Minding the Mental Health of Our Kids

Alternatives
®
For the Health Conscious Individual
VOLUME 15 • N O 3 • MARCH 2012
Minding the Mental Health of Our Kids
R
aising children has never
been easy. And I’m sure no
one would agree more than
my parents. They had to be saints
to have dealt with all that I put
them through. Maybe it’s because
it’s now my turn, but I honestly
believe that
raising a child
has become
increasingly
more difficult.
When I was
growing up, the
divorce rate
was nothing
like it is today.
At practically
every meal, we sat down and ate
as a family. The large majority of
our meals were cooked at home.
Fast food and eating out were rare
luxuries. Sodas were an infrequent
Inside
News to Use:
Tap Water and Prostate
Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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Is Oatmeal Really Good for
You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
You will observe with concern how
long a useful truth may be known,
and exist, before it is generally
received and practiced on.
— Benjamin Franklin
VOLUME 15 • N O 3 • MARCH 201 2
“treat” and junk food consisted of an
occasional candy bar or sucker. We
made popcorn the “old-fashioned”
way. Pancakes were made from
milk, eggs, and flour, they didn’t
come premade from the freezer
section of the grocery store.
Antibiotics were real drugs
reserved for real problems. And
bathroom medicine cabinets
contained only Band-Aids, aspirin,
Pepto Bismol, castor oil, and a
bottle of rubbing alcohol, instead of
looking like a miniature pharmacy.
Our children’s diets and exposure to drugs have changed more
in the last three or four decades
than they have in the last hundred
years. And it now is a direct reflection of their overall health.
For the last 20 years, I’ve been
warning about the childhood
obesity problem, the early onset
of puberty, and how diseases that
were once only found in the elderly,
like diabetes and heart disease, are
becoming commonplace in gradeschool children. One of the most
telltale signs of this drastic change
in diet, however, is the outrageous
number of children now being diagnosed with and treated for mental
illnesses—specifically attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) and bipolar disorder.
The Reality of ADHD
ADHD is being diagnosed at
such a high rate that it’s hard to
actually know just how many kids
have been classified as such, and
how many are being given drugs
to “treat” the problem. Some studies estimate one in 10 children
has been diagnosed with ADHD.
Some say as many as 15% of all
boys and 6% of all girls have the
problem. Others say as many as
20% of all school-aged children
have ADHD. (Am J Public Health
99;89:1359–1364)
Whatever the true figure is, a
few facts stand out.
The number of people being
diagnosed (of all ages and gender)
is increasing each year. Over the
last 15 years, the number of children between the ages of 13 and
18 being treated with medication
has increased 6.5% each year! (Am
Psychiatry Epub 2011 Sept. 28)
To add to the insanity (no pun
intended), this year the American
Academy of Pediatrics changed
their ADHD guidelines. Instead
of recommending that screenings start at age 6, they now say
it’s possible to diagnose and
treat ADHD starting at age 4.
While “behavioral intervention”
by parents and teachers is the
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recommended first step of treatment, it’s obvious what the end
result will be…medication. If what
is being offered as behavior intervention really worked, the number
of drug prescriptions for ADHDdiagnosed children wouldn’t be
exploding. The bottom line is
that more pre-school and elementary students will be prescribed
stimulants like Ritalin, amphetamines like Adderall, and now,
antidepressants.
believing that early treatment with
drugs equates to prevention.)
And, ADHD isn’t just a childhood problem any longer. More
and more adults are being diagnosed with ADHD since the
current thinking is that many
children are never “cured” and
need to stay on medication for
life. Welcome to the new “United
States of Adderall.”
In 1994–1995, for individuals
age 19 and under, a diagnosis
of bipolar disorder was made
in 25 of 100,000 doctor visits. In
2002–2003, that number rose to
1,003 per 100,000 visits. And that
number has continued to increase.
The Bipolar Blues
Bipolar disorder is a condition in which people swing from
periods of mania (an abnormally
elevated mood) to depression.
