Zombie 101

It seems you can't turn on your television without being inundated with commercials for new pharmaceutical drugs.  The actor spends about 10 seconds touting the benefits of taking one little pill and the last 20 seconds telling you about the severe and sometimes deadly side effects that may result from taking the medication.

Most medications are created to treat the symptoms of a particular ailment, not the cause.   Often modern medical practice fails to allot enough time to find out why you have a particular ailment.  Instead, they prescribe one or more drugs that will take away or bury the symptoms.

This also applies to prescription medications for children.  When children don't fit into the little box society calls "normal" the search begins to identify what's wrong with them.  A wide range of labels have been created to describe these disorders.  A natural following to being diagnosed with a disorder is the little pill that will make your child appear normal - that will help him fit back into that little box.  There has been a steady increase in the diagnosis of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders in the last 20 years.  In case you are not familiar with these disorders, here are the most common:

·         Attention Deficit & Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

·         Bi-Polar Disorder

·         Conduct Disorder

·         Anxiety Disorder (including Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

·         Phobias

·         Acute Stress Disorder

·         Depression

·         Learning Disorders

·         Eating Disorders

·         Autism

·         Schizophrenia

·         Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

The FDA has approved 14 different pharmaceuticals to treat ADD and ADHD alone with an additional 156 medications to treat the other disorders.  According to the National Institute of Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, estimates between 4%-6% of the general population suffers from Attention Deficit and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders.  However, for most states, the number of children diagnosed and medicated is far above that average.  One example dates back to 1992 when the prescriptions written for psycho-stimulant medications used to treat childhood behavioral disorders in North Carolina were reported at 24,584 according to the state's Medicaid Program.  By 1998, that number had increased to 135,057, an increase of over 550 percent.  In the same report, the use of antidepressants in 1992 was reported at 1,326, however, by 1998 that number had risen by over 1,200 percent to a whopping 25,392 prescriptions.  This rise in diagnosis and medications coincided with the passage of a Federal law (1991) that gave school districts an additional $400.00 for each child that was diagnosed with a learning disorder.  Since 2003, the Center for Disease Control has conducted a series of two statewide surveys based on the records for state sponsored medical treatment.  The percentages listed in these surveys do not include diagnosis or treatment through private medical services.

Statistics have either failed to change much or the pharmaceutical industry would rather keep us in the dark on the real numbers. The most current information stopped in 2011. Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006 and an average of about 5% per year from 2003 to 2011.  The percentage of children with an ADHD diagnosis continues to increase, from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007.  Approximately 11% of children 4-17 years of age (6.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011. Boys (13.2%) were more likely than girls (5.6%) to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. The average age of an ADHD diagnosis is seven (7) years of age.

The prevalence of an ADHD diagnosis varies state by state.

As of 2011, the state of Kentucky ranked 1st in the number of children diagnosed with this disorder (14.8%) and 2nd in the number of children currently medicated (10%).  The state of Nevada takes top honors with the lowest number of children diagnosed (4.2%) and the lowest number of children medicated (2%). 

Warning labels that now must be included with all prescriptions for these medications provide a long list of dangerous and sometimes fatal side-effects.  Between the years of 1990-2000 over 569 children were hospitalized.  Of those, 38 were life threatening hospitalizations and 186 children died.

The labels also warn that long term use can slow a child's growth, and as these drugs may impair vision or reactions, the warning alerts takers to be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.  Doesn't achieving success in school require a child to be awake and alert?  Maybe we should add a new class to the roster - ZOMBIE 101. 

If you are looking for natural options to the drugging of America’s youth, holistic or alternative medicine may be a good choice.  These therapies involve understanding the origin, treatment and prevention of further ailments.  They focus on patient-centered care integrated with the newest scientific findings that combine internal and external factors that affect the ability of the body to function in a balanced manner.  The time has come to change healthcare to focus on prevention, including educating the general public on nutrition, diet and exercise.

A Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioner will put together the results of all the testing and provide you with a protocol that will address:

·         Lifestyle suggestions – which will include exercise, relaxation and/or school environments

·         Dietary suggestions – which may include the types of foods to avoid due to food sensitivity or behavioral reaction

·         Herbal and/or Supplementary suggestions – specifically designed to address vitamin/ mineral deficiencies or to support the specific issues brought up during the initial appointment

·         Dosage protocol – how much and how often should your child take the herbal formulas or dietary supplements

·         Comments – what you are doing right – Kids aren’t the only ones that need to be told they are doing a good job!

·         Products recommended – if commercial products will meet the needs of the client, or if the practitioner is unable to fill the recommended formula, potential suppliers where you can buy the product or get the formula filled.

The practitioner will probably request a follow up in about thirty (30) days and will ask for your input and that of your child’s teacher regarding any changes in behavior. At this point, the practitioner may change the formula or make other suggestions – or – if positive changes are being seen in the child’s behavior, a refill will be given.

The duration of use for herbal therapies is commonly one month for each year the individual has experienced the symptoms.  The goal for the use of herbal therapies is to return the body to the balance it was originally created with.

Feel free to answer any of the above questions, or pose new ones, in the comments section below or email me, at mary@marymernsberger.com, for a more personal response.  Check out my website at http://www.marymernsberger.com.   I look forward to continuing this conversation.