Archive for the ‘ADHD’ Category
Kids that have ADHD or add in the public school system have problems that stem from their teachers labeling them as troublesome.
Teachers can mistakenly label a kid that has a hard time sitting still and who is constantly playing with things will being distracted as a trouble maker.
Children that have ADD or ADHD can do very well in school if their needs are addressed properly. They are not bad kids by any means, and the first thing to understand is that their brains are wired differently than the rest of the class.
If material in the classroom is not being taught in a way to capture the needs of a child with ADD or ADHD, they easily become bored, restless and distracted.
Students with ADHD or ADD are more prone to learning through visual stimulation than in traditional classroom settings. They will get more out of a 30 minute video than they will from two weeks of standard classroom lectures and presentations.
Children who suffer from ADD or ADHD have a hard time controlling their thoughts when they don’t have things to do to stimulate them. As they get more and more bored, their minds race more and more until it becomes very frustrating.
As more and more studies show the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intolerances to certain food substances, more and more children go on specific diets to address the nutritional basis of the disorder. Among these ADHD diets is the glutein-free diet, or Sara’s Diet. Sara’s Diet is based on the gluten-free, casein-free diet (GFCF) in that all wheat and dairy products are forbidden. However, the diet also eliminates food with lutein, a natural pigment found in some vegetables and fruits. The diet was first formulated when experts discovered that some children who went on the GFCF diet without removing lutein experienced allergic reactions when they ate food with lutein. The allergic reactions would cause a metabolic imbalance that interrupted neurotransmitter activity, causing inattention, hyperactivity, and the other symptoms of ADHD.
There are many foods that naturally contain lutein, including red peppers, spinach, peas, egg yolk, mustard, leeks, and Romaine lettuce. It is difficult to say how much lutein these foods contain because the amount depends on factors like soil quality, exposure to light, and the period of the year. Certain vegetables like melon, cucumber, and tomato do not have lutein but instead contain pigments like zeaxanthine and lycopene, which the body metabolizes into lutein.
Lutein is actually not a bad substance per se; in fact, it is known to improve eyesight and work as a natural antioxidant. However, children with ADHD become more sensitive to lutein when they don’t have gluten and casein in their bodies. Researchers also believe that the human body is unable to utilize the lutein that naturally occurs in vegetables. For our body to obtain lutein it can actually use, it is better to consume foods with lycopene, zeaxanthine, and other pigments that the body can convert into bio-available lutein.
The lutein-free diet is often recommended when the GFCF diet does not work, and is as simple to follow as the GFCF diet. All foots containing gluten, casein, lutein, and artificial additives are removed and replaced with nutritious, lutein-free foods. You can either remove lutein-containing foods slowly or immediately, but nutritionists recommend the latter to make it easier to see if the diet is working. Food supplements like omega-3 fish oils and vitamin B, and healing foods like coconut and aloe, help the immune system calm down and ease the body’s natural detoxification abilities.
As the immune system becomes more stable, the child experiences a healing process through which the body gets rid of toxins and restores balance to the metabolism. However, this is where the difficult part begins. Aside from experiencing the withdrawal symptoms of gluten and casein loss, your child can also experience certain temporary problems as toxins get flushed out. These include cold-like symptoms and flu-like symptoms. It might be worrisome at first, but the emergence of these symptoms is a sign that the diet is working.
Before putting your child on the lutein-free diet, please consult your physician or a nutritionist and ask for a diet plan. Going on Sara’s Diet without proper planning and expert advice may lead to a vitamin A or vitamin D deficiency, which will only trigger symptoms of ADHD.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly referred to as ADHD is classified as a chronic neurological condition that can manifest in many observable ways including an innate affinity or propensity for impulsivity and inability to pay attention. The patient diagnosed with ADHD has obstructive difficulty with even minimal focus of concentration, and engaging in passive activities, or both simultaneously. Although ADHD is present at birth, diagnosis before the ages of 4 and 5 is difficult unless a child exhibits severe or prominent symptoms. Some patients, however are not diagnosed until they reach adulthood. The disorder occurs in an estimated 8% of adolescent school children within The United States and according to The National Institute of Health this figure is expected to grow exponentially.
There is a lot of controversy regarding ADHD when it comes to major medical health insurance. Some plans cover the condition while others do not and yet some will consider providing coverage under very specific guidelines or stipulations.
This article was created to assist interested applicants with proper preparation to obtain a health insurance plan that will cover the treatment of ADHD without endorsing limitable riders or attached exclusions written on the policy when placed and issued.
