I enjoy occasionally listening to National Public Radio, but sometimes I would swear the "P" in NPR stands for Pharmaceutical.
Monday morning, on my way in to work, I was listening to NPR when I heard a comment that nearly made me drive off the road. It wasn't exactly road rage - nothing that extreme - more like road shock. I'm not certain, but there's a good chance I shouted "I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EARS!" out loud.
Life seems to deliver things in clusters. Lately, for instance, I've come across a number of articles and studies about questionable medications for children (see last month's e-Alert ("The P Word" 1/6/03) about the increase in prescribing Prozac for kids). So I wasn't surprised to hear an NPR report about a new study examining another aspect of the debate over the use of Ritalin to treat adolescent hyperactivity.
The study, reported in the February issue of "Pediatrics," evaluated the U.S. geographic variation in the number of children prescribed Ritalin throughout 1999. Approximately 178,000 cases were assessed, with children ranging in age from 4-15 years old. Two striking statistics stood out in the data. Allowing for variables such as regional population, researchers found that Ritalin use tends to be greater among kids in the Eastern U.S., as opposed to kids in the West. More specifically, the highest Ritalin use was in Louisiana (with more than 6 kids in 100 taking Ritalin), and the lowest was in Washington, D.C. (with 1.6 kids in 100 taking the drug).
Now there are all sorts of reasons why this wide disparity might exist. And I think the very fact that it DOES exist points up the arbitrary factors involved in diagnosing these so-called "disorders" of ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). But while addressing these regional differences in the data, NPR reporter Jackie Norton spoke the line that made me nearly leap through the sun-roof of my car: "The study doesn't address if the stimulant drugs are being underused in one area, or overused in another."
UNDERUSED! As if it's even remotely possible to under-prescribe stimulant drugs for children! As if there are poor, unfortunate kids out there who are being deprived of their daily dose of Ritalin!
There is no such thing as a Ritalin deficiency. But there are hyperactive kids. And in almost every case the cause is dietary, and the solution is dietary change. These important points were made by HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., in an e-Alert I sent you last spring ("How To Dismantle an '89 Ford" 6/3/02). In that e-Alert Dr. Speen pointed out that sensitivities to specific foods (or food additives, like dyes) can trigger hyperactivity. He also gave useful tips on how to go about discovering which foods are the culprits.
In addition, Dr. Spreen recommended various supplements that have been shown to help calm hyperactivity, such as; omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium (in doses not high enough to loosen stools), alpha lipoic acid, amino acid supplements like GABA and L-tryptophan, vitamin C in high doses, and finally, a good basic multi-vitamin/mineral regimen.
I know that the hectic pace of life that comes with raising kids makes the concept of dietary change much easier said than done. So believe me, I'm not passing any judgment on parents who opt for Ritalin, especially when they're often pressured to take the pharmaceutical route by pediatricians, school administrators and fed-up teachers.
The point is this: There are options to Ritalin. And anytime someone suggests that stimulant drugs like Ritalin might be "underused," they'll hear my over-stimulated cry of disbelief all the way from Louisiana to Washington, D.C.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
Ritalin Study Report, Jackie Norton, NPR Morning Edition, 2/3/03
"Geographic Variation in the Prevalence of Stimulant Medication Use Among Children 5 to 14 Years Old: Results From a Commercially Insured US Sample" Pediatrics, Vol. 111 No. 2 February 2003, pp. 237-243
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