Is Sunshine Good Medicine for ADHD?

Posted by on April 1st, 2013 | No Comments

New research suggest a surprising connection
Reported By: More Sunshine Tied to Fewer Cases of ADHD – Psych Central News
psychcentral.com

A study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry reveals that sunnier parts of the world have fewer children with ADHD. Sunshine was measured as ‘solar intensity.’

This study echoes previous research that found that outdoor activities, especially those in a green outdoor setting, mitigate ADHD symptoms.

While a significant link was found, the researchers noted that other unknown factors could contribute to lower cases of ADHD in sunny spots. They cited that some sunny states (Florida for example) don’t have low rates of ADHD.

Read the entire article here: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/31/more-sunshine-tied-to-fewer-cases-of-adhd/53226.html

» More Sunshine Tied to Fewer Cases of ADHD – Psych Central News
psychcentral.com
Fewer children have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) where sunshine is plentiful, according to new research published in the journal Biological
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The Top Vitamins, Supplements, and Foods for Your ADHD Child

Posted by on March 19th, 2013 | No Comments

http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/11/9970.html

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Join us for the expert webinar hosted by Sandy Newmark, M.D., on Monday, March 18, 2013 at 1 PM EST. ADHD symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment information for adults.

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Are They Just Being Kids or Is It A Disorder?

Posted by on March 4th, 2013 | No Comments

Published: in the February 23rd edition of the Wall Street Journal
Parents wonder if they jump to the wrong conclusion

A balanced article in the February 23rd edition of the Wall Street Journal ponders this question. Because the medical and psychiatric communities have so many different disorder labels, it’s very difficult to know whether your child is just developing normally or is suffering from some disorder or another.

A good example from the article:

“One of the doctors in his practice recently saw a child who had been licking his shirt in preschool. The teacher had told the parents that the child should be evaluated by an occupational therapist for a suspected sensory problem. The pediatrician ultimately convinced the parents that the child was developing normally, Dr. Cohen says.”

Parents often don’t want their child to be labeled as this stigma may be long lasting. However, if a correct diagnosis is made, it can be life changing as well.

Read the full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324338604578326112816120302.html?mod=WSJ_article_comments#articleTabs%3Darticle

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ADHD and Increased Risk for Substance Abuse

Posted by on March 1st, 2013 | No Comments

Fact or fiction?

Research published in the December Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry reports that children with ADHD may be at significant risk for later substance abuse. This reflects previous research.

More than 600 children were followed over eight years. Those children diagnosed with ADHD at baseline average of 8.5 years), had significantly higher rates of substance regardless of their sex 6 to 8 years later compared with their age-matched peers who did not have ADHD.

“Medication for ADHD did not protect from, or contribute to, visible risk of substance use or SUD by adolescence,” write the investigators.

“We Need to Do Better…However, similar to managing high blood pressure or obesity, there are non-medical things we can do to decrease the risk of a bad outcome,” said Dr. Molina, one of the study’s authors.

“As researchers and practitioners, we need to do a better job of helping parents and schools address these risk factors that are so common for children with ADHD.

Read the full article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/779755

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ADHD and Smoking Later in Life

Posted by on February 26th, 2013 | No Comments

ADHD and Smoking Later in Life
Is there a connection?
Article published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.
New research published online in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood (Oct. 29) says that childhood ADHD may increase the likelihood of smoking later in life.

The researchers examined blood samples from 450 ADHD children aged 6 to 12 years, their siblings, and parents. The samples were tested for genetic variations strongly associated with smoking attributes. These included:

1. The number of cigarettes smoked every day.
2. Starting smoking.
3. Quitting smoking.
4. Times of smoking.

The researchers also asked the mothers about their smoking habits during pregnancy. The data indicated that ADHD people are more likely to start smoking early and to smoke twice as much as those without ADHD.

This research is similar to research indicating a relationship between ADHD and drug use in later life.

Although the study found an association between the genetic variant and ADHD and smoking behaviors, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship so further research is necessary.

However, even without a cause-effect relationship, the data need to be heeded. Start early prevention.

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What You Should Know About Vitamin D

Posted by on February 22nd, 2013 | No Comments

The study was published the September 1, 2012 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Is it related to good health?

Vitamin D is often called “the sunshine vitamin” because the body can synthesize it from cholesterol when sun exposure is adequate. Children don’t spend much time outdoors any longer. They have little or no recess. From school they go to dance class, karate, or home to sit in front of the TV or computer. Can we postulate that less time outdoors may contribute to lesser vitamin D levels?

Canadian researchers report a greater prevalence of deficient vitamin D levels in children hospitalized with critical illnesses. The study was published the September 1, 2012 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

J. Dayre McNally, MD, and colleagues examined vitamin D levels in 326 critically ill children between the ages of six months and thirteen years who were admitted to the intensive care units of six Canadian hospitals. Sixty-nine percent of the group had deficient vitamin D levels. McNally is a clinical researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa.

Vitamin D deficiency was associated with longer intensive care unit (ICU) stays and increased Pediatric Risk of Mortality scores, which are used to evaluate illness severity. While five deaths occurred among the deficient group during their ICU admissions, no deaths occurred in those who were not deficient in vitamin D.

“This study provides evidence that vitamin D deficiency is both common among critically ill children and associated with greater severity of critical illness.” Further research will determine whether targeted vitamin D supplementation or rapid restoration will improve outcome.”

