At the UnRitalin Solution, we ask the parents about the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy and birth of their child. It may seem unrelated at first, but the answers often yield helpful clues about their child’s ADHD causes and how best to treat their condition. Functional medicine refers to these birth and pregnancy complications as antecedents, factors that increase the risk of ADHD and other disorders. Certain triggers can set these antecedents off and cause full-blown ADHD symptoms to emerge.

One thing I’ve observed among my young ADHD patients is that many of them were born prematurely, came from complicated pregnancies, and/or had low birth weight. These antecedents interfere with the development of the nervous system, especially if the child suffers from complications. Using government health records, a study by Swedish researchers at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institutet found an association between premature birth and ADHD. The more premature the deliver is, the higher the risk for ADHD.

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Is there a smoker in the family? Here’s one more reason to kick the habit.  Researchers from the United States examined nearly 3,000 children, and discovered that those with highest concentrations of cigarette chemicals in their blood were more likely to have mental health issues and behavioral problems. The presence of ADHD symptoms was particularly strong in these kids.

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In the 1960s, Dr. Benjamin Feingold uncovered a relationship between ADHD and artificial food additives. He observed that upon ingesting foods with these additives, the children’s bodies reacted adversely and became hyperactive and aggressive. Some estimates suggest that the consumption of artificial additives doubled since the 1990s, which can explain the increase behind ADHD cases in recent years.

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In this first episode of the “Greatest Minds on ADHD” Interview Series, I interviewed Dr. Robert Melillo, a chiropractic neurologist and founder of the Brain Balance Centers.

Dr. Melillo is the author of “Disconnected Kids” and of “Reconnected Kids” which will be released on April 5th 2011. Dr. Melillo has more than 2 decades of experience working with children with ADHD, dyslexia and autism.

In this interview we discussed:

• The true causes of the growing epidemics of neurobehavioral disorders
• Genetics and epigenetics
• Common environmental factors that participate
• Practical tips to help children
• What is truly going on in the brain of these children
• How and why chiropractors are the best positioned health care professionals to take take of these children.

Enjoy

Download the Interview:

Greatest Minds on ADHD – Dr. Robert Melillo

Resources:

Brain Balance Centers:

http://www.brainbalancecenters.com/

Dr. Melillo’s Books

Click on the image to get the book on amazon

Dr. Yannick Pauli

Strattera (atomexetine), a drug initially designed to treat depression, is now a popular medication for ADHD and thought to be a safer alternative to Ritalin. Unlike Ritalin, it’s not a stimulant, which means there’s little potential for abuse. It was also thought to be safe and effective for young children, although this has not been studied until recently. A new study published in the journal Pediatrics on March 21 reviewed the use of Strattera on 5- and 6-year olds with ADHD and found mixed results.

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