to train animals, everything from dogs and horses to elephants and circus bears. For example, baby elephants are routinely chained to a small stake in the ground early in life. The elephant rages against the stake with all his might for a few days, until he finally stops. When he grows up and has enough strength to pull this stick right out, he doesn’t ever try...

About the Author:

Elena TonettiElena Tonetti-Vladimirova is the founder of Birth into Being, an international movement for conscious procreation founded in 1982. She produced and directed the 2006 documentary, Birth as We Know It. She travels the world teaching her seminars, conducting apprenticeship trainings and speaking at conferences. For more information, visit www.BirthIntoBeing.com.

 

 

THE OUTER WOMB

Making Motherhood Mindful
Cassandra Vieten, PhD

From the Article:

Mindful motherhood, simply put, means being present in your body and connected with your baby. It’s being aware of your experience from moment to moment, as it is happening, without pushing the moment away, trying to make it stay, or judging it as bad or good. Mindful motherhood means meeting each situation as it is, and approaching whatever is happening with
curiosity and compassion.

A mindful mother approaches all of the experiences she encounters with open eyes and an open heart. Whether those experiences are internal (such as thoughts, feelings or body sensations) or external (such as relationships, workplace situations or environmental matters), mindful motherhood means being aware of and connected to what is happening.

It sounds simple, but it’s not easy.

We are always, quite literally, in the moment— there is no other place to be. But often our attention is not directed toward the present moment. For example, you are always connected with your baby, although you might feel like you’re distracted at any given point in time. Bringing mindful awareness to that connection can enhance it for both you and your baby; it’s a process that happens naturally, without having to try at all. Mindful motherhood is about being aware of that connection and creating the optimal conditions for it to flourish. For the most part, you don’t need to do anything except get out of your own way and allow what is happening to simply be...

About the Author:

Cassandra Vieten, PhDCassandra Vieten, PhD, is a psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, and the Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (www.noetic.org). She is author of Mindful Motherhood: Practical Ways for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child's First Year, is co-author of Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life, and is mom to Indigo, now eight-years old.

 

PARENTING

Self-Care for Mothers
Jane Sheppard

From the Article:

Of all the problems of modern life, few are more pervasive than stress. Stress and fatigue are signals that you are not giving enough to yourself. Stress can cause a wide variety of ailments and serious diseases, including allergies, pain and heart attacks. I’ve taught a course in stress management, so I know how to deal with it. I’m the first person to lovingly tell others to take care of themselves. I used to manage my own stress by meditating, getting massages, hiking in nature and taking plenty of time for myself.

Then I became a mother.

Being a single mother and the sole provider for the two of us, I focused on just two things—my daughter and making a living. I had a home business, a busy massage therapy practice…and not enough hours in the week. Taking care of myself didn’t even enter the picture. Merely knowing that I needed to take time for myself wasn’t enough. The trick was to figure out how to do it and still meet the needs of my daughter and pay the bills.

When my daughter was two, I received a frightening wake-up call: My body gave out. I had so much pain in my neck and shoulder that I could barely function. I found myself completely drained, in a state of deep exhaustion from lack of sleep. I was alarmed: How would we survive if I couldn’t work?

About the Author:

Jane Sheppard is the editor and publisher of Healthy Child Newsletter and website, offering parents thoroughly researched information and safe, non-toxic, organic products for babies and children. Jane is the author of Super Healthy Kids: Strengthening Your Child's Resistance to Disease, Protect Your Baby from Toxic Exposures, and numerous parenting articles. Jane lives in Northern California and can be reached through www.HealthyChild.com.

 

GRATITUDE

Counting Our Blessings
Brian Johnson

From the Article:

Here’s a ritual of mine. Often, when I pay a bill, buy something or enjoy a meal, I pause for a moment to appreciate the incredible array of people who made that experience possible.

Think about it the next time you sit down for a meal. Look at the spoon or fork you’re using. How did it get there on that table of yours? (And how did the table get there? And the floor? And…) Contemplate for a minute or two just who was involved in getting that spoon to you. Imagine the interconnected web of cooperating people who produced the raw materials, then those who shipped them to the manufacturer and then those who created it (and all those who financed all that activity to begin with). Then, of course, the spoon had to get from the manufacturer to the store where you bought it. (Who built the trucks and boats and planes and trains used to ship it?) And on and on and on and on. It is truly staggering when we see just how fortunate we are to have so many people supporting us in every
moment of our lives...

