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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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Fish Oil Treats ADHD Better Than Ritalin
By Randi Fredricks
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Fish oil improves the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without any of the side effects
of drugs like Ritalin and Concerta, and were more effective, a study by the University of Adelaide in Australia found.
The Daily Mail reported the findings of the study on June 20, 2006 and ABC News reported the results online on June 21,
2006. This study provides the research evidence supporting the use of the omega-3 fats found in fish oils to effectively
address the underlying deficiency that is present in most of these children and appears to be contributing to the ADHD.
According to the study, when 130 children between the ages of 7 and 12 with ADHD were given fish oil capsules daily, behavior dramatically
improved within three months. In addition, the study revealed the following:
- After seven months, the children were less restless and showed improvements at school
- Improvements in concentration and attention improved by one-third
- After 15 weeks, 30 to 40 percent of the children taking fish oil had improvements
- After 30 weeks, 40 to 50 percent improved
- Children who had been taking the placebo capsules were later switched to fish oil and subsequently also experienced
improved behavior
Improvements were still being seen after the study ended, which indicates the fish oils may have long-term effects.
When the researchers compared their results to studies of Ritalin and Concerta for ADHD, they found that fish oils
were more effective.
ADHD drugs are known to carry serious side effects, including insomnia, changes in personality, cardiotoxicity, heart
attack, stroke and even sudden death. In the UK, nine children have died after taking the drugs.
This may causes you to ask yourseld, "Why treat millions of ADHD kids with drugs more powerful than cocaine when a simple
food change is far more effective?" Many believe the answer is - money. It's estimated that between 5 and 10 percent
of U.S. school children have been diagnosed with ADHD. This doesn't take into consideration a large percentage of the adult population. Many recovering
alcoholics and substance abusers have ADHD and have been self-medicating for years. If the drug companies had their way,
every one of these children and adults would be on their drugs so they could realize billions more in profits.
If Ritalin were a safe drug, it's widespread use could possibly be justified, but Ritalin is more potent than other
stimulants, including cocaine. By using brain imaging, scientists discovered that Ritalin in pill form occupies more of
the neural transporters responsible for the high experienced by addicts than smoked or injected cocaine.
Fortunately, there is a practical solution. Many adults and children see dramatic results by instituting the dietary
changes below:
- Eliminate grains and all type of processed sugars (i.e. cane sugar, brown sugar, fructose, corn syrup) from your
diet
- Replace soft drinks, fruit juices and pasteurized milk with clean filtered or bottled water
- Increase your omega-3 fats by taking an effective form of omega-3 oil like krill oil
- Minimize the use of nearly all vegetable oils because they are loaded with omega-6 fats, which distort the
powerful omega-6:3 ratio
Diet can make all the difference. In some children on the autistic spectrum, it can mean a return to normalcy.
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