> Maxine, > Here is something of interest regarding ADD. Might be worth looking into. > > Nancy... > > The Hot Dog Disease. > > http://campaignfortruth.com/Eclub/010202/CFTarticle.htm > > MANAGING ATTENTION DEFICIT THE NATURAL WAY > And Boosting Your Family's Health as an Added Bonus! > by Richard Jeffreys > > It was when she read that mothers in California were calling their > children's ADD or ADHD the "hotdog disease", that the penny dropped for > German researcher Hertha Hafer. > > Hafer, a research pharmacist, and her chemist husband had adopted a boy, > Michael, who turned out to be severely affected by Attention Deficit > Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). > > In the first months he was with them there were no particular problems but > his primary school years developed into a disaster. Most of the many and > varied symptoms and problems which characterise ADD/ADHD surfaced: > inattention, restlessness, impulsiveness, defiance, destructiveness, > slowness to start tasks and inability to complete them, messy handwriting, > untidiness and disorganisation, poor fine motor skills, indifference, > aggressiveness, constant talking, dishonesty - the list went on & > > Hafer had earlier raised a daughter on her own during the difficult years > of the Second World War, after the death of her first husband on the > Russian front. The upbringing of her daughter had caused no problems at all > and she considered herself to be a good mother. > > She therefore could not understand it when Michael began to have so many > problems. She was frustrated and hurt to find teachers blaming her and her > husband for the child's behaviour. "You, you're just naughty!" one primary > teacher said to Michael in front of his mother and the word "spoilt" was > used many times. These were the years when ADD was commonly believed to be > the result of poor parenting. > > Hafer and her husband were soon at their wits' end. There were many visits > to doctors and psychologists. Various medications and treatments, including > stimulant medications, were prescribed. Some made things worse; none > provided a satisfactory answer. > > Meantime, Hafer noticed to her surprise that under certain circumstances > Michael's behaviour settled down quite suddenly and his ADHD symptoms > vanished. He became for brief periods a perfectly unobtrusive, loving and > lovable small boy. > > This she noticed first on occasions when she and her husband argued or > quarrelled at home, above all if they argued about Michael himself. On such > occasions Michael could be a perfect child for as long as three days. > (Those readers who have experience of ADD/ADHD will not be surprised to > learn that there were such quarrels; having an ADD child can be enough to > try a saint and can put stress on the best of relationships!) > > The other occasion was when Michael was hit by a severe viral infection. > For a week his temperature hovered around 40oC. As long as it remained high > his behaviour was excellent; as soon as it dropped towards normal, the > behaviour problems resurfaced. > > Hafer was struck and very much intrigued by these events. Who then, she > wondered, was the 'real' Michael? The little monster, who was driving his > parents and his teachers to distraction? Or the normal, happy and > well-adjusted small boy who bobbed to the surface occasionally and then > disappeared again? Hafer had always in her heart believed - and now became > convinced - that it was the latter who was the real Michael. Something in > his environment was triggering Michael's difficult behaviour. But what > could it be? > > Hafer began to scour the literature for clues. She read everything she > could lay her hands on - in German, in French and in English - about child > behaviour problems and especially ADD/ADHD. The first breakthrough came > when the work of US allergist Ben F Feingold came to her attention. > > Feingold had discovered that there was a link between diet and ADD/ADHD. > The removal from the diet of certain foods brought about a considerable > improvement in the behaviour of many behaviour-disturbed children. > > Having managed to obtain a copy of Feingold's book: "Why Your Child is > Hyperactive" (published in New York in 1974), the Hafers put Michael onto > the Feingold diet. Within a few days his behaviour began to improve but > there were still lapses. They began to wonder just precisely what was the > problem ingredient, or perhaps ingredients, in the foods that caused > hyperactivity and other behaviour problems. Feingold suspected additives > and food colourings but research based upon his diet had yielded very > conflicting results, making the issue of the relationship between ADD/ADHD > and diet a subject of much controversy. So much so that many 'experts' have > declared diet to be a blind alley in the field of ADD research. > > It was then that Hertha Hafer read about Californian mothers referring to > their children's ADD as the "hotdog disease". She had for several years > worked as a research pharmacist on studies related to food. She had > particularly studied the biology of the human mouth. Because of what she > already knew from her earlier studies of food ingredients, Hafer concluded > that there was only one ingredient in hotdogs that could be responsible for > the problems. This was phosphate (commonly listed on meat product labels as > 'mineral salts'). > > Phosphate is a form of the element phosphorous. It is an essential nutrient > that plays an important role in many functions of the human body, > particularly at the cellular level. Phosphate molecules supply energy in > the form of ADP/ATP, allowing cells to carry out their life processes. It > appears to be particularly important to the cells of the central nervous > system. Phosphates are naturally present in a very wide range of foods, so > we all are able to obtain the phosphorous we need from our diets. > > But phosphate is also a substance of great interest to the modern food > processing industry. The excellent (from the point of view of > manufacturers) properties of phosphate when used in buffer solutions, > emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, antioxidants, etc. have resulted in > its being regarded as a versatile and highly effective additive. The meat > industry uses phosphate - as mineral salts - in sausages and other > smallgoods. Phosphate is also found in cheese spreads and is used as an > emulsifier in commercial soups, sauces, creams and chocolates. It is used > as a flour improver, a flow conditioner in bulk goods, an aerator and as a > component of modified starch. In many breads it appears as lecithin. > Cola-based drinks, other 'soft' drinks and fruit cordials have > extraordinarily high levels of phosphoric acid.