www.philosophersnotes.com/source/pathways

About the Author:Brian Johnson

Read Brian's Bio on his website here:
www.philosophersnotes.com/brianjohnson

 

 

 

 

FAMILY LIVING

Teaching Our Children to Read, Write & Spell
Susan R. Johnson, MD, FAAP

From the Article:

There is a widely held belief that if we just start teaching children to read, write and spell in preschool, they will become better at these skills by the time they reach the first and second grades. This, however, is false. The truth is that children should be taught to read, write and spell only when their neurological pathways for doing so have fully formed. Many neuropsychologists, developmental specialists, occupational therapists and teachers are concerned that the current trend of pushing academics in preschool and kindergarten will result in an even greater increase in the number of children diagnosed with attentional problems and visual-processing types of learning disabilities.

In order for children to be able to sit still, pay attention and remember abstract shapes like letters and numbers, they first need to have developed their proprioceptive system, which enables them to sense their own body’s position. Some children who are asked to sit still at a desk can’t yet “feel” where they are in space. They have to keep their muscles and body moving all the time, or sit with their feet anchored underneath them or around the legs of the chair, in order for their minds to sense their position. They might also have difficulty balancing on one foot while their eyes are closed. These children are often suspected of having attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder because they appear fidgety in their movements, have difficulty paying attention and have poorly developed fine motor skills. They are often labeled as having learning disabilities in visual processing (for example, dyslexia) because they have difficulty recalling letters, numbers and shapes that are shown to them, or have difficulty remembering the orientation and direction of letters and numbers—such as confusing b with d, or writing 2’s or 3’s backward without noticing...

About the Author:

Susan JohnsonI am a Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrician in private practice in Colfax, California. I completed my 3-year pediatric residency at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a 3-year fellowship in behavioral and developmental Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco in 1990. During my fellowship years, I directed the Early Childhood Clinic at UCSF and diagnosed children with Autism, PPD, Asperger Syndrome, and ADD. I had extensive rotations managing children in Behavior clinic, School-age clinic, Disability clinic and identifying learning "disabilities" during week long comperhensive learning assessments. I had rotations in numerous clinics at UCSF including genetics, neurology, developmental disabilities, audiology, endocrinology etc. I also sat in on speech and language assessments and psychoeducational assessments that were done on the children that I assessed, and I attended their IEP meetings at their school. I spent a year rotating in child psychiatry and serving on the psych-liaison service taking call with the other child psychiatric residents. I spent 3 years doing supervised family therapy, child therapy, and sand tray therapy. www.youandyourchildshealth.org

 

The Natural Genius of Children
Thomas Armstrong, PhD

Every child is a genius. That doesn’t mean that every child can paint like Picasso, compose like Mozart or score 150 on an I.Q. test. But every child is a genius according to the original meanings of the word, which are a) “to give birth” (related to the word genesis); and b) “to be zestful or joyous,” (related to the word genial). Essentially, the real meaning of genius is to “give birth to the joy” that is within each child. Every child is born with that capacity, coming into life with wonder, curiosity, awe, spontaneity, vitality, flexibility and many other characteristics of a joyous being.

An infant has twice as many brain connections as an adult. The young child masters a complex symbol system (her own native language) without any formal instructions. Young children have vivid imaginations, creative minds and sensitive personalities. These youthful traits are highly valued from an evolutionary perspective: the more a species evolves, the more it carries youthful traits into adulthood (a process called “neoteny” or “holding youth”). It is imperative that we, as educators and parents, help preserve these genius characteristics as children mature into adulthood, so those capacities can be made available to the broader culture at a time of incredible change...

About the Author:

Thomas Armstrong, PhDThomas Armstrong, Ph.D. is an award-winning author and speaker with over thirty years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level, and over one million copies of his books in print on issues related to learning and human development.  He is the author of thirteen books including The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life, The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, In Their Own Way, Awakening Your Child's Natural Genius, 7 Kinds of Smart, The Myth of the A.D.D. Child, ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom, and Awakening Genius in the Classroom. His books have been translated into twenty-four languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Danish, and Russian. He has written for Ladies Home Journal, Family Circle (where he received awards from the Educational Press Association, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals), Parenting (where he was a regularly featured columnist for four years), Mothering (where he was a contributing editor), and over thirty other periodicals, journals, and edited books. He has appeared on several national and international television and radio programs, including NBC’s "The Today Show," "CBS This Morning," "CNN," the "BBC" and "The Voice of America." Articles featuring his work have appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, Good Housekeeping, and hundreds of other newspapers and magazines around the country. Dr. Armstrong has given over 800 keynotes, workshop presentations, and lectures in 42 states and 16 countries in the past nineteen years. His clients have included Sesame Street, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the European Council of International Schools, the Republic of Singapore, and several state departments of education. www.thomasarmstrong.com

