Broken System

Sit down, folks, ‘cause you’re not gonna believe this one.

We had a meeting yesterday for Aaron at his middle school – a regular meeting that we have twice a year with the instructional specialist and the Language Arts teacher for the purpose of evaluating Aaron as a student in the gifted program.  Most of you know Aaron – quiet, shy, controlled, witty, and book-smart to boot.  These meetings are always great for sharing with us all the ways in which they plan to challenge our son during the semester.

I perched myself on a metal stool for the meeting while Aaron, Dom, the teacher and the specialist seated themselves around the table with me.

And then I nearly fell off my stool when they suggested Aaron might have ADHD.

Yes, Aaron.

You heard me.

You might be, like me, wondering why in the world they would think this.  According to the teacher, he fidgets and daydreams.  Oh, and he was really disorganized at the beginning of the year, but has shown improvement in that area already.

Did I mention that he is in 6^th Grade?

My blood as well as Dom’s was boiling, so I did what my nature typically suggests:  I stiffened my jaw, plastered a huge of-course-I-give-a-crap-what-you’re-saying smile on my face, and leaned in to the conversation.

Keep in mind, now, they are not saying that he has ADHD.  Just that it’s something I need to pay attention to. As educational professionals they are not qualified to diagnose.

Yeah.

Now, if you are a teacher and you know me, my husband and my children, and you are reading this thinking, “You know, I can sort of see that…” then let me ask you this:  How many children do you “see” ADHD in on a daily basis?  Be honest, now.  50%?  75%?

My guess it’s closer to 90%.  I say this based on what I have heard other mothers say about ADHD and school issues, the sheer numbers of children that have been “diagnosed” with it, and now the fact that the local school system thinks 100% of my children have it.

I do NOT think I am a perfect mother with perfect children…don’t mistake my anger at the school system for denial of my children’s issues.  I wrestled that demon a year and a half ago.  And I kicked his ass.

When all this originally came up with Victoria in 2010, I had to lend some credence to it.  There were, after all, undeniable issues even if they as yet had no name.  She struggled with self-control, talking to her friends, and the random way-laying of anyone who validly pissed her off.  (She’s not one to take any crap.)  While I did not subscribe to the whole idea of ADHD at the time, I knew something had to give; there was indeed a problem that needed a solution.  So I processed the information accordingly, tried to keep an open mind about what this label meant for my child, and made decisions with her best interest at heart.

But yesterday…yesterday we were talking about a child who does not have those issues.  A child who has always been a self-starting, eager learner.  A child who is quiet, unassuming and self-controlled.

People!  What the hell?!!!!!!!

This solidifies my belief that our school system thinks every child needs a label.  Every action, every facial expression, every roll of the eye surely must indicate that there is an underlying cause – a problem to be addressed, perhaps even with medication.   Since this issue had quite obviously NEVER been brought up with regard to Aaron in six years of gifted classes, I asked if ADHD is something that tends to present itself in middle school (believing from my own research that it presents in earlier grades) and I was answered with a resounding, “OHHHH YES!” and the further explanation that the kids are overwhelmed in sixth grade with the changing of classes, lockers, tardy bells, seven-some-odd classes and a thousand additional schoolmates, and that a lot of the ADHD issues really come out then.  I was literally almost speechless.

Sounds to me like these kids are adjusting to a new, more hurried, more crowded environment.  There’s gonna be some stress.  STRESS does not equal ADHD.

I think that generalizing the label to cover every child who swings his feet at his desk or loses an assignment once in a while does an injustice to children (and families) who truly suffer from ADHD. I want statistics on our local school system.  No names, just percentages.  I’m curious to know how many children here “have” ADHD.  Because I think it is an overused label.  Until yesterday, that was only a suspicion.  Now it is a hardcore belief.

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Day 258: Another Mom Sounds Off

Last night I read an article by Sandra Steingraber – an ecologist, mother of two, and author of Raising Elijah (a book I plan to purchase, and the one from which the article was born).  The article, titled “Mind Games: How Toxic Chemicals Are Impairing Our Children’s Ability to Learn” appeared in the March/April 2011 issue of Orion Magazine.  Even though it is a rather lengthy article, it spoke volumes to me, and for the first time I felt connected to another mother on an almost spiritual level with regard to the chemicals bombarding our children.  Seriously.  It made me proud to know someone else out there was fighting the same battle with me and feeling the same feelings.  It made me want to storm Capitol Hill and demand change, like NOW.  It made me cry. 

