There's been a lot of talk in recent years about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. And with all the talk has come a lot of misinformation. Is this a real disease? If so, what are the causes? And how is it diagnosed? Join our panel as they help us separate fact from fiction.

Our Favorite ADHD Myths

Here are the Top 10 "ADHD Myths" that are popular on the internet or on talk radio. Follow the links below for our discussion on each of these "ADHD myths."

• ADHD does not really exist at all. It was created by psychiatrists, or drug companies, or psychologists, or the media, to create more business.
• ADHD does not really exist at all. It was created by psychiatrists, or drug companies, or psychologists, or bad parents, to create an excuse for children who act like "brats."
• Psychiatrists are all evil. Therefore if they say there is such as thing as ADHD, they must be wrong, and ADHD must be evil.
• ADHD does not really exist at all. It is just a sign of exceptional intelligence, or exceptional creativity that is misunderstood by teachers, parents, doctors, and researchers.

This article can be found at: http://www.newideas.net/adhd/adhd- information/adhd-myths

We have long held the opinion that the symptoms of ADHD could be lessened, and perhaps fully treated, by the use of amino acids and the help of specific ADD diets. Now two studies, one from Italy and the other from Norway, give more support for our position that prescription medications, particularly stimulants, are not the only effective ADHD treatments available.

The study from Italy looked at the effectiveness of just one amino acid in a population of ADHD children are well known as poor responders to stimulant treatment - children with Fragile X syndrome and ADHD.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common hereditary form of mental retardation, and many children with the condition also have ADHD, or at least the symptom inventory of ADHD. Over the years stimulants such as Ritalin have been used to treat these ADHD symptoms with these children, but with mixed or poor response. Stimulants often caused the children to be more irritable, to be less verbal, and often more withdrawn, so the researchers explored the possibility that the amino acid L-Acetyle Carnitine (LAC) might be helpful in reducing the ADHD symptoms, but without the side-effects.

The research team from the Università Cattolica in Rome studied 51 boys, ages 6 to 12, diagnosed with both Fragile X syndrome and ADHD. It was a double- blind study, so the boys were divided into two groups, one to get the amino acid treatment and the other a placebo. They study lasted for one year, with the boys evaluated at the beginning (baseline), at six months, and after a year.

This full article can be found at: http://newideas.net/adhd/alternative- treatment/carnitine-cows-milk-two-studies

Spring Training has started for professional baseball, and college baseball teams have been at work since January. It is time to get in shape for the 2008 baseball season.

I love baseball - always have. I was an "All Conference" pitcher and Captain of my college baseball team. I coached at a University for four years and have coached at the High School level for four more. I was a "bird-dog" scout for the Cleveland Indians and the Texas Rangers for a few years, and I have coached Little League teams forever. My nephew is a pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization, and a legitimate prospect. Really, I love baseball.

But there is a strange and perhaps disappointing story about ADHD and MLB that has come out since the release of the Mitchell Report.

It seems that in 2006 there were 28 major league players who had diagnoses for ADHD, and were receiving treatment with stimulant medication during the season. They were permitted to receive such treatment with stimulants through MLB's "Therapeutic Use Exemption" program. Now, there is no story here - at least not yet. There was no story until MLB placed the use of amphetamines on their "banned substances" list. Then things changed.

In 2007 the number of TUEs requested by major league players jumped from 28 to 103 for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This increase was so startling that even some sleeping Congressmen woke up and decided to make it an issue for the media as a part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings on the abuse of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.

The complete article can be found at: http://newideas.net/adhd-news/ritalin-adhd-major- league-baseball