articles
ADHD research project collects case
study reports
by Dr.
Yannick Pauli - January 2007
When I first met Chirstophe, it struck me that he
was probably the best embodiment of the word "zombie." I
mean, he looked just like one of those very nice kids you just
want to take into your arms to give them a big hug. But he
seemed lifeless. You could sense there was some great spirit
within him, but that it could not just express itself. His
eyes were dull and empty. He did not talk at all.
Christophe
had been diagnosed as "having" ADHD
and was presently taking Ritalin. Although they would have
rather not have had him on a drug, his parents where relieved
by the "diagnosis".
Finally, it explained why their
son was doing so poorly in school to the point of failing,
why was always forget things and seem so disorganized, why
they had to put in hours of homework for less than optimal
results.
This situation had taken a toll on the family: the
mother was depressed and suffering from migraines, the husband
admitted to being a workaholic, just to be away from home and
not get mad at his son, and her sister just felt abandoned
and unloved because "all the attention was for him and
none for me."
Although he had also been diagnosed as having
ADHD, Cedric was a different kind of child. During my lengthy
first consultation, he was running all over the place, climbing
the walls despite his parents many threats of sanctions and
despite the fact that he was already on a high dosage of Concerta,
the equivalent of Ritalin in a released time form.
After falling
on the ground due to his excessive activity, he went into one
of his too frequent temper tantrums and started screaming like
someone was ripping his skin of his body, spitting all over
my carpet and my desk. Her mother just started crying.
That
only added to the already puffy eyes she was having from her
close to burnout state. The parents were at the "end
of the rope." Two weeks later, as we started Cedric
into our pediatric chiropractic neurology specialty program,
the family had imploded and the parents had decided to divorce.
Attention
Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a very controversial
disorder. So is its diagnosis, and, even more, its management,
which consists primarily of the prescription of the psychostimulant
methylphenidate, better known as Ritalin.
The aspects of this
controversy such as the limits and inadequacies of the diagnosis;
the prevalence of the disorder (overdiagnosed for some, underdiagnosed
for others); the effect of the "disorder" on
the brain, or lack thereof; the use and abuse of medication
and their potential side effects is an interesting exercise
in intellectuality. It tells us a lot about health paradigm,
politics and economics of science, expert opinions and the
interests of the pharmacological industry.
However, it does
not tell us about human suffering.
As a chiropractor, you may
be inclined to choose one "camp" over
the other. But regardless of whether you believe ADHD to
be a real disorder or not, your opinion and belief and mine
are irrelevant.
What is very relevant, though, is that millions
of families around the world are suffering enough from the
behavioral misfeats of their children to place them on a daily
regimen of psychotropic drugs. In the US, the rate of children
taking psychotropic drugs cost commonly Ritalin increased from
0.9 per 100 children in 1987 to 3.4 per 100 children in 1997,
corresponding to 493,000 children treated in 1987 and 2,158,000
in 1997.
This is more than 2 million children depending daily
on a pill to function adequately in our society! Today, this
number is probably even higher. Imagine 5% of our children
population depending on a pharmacological crutch to allow
them to fulfill the demand imposed upon them by our society
in general, and our school system in particular. And this
does not take into account the many other million taking
other kinds of mood altering drugs prescribed for other types
of neuro behavioral disorders. Of course, these are conservative
estimates.
One study in Virginia found that in two school districts,
17% of white boys at primary schools were taking psychostimulants.
Even scarier are the studies showing a large increase in
prescription of psychostimulants to pre schoolers! It is
estimated that as much as 1.5% of children aged 2 4 years
are taking drugs such as Ritalin!
We as chiropractors have been
tolerating this situation for too long. It is time we step
up to the plate and show the nation that we are the best positioned
practitioners to take care of these children. Not to treat
their so called disorder but to remove the neurological and
nutritional insults that affect their growing brains, thereby
improving their overall wellness and quality of life.
For the
brain to grow properly and optimally, it requires proper nutrition
of two kinds: "nutritional" nutrition
and "neurological" nutrition. Our brain depends
mainly on proper afferentiation for its development and function.
And proper afferentiation can only occur if our axial skeleton
is free of vertebral subluxation, if our postural musculature
is balanced and if our life is full of vital movement.
Who else
other than the chiropractor, expert at understanding the
proper function of the spine and how the latter controls
our brain as well as the importance of a good diet, can offer
those children and their families the hope of improved quality
of life in a natural, non-drug dependent, empowering way?
One
study and various anecdotal reports are already pointing to
what hundreds of chiropractors are witnessing in their offices
on a regular basis.
Christophe and Cedric only two of the many
suffering "ADHD" children
we have seen in our specialty office are now functioning
without drugs better than they did before.
Christophe's spirit
expresses itself in his eyes, he can concentrate better, his
grades have improved and he does not have to spend countless
hours to master his academic material. Although the parents
of Cedric remain divorced, he is now calmer, respond to the
demands of his mother by appropriate behavior and does not
have temper tantrums anymore.
However, unlike many other files
in your office, the story of these two children will not remain
untold, their files collecting dust in an obscure file cabinet.
Their story will be told to the world in a properly written,
scientific case report.
Many of our colleagues are making their
contribution to chiropractic knowledge by taking a few hours
to write one or two case reports on the response of children
suffering from ADHD to chiropractic care. But we need more
many more.
The ADHD Case Report Project is only the initial
step of a collaborative effort between the World Chiropractic
Alliance and the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research
to start documenting the effects of chiropractic care in children
suffering from ADHD and other behavioral problems.
Imagine if
20, 30, 50 or even 100 case reports on the impact of chiropractic
care on children with ADHD were written, submitted to a peer
reviewed, scientific chiropractic journal, subsequently published
and were to hit the mass media.
What a difference it could make
for our profession. What a difference it could made in the
lives of million of families who, so far, have had no other
options offered to them than to drug their children! What a
difference it would make for our next generation if 5 10% of
our youngsters would not have to go through life harnessed
by a pharmacological straight jacket!
If you have experience
in taking care of children suffering from ADHD, or even have
had just one case, stop procrastinating. Step up to the plate
and do something! Be part of our ADHD Project and contact me
today at ypauli@jvsr.com. We will assist you as needed through
the entire process of case writing and submitting.
(Dr. Yannick
Pauli lives in Lausanne, Switzerland where he runs a family,
wellness-oriented chiropractic office specializing
in the care of children with ADHD, learning disabilities
and behavioral disorders. He has post graduate training in
Applied Kinesiology, nutrition, chiropractic pediatrics and
chiropractic neurology. Dr. Pauli is a member of the International
Chiropractic Pediatric Association and is also the President
of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association, as well
as an associate editor for the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation
Research. He can be contacted at: ypauli@jvsr.com or by phone
at: 004 121 646 5238.)