Enough is enough! As a society we have been silent for too long. Due to our silence, millions of children are being drugged by a society that cares little about truth, and seems all too vulnerable to hype.
On February 23, 2000, the Journal of the American Medical Association cited a study on psychotropic drug use (Ritalin, Prozac, etc.), and our preschoolers. As inconceivable as it may seem, our nation's two year olds are on controlled substances and in increasing numbers.
The study found that from 1991 to 1995, antidepressant use increased 200%. The number of 2 to 4 year olds on Ritalin doubled, and children under the age of 5 taking Clonidine (for ADD/HD) rose 28 times.
Ask yourself: "Are our children really that out of control or has it become more acceptable to simply drug them into submission, to force a round peg into a square hole?"
ADD/HD and its treatment with Ritalin and other drugs, is an "American disease." Our children consume 95% of the world's supply of the drug, making the U.S. consumption 5 times higher than the rest of the world combined. The question must be asked…why?
Promotion of psychotropic drugs results in sales well over 1.5 billion dollars per year. This is big business in the US, and the drug manufacturers, such as Ciba, fund millions to groups, such as CHADD, who are responsible for much of the information the public, hears about the success of Ritalin.
This brings us to a critical decision: Are we willing to drug millions of our children to make them easier to manage and more compliant in the school and the home at the expense of raising a "drugged" generation? If so, I emphatically state that this says more about our society's distorted values than it does about our children.
Every cell in my body tells me that giving a child Ritalin (a class II controlled substance, in the same category as cocaine and 'speed') to "help them conform" isn't right. There has to be a better answer.
Perhaps the answer to this difficult question lies in philosophy and in the basic laws of the universe. The applicable law here is that of 'cause and effect.' The law of cause and effect states that: "For every cause there is an effect, and for every effect, there is a cause." Obeying this law can make all the difference.
Hyperactivity, lack of ability to concentrate, and inattentiveness, are all effects. Depression and anxiety are also effects. Ritalin and Prozac treat these effects, while ignoring the cause.
We have a drug problem in the United States that costs thousands of lives and billions of dollars a year. Most treatment is aimed at effect. How do we as a society expect our children to live "drug-free" if they are raised in a medicine cabinet, with a distorted view of reality? Can we really expect them to change their patterns of feeling bad and taking drugs in the future whether they are legal or not?
The fight against drug abuse begins at home. Parents must start teaching their children not to rely on medications every time they get sick or feel bad. We must solve this problem with a new level of thinking.
ADD/HD is an emotional issue, for both the child and the parents. Concerns over education, attitude, and happiness are all very real. The question is then: what can we do for our children other than give them drugs? The answer lies in this "new level of thinking."
Most experts agree that ADD/HD is caused by a neurological/chemical imbalance in the body. Ritalin is used in an attempt to "balance" the chemistry of the body. This is treating the effect.
Chiropractors have long recognized the vital importance of a proper functioning nervous system. We must remember that the brain and nervous system control the entire human body. This means every function, including maintaining proper chemical balance, healing, and the ability to stay well is regulated by the central nervous system.
If any amount of interference to the nervous system is present, the body cannot stay in proper chemical balance, nor can it function at optimum potential. Chiropractors locate and correct the number one cause of nerve system interference in the human body…subluxation.
A subluxation occurs when stress (physical, chemical or emotional) causes the delicate spinal cord and/or spinal nerves to twist or stretch in ways that interfere with the flow of messages from/to the brain to/from the body. If these interferences affect the chemical producing or regulating aspects of the body, an imbalance may result. Often times, this imbalance is labeled ADD/HD.
Chiropractors do not treat any diseases or conditions, including ADD/HD. They do, however, correct subluxations and the resulting nerve interference, enabling the body to perform at its optimum level.
Could chiropractic help your child with ADD/HD? The answer depends on if your child is subluxated. Only a chiropractor can tell you. Through advances in noninvasive technologies, such as Surface EMG and Thermal Scans, a chiropractor can detect subluxations, and monitor their corrections, as well.
Give your children a fighting chance with chiropractic. It could change your lives!
About the Author
Dr. Jim Morano has been helping children and adults experience life at their maximum potential through chiropractic utilizing Network Spinal Analysis, a very gentle, safe, and profound system of spinal analysis and entrainment. He gives free Ritalin workshops sponsored by the National Wellness Foundation and Doctor's Speaker Forum, both nonprofit organizations.