 

HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE

ADD/ADHD Holistic and Natural Approaches
Various Authors

From the Article:

Traditional Chinese Medicine
Montserrat Markou, MS, L.Ac., LMT

Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine have different approaches to diagnosing and treating attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In the West, ADHD sufferers are usually prescribed anti-depressants or stimulants, such as Ritalin or Adderall. However, while prescription drugs may temporarily alleviate symptoms, they don’t treat the core problems. In addition, parents are often concerned about the effectiveness of prescription medication and the possible side effects. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), ADHD is attributed to an imbalance between yin and yang, the negative and positive phases in the body’s flow of vital energy, or qi. TCM comprises acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Tui-Na massage and nutritional therapy. It’s founded on the belief that good health is a function of inner harmony...

 

Nutrition and Nutrients

A review of scientific literature finds certain risk factors for ADHD clustered around the following problems: food allergies; thyroid disorders; deficiencies in amino acids, essential fatty acids (EFAs), minerals and vitamin B; heavy metal toxicities; and a diet high in carbohydrates and low in protein. In 1981, I. Colquhoun and S. Bunday noted that hyperactive children exhibited physical disturbances (such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, drying and scaling of the skin, and behavioral abnormalities) that had been observed in animals deficient in EFAs. They found evidence that EFAs in the diet normally provide a “waterproofing” effect in the skin, but that in children with ADHD this did not seem to occur, resulting in eczema and similar abnormalities. Colquhoun and Bunday attributed the problem to a lack of the normal conversion of dietary EFAs into polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFAs, through metabolism in the liver and gut, noting the critical role of PUFAs in perception, cognition, memory, attention and other cerebral functions...

References:

1. Wender EH. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: is it common? Is it over treated? Arch PediatrAdolesc Med 156(3):209-210, 2002.
2. Fine, L. Minimum ADHD Incidence Is 7.5 Percent. Education Week. March 27, 2002.
3. BarbaresiWJ, et al. How common is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Incidence in a population-based birth cohort in Rochester, Minn. Arch PediatrAdolesc Med 156(3):217-224, 2002.
4. RushtonJL, Whitmire JT. Pediatric stimulant and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescription trends: 1992 to 1998. Arch PediatrAdolesc Med 155(5):560-565, 2001.
5. Cox ER, Motheral BR, Henderson RR, Mager D. . Geographic variation in the prevalence of stimulant medication use among children 5 to 14 years old: Results from a commercially insured US sample. Pediatrics 111(2)237-243, 2003.
6. Vastag B. Pay attention: Ritalin acts much like cocaine. JAMA 286(8):905-906, 2001.
7. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec4.html
8. Chan E, Zhan C, Homer CJ. Health care use and costs for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: national estimates from the medical expenditure panel survey. J Dev BehavPediatr 23(1 Suppl):S37-S45, 2002.
9. Smalley SL, McGoughJJ, Del'Homme M, NewDelman J, Gordon E, Kim T, Liu A, McCracken JT. Familial clustering of symptoms and disruptive behaviors in multiplex families with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000 Sep;39(9):1135-43.
10. FaraoneSV, Biederman J, Mick E, Williamson S, Wilens T, Spencer T, Weber W, Jetton J, Kraus I, Pert J, Zallen B. Family study of girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2000 Jul;157(7):1077-83.
11. Biederman J, FaraoneSV, Mick E, Spencer T, Wilens T, Kiely K, Guite J, Ablon JS, Reed E, Warburton R. High risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among children of parents with childhood onset of the disorder: a pilot study. Am J Psychiatry. 1995 Mar;152(3):431-5. )
12. Smucker WD, Hedayat M. Evaluation and treatment of ADHD. Am Fam Physician 64(5):817-829, 2001.
13. Watkins C. Stimulant Medication for AD/HD. Northern County Psychiatric Associates. http://www.baltimorepsych.com/Stimulants.htm
14. Cherland E, Fitzpatrick R. Psychotic Side Effects of Psychostimulants: A 5-Year Review. Can J Psychiatry 1999;44:811-813.
15. Croche AF, Lipman RS, Overall JE, Hung W. The effects of stimulant medication on the growth of hyperkinetic children. Pediatrics. 1979 Jun;63(6):847-50.
16. MarottaPJ, Roberts EA.Pemolinehepatotoxicity in children. J Pediatr 1998;132:894-7.]
17. Gant C, Harding K. Outcome-based comparison of Ritalin® versus food-supplement treated children with AD/HD. Alt Med Rev 8(3):319-330, 2003.