<?xml:namespace prefix = o > ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> > > Because of the widespread use of phosphate additives and the rapidly > growing trend to processed, pre-prepared and convenience foods, people in > the 'developed' world are now consuming up to three times the amount of > phosphorous that would have been contained in the natural diet of > generations ago. There is growing evidence that phosphate in food has > increased 300% over the last thirty years in this group of countries. > > Generally phosphate has been regarded as a harmless additive, probably > because it is established that phosphorous is an essential nutrient, > without which we could not function properly. Quite likely, the assumption > has come to be that "you can't have too much of a good thing", an > assumption which Hafer came increasingly to question. She could find only > one piece of research that had investigated the safety of phosphate as a > food additive. In that study only two people had been used as subjects. > > Hafer next set about finding out which natural foods contain relatively > high levels of phosphate and which processed foods contained phosphate > additives. She put Michael onto a low phosphate diet. His behavioural > problems progressively disappeared. The intelligent, personable Michael > whom she had long believed lay behind the highly disturbed personality and > the atrocious behaviour became reliably and consistently evident. > > Hafer told other parents of problem children about her discovery. They > tried her diet and it worked for them too. Convinced that she had made a > major discovery, she published her findings in a slim volume in 1978. This > was: "Die heimliche Droge Nahrungsphosphat: Ursache für > Verhaltensstörungen, Schulversagen und Jugendkriminalität" ["The Hidden > Drug Dietary Phosphate - Cause of Behaviour Disturbance, Learning > Difficulties and Juvenile Delinquency"] > > This book has gone through six editions to date in German and has sold well > over 70,000 copies, which makes it a remarkably successful book. It has > gone thorough six editions, has been translated into French and into > Italian but only recently into English. > > Some years ago Australian mother of three, Jane Donlin, was struggling with > the difficult behaviour of her hyperactive son, and searching for answers, > just like Hafer had been years earlier. Jane had been raised in Germany. A > German friend sent her a copy of Hafer's book. Jane started to read it and > found herself unable to put it down. > > Immediately she put her boy onto Hafer's low phosphate diet. His behaviour > and well being improved. For confirmation, after a few days she gave him a > meal of processed meat, a can of cola and a chocolate dessert - all high > phosphate foods - and within thirty minutes the ADD symptoms came flooding > back. Jane needed no further convincing. Since then the whole family has > been on a low-phosphate diet and they have remained well. Her son's > problems are largely a thing of the past. He left school at the end of Year > 11 and is now training in hospitality. > > To express her appreciation, Jane wrote to Hertha Hafer to thank her for > her book and to tell her how much it had helped her son. She asked whether > an English translation was available, because she wanted to share the > information in the book with her friends who could not read German. > > Hertha Hafer replied that there was no such translation yet available; > however, she would welcome one. As Jane was fluent in both German and > English and the book seemed to her so important, she decided to take on the > challenge of translating Hafer's work. Thus it came about that: "The Hidden > Drug - Dietary Phosphate: Cause of Behaviour Disturbance, Learning > Difficulties and Juvenile Delinquency", appeared in print in June last. In > partnership with Richard Jeffreys - who helped with the editing of the > translation - an associated website was launched - www.phosadd.com - to > promote Hafer's work and to publish other relevant information relating to > her discovery. > > This book is enormously important to families - and there is an ever > increasing number of them - struggling with ADD/ADHD. It will be of > particular interest to members and supporters of the Campaign for Truth in > Medicine and to parents and carers who may not be at all happy at the > prospect of having their children on amphetamine-based medications. These > drugs do not cure ADD/ADHD - otherwise they would not need to be taken > continuously. They do in many cases make a difference and suppress the > behavioural symptoms but evidence suggests that they may not remedy the > intellectual deficits and that there is a considerable number of children > who do not derive any significant benefit from them. They have unwanted > side effects in some cases and they may have to be taken life-long. With > large quantities of these potentially dangerous medications washing around > school playgrounds, there is plenty of potential for misuse and abuse, > which is well documented in a number of jurisdictions. > > A few other points are worth making about ADD/ADHD: > > Unlike some diseases which were around as far back as the times of the > Pharaohs, ADD/ADHD is a modern, chronic condition. The spectacular rise in > its incidence over the last three decades has proceeded in parallel with a > major shift to supermarket, processed and pre-prepared foods that has > involved a very big increase in the consumption of phosphate - an additive > in a high percentage of these foods. ADD/ADHD affects many more boys than > girls. Hafer offers an explanation. She claims that male hormones reinforce > the harmful effects of excess phosphate in the diet; thus boys' behaviour > often becomes worse around puberty. Female