ADHD – Politics, Money, or Science?

As a medicinal chemist I've had the opportunity to see a shockingly different side of Ritalin (methylphenidate) and ADHD than the media exposes.

The Experimental Pharmacology Department of the American Cyanamid Company and the Merck Index report that Ritalin is no less toxic or safer than amphetamine and methamphetamine. They continue, by stating that upon administration of these drugs, motor activity decreases. Often time's tremors and convulsions occur. Further studies on these amphetamine derivatives show that short-term clinical doses produce brain cell death. Long-lasting and sometimes permanent changes in the biochemistry of the brain are also a result. Toxicological studies cited by the Merck Index showed that Ritalin was more toxic when administered to grouped mice. Moreover, researchers showed that increased excitement observed by maintaining mice in groups while under the influence of Ritalin and other methamphetamines was the cause of death, but the exact mechanism of lethality was unknown. Lastly, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classify commonly prescribed drug such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine in the same Schedule II category as methamphetamine and cocaine.

Logic says, end of story regarding Ritalin use. Unfortunately, the most typical response from parents when confronted with toxicity facts is as follows:

"I'm sure that Ritalin is prescribed improperly in many cases. But, my son definitely has a chemical imbalance. Without Ritalin he is a total mess and it has made his life so much easier! Without it he can't focus, he talks out of turn, he's moody, and he won't listen to anybody. So don't tell me ADHD doesn't exist and that my kid doesn't need Ritalin."

My fist question is what chemical imbalance?

To date, no medical or scientific paper or research group has elucidated the cause of ADHD! With our expensive and all-important college and medical degrees professionals have ostensibly hypothesized a cause (brain chemicals) and advocated a cure (stimulants) for ADHD. To back it up we have listed dozens of symptoms of ADHD while at the same time sacrificing a few billion brain cells. How can we administer a toxic stimulant to treat a "disorder" that doesn't exist according to a 100 years of research?

Daily, schoolteachers tell us "yes, Ritalin is a great drug".

School nurses assure us that, "Ritalin would be great for little Johnny!"

And doctors assert, "yes, ADHD is a real disease".

When we trace back the history of Ritalin (say 40-60 years) we see that medicinal chemists originally derived this synthetic stimulant from natural stimulants, most notably caffeine (isolated from guarana) and ephedrine (isolated from Ma Haung). Scientists found that when given stimulants, rats were more focused, calm, attentive and manageable when large groups were crowded into small cages.

Ma Huang and caffeine however, are not good stimulants due to their very short half-lives and inability to "patent". To remedy this, scientists experimented, and still are, with longer lasting synthetic stimulants. To date, a conglomeration of long lasting synthetic stimulants like Ritalin (methylphenidate), Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine), Desoxyn (methamphetamine), and Adderal (a mixture of Ritalin, Dexedrine, and amphetamine) have been encapsulated and administered to millions of children. Perhaps one day they will simply infuse a Ritalin gas into classrooms.

Obviously, the goal is to get kids more focused, calm, attentive and manageable when in large groups. The federal govt. wants to aid in this endeavor. Jon Rappaport, writing for Stratiawire.com, shows that in 1991, federal rules were adopted which granted US schools $400 for each child diagnosed with ADHD. Furthermore, in 1991, the US Dept. of Education issued a formal recognition of ADHD as a debilitating condition and ordered state education departments to screen students and give ADHD cases special treatment. Guaranteed, if the govt. offered increased funding for every redheaded student, your student teachers would soon be convincing you that Johnny has red hair, not brown.

No doubt, ADHD symptoms exist. I could walk into any classroom in America and find a hypothecated victim. And yes, there is a spectrum as to the suffering of the aforementioned symptoms. For those rare cases on the extreme end, here is a partial list of factors that can cause a child to have these "ADHD symptoms": chemicals and dyes in food, excess sugar intake, vaccines, FDA approved drugs, heavy metals, poor teaching, failure to grasp basic subjects (e,g., reading), head injuries, parents who aren't home, parents who don't care, unsafe schools, street drugs, poor nutrition.

This list is a result of the profound discoveries that have been made about the benefits of proper diet and natural supplements. It is also the result of the horrific discoveries that have been made by intelligent and truth-seeking parents and professionals regarding the use of FDA approved drugs and vaccines. To date, it is possible for anyone to live a happy normal life FREE of toxic drugs. As knowledge of health, nutrition and the effectiveness of natural supplements moves forward our own attitudes and ways of thinking must do the same.

Be warned however, accurate information regarding the use of natural supplements will be hard to come by from medical doctors. The scientific study of medicinal uses of plants has not been part of the American medical curriculum for at least 75 years! Conversely, medicinal chemists have derived almost every synthetic drug from nature. The only difference between the two is life-threatening toxicity.

This is not an attack on western medicine. In fact, the latest technology in emergency medicine has been an asset to the longevity of human life. Endeavors made by emergency room doctors are admirable to say the least. This is an attack on the ignorance and greed of the American people, including doctors, patients, and pharmaceutical companies. The reliance of drugs, surgery, and high-tech equipment for healthy living is killing us and according to the latest statistics, most of us will be overdosed on FDA approved drugs before we will ever need the expertise of an emergency room doctor. Take the power back! Start with a war on FDA approved drugs by learning about natural alternatives and proper diet.