(Originally, it was called manic
depressive. I guess that term
sounds a little too ominous,
particularly when you’re dealing
with children. From a pharmaceutical marketing standpoint,
“early onset” bipolar disorder
sounds better, especially since the
public has been brainwashed into
Alternatives®
I haven’t been able to find any
recent or concrete figures on the
incidence of bipolar disorder in
children, but what I have uncovered is truly frightening.
The number of young people
being treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold in the
United States between 1994
and 2003! (Arch Gen Psychiatry
07;64(9):1032–1039)
If that’s not scary enough, The
Child and Adolescent Bipolar
Foundation reports that, with
each generation since WWII, the
rates of both depression and
bipolar disorder have increased.
And, the average age at the onset
of bipolar disorder symptoms has
gone down an average of 10 years
with each successive generation.
No one seems to have an explanation as to why. I would have to say
“duh” to that.
I say, where there’s confusion,
there’s opportunity...and no one
knows this better than the pharmaceutical industry. I’d be hard-pressed
to think of a better way to increase
your market for a drug than to
“uncover” a lifelong disease that
starts at birth, whose symptoms
are so common and subjective that
there’s no way to refute the diagnosis. To add icing to the cake, insurance reimbursement is skewed in
favor of medication. Psychiatrists
I’ve spoken with say insurance
companies pay them three times the
money for “checking and adjusting”
a child’s medication than they do for
spending the same amount of time
counseling them.
Doctors now say that symptoms
of “juvenile” bipolar disorder can
be detected as early as infancy.
Difficulty sleeping and settling or
separation anxiety are signs of
the disorder. Some children aren’t
even out of diapers before they are
started on medication.
Children are being prescribed
powerful mind-altering drugs at a
time when their central nervous
systems are still developing. No
one yet knows the true damage
or future consequences of such
risky practices. These are the same
drugs given to adults—drugs that
have been shown to have very
serious side effects like diabetes,
hormonal disruption, infertility,
significant weight gain, and blood
disorders. Additionally, it has been
proven that these drugs can cause
the very same problems they are
being given to treat—problems like
hyperactivity, depression, insomnia,
and psychosis. What’s worse, most
Author: Dr. David Williams; Editor: Larissa Long
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The approaches described in this newsletter are not offered as cures, prescriptions, diagnoses, or a means of diagnoses to different
conditions. The author and publisher assume no responsibility in the correct or incorrect use of this information, and no attempt should be
made to use any of this information as a form of treatment without the approval and guidance of your doctor.
Dr. Williams works with Healthy Directions, LLC to develop his unique formulations that supply many of the hard-to-find nutrients he
recommends. Dr. Williams is compensated on the sales of these nutritional supplements and health products, which allows him to continue
devoting his life to worldwide research and the development of innovative, effective health solutions.
2
MARCH 201 2
children aren’t given just a single
drug, but multiple drugs.
Diagnosis Is a Judgment
Call
It’s virtually impossible to track
the actual number of true cases
of bipolar illness in children. This
is because there isn’t any definitive test for the problem, and the
symptoms are very similar to
ADHD. There are no blood tests
or brain scans that can definitively confirm a diagnosis of either
condition. Instead, a doctor will
ask questions about a child’s
mood, sleeping patterns, energy
levels, and behavior, including:
Being overly silly or joyful
■
Being sad
■
Feelings of guilt
■
Short temper or irritability
■
Talking a lot
■
Cranky
■
Stays busy
■
Looks for constant fun or
excitement
■
Difficulty concentrating
■
Losing interest in activities
■
Eating more or eating less
■
Gaining or losing weight
■
Losing energy or having too much
energy
■
Sleeping less or sleeping more
■
Separation anxiety
■
Carbohydrate cravings
■
Bed-wetting
■
Fidgetiness
■
Difficulty getting up in the
morning
■
The symptoms cast such a
wide net that every child could
“qualify” for treatment at one time
or another. Strong proponents of
treating children say, however,
VOLUME 15 • N O 3
that the final decision is based on
the frequency of these symptoms
and whether the changes in behavior are more extreme than normal.
In other words, the diagnosis
becomes a judgment call.
