Alternative treatments for attention disorder help

March 31, 2005

From - http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/2005103300004

Alternative treatments for attention disorder help family

Click to EnlargeCourtesy Photo Bailey Stevenson holds supplements, fruits, and vegetables she consumes to help reduce the effects of her attention disorder.

Merry Thomasbonanza staff writer, mMarch 30, 2005 Print EmailFor Incline Village resident Luke Stevenson and his daughter, Bailey, a program to help treat people with attention and hyperactivity disorders has been well worth the 12-week investment.Stevenson's daughter, a fourth-grader, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when she was 6 years old, and Stevenson said the condition was affecting his and his daughter's lives. Because Bailey's symptoms included aggressive behavior, she had trouble making friends, her father said. "That was heartbreaking," he said. Before going through the program, Bailey would come home from school and say, "Everybody hates me," Stevenson said.After participating in the Results Project - which strives to raise awareness about ADD and ADHD and help people put a positive light on the conditions - Stevenson said his daughter is much more well adjusted."She has friends and a social life," Stevenson said. Steve Plog, spokesperson for the Results Project, addressed Incline teachers, parents and youngsters in November last year. He encouraged them to put a positive light on ADD and ADHD. The project, a nonprofit, grassroots program, was founded by Plog. The Results Project offers individualized consultation and a prescribed program to track behaviors for those diagnosed with attention and hyperactivity disorders. It also offers lab tests to rule out behaviors caused by food allergies and chemical imbalances caused by metals like aluminum and mercury. Rather than label those who have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a negative way, Plog encourages people to refer those diagnosed with ADHD as quick, smart thinkers. Studies have determined that people diagnosed with ADHD have exceptional intelligence and absorb information more readily if it's given quickly. They also can process multiple strands of information at the same time. Stevenson had been giving his daughter Dexedrine - a stimulant drug designed to help those diagnosed with ADHD - for two and a half years."We had some success, but long-range use was ominous," he said. "I was looking for a healthy alternative. I wanted to address the cause, not just the symptoms."Stevenson said some youngsters may need drugs to help their behavior, but if they do not need to take a drug, they shouldn't because there are other methods of treatment. He said the parents in the five families that participated learned about certain foods that can be triggers for their children's difficult behavior. But foods weren't the only culprits.When youngsters do not drink enough water, or don't drink it often enough, it can influence behavior, Stevenson learned in the program.Stevenson said the program helped Bailey pay better attention in the classroom and has helped her self esteem.She is a bright girl and reads far beyond her fourth-grade reading level, but concentrating on the task at hand was difficult for her, he said."Now, she focuses much, much better," Stevenson said. In the past, Bailey would become so frustrated that she would end up screaming and that would lead to tears.It used to be that Stevenson would have to keep constant vigil over his daughter's homework assignments. "If I wasn't there every 30 seconds, she would start doing something else," he said. "Now we don't do that." On the last day of class, the students were asked to describe their goals. "Bailey said she would like to be a veterinarian, and she knows what she has to do to get there," Stevenson said. Her more immediate goals are to keep herself healthy, to maintain her healthy habits so she can achieve the steps she needs to attain her dream.Stevenson is certain his daughter's improved concentration, her more relaxed and less aggressive demeanor, and her more positive view of herself will have a ripple effect into other areas of her life."I won't say she's completely cured; but being a parent became a whole lot easier, and her self esteem has improved," Stevenson said.Plog is scheduled for additional presentations in the fall, but parents who would like information in the interim may call Stevenson at (775) 831-0288.

vanokat.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ (\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/) "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it."

Fredric Bastiat, "The Law", 1846