Rangeline Chiropractic: Treating children with ADHD

In the past decade, prescriptions for Ritalin, a stimulant

medication commonly used for attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD), increased five-fold,

with 90 percent of all prescriptions worldwide consumed

in the United States. As many parents grow

leery of the traditional medical approach to ADHD,

doctors of chiropractic are offering promising results

with nondrug treatments that focus on postural muscles,

nutrition and lifestyle changes that affect brain

activity.

Some children may simply have difficulty learning certain

subjects, but the current system—in a sense—

prompts school officials to encourage their parents to

have the children diagnosed with ADHD, says Dr. Scott

Bautch, past president of the American Chiropractic

Association (ACA) Council on Occupational Health.

“The higher the number of disabled kids in the school,

the more funding the school can apply for,” says Dr.

Bautch.

Some teachers might also have difficulty with students

who have a different style of learning, according to Dr.

Bautch. If the child is a visual learner—and the teacher

is not—perhaps the child is not being taught in a way

he or she can learn. Before diagnosing the child with

ADHD, Dr. Bautch recommends doctors talk to the

child and the parents: “Is the child too active? Bored?

Has dyslexia or a different learning pattern? It can be a

behavior problem, problems at home, or frustrations

with the teacher’s style,” explains Dr. Bautch. “If we

went to a conference where the speakers taught in a

way we can’t learn, we would be frustrated and would

misbehave—we’d get up and leave or chat to the person

sitting next to us.”

The traditional medical model, however, seems to follow

the cookie-cutter principle. The diagnosis of ADHD

is based on a questionnaire. But this is not enough,

says Dr. Robert Melillo, a chiropractic neurologist.

“True ADHD patients have other signs —tics, tremors,

balance or postural problems, or unusual sensitivity to

touch, movement, sights, or sounds.” Unfortunately,

although medications can keep ADHD under control,

they don’t cure it. Eighty percent of patients have

ADHD features in adolescence, and up to 65 percent

maintain them in adulthood.

Doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic neurologists

offer a non-drug and non-invasive treatment alternative

for ADHD patients that targets the underlying problems,

not just symptoms. “Motor activity—especially

development of the postural muscles—is the baseline

function of brain activity. Anything affecting postural

muscles will influence brain development.

Musculoskeletal imbalance will create imbalance of

brain activity, and one part of the brain will develop

faster than the other, and that’s what’s happening in

ADHD patients,” says Dr. Melillo.

Chiropractic neurologists are trained to identify the

underfunctioning part of the brain and find treatments

to correct the problem, to help that hemisphere grow.

“On every patient, we perform a brain function exam,”

says Dr. Frederick Carrick, president of the ACA

Council on Neurology. “We test visual and auditory

reflexes through, for example, flashing light in the eye,

or asking patients to listen to music in one or the other

ear.”

When the problem is identified, patients are placed on

a treatment program—and most of the therapies can

be done at home. “Patients are asked to smell certain

things several times a day ... or wear special glasses,”

says Dr. Mark S. Smith, a chiropractic neurologist. “We

also focus on their individual problems. Some children,

for example, have difficulty with planning, organization,

and coordination—so they benefit from timing therapies.

They learn to clap or tap to the metronome, perform

spinning and balancing exercises.”

Although currently no studies comparing chiropractic

neurological and medical treatment for ADHD are available,

chiropractic neurologists are compiling the

data. “We test children before they start the treatment

and then every three months,” says Dr. Melillo. “Within

the first three months, the children get a twograde—

level increase on average—which is pretty dramatic.

With children on medications, the improvement in academic

performance is short term and lasts

only as long as they take the medication. Our programs

change the brain function and the improvement

doesn’t go away.”

If you or your loved one is diagnosed with ADHD or

has the symptoms, ask your doctor of chiropractic if

he or she has experience treating patients with the

condition. Doctors of chiropractic are trained to identify

neurological problems and find individual noninvasive

treatment modalities. They can also assess your

nutritional status and help you find the diet that will

help you manage your condition.

Natural Ways to Prevent ADHD

Many chiropractic neurologists recommend

nutrition and lifestyle changes that may help

correct or prevent biochemical imbalances that

cause ADHD. Parents are encouraged to:

• Remove as many food dyes, sugar,

preservatives, and additives from the diet

as possible.

• Focus on natural, mostly organic foods

with as few pesticides or herbicides as

possible.

• Determine if there is an allergy—usually

starting with dairy and gluten and try elimination

diets.

• Stop using pesticide sprays in the house.

• Avoid taking medications, nicotine, alcohol,

and other drugs in pregnancy that

may harm the fetus.

• Find ways to relax during pregnancy.

Stress on the job may affect the unborn

baby’s health, as well.

• Breastfeed. The first months and years of

a child’s life are critical to physical and

psychological development. Breastfeeding

mothers’ diets are important as well.

Natural Ways to Prevent ADHD