And because I know too many of you will not read the article yourselves (although I ABSOLUTELY encourage it) I am going to hit some key points for you here, and generously sprinkle them with my own thoughts, as you know is my tendency. 

Sandra and her husband learned nearly a decade ago that the arsenic used in treating lumber for decks and play sets caused elevated risks of cancer in children who were around the treated wood.  Being cautious parents, and Sandra being a survivor of bladder cancer herself, the Steingrabers removed their child from the care facility where a pressure-treated wood play set was in use.    By the end of the second paragraph, I could tell they think like I do.  (I like them already!)  It would take another seven years for the EPA to ban arsenic in pressure treating wood used in residential settings, but they did not see fit to recall the play sets and decks that were already in use. 

See, this is what gets me fired up, and what I least understand about our priorities as a nation.  We think it’s okay to use chemicals in every aspect of our lives (as in the case of remarkably sturdy and virtually rot-resistant pressure treated wood).  But it’s not too long before we start to see glimpses of problems – small health problems with increasingly noticeable trends.  Well, hell’s bells…  We’re using a known poison in our product and seeing people handling the product, using the product in their homes and backyards, and on school playgrounds…and we start to wonder if the health problems might just be related.  So some independent people run tests and show a connection.  But pocket politicians or Corporate America – or whoever is steering this buggy – says, “Well, now wait a minute, fellas.  There is nothing conclusive about them-there tests.  We can’t stop using this revolutionary product just because a few people got sick.”  (By the way, in my mind Corporate America is personified as a tall, cigar-smoking, Southern CEO who speaks in a Jock Ewing vernacular and uses phrases like “Girl Friday” and “womenfolk” with an air of disdain. But that’s just me…)

Arsenic is a carcinogen and neurotoxicant that impairs “the growth of the brain in ways that interfere with learning.”  The article also cites that,

Current laws do not require the systematic screening of chemicals for their ability to cause brain damage or alter the pathways of brain growth, and only about 20 percent of the three thousand chemicals produced in high volume in the United States have been tested for developmental toxicity of any kind.”

Only 20% of 3,000?  That’s 600 chemicals that have been tested to see if they have the ability to impair the development (and subsequent learning ability) of our children.  That means 2,400 high-volume chemicals have not even been tested.  But we are using them.  We are touching them.  We are even eating them.  These untested chemicals are controlling cellular function in our bodies and we just sit around and wonder why we have more illnesses than our grandparents had.  We shake our heads at the increasing number of cancer diagnoses.  We marvel at the statistics of children with autism and ADHD.  But we barely test our chemicals.  Instead, we use any and everything until enough bad stuff happens that we finally test, and while we’re waiting on all the tests and trials and reports to be run, we still inundate our society with the chemical in question. Then one day, there is undeniable proof that the chemical actually causes some of the issues we are dealing with.  Oh, no.  What now???? Oh, well….we’ll just ban it from future use, or worse, keep it in production but limit what it can be used for.  Forget what has already been created with it.  Our bad, right?  Let’s just move forward and hope no one notices. 

Good grief, we operate like a hit-and-run accident.  Sandra’s article further points out,

Forty years before it was removed from paint, pediatricians had enough evidence of lead’s ability to maim children’s brains — catastrophically and irreversibly— to warrant discussion in a medical textbook.”

So what’s the cost?  I mean, you know…besides the miscarriages and the cancers and the learning struggles and the tears???  Keep reading.

As Sandra continues the article, she states that,

Child neurodevelopmental disorders…leave economic tracks behind. At $77.3 billion per school year, special educational services, according to the most recent accounting, consume 22 percent of U.S. school spending…ADHD now affects nearly one in every ten children between the ages of four and seventeen. An estimated 5.4 million children are believed to suffer from ADHD…Of these, 2.7 million—nearly 5 percent of all U.S. children—are on medication to control it.” (All italics mine). 