Homeopathy

Homeopathy has a long history of naturally addressing acute and chronic illnesses. The treatment of chronic conditions (such as ADHD) is called constitutional treatment, and is based on an in-depth consultation in which a homeopath gathers details about a child or adult’s current condition, medical complaints, history, past traumas, lifestyle, mental and emotional attitudes, character and other relevant information. This information helps a homeopath find a remedy aimed at treating conditions on a mental, emotional and physical level...

 

Acupuncture

Although the use of acupuncture to treat children is relatively new to the United States, Asia’s children regularly receive the benefits of this ancient healing method. Acupuncture is used to treat many common childhood complaints and has proven an effective alternative to drugs in the treatment
and management of ADHD symptoms...

 

Attention Restoration Theory

Nature Deficit Disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods, refers to the trend of children spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems. Louv names parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and television as chief causes for the phenomenon. Louv spent 10 years traveling around the country speaking to parents and children about their experiences in nature. He argues that sensationalist media coverage and frightened parents have literally “scared children straight out of the woods and fields,” while promoting a litigious culture of fear that favors “safe” regimented sports over imaginative play.“It’s a problem, because kids who don’t get nature-time seem more prone to anxiety, depression and attentiondeficit problems,” says Louv. Going outside and being in the quiet and calm can help greatly, he suggests...

 

Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral therapy can have a profoundly positive effect on brain and spinal cord function. It has been used successfully in the treatment of ADD and ADHD since 1975. Our clinical experience suggests that structural restrictions in the body, especially in the bones and membrane layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord, may be the primary factor in a significant number of such cases. These restrictions can interfere with the normal movement of fluids and vital nutrients into and out of the brain— nutrients that enable the brain to function properly...

 

Chiropractic
Dr. Christopher Kent

Psychiatrist Peter Breggin, M.D., wrote,“Hyperactivity is the most frequent justification for drugging children. The difficult-to-control male child is certainly not a new phenomenon, but attempts to give him a medical diagnosis are the product of modern psychology and psychiatry. At first psychiatrists called hyperactivity a brain disease. When no brain disease could be found, they changed it to ‘minimal brain disease.’ When no minimal brain disease could be found the profession transformed the concept into ‘minimal brain dysfunction.’ When no minimal brain dysfunction could be demonstrated, the label became attention deficit disorder. Now it’s just assumed to be a real disease, regardless of the failure to prove it so. Biochemical imbalance is the code word, but there’s no more evidence for that than there is for actual brain disease.”...

About the Author:

Dr. Christopher Kent, president of the Council on Chiropractic Practice, is a 1973 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. The WCA's "Chiropractic Researcher of the Year" in 1994, and recipient of that honor from the ICA in 1991, he was also named ICA "Chiropractor of the Year" in 1998. Dr. Kent is director of research and a co-founder of Chiropractic Leadership Alliance. With Dr. Patrick Gentempo, Jr., Dr. Kent produces a monthly audio series, "On Purpose," covering current events in science, politics, and philosophy of vital interest to the practicing chiropractor. For subscription information call 800/892-6463.

References:

1. Breggin PR: "Toxic Psychiatry." St. Martin's Press. New York. 1991. Chapters 12 and 13. 
 
2. Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, et al: "Trends in the prescribing of psychotropic medications to preschoolers." JAMA 2000;283:1025. 
 
3. Statistics confirm rise in childhood ADHD and medication use. http://www.education-world.com 
 
4. Walton EV: "The effects of chiropractic treatment on students with learning and behavioral impairments due to neurological dysfunction." International Review of Chiropractic 1975;29:4-5:24-26. 
 
5. Giesen JM, Center DB, Leach RA: "An evaluation of chiropractic manipulation as a treatment for hyperactivity in children." JMPT 1989;12:353-363. 
 
6. Arme J: "Effects of biomechanical insult correction on attention deficit disorder." Journal of Chiropractic Case Reports, 1993:1(1). 
 
7. Hospers LA: "EEG and CEEG studies before and after upper cervical or SOT category 2 adjustment in children after head trauma, in epilepsy, and in 'hyperactivity.'" Proceedings of the National Conference on Chiropractic and Pediatrics (ICA) 1992;84-139. 
 