hormones have the opposite > effect, so girls with ADD/ADHD often settle down around the time of > puberty; these girls however - according to Hafer - are not out of danger; > they are at increased risk to osteoporosis, the silent epidemic. > > There is a genetic component in the ADD story. Many individuals seem to be > able to consume excess dietary phosphate without risk. However, Hafer > believes perhaps as many as fifty percent of children are affected by > excess phosphate to some degree. Some are extremely sensitive; it is they > who display the full range of symptoms and who tend to be diagnosed with > ADD/ADHD. Others may be only slightly affected; among them probably are the > many who are chatty and unfocused at school, who never seem to do as well > as their parents and teachers believe them capable of doing. > > ADD/ADHD continues to be unknown today in countries where people continue > to consume a traditional diet of natural, unprocessed foods. This salient > fact suggests strongly that there must be an environmental factor at work > in the 'developed' countries; altered diet is an obvious place to seek such > a factor. > > Many ADD children are in fact highly intelligent and it is a tragedy when > the natural talents of these children are undermined by a condition which > makes them a pain to their teachers, their peers and themselves in the > classroom, and which sabotages their learning. > > ADD/ADHD children are also at increased risk to other conditions that > result from excessive phosphate intake. These include: infant colic, sleep > disturbances, eczema, allergies and asthma. The recommended diet has often > been found to be effective against these conditions also. > > One Australian medical practitioner who runs a clinic for heroin-addicted > clients estimates that in sixty percent of the cases he deals with, the > underlying condition which led to and prevents successful resolution of the > heroin addiction is ADD/ADHD. Hafer claims there is a strong link between > ADD/ADHD and substance abuse. The recommended diet may well therefore not > only protect children against the ravages of ADD/ADHD, but also serve to > shield them from the even more serious potential hazards of addiction. > > Hafer's recommended diet is not an unduly strict one. A wide range of foods > widely recognised as healthy - most fruits and vegetables for example - are > on the 'approved' list. In the light of the foregoing, however, readers > will not be surprised to learn that many foods popular with today's > children are high in phosphate additives. They include: milk and many dairy > products; many sausage and processed meat products (though fresh meat and > fish present no problems); many commercial bakery products; many cool > drinks and cordials. It is precisely because our children eat and drink so > many of the wrong things that so many of them are so sick. > > Children typically do not like to be barred from eating foods that are > 'cool' and popular with their peers. The diet is most easily accepted when > it is a fact of life from babyhood onwards. Hafer says parents will find, > however, that children who come to discover for themselves how much better > they feel on the diet, how much better they do at school and how easily > they manage to stay out of trouble will come to accept the need for it. One > wise child commented: "If I have to be different from my friends, I'd > rather be different in what I eat than in how I behave!" > > To avoid singling out a particular child, and designating him or her as in > some way 'different', Hafer recommends that the whole family should adopt > the diet. Since the susceptibility to phosphorous is genetic and runs in > families, this often has spin-off advantages for it may well be that more > than one family member is affected, though not always so obtrusively as to > have been diagnosed. Hafer reports, for example, that it is not unusual for > a rigid, domineering father to mellow when a family goes onto the diet. > > There is interesting and compelling evidence that excessive intake of and > exposure to phosphorous is implicated in other modern disease scourges; > Agent Orange - widely regarded as having caused horrendous problems for > Vietnam veterans - was an organophosphate spray. Nasties in the list > include cancer, arthritis, asthma and allergic conditions, as well as > osteoporosis. > > By adopting the diet recommended by Hafer, a family may therefore not only > help a child affected by ADD but also, at one and the same time, improve > their general health and give themselves significant protection against a > range of health conditions that are virtual epidemics in the 'developed' > world at this time.] > > "The Hidden Drug: Dietary Phosphate" by Hertha Hafer can be ordered online > via the website www.phosadd.com. This website offers a considerable amount > of further information about dietary phosphate.To contact the correspondent > of this article, Richard Jeffreys, please use: [email protected] > > Managing Attention Deficit the Natural Way.rtf > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > In the interest of circulating this information to everyone who deals with > ADD and ADHD children, get it to your friends, your school teachers and > principals, your public health authorities and nurses, your doctor, and > your politicians - on all levels. They are the ones who make policy, and > insightful information will lead to better decisions. They must be > convinced that there are better solutions than having half the population > of boys on Ritalin (which I consider a criminal assault on our > children. We must make sure that our children do not get hooked on any > drugs, prescribed or otherwise. ) > > We must also put pressure on the processed food industry to cease using > phosphate additives. Parent-consumer pressure translates into lost > business for them, and they will listen if enough people let them know that > we will refuse to buy their additive-laden products. Our children MUST > remain our FIRST PRIORITY!. > > ---------- > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.320 / Virus Database: 179 - Release Date: 1/30/02 > > > > > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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