Not only does my radar go haywire when I hear statistics on ADHD, but I have long been interested in the autism spectrum disorders because of my nephew, Zachary.  Just as Zach struggles to relate to us, we struggle to understand how he views the world.  My problems are miniscule compared to the long road my brother- and sister-in-law have travelled.  We know stats on ADHD and autism as well as other learning disorders have increased in recent years.  Today, one in every 110 eight-year olds (Vic’s class) is diagnosed with autism.  If you narrow the selection to just boys, you’re looking at one in every 70.

And yet we allow chemicals in our businesses, homes, schools and foods without even understanding their impact on our health.  This article has made me realize this is about more than just the choices we make as individuals. This is bigger than my desire for organic tomatoes and spinach.  This inflates my desire to encompass our earth in change for the better.  And I feel as long as there is money to be made from the dangers we do not know, we will forever struggle.  We will continue to have learning disabilities and illness.  And we will not see why. 

Sandra goes on to address pesticides and their undeniable impact on our children.  And she makes an excellent point:  that when you use a substance that is intended to fry the neurological system of a typical farm or garden pest, you have to be prepared for the neurological systems of the people who eat foods sprayed with the substance to be fried as well, even if on a smaller scale.  But really, is it enough to just know the dangers are out there?  I completely identified with her as I read,

This sort of public health approach — surround kids with brain poisons and enlist mothers and fathers to serve as security detail—is surely as failure-prone with pesticides as it was with lead paint… Following all the popular advice, I do feed my children organic food…(but) I cannot verify the agricultural origin of every food item served at every birthday party, summer camp, sleepover… I can’t ensure that every backyard soccer field, every patch of lawn…are free of organophosphates… I am a conscientious parent. I am not a HEPA filter.”

If my gratitude for Sandra Steingraber’s article is not profoundly evident, let me now offer my sincerest thanks for her work and information, and the heart that she so generously poured into getting the message across to us.

Day 200: The Blessing of ADHD

Vic and I headed out on Monday to do a little post-Christmas shopping, since we both had gift cards burning holes in our pockets. We pulled through Starbucks’ drive-thru and Vic asked if she could have coffee too. I offered to let her indulge with a short sized latte, explaining that she did not need quite the quantity of caffeine that I was planning to consume.

“Am I the only one in the family with ADHD?” she asked out of the blue.

“Personally, I believe we all have a little bit of it. But you are the only one with a doctor’s diagnosis of it. Does that bother you?”

“Of course it bothers me!!! I hate having ADHD! I wish Aaron had it and not me!”

I explained that I understood how she felt about having ADHD, but that I felt this was a perfect example of how we can turn scary situations into positives. “I believe this ADHD is a blessing.”

“HOW can you SAY that?!! This is NOT a blessing!” She was emphatic.

And so I began my philosophy: “As scary as it was for me to face this, if we had not discovered it, we would have never known about the dangers of chemicals in our foods and beauty products. We would have never made all these changes, and we would still be eating stuff that is bad for us. Our bodies are all different.  We are lucky, in a way, that your body responded differently to these chemicals and started us on the path to understanding the harmful ingredients.  I do believe this is a blessing.  We can take anything and make it positive if we are willing to learn from it.  You are a blessing to me in so many ways.  This is just one of them.”

And that was pretty much the whole conversation.  She still isn’t happy about being “the only one in the family with ADHD,” but she seemed relatively appeased with being one of my greatest blessings.  I pray some day that she is able to understand how to look at the positive side of a situation, and that she will come to know how it is that I can be grateful for a diagnosis. 

200 days, and happily counting…

Day 181: Advice Page Finally Posted

Tags

advice

Okay, that took – what? – a week or more?   I finally posted an advice page on the blog, which sort of sums up what I think the initial steps should be after a diagnosis of ADHD, for parents who do not want to medicate.  I tried to think of everything I would say to someone if they asked me what they should do.  I hope it helps somebody in some way.  I tried not to sound too bossy, because if you know me then you know that’s not my personality.  But I do tend to get passionate about some things, and parenting is one of them.  Just sayin’…

Day 179: Grapes, Enzymes, and a Fantastic New Resource!

Yesterday morning as we rushed around (late, of course, due to all the fun we had the night before!) I offered to help get Victoria on track by making her lunch sandwich for her.  As I spread the jelly on the bread, she confessed that she had brought home a “Bee Informed” note from the science lab teacher the previous day.  Excessive talking.  What else would it be?

