Monday, March 18, 2013

ADHD, ADD? Overdiagnosed, Overmedicated...

What is causing the rise in ADHD, ADD, and all other psychological imbalances in the youth?

It is not news that more and more of children and teens are being diagnosed with the condition called Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The prevalence is rising in a dramatic rate, but what else is rising at the same rate? The answer is Sugar intake.  Is there a correlation?

I have seen patients with this condition ADHD, and ironically, there is almost always a correlation to these children also having a food allergy, or multiple food allergies. But why, what is the connection between hyperactivity and food allergies?

First, it is important to understand that if you have been in contact with an ADHD child, and they had no food allergies, unfortunately, most food allergies go undiagnosed. The medical profession does not seek this connection. Typically, food allergies are diagnosed prior to the diagnosis of ADHD, but at soon as ADHD is found, no course of action is taken for analyzing the digestive tract. So, this leads me to the true root of the problem in any accurately diagnosed hyperactive child.

I say “accurately diagnosed” because there are some alarming incentives for diagnosing these conditions. For example, did you know that school systems get a $400 incentive a year for each student that is diagnosed? Most schools have developed an interactive online learning style. Does this take into account the three different styles of learners? Audio and Kinetic learners do not benefit from this teaching style, only visual. It is impossible to keep a child’s attention if you are not interacting to them in a manner that suits their personality type. But this is not a paper discussing the proper diagnosis of ADHD, this blog set to address the cause of true ADHD, ADD, etc.

I often blog about the importance of the digestive system and its role in health in the body. To say the digestive system has just a role in health is almost misleading, it is the most important function in the body. Proper digestion allows the body to uptake every vital nutrient that gives the body its life force. I get it, you are wondering what food allergies and ADHD have to do with the health of the digestive system, and also, how does sugar affect any of it?

Let’s start from the beginning.  Can you tell me what foods these labels belong to?

This is the ingredient list of the major producers of infant formula. Can you see a common MAIN ingredient? Corn Syrup, Sugar. In America, it has become evident that breast feeding is a thing of the past. And yes, I understand that I am a male, I do not have any understanding of the woes of this form of feeding. But, it is important to address that breast feeding is the primitive and natural form of feeding for an infant. The milk from a mother is the primary source of building the immune system of a baby. It is also chocked full of vital nutrients in a raw, bio-available form that are needed to properly develop the digestive tract of an infant. But not to soap box about nursing, I am just trying to put into perspective the importance of building a beneficial digestive system in infants.

So, as you can see, the primary source of calories in the infant formula is derived from sugar substances. What sugar does to the digestive system is unparalleled in a negative way. Sugar is linked to decreasing the acid levels in the stomach and decreases the stomach’s ability to properly denature and break down the food that is consumed. Have you noticed that the amount of cases of chronic spit ups, or acid reflux in infants?

When the food enters the stomach and the pH is in an alkaline state, the food doesn’t get properly digested, and the small intestine does not like foods that are undigested. There are only two ways for food to leave the stomach, down the tract into the small intestine, or up through the esophagus. So, to be redundant, when we eat foods that are loaded with sugar, they cannot be properly digested due to low acid levels, and then the food either enters the small intestine undigested, or it is spit back up like in acid reflux. Unfortunately, the common medical model treatment plan for acid reflux is prescription Zantac, or other antacid medications. These medications just further lower the acid levels in the stomach, furthering the digestive problems. Back to the point, we are going to discuss what happens when food enters the small intestine undigested.

Here is a brief explanation of food allergies

Some foods (milk, gluten, eggs, etc.) that require a very acidic stomach to digest also require specific digestive enzymes to further their proper denaturing and assimilation into the blood stream. If these two factors are not in place, or the digestive health of a person is not adequate those foods can be assimilated, or taken into the blood stream undigested. When an undigested food enters the blood stream, the body sees this as a foreign object, and the natural process is for the blood system to build antibodies against these particles, and this is the start of food allergies.

Ok, back to the point

Sugar is one of the primary causes of food allergies due to its ability to lower the stomach’s acid levels, but it also has one other problem. It changes the normal flora in the large intestine. Normal flora is the bacteria that must be in the large intestine to finish the digestion of foods, and also programs the body’s immune system. There are many forms of “bad” opportunistic bacteria that can combat the good bacteria and the main source of fuel or food for these “bad” bacteria is sugar. When these “bad” bacteria start to win the battle with the normal flora, and become more prevalent in the large intestine, they can program your cravings. Any organism is trained to crave the fuel that makes them stronger, and the “bad” bacteria are trained to create a craving for sugar. Again, to recap. Sugar is the cause of proliferation of “bad” bacteria in the large intestine, and the “bad” bacteria also create a craving for sugar.

In Short, We start each child off with an infant formula that the main ingredient is sugar, starting this cascade of events.

Back to ADHD, ADD, and other psychological imbalances

Have you ever seen a child on Mountain Dew or red bull?

Sugar is the cause of hyperactivity, sugar is the cause of lack of attention, and sugar is the cause of most digestive tract conditions. But soft drinks are not the only place to find high levels of sugar. Look at the main ingredient in most of the processed foods you are eating, ketchup, salad dressing, and even bread/pasta.

The plan.

Restoring the most important function of the human body is the primary plan. This starts with utilizing enzymes that will restore the acid levels in the stomach, boosting the normal flora levels in the large intestine, and minimizing sugar intake.

The New-Start Solution is a specific diet that is designed to do just that.

You can follow down two pathways, the medical model for ADHD with consists of nervous system inhibiting medications that have no future of treating the cause of the hyperactivity, or you can start with the restoration of the body’s ability to digest the natural substances that relaxes the nervous system, allowing the body to rest.

If you are willing to put the effort into your own health, Contact New-Start today, and let Dr. Moz start you on the path to Improve Your Health, and Change Your Life.


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