8. Barnes TA: "A multifaceted approach to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a case report." International Review of Chiropractic Jan/Feb 1995; pp. 41-43. 
 
9. Phillips CJ: "Case study: the effect of utilizing spinal manipulation and craniosacral therapy as the treatment approach for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder." Proceedings of the National Conference on Chiropractic and Pediatrics (ICA), 1991:57-74. 
 
10. Langley C: "Epileptic seizures, Nocturnal enuresis, ADD." Chiropractic Pediatrics April 1995, Vol. 1, No. 1. 
 
11. Thomas MD, Wood J: "Upper cervical adjustments may improve mental function." J Man Med 1992;6:215. 
 
12. Araghi HG: "Oral apraxia: a case study in chiropractic in chiropractic management." Proceedings of the National Conference on Chiropractic and Pediatrics (ICA), 1994, beginning p. 
 
13. Manuelle JD, Fysch PA: "Acquired verbal aphasia in a seven-year-old female: case report." J Clin Chiropr Ped 1996;1:89-. 
 
14. Peet JB: "Adjusting the hyperactive/ADD pediatric patient." Chiro Pediatr 1997;2(4):12-. 

 

MIND-BODY-SPIRIT

The World According to New-Edge Science
Bruce H. Lipton, PhD, and Steve Bhaerman

From the Article:

The science of conventional medicine tries to reassure us that none of the healing phenomena we describe in our book, Spontaneous Evolution, actually exists. That’s because today’s biology textbooks and mass media describe the body and its component cells as machines made of biochemical building blocks.

This perception has programmed the general public to accept the belief in genetic determinism, which is the notion that genes control physical and behavioral traits. This sad interpretation is that our fates are inextricably linked to ancestral characteristics determined by genetic blueprints derived from our parents and their parents and their parent’s parents, ad infinitum. This causes people to believe that they are victims of heredity.

Fortunately, the Human Genome Project (HGP) has pulled the rug out from under conventional science’s beliefs concerning genetic control. This is ironic, because it set out to prove the opposite. According to conventional belief, the complexity of a human should require vastly more genes than are found in a simple organism. Surprisingly, the HGP discovered that humans have nearly the same number of genes as lowly animals, a finding that inadvertently reveals a fundamental myth-perception underlying genetic determinism. Science’s pet dogma has long outlived its usefulness and needs to be mercifully put to sleep...

About the Authors:

Bruce LiptonBruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. He has been a guest speaker on hundreds of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national and international conferences. Dr. Lipton began his scientific career as a cell biologist. He is regarded as one of the leading voices of the new biology, summarizing his findings in his book, The Biology of Belief. His new book with Steve Bhaerman, Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here, is available now.

 

Steve BhaermanSteve Bhaerman is an internationally known author, humorist and workshop leader. For the past 20 years, he has written and performed as Swami Beyondananda, the “Cosmic Comic.” Swami’s comedy has been called “irreverently uplifting” and has been described both as “comedy disguised as wisdom” and “wisdom disguised as comedy.”

 

 

MOVEMENT AND LEARNING

Why Kids Need Recess
Rae Pica

From the Article:

More and more, parents are protesting school policies that allow teachers and administrators to withhold recess to punish student misbehavior. Common infractions include tardiness, acting out in class and failure to complete homework—everyday childhood behaviors that result in numerous children having to go without recess on any given day.

The research is clear. Children need recess. It benefits every aspect of childhood development—physical development, of course, but also social, emotional and intellectual development as well. Following are seven reasons why, if we want our children to succeed, recess should not be denied...

About the Author:Rae Pica

Rae Pica is a children’s physical activity specialist, author and host of Body, Mind and Child Radio. She offers insight and wisdom on her site, www.movingandlearning.com, and hosts informative radio interviews on www.bodymindandchild.com/radio, where numerous shows are archived.

 

 

INFORMED CHOICE

Children, Cell Phones and Health
Carrie Hyman, CMD, and Marcia Zina Mager

From the Article:

Once upon a time there was a little girl on a playground who noticed gray smoke pouring out of the windows of a school across the street. “Fire!” the little girl shouted. A man sat calmly on a nearby bench. “I don’t see any fire,” he said.“Fire!” the girl cried again.“But I only see smoke,” said the man. “Fire!” the girl shouted, over and over. But no one paid any attention. A few hours later, the school had burned to the ground.