I noted mentally that we have seen a small backslide into lapsed behavior over the last couple of weeks.  Minor things, but I imagine there is some impulsivity involved on her part, as I have also noticed that I have to repeat my instructions a little too much in the mornings.  I started wondering what could be causing the new rash of conduct marks…I mean – ASIDE from my child choosing to talk when the teacher says not to!

With the swiping of the jelly knife, realization kicked me square between the eyes.  I remember from my earliest reading on the subject, that the Feingold Diet website informed me that grapes should be avoided.  We LOVE grapes, and I thought this to be a crushing blow.  But Victoria was eager to try new things, so it was not a huge issue.  Lately, though, she has been taking PB&J sandwiches in her lunchbox. (The pizza lunchables were a hit, but a girl’s gotta have some variety, ya know?) So I realized the behavior issues resurfaced around the same time as the PB&J sandwiches did. 

Now, what’s up with grapes? you ask…  Grapes are a member of a food group known as salicylates.

Sally- what? 

Actually, I stand somewhat corrected.  Salicylates are chemical derivatives of salycilic acid, found naturally in some foods (like grapes), but also found in artificial colors (they keep rearing their ugly heads, don’t they?).  I admit that I did not understand them at all when I first read about the Feingold Diet, and for this post I can’t seem to adequately explain why children with ADHD should avoid them, but basically in these children there is a deficiency of an enzyme which processes and detoxifies phenols (essentially correcting any adverse reaction to the salycilates).  It seems long and complicated, and it makes sense in my head, but all manner of sense seems to escape me when I try to explain the chemical process to others. 

My newest favorite resource made total sense of the grape thing for me – and not just grapes, but apples, tomatoes and coffee as well.  Joanne Allor, fellow “University of Google graduate,” is mother to an autistic son and a son with ADHD, and her site is Healing Autism and ADHD.  She has an impressive grasp of biomedical intervention as it relates to these two conditions, and I am thrilled that she is sharing what she learns.  Joanne details the issue with phenols and salicylates here and also mentions supplements which help the body process the phenols so as to minimize the effects like (in our case) hyperactivity and inattention. 

Once again, I am steered in the direction of diet, nutrients, and now enzymes essential to helping the body self-correct.  I have a lot of research to do in order to determine optimal supplements to help Vic.  There is no magic pill for any of this, I know.  So I see this opportunity to learn as not only the greatest challenge of my life, but also as a genuine blessing.

Day 130: Ode to Organic

Tags

chemical ingredients, Food

I must confess, I used to scoff when a product claimed to be “organic.”  I saw organic vegetable seeds in the store one day and just about tripped over my buggy from laughing so hard.  I was a skeptic.  A dyed-in-the-wool, ain’t-gonna-change, don’t-feed-me-your-liberal-bylines cynic.  And then I started studying the food ingredients while finding ways to subdue ADHD symptoms. 

And now, I have seen the light. 

I’m sure I have said this before, but I will say again how pleased I am with organic products after reading for nights on end about pesticides and chemicals in our foods.  My daughter told me not long ago, “Mommy, you are an organic freak!  You don’t buy anything that’s not organic!!” I corrected her by pointing out that my efforts are focused more on buying natural products.  But as I thought about it later, I gotta admit…she may have nailed it.  While not everything I purchase is organic, I do lean toward organic first and natural second. 

But the words “natural” and “organic” are not as regulated as we might think.  I don’t even believe natural when I see it written on a package.  I read the ingredients and determine for myself how natural it actually is.  As far as “organic” is concerned, take the time to educate yourself on the regulation for organic foods and products.  If you don’t see the USDA organic symbol or the logo of Quality Assurance International on the product itself, think twice. 

                                      

As I see it, the best argument for organic products is our children’s health.  The website Organic: It’s Worth It details some of the reasons organic foods are better for children and links several studies for general consumer information.  Children’s developing bodies – organs and reproductive systems – can be harmed by the exposure to pesticides in our foods, much more so than adults.  And I already shared the video from the Environmental Working Group that alerts us to the overwhelming amounts of chemicals found in the bloodstreams of newborn babies.    

