Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Newsletter

Free Newsletter #5

Today's Topics:

• Use of Alternative Treatments: ATTEND and Extress
• Differential Diagnosis: ADD vs. Depression
• Research: Comparison of EEG Biofeedback vs. Ritalin
• Bedtime: Make It Their Time
• Today's Top News
  

ADD/ADHD NEWSLETTER VIA EMAIL

Resources for Parents and Teachers of ADD/ADHD Children

Produced by the ADD ADHD Information Library at NewIdeas.Net

IMPORTANT: Use this information at your own risk. This information is not to be used in place of appropriate medical advice. If there are problems, always consult your physician.

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For more information on ADD or ADHD, visit the web's most comprehensive ADD ADHD Information Library for parents, teachers, and professionals, at NewIdeas.Net.

Announcing our three newest web sites!

• For hundreds of classroom interventions visit ADDinSchool.com
• For research comparing the effectiveness of Ritalin, EEG Biofeedback, and Nutraceutical products ("Attend" by Vaxa) go to ADD-Products.com and visit the RESEARCH section.
• For 100 recommended books on ADD ADHD sorted for easy navigation, go to the Complete ADD ADHD Bookstore at ADD411.com

Many of you have been curious about using ATTEND and Extress with your child or teenager, or even for your own use. These are breakthrough advanced nutritional products available directly from VAXA International in Florida. Let me try to explain my position on the use of the products as best as I can. Then you can make your own decisions.

First of all, I am somewhat associated with the products. I did the clinical studies on the effectiveness of the products out of my office in 1997 - 1998. I was able to monitor and test about 50 to 60 kids with the formula to rate its effectiveness. I don't own the company, nor do I own stock, etc., in the company. I do, however, sell the product from my web site. The income from the sale of the product actually supports both my web site and this newsletter.

I like the products. They do not work for everyone, but they do help a lot of kids.

Does ATTEND really work?

Here's a copy of a letter that I recently received from a mother who gave it a try. A real letter. A real situation...

Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 00:11:51 EST
To: dcowan@lightspeed.net
In a message dated 11/12/99 4:11:19 PM Eastern Standard Time,

Dear Dr. Cowan,

I was a desperate parent just a few weeks ago. My 8 yr. old son has been diagnosed with ADHD by a number of doctors and therapists over the past few years. He has been on Adderall, Ritalin, Clonadine, Tenex, and a variety of "natural remedies." Nothing seemed to help,and some even created extreme side effects, i.e. Tics, tourettes, lethargy, loss of appetite.

He was totally out of control, and I did not know where to turn. My dear mother has had such a burden for him that she did some "leg" work and found Vaxa. She felt extremely positive about it, although she did not get my support on it just yet. I was extremely discouraged, but I got to thinking that it couldn't hurt to try the Attend and Extress.

Reluctantly, I told my mom that I was willing to try anything.

I want you to know that after having Jeffrey on these products for only one week, we are seeing a tremendous change in him already. He seems more at peace with himself and the world around him. We know our battle is not completely won, but we are very encouraged by what we've seen happening so far.

We will keep you up to date on Jeffrey's progress, as we realize that this may be too soon to evaluate the full effect of these products. I just want to tell you "Thank you" personally for the wealth of information you are sharing with everyone on ADD/ADHD, in these newsletters. It has been a lifesaver for me and my family.

Sincerely,

-- Name on file --

You can read our study results, and you can also see a comparison between ATTEND, Stimulant Medications (Ritalin), and EEG Biofeedback training at our new ADD-Products.com site. If you have decided to use Attend and/or Extress, here are some recommendations:

Read much more about ATTEND, including research and complete product ingredient lists, at these sites: ADD-Products.com and The ADD Information Library at NewIdeas.Net.

We recommend the ATTEND for everyone with ADD/ADHD. In fact, I take it daily even though I don't have ADD/ADHD. I just like the "brain food" aspect of the product.

The EXTRESS is recommended for kids/teens with TEMPER problems, and for kids with IMPULSE CONTROL problems. We have seen it work very well for such individuals. Also, we recommend it for the parents of ADHD kids. The product was originally designed to help people with anxiety/stress related problems, such as panic attacks. If you are over-stressed, then you might want to try it yourself.

To order, simply call VAXA International directly at (800) 248-8292. Ask for Customer Service. Please tell them that Dr. Doug Cowan sent you! They'll ship product directly to your door in about three days.

To order on-line by credit card visit the VAXA web site here.

Is it Attention Deficit Disorder or is it .....?

During the assessment process it is of great importance for the physician or clinician to consider other possible causes of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity in your child, or teen, or yourself. In fact, this is probably the most important element of a good assessment.

There are several possible causes of these behaviors, especially in children, and the clinician must have great certainty that these other possible causes have been ruled out before giving the label of "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" to your child.

In this issue we will discuss the possibility that your child has DEPRESSION rather than an Attention Disorder...

When one is depressed several of the following symptoms will be noted. Someone with four or five of the following symptoms should probably see a physician or other professional to get a real assessment done.