With the same defining criteria,
I could be labeled as having both
disorders. Most of us could. But,
for the most part, we have the
ability to explain and justify our
behavior. As adults, we know the
consequences, side effects, social
stigma, and inconveniences associated with long-term medication
use and can choose what we want
to do. Young children can’t. Their
only option is to trust and rely on
their parents.
Pharma to the “Rescue”
Today, more and more parents
are put in the position of having
to decide whether or not to place
their child on medication. The pressure can be enormous and it can
be one of the most difficult decisions a parent has to make. The
pharmaceutical industry and the
psychiatric community help alleviate the guilt by saying the causes
of ADHD and bipolar disorder are
unknown. They say the strongest
evidence links the conditions to
genetic factors or brain damage
and the best thing a parent can do
is focus on pharmaceutical ways
to immediately help the child until
the medical community discovers
more about the problems.
They feel that diet, nutrition,
and the child’s home environment
have little, if anything, to do with
the disorders. They tend to ignore
the facts that ADHD is far more
common in lower income populations in the U.S. (poor nutrition?)
and incidence rates are 5 to 10
times greater in the United States
compared to other countries. In
Great Britain, the incidence of
ADHD is reportedly less than
1%, but it may be that their criteria for diagnosis is stricter (or
they aren’t as inclined to treat
everything pharmaceutically, as
we are in this country). (MMWR
10;59(44):1439–1443) (World
Psychiatry 03;2(2):104–113)
Pharmaceutical companies also
like to ignore that most of the
studies that have found no relationship between diet and ADHD
or bipolar disorder are flawed.
They overlook the studies that
have found such a relationship,
as well as the observations of
millions of parents and clinicians
who have successfully treated
these conditions with dietary
modifications.
How Fear and Stress
Feed the Issue
During the last 60 years, the
lives of children have become
more and more complicated. The
family, one of the most stabilizing
parts of a child’s life, has changed
dramatically. Divorce is far more
common. Shared custody and
split, part-time living arrangements can create a sense of
instability and insecurity. Living
and interacting with multiple stepsiblings from numerous marriages
and multiple sets of grandparents
and other relatives only adds to
the confusion and stress.
Children see war, killing, and
conflict every day on the news, in
their video games, and in the movie
theaters. And, in their early years,
it’s hard to separate fact from
fiction. I’m sure a little more anxiety sets in when they realize there
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really are no super heroes and the
good guy doesn’t always survive.
hippocampal adult neurogenesis
(the creation of new neurons).
Uncertainty creates fear in children, just as it does with adults.
And, while adults and children
share many of the same fears,
there’s one universal fear of children. That’s the fear of adults.
His article focused primarily
on adults, but the same problem
could occur in children, and I
would highly suspect the damage
would have even longer-lasting
and detrimental effects. In children, neurogenesis or new nerve
formation is still taking place and
neurological connections are in
their beginning and very active
stages.
To children, adults are big, often
menacing, smart, and powerful.
Adults, both intentionally and
unintentionally, have the power
to hurt children. Even the most
loving parents and teachers realize
how easy it is to instill fear in a
child, even when they don’t mean
to. If the fear isn’t quickly recognized and resolved through reassurance, it can have a dramatic
and lasting impact on the child’s
happiness, learning ability, and
behavior.
From a physiological standpoint,
fear equates to stress. Chronic
fear results in chronic stress.
I recently read a very interesting
article the Armed Forces Journal
(December 2011) by Major
Stephen Flanagan, that discussed
the effects of stress on soldiers
training at the U.S. Army Ranger
School.
As you can imagine, these
soldiers are placed under extremely stressful situations. What
Flanagan found was that short
bursts of stress during their training can be beneficial. However,
evolution has geared the human
stress response to last about 30
seconds, just enough to facilitate
the “fight or flight” response.
But, prolonged stress and the
resulting cortisol that’s produced
actually damages the part of the
brain called the hippocampus.