I can’t help but wonder – had I been concerned with natural and organic products ten years ago, would we have fought this ADHD and school conduct battle this year?  No, I can’t go back and change what I consumed a decade ago.  But I am even more dedicated to organic foods for my children’s benefit now that we have encountered the experience, even if not willingly.  I believe this change is happening for a larger reason.  The suggestion by the school counselor, the diagnosis, the dietary changes we have begun, and even the attitude and habit changes we have made are all part of something bigger than me.  But my participation in this cannot be small.  There is simply too much at stake.

Day 126: A Little Follow-Up for Vic

I have great news to report, following all of my stress surrounding the ADHD diagnosis.  In reviewing Victoria’s grades last week, she still seems to be doing good work – two grades dropped a little because of some tests she took, but that was also the week of going to the doctor and I have to assume she had more on her mind than the “states of matter.”  But the best news of all is that she is steadily bringing her conduct grade up!  In fact, she has made A’s with a couple of B’s interspersed throughout the last two weeks in conduct alone! 

The moral of the story is that yes, we still have much work to do in terms of finding dietary measures that promote mental alertness for her during the school day, but she herself has made major strides in self-control and making better choices.  Her ability to turn her situation around almost entirely on her own willpower speaks volumes to me, despite any formal diagnosis. 

Victoria is still agreeable to finding alternative breakfasts and lunches.  We have already begun supplementing her diet with zinc, magnesium, and Omega-3.  Yesterday morning she had oatmeal pancakes and pronounced them delicious!

I just had to share the positive trends Vic has implemented. We are very proud of her choices!

Day 122: A Little Complaining Goes a Long Way

Tags

chemical ingredients, Food

Some days I just have to vent.  This is one of those days, so please bear with me…Crunchy Granola Mom is on the warpath.  I’m going blind at the computer screen at night researching this stuff.  (And after staring at a computer most of the day at work, you can bet my contact lenses really love me!)  I am reading and researching and putting insane puzzle pieces together as if I were on some Survivor scavenger hunt!  Those are my symptoms; here is the cause:

We have kids all over the place diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, right?  The statistics are genuinely astounding.  We are medicating our babies!  Aside from my stance on medication for this condition, my real beef is this:  why is alternative treatment so hard for people to do/try/accept/give a fighting chance?

And, pardon my bluntness, but why in the hell is NUTRITIONAL PROMOTION considered alternative?!!!!

Are we a society that simply can’t wrap our heads around a solution that doesn’t involve pills??? Are we as parents so busy with our careers and our cell phones and our toys that we don’t want to work for a better solution for our kids?  Why do we automatically believe medication is THE BEST answer?

This makes me think of that 1969 song In the Year 2525 where the lyrics say, “Everything you think, do and say is in the pill you took today.” I can remember hearing that song when I was little.  I loved the song, but if I thought about it too long I would get scared.  I didn’t want our world to end up…artificial.  And yet, with each new thing I learn about our foods and medications, I wonder if that’s exactly where we’re headed. 

Along the line of foods, what I do not get – in any form of the concept – is why on earth we as a nation do not make it easier for parents to choose healthier foods. Why do we have to make it so convenient to downgrade our inherent internal chemistry with artificial colors, preservatives, and chemicals in every food we consume??? 

I am literally researching food nutrients as if I were going to perform some genetic mutation experiment on broccoli.  Should it really be this involved, this difficult? Shouldn’t my federal nutritional agencies be working with me in this endeavor, instead of making it harder for me by approving ingredients as well as medications that can ultimately harm my family? 

And along the line of meds, I DO understand that there are some extreme cases where medication has proven to be a lifesaver in some families.  I do not fault anyone for reaching up when they are at the bottom.  I just feel that not quite as many of us fall into that extreme category as are medicated.  And I’m not mad at parents who medicate.  I’m mad at a system that makes medication easier than natural solutions.  I’m mad at pharmaceutical companies who would rather make a buck now than give full dedication to researching a medicine to make sure it’s not going to render a child infertile as an adult.  Or that it’s not going to kick off some other chemical reaction in their bodies that steps up a cancer growth.  These are  my primary arguments for not medicating my child.  Aside from the shocking side effects of the popular medications, we simply do not know what these drugs will do to our children’s long-term futures.  We only know what they do to the present.  And for me, that simply is not enough information. 

Rant over.  I’ll be sweet again tomorrow.

Day 121: Protein and Omega-3s…Sign Us Up!!

