Hyperactivity & Learning Disorders

Learning disorders are just one of many neurological problems that affect children today. They include hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and minimal brain damage among others. The number of children diagnosed with these conditions is growing at a staggering rate, as medical historian Harris Coulter, Ph.D. has noted:

The American Psychiatric Association (Third Edition, revised 1987) publishes a guide to mental illnesses in this country, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual which devotes seventy pages to “Disorders Usually First Evident in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence. ” The second edition in 1968 dealt with these disorders in only 3-112 pages. The first edition, 1952, did not mention them at all.

These disorders have received the appellation “developmental disabilities. ” Probably the leading one is dyslexia, ” also called “minimal brain damage. ” Another prominent one is “autism”. But there are many others. Probably twenty percent of American children-one youngster in fame-suffers from a “developmental disability. ” This is a ,stupefying figure…

 

Ritalin

The standard medical treatment for hyperactivity in children is amphetamine medications such as Ritalin, Dexedrine and Cylert. Ritalin is classified as a schedule II substance by the FDA along with cocaine, morphine, opium and methadone. Ritalin can have severe side effects, including arrested growth, increased heart rate, insomnia, loss of appetite, social withdrawal, irritability, moodiness and involuntary movements or sounds. In 1988, a half-million children were prescribed stimulant drugs for ADD and ADHD. By 1997 the number was two million and it is expected to reach eight million by 2000. Interestingly, M.D.s in the U.S. prescribe five times the quantity of stimulants for children as M.D.s in other countries. Many parents are concerned about drugging their children for years and possible drug abuse and dependency. “Is there another way,” they ask?

 

The Cause of Learning Disorders?

Dr. Coulter and a growing number of professionals feel that many of the neurologically damaged are victims of childhood vaccinations: A large proportion of the millions of U. S. children and adults suffering from autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia, and other shoots and branches of the hydra-headed entity called ‘developmental disabilities, ” owe their disorders to one or another of the vaccines against childhood diseases.

Other causes of neurologic damage may be trauma to the head, severe burn, infectious diseases, accidents and falls.

What Can Chiropractic Do?

Chiropractors are trained to locate and correct vertebral subluxations-tiny distortions of spinal bones or vertebrae-that can irritate or stress the spine, discs, muscles, ligaments and nervous system.

Although not a treatment for neurological disorders, chiropractic care has given many children suffering from neurological disorders new hope. Chiropractors, parents and school officials have reported on the effectiveness of chiropractic care for children with many kinds of neurological conditions including learning disorders, hyperactivity, inability to concentrate and behavior problems.