Recent Study on Milk and ADHD

Changes in our diets can be used as a treatment intervention for ADHD. And according to a recent study from Norway, it seems that at least a sub-group of children with ADHD have a particular type of protein imbalance that may be contributing to a child's ADHD symptoms, or may be causing that child's ADHD problem entirely.

The study began back in 1996 as a group of researchers and educators in Norway began a study of 23 children with ADHD. They placed the children on a milk free diet and have followed the performance of the children since. The researchers wanted to see if the ADHD symptoms in the children, particularly hyperactivity and impulsivity, would improve by avoiding milk, or more specifically the casein in the milk.

Since a one of our long-held ADHD diet recommendations has been to stop drinking cow's milk for two weeks, then add it back in to the diet and see if there is any adverse reaction to it, we were very interested in the observations from this study.

Milk is one of the most common food allergens in children. Studies in several countries around the world show a prevalence of milk allergy in children around 2% to 5%. Some estimates are much higher, as the researchers in this study propose. Cow's milk contains at least 20 protein components that may cause allergic responses. The milk proteins casein and whey are the main problems. Caseins give milk its "milky" appearance and is the protein in milk that makes it possible to make cheese. Whey makes up the remainder of the milk substance.

This full article can be found at: http://www.newideas.net/adhd/milk-adhd-dr-reichelts- theories

Several studies in recent years have looked into the impact of ADHD on the lives of teenage girls. MRI studies report that teenager's brains are rapidly maturing, but that they are not fully mature until the early 20's in females, and perhaps the early 30's in males. Long-term studies on behavior and emotional health report that girls with ADHD may struggle through the teen years. And other studies report that depression is common among teens with ADHD, and is so common among adolescents that the use of medications for ADHD, antidepressants, anti- psychotics, and even sleep medications, is up sharply with adolescent girls.

It has been reported that while many children and teens with ADHD also suffer from some degree of sadness or discouragement, as many as 25% are clinically depressed. Children and teens with ADHD are as much as 300% more likely to also suffer from depression than are children or teens without ADHD.

Rather, the depression seems to be most correlated to social awkwardness or interpersonal difficulties that are often a part of having ADHD. The lack of friendships, the sense of loneliness, or the sense of being a "social outcast" seemed to be behind the depression. And these feelings are, of course, much stronger in the teenage years.

In girls who were diagnosed with ADHD, and were followed by long-term studies through the years, it was observed that as they moved from childhood to adolescence their "outward" symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperactivity and impulsivity, tended to decrease.

This entire article can be found at: http://www.newideas.net/adhd-depression- adolescent-girls

By Guest Author Rory Stern Psy.D.

There I was watching television one afternoon, and a commercial came on that reported, "X% of people who suffer from depression and take medication, continue to experience symptoms of depression."

I was on the edge of my seat... I couldn't believe it! Were they finally going to suggest other treatment besides medication? Was someone going to finally blow the lid on treatment and actually suggest the importance of therapy and better understanding the behaviors?

All that excitement was suddenly lost the moment I heard the commercial recommend the need and use of additional medications. I felt deflated. It just didn't make sense. "Treat ongoing symptoms of depression with more medication instead of going after the root cause," I asked myself? That was the last straw.

What does this mean for ADHD?

Like depression, ADHD is thought to be biologically based. Research has suggested, and theorists believe, that there are abnormalities with the absorption of chemicals and neurotransmitters in the brain that lead to behaviors like we see in ADHD and depression. This is one major reason why prescribing medication is often a first step for the individual diagnosed with ADHD.

This full article can be found at: http://www.newideas.net/adhd/is-medication-always- the-answer