Tags

Food

I made some time to chat last night with Victoria about the diagnosis.  The way I see it, any discussion that is about my children is warranted to be discussed with my children.  I step it down to a familiar level for them because I believe wholeheartedly in honesty between us; I have promised them this since the day they were born.

Victoria first asked, “So, what’s wrong with me?”

“Do you feel that there is something wrong with you?”

“No.”

“Neither do I.”

She smiled and relaxed a bit. We discussed the diagnosis and what it meant.  I explained to her that the symptoms of ADHD are found a little in most everybody at some point in their lives.  And I pointed out that the symptoms I have been most concerned with are things that she has been able to control on her own over the last two weeks.  And that deserves special note and praise for her efforts!

But I also offered her an experiment.  We are going to first play around with our food ingredients so that we can determine what foods serve her best in the areas of concentration and mental focus.  She’s up to the challenge of finding foods that will help her during the school day.  And I’m up for the challenge of fine-tuning the menus for her benefit. 

It appears, not to my surprise, that we need to center on meals containing higher protein, complex carbohydrates and omega-3 fatty acids.  Several studies have shown that many children with ADHD traditionally have significantly lower omega-3 levels. 

So how do you get a child to eat grilled salmon with you?  If you live in my house, you can hang that idea in the coat closet and never bring it out again.  Suddenly, this doesn’t sound as easy as I thought. 

But, I found a wonderful article that was written in words simple enough for little ol’ me to understand.   Jeannine Virtue wrote about dietary supplementation as alternative treatment for ADHD.  She suggests using flax oil and flaxseed to add the essential omega-3s to foods.  I’m going to try adding a tablespoon of flax oil to a smoothie in the mornings and see how that helps.  We will also limit cereal consumption in favor of eggs and other protein-rich foods at breakfast time.  As I have mentioned before, Victoria is not necessarily a big breakfast eater, but I have seen that incorporating breakfast into a steady routine produces positive results for all of us. 

For the information of those who choose medication, Ms. Virtue suggests that these dietary changes can be used in conjunction with prescribed medication.  And she further says to give it a good 10-12 weeks of effort to really see how it will work with a particular child. 

Looks like I’ll be able to report on this particular leg of the adventure sometime around Christmas.  But you know I’ll be chiming in about it long before then! 🙂

Day 120: The Research Continues

I’m sure you are aware that my research into ADHD will be shared here quite frequently as I learn bits and pieces.  Right now, I’m researching the medication that has been prescribed for Victoria, even though I am against medicating her.  I need to know what I’m saying no to in order to stand my ground.

First, Dom picked up the written prescription from the doctor’s office and Googled the name of the medication.  Then he called me and said very simply, “She’s not taking this $#%&!”

“Good.  Why not?”

He proceeded to rattle off a series of side effects, not the least of which were severe depression, stunted growth and sudden death. 

As my dear friend Elaine would say, “Awwww, HELLLLLLLLLLL to the NO!”

Now, in the thirty-or-so websites I have visited regarding ADHD and its recommended treatments, one thing stands out over and over again: “…symptoms present to the point that makes it difficult to live a normal life…” 

I dare say we are not there. Victoria is an active, 8-year-old girl.  She’s gonna talk in class.  She’s going to boss someone around every once in a while.  But she’s not so ditzy that she can’t follow directions when she wants to. 

Confession time (I’ve been doing a lot of this lately):
When I was in fourth grade I made all my friends take an oath that they would always be my friends and never like anyone else more than me. My best friend refused to take the oath and didn’t speak to me for the rest of the week.  I came to my senses and released my grip on everyone.

Also in Fourth Grade, I chewed gum in gym class.  Once.  Mrs. Jones asked if I had gum, I lied and said, “No,” and she made me open my mouth, revealing my ABC Hubba Bubba to her and the world.  She swatted me on the butt for lying.  I never chewed gum in gym class again. 

Conversely, in my Senior year of high school I would eat candy in French class.  Mrs. Fowle would get quite frustrated with me, and called me out on several occasions with a rather stern, “Ne mange pas dans ma classe, Lori!!!!!” (Which translates to, “Do not eat in my class!!”) And I knew that was going to be the worst of it, so I continued to eat candy in French class. 

I’m just sayin’…we all got it in us.  I believe concern should only enter in where there is no control. 

Now, back to the books…