Hladysz: Brain’s balance an ADD factor

By Halina Hladysz, Special to the Journal | Monday, January 01, 2007

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During our consultation in May, Alice described her 13-year-old son, Matthew, as a typical couch potato, diagnosed one-and-a-half years ago with attention deficit disorder.

Matthew also suffered from asthma, eczema and numerous food, chemical and airborne allergies. His most pronounced ADD symptoms were lack of concentration, forgetfulness and disorganization. He was lethargic, staying inactive most of the time and not even willing to pursue friendships.

“He would rather stay on the couch,” Alice said.

ADD is viewed as a mental disorder, but it actually stems from brain starvation, brain poisoning, overall brain stress and genetics. (Refer to my September article for a description of all six ADD types. In its broad definition, ADD encompasses hyperactivity as well as other similar imbalances.)

Psychiatrist Charles Gant, in his book “ADD and ADHD Complementary Medicine Solutions,” writes, “Absolutely 100 percent of human beings, without exception, can be made to display the symptoms of inattentiveness by simply driving their brains into chemical imbalance, either with enough of a toxin exposure (brain poisoning) and/or with enough of a nutritional deficiency (brain starvation).”

Gant continues his reasoning by encouraging readers to remember the way they felt when they had a bad case of flu. “Did you become inattentive, restless and fidgety and have trouble sleeping? Did you lose motivation, feel lazy and lose interest in work? Did you become irritable and uncooperative? Of course you did. Are flu symptoms caused by psychological problems, by lack of social support or poor parenting? Of course not. That’s ridiculous.

“The symptoms of inattentiveness, restlessness, fidgetiness, insomnia, laziness, irritability and uncooperativeness were caused by brain poisoning with viral and other toxins, and possibly worsened by malnutrition and dehydration.”

Did you just say “wow” because you have never thought about this? After the flu is over, we can balance our brain by nutritional support and cleansing our body and brain from poison; in the same way most ADD sufferers can restore their brains to normal function by addressing all of the causes of its starvation and poisoning.

As an example, let’s peek into Matthew’s progress. After five weeks on an improved diet and special supplementation, Matthew became energetic, was sleeping better and was motivated to get up early in the morning to deliver newspapers.

He was engaging in activities with his friends and started riding his bike, previously abandoned. From a passive boy, he was emerging as an outgoing person. In addition, his asthma and allergy symptoms improved.

ADD does not just happen. It does not arise spontaneously without scientifically proved causes.

Recall from my last article that children and adults who have this disorder are not morally defective; neither is the anatomy of the brain damaged. Their brain function is compromised during mental activity. Thus, a person with ADD can be restored to health by reversing the underlying biochemical imbalances n brain starvation and brain poisoning. Their symptoms will diminish one at a time as they have for Matthew.

[b Potential ADD risk factors]

In this month’s column I address the first risk factor; on Nov. 13 I will address five other factors.

[b 1. Allergies and sensitivities to food and additives.]

For most people with ADD, avoiding exposure to toxins and removing toxins from the body are the most important steps. Avoid any food which was processed by a factory because it is loaded with additives, colorings and flavorings; such food it is also chemically changed.

Read the labels. View this “food” as non-food. Some people are genetically vulnerable to processed foods. Many children and adults who crave these substances are addicted to them. They react like typical addicts when these substances are removed from their diet; they manipulate, lie, bargain, steal and even act violently in order to acquire these substances.

The food allergies which cause ADD are delayed allergies, and they stress the immune system even two to three days after food consumption. You most likely have these allergies if

n You have strong food cravings. Generally, the food the people crave the most is the one that most likely sets off delayed allergic reactions.

n After eating these foods, you think, feel or act differently.

n You develop respiratory and skin symptoms such as stuffy nose, hoarseness or skin sensitivities. You may be diagnosed with asthma, hay fever or eczema.

How does one determine what foods he is allergic to? If a delayed-food allergy test is not available, eliminate first all food containing dairy (e.g. milk, cheese and ice cream), wheat foods (e.g. bread and pasta), peanuts and eggs.

Remember, however, that ADD is caused by a combination of food allergies and other risk factors; thus, elimination of these foods must be necessary to healing, but you may not see dramatic changes until you address the other risk factors. I will present them in my next article. Please, “tune in.”

This column is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat diseases. If you have a serious health problem, consult a competent health practitioner. Halina Hladysz of Rapid City is a certified Master of Holistic Healing, a natural health consultant, an herbalist, holistic nutritionist and certified iridologist. You can write to her in care of The Rapid City Journal, Box 450, Rapid City, SD 57709, or send her e-mail messages at health@rushmore.com