In fact, excess cortisol can stop
4
Flanagan discusses how this
type of damage can explain higher
rates of suicide, anxiety disorders,
depression, hallucinations, posttraumatic stress disorder, and many
other problems these soldiers face.
I have no doubt children under
chronic fear (stress) are more
susceptible to the exact same
problems.
How Kids Deal with Fear
and Stress
Depending on personality,
children (and adults) tend to deal
with chronic fear and stress in one
of two ways.
Some keep it to themselves,
hoping to get it under control
until it resolves itself. They quietly
retreat into their private worlds
and worry about it and formulate
plans to deal with it. They often
begin to feel and act numb. They
have difficulty concentrating or
paying attention. They can become
pessimistic, depressed, and lose
interest in those things that they
once valued.
Others use action to deal with
their fears. They act out and
exhibit hostility toward others in
an attempt to regain control of
their life. They refuse to cooperate with parents, teachers, and
other authority figures. They get
busier and busier trying to outpace
their fears, but their hyperactivity becomes less focused and less
useful. It’s as though their minds
need to be constantly stimulated
so there’s no idle time available to
concentrate on the fear or stress at
hand.
The two patterns are the
same characteristics exhibited
by children being diagnosed
with ADHD and bipolar disorder. Doctors handing out prescriptions for these conditions rarely
spend the time needed to truly
understand the children they treat.
It takes time for an unknown adult
to gain the trust of a young child.
From an economic standpoint,
the extra time isn’t encouraged.
Instead, their diagnosis is routinely
based on interviews with the
parents and/or recommendations
from teachers and maybe a short
observation of the child during
the office visit. By the time the
child sees the doctor, the diagnosis
has been made and the parent is
convinced that medication is the
answer.
The Real Causes of
ADHD and Bipolar
Disorder
I don’t want to pile guilt on
parents. ADHD and bipolar disorder symptoms are real and can
be very difficult to deal with. But,
in addition to the psychological
stresses I’ve outlined that need to
be resolved, it’s important to realize
that most of these children’s conditions can be attributed to dietary
and hormonal factors. The underlying difficultly, however, is that
children can’t change these factors
on their own, and parents oftentimes have to make major changes
MARCH 201 2
NEWS TO
TO USE
USE from
from around
around the
the world
world
NEWS
Tap Water and
Prostate Cancer
TORONTO, CANADA—Researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital appear to have found a link
between drinking tap water and
prostate cancer deaths.
For years, I’ve been warning
about the dangers of contaminated
water. Although our water system
is one of the most sophisticated in
the world, the purification process
is actually pretty basic. We’re one
of the few countries where the entire water supply to our homes has
been treated. (We can drink from
the hose outside, as well as from
the water that fills the reservoir of
the toilet). Even with that degree of
sophistication, our water processing plants don’t have the capability
of testing for each and every potential herbicide, pesticide, toxic compound, metal, radioactive particle,
or drug that reaches the water
source. And I seriously doubt they
will ever be able to do so.
Hormonal Link
These researchers looked at the
percentage of women using oral
contraceptives, IUDs, condoms,
and vaginal barrier contraceptives
in 87 different countries. Then
they compared the incidence and
deaths from prostate cancer in
those same countries.
Unlike any of the other
forms of contraceptives, they
found the highest rates of pros-
in their own diet and lifestyle
habits to effectively improve the
child’s health. It’s not easy. I know
firsthand the added challenges
of keeping a young child healthy
and fed properly. However, many
adults don’t want to change their
own habits. They’re too busy, too
VOLUME 15 • N O 3
tate cancer in those countries
with the highest use of oral
contraceptives. (BMJ Open
2011;1:e000311doi:10.1136)
So far this doesn’t prove a direct
connection between the two, but
based on earlier studies I’ve covered in the past, it’s not much of a
stretch. The estrogen in birth control pills passes in the urine into
the sewage systems and eventually ends up in the drinking water
supply. We’ve already seen where
high levels of estrogen in surface
water have resulted in widespread
changes in the sexual development (feminization, sterilization,
and sexual deformities) of fish and
frogs. Reptiles, in particular, seem
to be the “canary in the coal mine”
when it comes to water pollution.