The Canadian study examined children with critical illnesses. It may or may not be appropriate to extrapolate it to children with non-critical illnesses. However, it is safe to say that activity outside will create vitamin D levels that can keep us healthy.

J. Dayre McNally, MD, is a clinical researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa.

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Music and the ADHD Brain

Posted by on February 21st, 2013 | No Comments

Study conducted by Florida International University Center for Children and Families, Director William E. Pehlham, Jr.
Is it helpful or just another distraction?

A new study has revealed that music may have similar effects as medication for children with ADHD. The study was conducted by Florida International University Center for Children and Families Director William E. Pelham Jr.

Pelham’s initial intent was to examine how distractions such as music and television affect children with ADHD.

“If a kid says he can watch TV and focus, it’s just not true. With television, we found out what we needed to know,” said Pelham.

“But with music we actually discovered, in most cases, it didn’t really affect the children.”

During the study, Pelham found that while a few children were distracted by music, most of them were not.

“And in some cases,” Pelham noted, “we found listening to music helped the kids with ADHD to complete their work. Actually for this subgroup, the effect of music on them was nearly as effective as medication.”

Pelham collected data on both medicated and non-medicated male students with ADHD.

“Rather than just assuming it’s better for a child with ADHD to do their homework in complete silence, it may help their concentration to let them listen to music. If parents want to know if listening to music will help their child’s performance in school, they should try it. Basically, it’s trial and error. If a child’s performance improves after trying the music for a period of time, then that’s a pretty good indicator that the child falls into the subgroup of children that benefit from music.”

Florida International University Center for Children and Families
Director William E. Pelham Jr.

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Exercise and ADHD

Posted by on February 20th, 2013 | No Comments

Reported study published in the Journal of Pediatrics
Knowing this may help you maintain all of your holiday sanity!

A small study published in the Journal of Pediatrics finds that a few minutes of exercise a day can help children with ADHD focus better and could reduce the need for medication.

The study included 40 children aged eight to ten years (20 with ADHD and 20 children without). The researchers wanted to know if 20 minutes of energetic walking on a treadmill might make a significant difference to an ADHD child’s ability to pay attention.

Once the treadmill work was completed, the children then undertook a short math test and reading comprehension test. They also participated in a computer assessment of their ability to ignore distractions.

All of the children performed better on both tests after exercising.

In a university news release, assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University and lead author of the study, Matthew Pontifex said, “This provides some very early evidence that exercise might be a tool in our non-pharmaceutical treatment of ADHD.”

“Maybe our first course of action that we would recommend to developmental psychologists would be to increase children’s physical activity.”

So, during the upcoming holidays, don’t let them sit in front of a TV, computer, or video console too long. Tell them to get outside and play! It will help them focus and help keep you happy!

Resources: Journal of Pediatrics
Matthew Pontifex, assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University and lead author of the study.

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Can I Talk to My Baby and Prevent ADHD?

Posted by on February 19th, 2013 | No Comments

Reported in healthychildren.org
The answer may surprise you.

A Scottish study being being published in the journal Research In Developmental Disabilities, analyzed hundreds of videos of mothers interacting with their year-old babies. The researchers found that less vocal communication (talking, singing, cooing, making sounds, etc.) by the parent was associated with an increase in the likelihood the child would develop conditions such as ADHD.

Most parents experience a little guilt when using the TV or computer as an electronic babysitter, and this guilt may be warranted.

The researcher’s data were quite profound: For every reduction of five vocalizations per minute by the mother, the odds of an infant going on to develop mental health issues such as ADHD by the age of seven increased by 44%.

Study co-author Philip Wilson, professor of primary care and rural health at the University of Aberdeen, said “We have got the possibility that active parenting and active communication by the parents may have a protective effect against the development of problems with attention and conduct.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no TV or electronic stimulation before the age of 2. After that age, one half hour or less is recommended.

For a full article on brain development and TV watching, see http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Why-to-Avoid-TV-Before-Age-2.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3A+No+local+token

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More fun with Neuroplasticity

Posted by on February 13th, 2013 | No Comments

More fun with neuroplasticity. Answer this question: What were you doing last Wednesday night at 6:30PM?

Did you notice your eyes look up – probably to the right? They are looking at the side of the brain where that information is stored and being retrieved. Pretty cool!

We already know the brain rebuilds itself about every other month. It also reorganizes itself on a daily basis in direct relation to our daily experiences. So, it’s definitely not the old lump of gray matter we once considered it. It will physically rewire itself if it’s required.

Good examples of this, believe it or not, are British taxi drivers. Since London is so old and there’s little rhyme or reason to the streets, taxi drivers there have to apprentice for 3 years with another experienced cab driver. During that time, their brains develop GPS-like capability. They can not only tell you the shortest routes, but the landmarks and history of the drive as well.

Their brains rewire. The hippocampus, the part of the brain dedicated to memory, emotion, and long-term learning, was examined with an fMRI scan. Veteran taxi drivers’ hippocampi were nearly twice as large as their colleagues with less experience. Their ‘hard drives’ that store information got bigger because they needed to store more information! That’s exactly what neuroplasticity is: the ability of the human brain to change, to literally rewire itself, when the need arises.

So can we change our functioning with brain training? The answer is obviously yes.
Some wisdom about the human mind –

“All of human unhappiness comes from one single thing, which is not knowing how to remain quietly in one room.“

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