Hi All

Just came across this study which suggests that removing the adenoids and tonsils in children with breathing disorders and ADD/hyperactivity disorder can have a positive effect on both their breathing and neurology/behaviour.

Here's the original paper.

Cheers

Carl

Hi Carl
Oh no lets take a knife to the kids now!! This sounds a bit like the treatment for mental illness - electric shock or lobotomy ( is that how you spell it?)
60% of kids with ADHD improve if they get a life like grandma prescribed! - 12 hours sleep, three meals a day, plenty of fresh air and exercise and not too much junk food. the rest may need other interventions but surgery/ drugs/ - not the answer in my book!

I quite agree Kate, let them get out in the playgrounds at school and let them actually play. The current 'blame and sue' culture has got a lot to answer for, as schools are too worried now about children hurting themselves to let them get out there and play.
With the current thinking it's amazing that us kids of the 50's, 60's and 70's grew up at all!

I've recently finished writing a paper following a study of a group of boys who were all displaying very difficult behaviours. Some of whom were diagnosed with ADHD and were on medication. We gave them Omega 3 & 6 supplaments over a four month period and the changes in their behaviour were dramatic. The sample size was small and there was no control group but still the findings were significant. They compare with the Gesch, et al, study of 2002 with young prisoners and a number of others.

It's not going to be the right thing for everyone with something like ADHD but for many it will impact positively.

The paper isn't published yet so I can't go into too much detail (I'll tell you when it is) but essentially, there is a group of the population who can't process essential fatty acids through their normal diet. Combine this with the change in eating habits where less fresh fatty fish is eaten (a source of long-chain fatty acids) and the result is that some people suffer from poor concerntration, etc, leading to higher frustration levels and so on. Now, in my opinion, if this is combined with inadequate parenting then you have a volotile cocktail.

In my work as a therapeutic childcare professional (dare I say expert) over the last 11 years, I have worked with hundreds of the countries most difficult young people. These boys had very unhappy lives, had experienced sometimes 20+ placements in a couple of years, you can imagine the impact this would have on a child's behaviour. Many had been dagnosed with ADHD, ADD or something similar and were on medication. Most came off that medication with no negative outcome with the right support and care. I can think of only two who seemed to do better on it than off.

As for taking out adenoids and tonsils, the last sentence of the conclusions seems very important to me, "However, the lack of better correspondence between SDB measures and neurobehavioral outcomes suggests the need for better measures or improved understanding of underlying causal mechanisms."

Let's see what that shows us.

Hi Stuart, there was a similar study done in Durham a few years ago using Omega 3&6; they got similar results to the ones you describe. I think where giving young people chemicals is concerned, trying a natural way such as supplementing the diet or changing the diet or increasing playtime and actually spending their energy may be a better first route. Many of the youngsters I've worked with in the past certainly didn't show ADD symptoms ALL the time, some acted on the characteristics and used it as a kind of excuse to be bad too...

Penny

Hi Stuart and Penny.
Yes I have also heard very good reports of omega 3/6 supplements. My friend Jo Todd who is a dyslexia specialist says it improves other learning differences and difficulties too. Regarding your amazing work Stuart, I would be very interested in reading your report when you publish.It sounds like you are doing a great job with these troubled youngsters. I think if I had lived in 20+ places ADD would be a good choice to make given what was on offer at the time! My experience is that children do the best they can in any given situation and when they have better choices they will make better decisions.
Penny I think you are right. One little lad said to his teacher - Ive got ADHD miss. She said 'where is it' She held her hands out and said lets put it under the table until the end of the lesson. He laughed and was perfectly lovely all lesson. The power of a good nominalisation!
Kate