The common symptoms of depression include:

• Physical Hyperactivity, or Lack of Activity (Hypoactivity)
• Change of Appetite, either Less or More
• Change in Sleeping, either Less or More
• Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
• Loss of energy, increased fatigue
• Feelings of worthlessness, or inappropriate guilt
• Difficulty concentrating
• Thoughts of death or dying
• In children and teens, depression is shows itself with increased aggression, irritability, or isolation from the family.

Sometimes really out of control emotional behavior is attributed to ADHD, but might really be the result of depression! Depression in children and teens often looks to a clinician, who barely knows your child, as ADD/ADHD.

One main difference is that depression has a "starting date" and ADD/ADHD has been present to some degree or another since birth.

• Does your child seems very sad, or very grouchy or irritable?
• Does it seem like nothing is fun for him, even things he used to like doing?
• Does he seem bored most of the time and just sit around?
• Has he gained a lot or weight? Or lost a lot of weight?
• Does he seem to be sleeping a lot more than usual, and have lots of trouble waking up in the morning? Or does he have unusual trouble getting to sleep at night?
• Does he seem unusually restless or agitated?
• Is he having more trouble than usual paying attention to school work?
• Is it harder for him to make decisions than usual?
• Has your child/teen talked about suicide, or even make attempts, recently?

If three or four of these are true of your child/teen over the past six months, expecially the one about suicide, then we'd recommend that you have him checked out by a therapist, psychologist, or physician who specializes in depression. It is very common to mis-diagnose depression for ADD/ADHD, especially by inexperienced therapists and physicians.

A Comparison of EEG Biofeedback and Psychostimulants in Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders

by Thomas Rossiter, Ph.D. and Theodore LaVaque, Ph.D
Published in Journal of Neurotherapy, Summer, 1995

Abstract: The study compared the effects of EEG biofeedback and stimulant medication in reducing AD/HD symptoms. Stimulants are the most widely used treatment for AD/HD but have drawbacks. The most serious is that symptom reduction is only temporary unless medication is taken indefinitely. In addition, stimulants may have side effects and long term compliance with taking medication is poor, especially among adolescents. The study compared treatment programs with 20 sessions of EEG biofeedback (n=23) or stimulants (n=23) as their primary components.

Both the EEG and MED groups improved (p,.05) on TOVA measures of inattention, impulsivity, information processing, and variability but did not differ from each other (p> 0.3) on TOVA change scores. The results indicate that the EEG biofeedback program is an effective alternative to stimulants and may be the treatment of choice when medication is ineffective, has side effects, or compliance is a problem. Previous studies suggest that EEG biofeedback leads to lasting symptom reduction. This needs to be comfirmed with larger samples...

For more information on this, and other studies, I'd recommend that you visit the EEG Spectrum web site, and visit their section on research papers. I'm pretty much out of the EEG biofeedback business now, as full-time ministry is getting closer and closer, but I'd still recommend that all of you parents become familiar with it as a treatment option. See more about it at the ADD Information Library, Treatment Option section.

We have taken their study and used it in comparing our ATTEND with stimulants and EEG Biofeedback. See the results here.

The following articles were submitted by Terri, The Turquoise Butterfly, and are from her own ADD Newsletter.

Thanks, Terri.

MAKE BEDTIME - "THEIR TIME"

Think back to all of the bedtime books that you either read to your children, or had read to you as a child. Each of those books paint bedtime as a special time for parent and child. And in the mists of today's busy and exhausted days, some of our bedtime rituals are now given way to quick kisses while they tuck themselves in.

To get kids to willingly go to bed on time, you need to do two things: make it fun and turn it into a predictable routine. Kids thrive on routines, especially those that are enjoyable. So by making bedtime a family affair, where they are the center of attention, your child will delight in the bedtime rituals and will feel like nighttime is a treat.

Here's what you do:

1. Develop a routine - Starting a half and hour prior to bed - start the schedule. Announce to the kids "Thirty minutes till bed" and get them in their pj's and, perhaps, give them a special treat. Hot chocolate or a few cookies and milk would be nice. It needs to be something they can finish in 10 minutes.

2. Next - have them pick out a favorite book and lay it next to the next. Then, lay out the next day's school clothes and pack up the bookbag. While you do this together, talk about the days events and all of the good things that happened to both of you.

3. Then, it's time to brush their teeth. After everyone is all brushed - call out "story time". Now it's time for them to jump into bed so mom or dad can read the story that's already been picked out. Take your time and read the story - allow them to look at the pictures carefully and do some role-playing with the characters. Get them involved in the book!

4. Lastly, after the story has been read, tell them that you will always love them as you tuck them into bed. Kisses come last, prior to you turning out the light. By making the routine fun, predictable, family-oriented and full of hugs and kisses - your child will start to look forward to their own special bedtime - a time that's only for them.

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Products, Books, Web Sites . . .

Non-Ritalin approach to ADD/ADHD treatments discussed at these sites . . .

For data from our study on the effectiveness of the ATTEND nutraceutical medicine, and for a comparison between ATTEND, and Ritalin, and EEG Biofeedback training, visit our new site at ADD-Products.com and then visit the RESEARCH section.

Attend and Extress. Amino acid based nutraceutical medicines. Good products. For an in-depth discussion and product information go to NewIdeas.Net and visit the Treatment Options section.

Would you like to see previous issues of the ADD Newsletter?

Issue #1
Issue #2
Issue #3
Issue #4