In the individual private healthcare market ADHD specialty coverage is categorized under mental health treatment benefits so generally speaking as a guideline any plan excluding mental health related benefits will not provide coverage for ADHD. Most plans specifically exclude ADHD coverage altogether in their schedule of benefits so be especially prudent when considering a plan and ask your broker to quote you only on plans that do.
Now that we have the worst behind us there is some good news. First, most states have enacted mental heath parity laws to cover ADHD if a proposed applicant is approved, so if the health insurance company approves an application after an initial medical underwriting review screen then they have to provide coverage for ADHD. The federally mandated states which are applicable for the individual private healthcare market constitute of Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.
Secondly, if the applicant is domiciled in a resident state not enlisted above and a plan covering treatment of ADHD has been applied for, it is imperative to prepare for the ensuing interrogative underwriting questionnaire screening. There are basically three underwriting concerns with ADHD and preparation with underwriters is vitally paramount or key to obtain a successful outcome.
(1) The first concern is that there is a high incidence of depression with ADHD. Depression carries its own underwriting risk. In addition, stimulants have been known to increase the severity of depression, which could pose a cumulative risk for co-morbid conditions.
Tip: Insurance companies are very skeptical about approving an application on behalf of an applicant with a diagnosis of certain anxiety disorders or depression. The confusion relies on the fact that medications currently being used to treat ADHD are all considered “off label” treatment, meaning its clinical utilization has not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. These prescriptions include stimulant preparation such as Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, or Adderal as well as non-stimulant medications including Wellbutrin, Effexor, and Strattera which are commonly used to treat depression. If any of these drugs are being used, clarification to the health insurance underwriter along with notes from the physician about their role in treating ADHD and not depression will aid tremendously. At present, the only medication that looks like it will have official approval by the FDA for the treatment of ADHD is Strattera.
(2) The second concern is that there is a motor vehicle driving risk with ADHD. This includes a higher risk for fatal accidents, casualties, and more citations for speeding or reckless driving.
Tip: Statistically ADHD is associated with an increased risk for hazardous accidents, collisions, and fatalities. Stimulant treatment along with immediate release Methylphendiate has demonstrated to improve driving performance and neuropsychological functioning. A clean driver record along with a written prescription from a licensed practitioner of medicine has worked well for medical clearance in underwriting decision making.
(3) The third concern is that there is a higher incidence of substance abuse present with ADHD. This includes an early onset of chemical addiction, a longer frequent period of induced intoxication, and a lower rate of recovery.
Tip: There is statistical epidemiologic data indicating that ADHD and substance abuse coexist or occur together more frequently than chance alone. In some aspects studies have found the root of this problem may be linked to overtly being overmedicated to stimulants therefore cultivating neurotransmitters to the drugs addictive properties. This one is tough to beat, health insurance underwriters reserve the right to request a paramedical examination if there is reason to have suspicion. In this case consider detoxification protocols several days before an application is submitted. There are numerous methods of accomplishing this and proving the information here may be beyond the scope of this article but at least now there is sufficient time for preparation.
If you or your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, there is an exceedingly good chance that your health care provider used a behavioral checklist to confirm the diagnosis. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians have parents and teachers fill out a symptoms checklist and then if there are enough ADHD symptom boxes checked then ‘Voila’ a diagnosis is born.
There are major problems with behavior checklist. The biggest problem is that they are only right about 60 percent of the time. Russell Barkley Ph.D., who has studied ADHD extensively, reports that parents and teachers agree on behavioral checklist only about 35 percent of the time. There are diagnostic alternatives that are more accurate and more quantitative. The alternatives include functional Spect scanning, functional MRI, and the ADHD Quotient test.
Dr. Daniel Amen, a very busy ADHD health care provider uses a system of study called spectrometry scanning. Spectrometry scans use infrared probes on the head to chart a picture of brain blood flow. Dr. Amen claims that he can tell what subtype of ADHD the patient is suffering from as well as determining the degree of symptoms that a patient is suffering based on the Spect scan picture. Dr. Amen has been criticized because he has made lots of money scanning folks with ADHD but other physicians have mapped out the brain pathology of ADHD using Spect scans and have also concluded that a diagnosis of ADHD can be made based on blood flow.
Functional MRI also gives you a picture of the active portions of the brain using magnetic imaging. These tests are also expensive but they also give a picture of the part of the brain that is causing problematic symptoms in ADHD.
The ADHD Quotient system is being used at the Hallowell ADHD centers. Dr. Ned Hallowell has written several books on ADHD including one that I consider a bible called Delivered from Distraction.