Even the smallest concentrations
of hormones or other water pollutants can have an immediate and
dramatic effect on their reproduction and overall health.
We seem to forget just how
potent and life-changing sex
hormones can be, and we’ve been
detecting them in our rivers, lakes,
and sources of drinking water for
decades. I have no doubt that 5, 10,
or 15 years from now the evidence
will become so overwhelming that
there will be a huge “discovery”
and everyone will be warned of the
danger. By then, however, it will be
too late for millions of people who
have either died or are suffering
from the long-term consequences.
It won’t be just hormones like
estrogens, either. Aspirin use is so
prevalent that it and other pharmaceuticals are already at detectable
levels in the Great Lakes. PCB,
pesticides, herbicides, plasticizers
like BPA, and thousands of other
chemicals eventually end up in our
water. If you think about it, where
else can they go?
If you are not on a private, uncontaminated well (that you’ve tested),
then there’s little doubt your tap
water comes from a public water
system and is contaminated.
Estrogenic compounds found in
drinking water may be contributing
to both the incidence and mortality
of prostate cancer. We know it is
resulting in earlier puberty in girls
and most likely a drop in fertility in
men. I believe many of the pesticides that were developed to kill
insects by specifically destroying
their nervous system, are contributing to the unexplained increase
in so many neurological diseases.
Use Distilled Water
Besides air, water is the only
thing we take in on a consistent,
everyday basis. It needs to be
clean and pure. If the municipal
water is your only choice, then
I still recommend distilling the
water with pre- and post-carbon
filtration. To learn more about
distillation, visit drdavidwilliams.
com/distilled-water. The distiller
I recommend is WaterWise 9000
(available at drdavidwilliams.com/
product/waterwise-distiller). ■
stressed, too…whatever. The pharmaceutical industry, once again,
understands this and provides a
solution of “better living through
chemistry.”
collusion. The parent and the
Diagnosing children with ADHD
or bipolar disorder requires
And since repeated warnings and
doctor have to both agree that
the fault lies with the child. In
effect, the child is behaving badly.
punishment won’t change the
5
Alternatives
behavior, then it has to be stopped
by altering the brain chemistry.
Agreeing that a child has a
neurobiological disorder vindicates
the parents. The doctor has saved
another child and family. Other
factors like nutrition, home life,
and social issues no longer matter.
No one has to make any changes
and life can get back to normal.
The public has accepted the
propaganda that, for some
unknown reason, ADHD and
bipolar disorder are just afflicting children everywhere. Maybe
it’s genetic. Who knows? Who
cares? Whatever the reason, the
parents are off the hook. It may
not be exactly what most parents
want to hear, but it provides a
great sense of relief and lifts the
burden of guilt.
fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
These are all things that help
increase your body’s ability to
“fight or flee” and survive when
confronted with stress.
When the stress passes, cortisol levels return to normal and
the body relaxes. In a chronically
high-stress situation, levels don’t
return to normal and we begin to
experience many negative effects.
The same effects you’ll recognize
as being diagnostic markers for
ADHD and bipolar disorder:
Impaired cognitive performance
(mental performance suffers)
■
Blood sugar levels are imbalanced (swings in mood and
energy levels, craving for
carbohydrates)
■
Decreased immunity (allergies,
increased susceptibility to illness,
slower wound healing)
■
Natural Solutions That
Work
I would say that practically
every case of ADHD and bipolar disorder can be directly
linked to dietary/nutritional,
hormonal, or environmental
factors—or, most commonly,
a combination of these. The
majority of cases can be resolved
fairly easily, but some of the more
difficult cases require greater
effort and discipline on the part
of the child and parents. But it is
worth the effort.
I mentioned the role of stress.
As you may recall, chronic stress
takes a physiological toll on
the adrenal glands. In response
to stress, the adrenals release
several hormones—one of which
is cortisol.
