How does a chiropractor deal with and treat someone “diagnosed” with ADD/ADHD?  The answer…?  Easily.  Treat the spine, nervous system and nutritional needs of the body and it can heal itself.  The brain has both physical and nutritional needs that need to be met, and contrary to the medical approach these kids WERE NOT born with a “deficiency” of Ritalin or Adderall. Chiropractic care in children can improve worsening effects of attention disorders.

In my opinion, the answer is multi-fold. First, kids (and adults) in our society are undernourished, over-medicated and are constantly exposed to additional toxins. When I say,”over-medicated”, I mean that this society is too quick to just put kids on strong, mind-altering medications where other societies don’t. A study in Physchology Today cited that kids in America are 1800% MORE likely to be on ADD/ADHD medication when compared to kids in France…and France has a lower incidence overall. The study also cites ‘structure’ as an important building block, implementing early mental disciplines and carrying them out throughout their development, and not giving up too eary. Also, consider these facts refarding ADD/ADHD:

1. They’re given 6 TIMES the amount of vaccinations than kids were 30 years ago, and kids in other developed countries are not prescribed these medications with the same frequency as American kids,
2. The food we have has more unpronounceable chemicals in it than one can count,
3. They’re developing asthma and allergies at alarming rates,
4. They’re put on inhalers for any and every breathing ailment,
5. They’re prescribed antibiotics for things like sinus infections and viral infections – which have been proven to be useless,
6. Girls aged 9-27 and their parents are being targeted and pressured into thinking they could have 3  shots with the improperly-tested  Gardasil to prevent HPV (Gardasil and Cervarix have an extremely HIGH percentage of vaccine related injury), and
7. They’re threatened with missing 3 weeks of school if they don’t get the chicken pox, MMR or swine flu vaccination (which is now MIXED in with the regular influenza vaccine). Add to this conundrum the child’s time is getting overscheduled with play-dates and other events after school, and the picture starts to paint itself.

First and foremost, there are many causative factors for the ADD/ADHD individual. Looking back over the last 15 years this particular diagnosis has been thrown around and attached to any kid who didn’t listen, talked back or couldn’t concentrate. Back in the 70’s and 80’s they were just called “hyper” kids and the solution was to let them go run around and burn off that energy…which worked.  In the mid-90’s, this particular phenomenon of being placed on an “anti-hyperactive” pill became popular, yet it is important to compare and contrast what else was going on at the time: HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), growth hormones and pesticides were all introduced to the food chains; School physical education programs were being reduced or eliminated, video gaming started to BOOM, the internet was in its inspirational infancy, and fear of child abductions became apparent with the attention and popularity made by Americas Most Wanted as well as the abduction of Amber Hagerman (for which the AMBER alert became law). This caused parents to be understandably cautious about their kids’ whereabouts, which further restrained their ability to burn off that energy.  These factors, combined with increased TV exposure and less parental interaction really fueled the fire. Schools didn’t help…scholastic grades slipped, and instead of looking to raise the standard, school districts implemeneted “social promotion” – and some reverted to using an “E” grade (56 – 64), which allowed the child NOT to fail with an “F”, furthering the social promotion and allowing for complacency to be more accepted. This grading change was abandoned in the early 2000’s.

What I just described has a common thread in many ADD/ADHD cases, especially the diet being linked to ADHD. So what’s the solution?  The individual’s entire behavior needs to be overhauled…obviously hijacking behavior and diet is a must as well as implementing some kind of regular exercise. It’s extremely important that the parents be on the same page with this or it won’t work. It’s tedious, frustrating and time-consuming, but worth it. Balancing the body and nervous system from the inside-out is also important. Chiropractic adjustments stabilize the nervous system and eliminate subluxations and other nerve interference, and it works wonderfully when combined with exercising/running and playing. While Adderall and Ritalin look to “shock the system” by over-stimulating it, chiropractic care looks to free the spine and nervous system from subluxations and fixations and allow it to function normally on it’s own.

Given this list of changes that have been shown to reverse the effects of ADD/ADHD, chiropractors are the most appropriate physicians capable for addressing and implementing all these life-altering changes. They are unique and unsurpassed at treating the spine and removing subluxations, as well as being versed in outlining exercise and nutritional programs.  What’s needed in all situations is cooperation at home – this involves limiting TV and gaming time, as well as encouraging that the exercise schedule and dietary changes are adhered to.  The way to treat this is by addressing and reversing what CAUSED it NATURALLY. Do not add to the chemical imbalances with medications that a young, developing mind can no longer afford to be exposed to.