Stimulants

If I told you that ADD/ADHD was a risk factor for childhood or teenage death, you would likely laugh at me. We all love analogies, parodies, and ways of softening the blow to make light of the truth. Unfortunately, this isn’t a joke, its real life.

On June 15, 2009, the CBS Morning Show Medical Correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton stated a study “found the rate of stimulant use in children and adolescents who died suddenly from cardiac dysrhythmia was 1.8 percent, compared to 0.4 percent of youths who died as passengers in motor vehicle accidents.” Simply stated, more children and teens die due to stimulants than motor vehicle accidents.

Dr. Ashton went on to state that “all the drugs commonly prescribed to children with ADHD are amphetamines.” The two most commonly prescribed ADD/ADHD drugs are Ritalin and Aderol. Amphetamines are stimulants and for those of us who survived the seventies, amphetamines were commonly referred to as “uppers.” This parallels statements made by Glastonbury Chief of Police, Thomas Sweeny who, in April of 2009 stated that one of the most common street drug is ADD medication. In fact, Chief Sweeny continued by saying teens are having “pharm parties” where they raid their parent’s medicine cabinets and place the pills in a bowl and start randomly popping pills to get high.

With all of the teenage driving laws meant to limit teen driving and keep teens safer by preventing deaths due to motor vehicle accidents, where are the laws to regulate prescription stimulant / amphetamine use? Other stimulants (like cocaine for example) are known to cause lapses in judgment while operating a motor vehicle. It makes me wonder how many of the automobile accidents are due to the effects of (ADD/ADHD) stimulants (like Ritalin or Aderol)?

Dr. Ashton completed her segment by stating that “chiropractic care and dietary changes can be used as a replacement or compliment to their current treatment” and cautioned you to “explore your options and weigh the risks versus the benefits.”

Medicine studies what makes people die, chiropractic studies what makes people live. Chiropractors adjust the vertebrae to release the inborn, innate intelligence of the human being. We move bones and let God do the healing in you (or your kids). If your child’s inner being runs their heart, lungs, digestion, movement, sleep, etc…don’t you think it can heal them of ADD/ADHD?

Between 622/09 – 6/26/09, during office hours, all kids 16 and under will receive one (1) complimentary adjustment and when accompanied by their parent, their parent will receive a complimentary 10 minute massage. Let’s keep our kids off of drugs, their lives depend on it.