Cortisol increases blood sugar
levels by counteracting the effects
of insulin, suppresses the immune
system, and helps metabolize
6
Thyroid dysfunction (weight gain
or weight loss, fluctuating energy
levels, depression, skin diseases)
■
Sodium loss (craving for salt,
increased blood pressure)
■
Increased abdominal fat (metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes)
■
Dietary Changes
It shouldn’t come as any surprise
that two of the most common
underlying problems directly
associated with ADHD and bipolar disorder are weak and poorly
functioning adrenal glands (hypoadrenia) and poor blood sugar
control (typically hypoglycemia).
That’s why cutting caffeine (an
adrenal stimulant), high-fructose
corn syrup, and refined carbohydrates (white flour, cereals, sugar,
candy, fruit juices, sodas, etc.)
from the diet and replacing those
with nutrient-dense foods higher in
protein and fat often makes such a
huge difference.
All of the things I’ve suggested
to help rebuild the adrenal glands
also help ADHD and bipolar
disorder. Other things that help
include eating more frequent but
smaller meals throughout the day,
not skipping meals, and eating
high-quality protein snacks like
nuts, peanut butter, cheese, whey
powder, and avocados.
Vitamins and Nutrients
Although my child doesn’t
have ADHD or bipolar disorder,
his diet is pretty much one that
would treat the problem. As
I’ve said before, if you want to
prevent most health problems, go
on the diet you would use to treat
the problem.
Since I include a protein drink
in my daily routine (get the recipe
at drdavidwilliams.com/lecithinpower-shake-recipe), I often
make him a smaller one, as well.
I include lecithin granules in his,
just as I do in mine. Choline and
lecithin (which includes choline)
have been shown to be beneficial
in treating the manic phase of
bipolar disorder. Most children
like protein drinks. When you use
skim milk and cream or whole
milk (for children) and ice, it
resembles a milk shake. The
basic idea is to maintain a more
consistent blood sugar level so
the adrenals won’t have to work
as hard. This gives them a chance
to strengthen and rebuild and not
have to constantly produce and
release cortisol into the system.
The entire process can be jumpstarted dramatically by providing
children with nutrients needed
specifically for improving glucose
control and adrenal function. It
explains why these same vitamins
MARCH 201 2
and nutrients have been shown
to help resolve ADHD and bipolar
disorder. This includes several of
the B vitamins, zinc, folic acid,
chromium, iron, vitamins A, C, D,
and E, and magnesium. The best
method of getting these and others
is with a quality multi-vitamin/
mineral supplement.
Adrenal Glandular
I also recommend an adrenal glandular. My favorite is
Drenamin by Standard Process
Laboratories. I chew two tablets
every day myself. Standard
Process products are primarily
sold through doctors, but you can
purchase Drenamin directly from
totaldiscountvitamins.com.
Thyroid Glandular
Children with ADHD or bipolar disorder may also have poor
thyroid function. I’ve found that
most of the time, this can also be
treated successfully with glandulars
like Standard Process Laboratories’
Thytrophin (pureformulas.com)
and iodine drops like Iosol (iherb.
com or swansonvitamins.com).
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
As I mentioned in a recent issue,
children with ADHD are very
often deficient in the omega-3
fatty acids DHA and EPA.
Young children in this country
generally haven’t acquired a taste
for fatty fish, and most diets don’t
include chia, flax, or other sources
of these fatty acids. However, I’ve
seen the most remarkable results
in children by simply adding daily
fish oil capsules to their daily diet.
I recommend Nordic Naturals
Children’s DHA chewable softgels
(nordicnaturals.com).
I give my 8-year-old son the
daily recommended dose of 4 soft
gels a day, which comes out to
just over 250 mg of total omega-3s,
and some cinnamon, it has less of an effect on
blood sugar levels. Since most meals contain
more than one item, it’s really best to monitor your
blood sugar levels to get a handle on what’s actually happening with various type meals.
Is Oatmeal Really
Good for You?
Question:
I was reading a past issue of
Alternatives where you were discussing the
glycemic index and a much earlier issue where
you were talking about the benefits of oatmeal.
There seems to be a contradiction. The glycemic
index of oatmeal isn’t that low, however you say
oatmeal is good for you. Which is it?