The moral of this story? Where there’s smoke, there’s a good chance you’ll find fire. That’s the precautionary principle practiced by most governments in Europe when it comes to protecting public health from the 4.2 billion cell phones in the world and the electromagnetic radiation they emit. Refusing to adhere to this “better safe than sorry” principle has caused catastrophic health and environmental effects globally, writes David Gee, an editor of The Precautionary Principle in the 20th Century: Late Lessons From Early Warnings. The book analyzes the dismal failures of governments around the world to respond to early danger signs in the environment, from rising levels of carcinogens to the depletion of Atlantic fisheries. In February 2009, Gee testified in Brussels at a European Commission workshop on electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health. He warned about the profound danger posed by cell phone radiation—also called electropollution—which many scientists are now calling the “worst toxin in planetary history.”...

About the Author:

Marcia Zina Mager has been writing professionally for more than twenty-five years. Her extensive publishing credits include novels, non-fiction books, radio & television, poetry, and feature articles for local and national publications including Guideposts, Guideposts for Kids, New York Daily News, Midweek, Starbulletin, Island Scene Online, Hawaii Hotel Network, Morris Visitor Publications, and Hawaii Woman Magazine.
www.marcia-zina-mager.com

Carrie Hyman, CMD, is a doctor of Chinese medicine and a licensed acunpuncturist.

 

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RESEARCH REVIEW

Links between ADHD and diet, new drug warnings, and can oxytocin treat autism?

From the Article:

ADHD Increase Linked to Modern Diet
A study published in the January 2010 issue of Pediatrics now estimates that 8.6 percent of American children and adolescents have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The survey also found that boys are more than twice as likely as girls to have ADHD...

ADHD Drugs Linked to Long-term Brain Dysfunction
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been on a tremendous upswing in children over the past decade. The conventional method of caring for these kids has been the long-term use of stimulant drugs. For years, the pharmaceutical companies that make these drugs have been releasing research that shows effective increases in attention, concentration and productivity...

Childhood Mental Disorders Top Pediatric Expenses
A recent Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report has named depression and mental disorders as the pediatric conditions most expensive to treat. In 2006 alone, 4.6 million children research review and current concerns were treated for mental disorders, at a cost of $8.9 billion— averaging about $1,935 per child...

Pediatric Journal Issues New ADHD Drug Warning
The National Institute of Mental Health has released a study highlighting risks to children taking stimulant drugs for treating ADHD. In the United States, 2.5 million kids currently take stimulant or stimulant-like drugs (e.g. Ritalin). The NIMH study found that teens on such medication were at an increased risk for sudden cardiac death...

Conflict of Interest Jeopardizes Children’s Health
For years, psychiatrist Joseph Biederman has investigated, researched and promoted the use of amphetamines or amphetamine-like drugs for kids. Recently, however, a Congressional investigation and revelations in the media have brought to light that Dr. Biederman has accepted more than $1.6 million dollars in pharmaceutical sponsorship without declaring this very clear conflict of interest...

New Study Finds Steep Autism Increase
Once again, the incidence of autism has risen. With data released about children born between 1994 and 1996, a 50 percent increase in the autism rate has been reported, with 1 in 91 children affected by the condition, including 1 in 58 boys. In that period of time, the recommended vaccine schedule for children had jumped from 18 to 36, and for the first time included the mercury-containing hepatitis B vaccine immediately after birth...

Can Birth Injuries Cause ADHD?
Among the causes of ADHD are brain injuries due to birth trauma or pre-birth problems. During birth, the brain structures believed to be linked to the development of ADHD are vulnerable to hypoxic damage...

Phthalate Exposure Tied to ADHD
Research into ADHD has found a strong correlation between severe ADHD symptoms and chemical compounds known as phthalates. Phthalates are industrial chemicals known for shaping plastics in bottles and toys, and are also a key component in many major cosmetics, such as shampoos, lotions and nail polish. The study looked at 261 children between the ages of 8 and 11, and found that those who had higher levels of phthalate in their urine had more severe ADHD symptoms. Phthalates have also been proven to cause birth defects, hormone disruption and reproductive problems. There are serious concerns about exposure to phthalates for pregnant or nursing moms as well...

Oxytocin Helps Treat Autism in Young Adults
Oxytocin, sometimes called “nature’s love potion,” is being used in a promising new way. The hormone, produced in high amounts during childbirth and sex, is a powerful stimulator of love, connection and relaxation. Oxytocin has long been known to increase the emotional connection between mothers and their newborns, but it is now being discovered to improve the symptoms of autism...

 

 

 

 

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