And what about the many conditions
that mimic ADD, such as dyslexia and other learning disabilities,
vision and auditory problems, epilepsy, developmental disorders,
hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, food allergies,
lead poisoning, caffeinism, anxiety, depression, and obsessive
compulsive disorder, just to name a few? It is essential to understand
and differentiate each individual child, not only from the viewpoint
of psychological testing, but also to comprehend deeply the physical
symptoms, experience, feelings, beliefs, and motivations of each
child.
Unlike many other syndromes there
is no physical examination or laboratory test that definitely
confirms the diagnosis of ADD. While some psychologists and educators
use the Conners' Rating Scales, others, including physicians, often base the diagnosis
on the subjective reports of parents and teachers. The inconsistency
of diagnostic criteria and apparent overdiagnosing in this country
has led many to question the diagnosis of ADD. Some educational
experts acknowledge that "The position that ADHD is not a
proven syndrome has many advocates, physicians as well as educators.
However, whether or not a syndrome exists, it is clear that many
children have difficulty in school because of an inability to
attend to tasks. The ideal would be to describe each child's strengths
and weaknesses and offer an individualized program." We
would like to take this a step further: Offer an individualized
medicine as well as a learning program tailored to the needs of
the individual child.
The Homeopathic Approach
to ADD
Homeopaths are able to treat ADD
effectively in many cases by bringing the individual into balance.
Homeopaths treat people with ADD, not the ADD itself. For a homeopath,
what needs to be treated is the specific pattern of symptoms which
an individual presents. Only the one homeopathic medicine that
specifically matches the unique symptoms of the individual will
allow the person to live in a functional way.
Each of these individuals included
in this book is unique, and it is that uniqueness that leads to
the homeopathic prescription in such a different way than with conventional medicine. Our clinical experience, presented in the case studies in this book, as well as the published experience of other homeopaths, suggests strongly that homeopathy is a useful treatment for ADD. Homeopaths always
take the whole person into account. If the chief complaint of
the person is his inability to sit still, difficulty concentrating,
or other symptoms of ADD, these behaviors would certainly be taken
into account, but in combination with all the person's other symptoms.
The homeopath would note anything unusual about that person. That
might include a history of scarlet fever during childhood, a strong
fear of birds, recurrent dreams of falling out of bed at night
and no one coming to the rescue, or a craving for persimmons.
The homeopath sincerely seeks to understand the uniqueness of
the patient.
The Pros of Homeopathic Treatment of ADD
· Treats the whole person at
the root of the problem Considered safe, without the side effects
of Ritalin and other medications
· Uses natural, nontoxic medicines
· Treats each person as an individual
· Heals physical as well as
mental and emotional symptoms
· Lasts for months or years
rather than hours