—Mary D., West Valley City, Utah
That’s why I suggest self-testing using a glucose
monitor, like the OneTouch UltraMini, available at
Wal-Mart. It’s an easy and precise way to see how
specific foods affect your blood sugar levels and
then compare that to the way you feel (your mood,
energy level, etc.).
You are correct. While oatmeal can
be beneficial in many ways for some people, it
is pretty high on the glycemic index, so it could
result in a spike in blood sugar. The glycemic
index provides a rough guideline for determining
how foods affect blood sugar and insulin release,
but it’s only a guideline.
Ideally, I would suggest keeping your “postprandial” level (the level one hour after you eat)
at 100 mg/dL or below. Check your blood sugar
before you eat and then one hour afterward. If
the postprandial level exceeds 100 mg/dL, that
meal or food is a problem. It doesn’t matter if it’s
something you know is sweet, such as a dessert,
or something you think is healthy. If it spikes your
postprandial blood sugar, it’s a problem for you.
Once you identify the problem foods, you don’t
need to keep checking them. For example, if you
ate some oatmeal and your postprandial level was
125 mg/dL, then avoid oatmeal from there on out.
Only check new meals to determine which ones
don’t cause a spike in blood sugar over 100 mg/dL.
Oatmeal’s effect on blood sugar does, in part,
depend on how it’s consumed. If you add a
teaspoon of sugar or some honey to a bowl of
oatmeal, the glycemic index will skyrocket and it
will trigger an even greater spike in blood sugar
levels. If, however, you add a tablespoon of butter
So for a small investment, you can learn a lot
about how oatmeal and various other foods affect
you. More importantly, by avoiding foods and meals
that cause blood sugar spikes, you can reduce your
risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, obesity,
cancer, and a long list of other diseases. ■
Answer:
VOLUME 15 • N O 3
7
Alternatives
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Traditional Fermented Foods:
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One Food Can “Beet” High
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Two Ways to Start Lowering
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but in children with ADHD or bipolar disorder, daily
doses as high as 1 to 3 grams have been used.
Other Factors to Consider
There are other factors that have been linked to
ADHD and bipolar disorder in children and may need
to be ruled out, the most common being food allergies and exposure to lead.
Most of the studies I’ve seen have found that the
incidence of ADHD cases is higher in lower-income
groups. Again, this may be partly due to stress issues I
talked about earlier. But I can’t help but think diet also
plays a role. Studies routinely find that lower-income
groups generally tend to consume higher levels of
refined carbohydrates and less quality protein…the
perfect foundation for developing ADHD symptoms.
Another trend over the last couple of decades has
been that of feeding children along the lines of many
of the popular, but ill-conceived health fads.
For instance, children need high-quality fats in their
diet. But, since there has been a lot of misinformation
on the so-called dangers of fat, many parents only give
their children low-fat or no-fat food items. They will
allow olive oil but won’t feed them beef, butter, lamb,
and other fat-containing foods. This is a huge mistake.
A variety of healthy fats is good for everyone. These
children subsist on lean chicken breasts, soy products,
pasta, salads, bread, etc., and exhibit all the signs and
symptoms of having fatty acid deficiencies at a time
8
when fats are crucial
for normal growth
and the development
of their nervous
and other systems.
Eating quality fats
doesn’t make one
fat…refined carbohydrates do.
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[email protected].
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800‑527‑3044.
Be sure to visit drdavidwilliams.
com to learn much more.
I don’t want to downplay the seriousness and the
difficulty of dealing with either ADHD or bipolar
disorder. For the child and the family, both can be a
nightmare. There may be cases where either the type
of changes I’ve discussed won’t solve the problem, or
the underlying cause can’t be determined.
And, I’m sure some of these disorders have a
contributing genetic basis, maybe from a mother’s
drug use or the child’s earlier exposure to some
toxin. These cases may require medication. Based
on research studies, my experiences and that of
hundreds of other practitioners, however, I think that
is more of the exception than the rule. ■
Until next month, take care,
MARCH 201 2