I have had a number of parents ask me
this question and it would seem that it stems from the tremendous amount of conflicting
information around the causes and treatments available.
ADHD is now the leading childhood
disorder in the United States and throughout the world, affecting 10% of US children
( CDC numbers from 2007, no estimates for 2012 are available).
The good news is that over the last
decade, a growing number of scientific studies have shown that ADHD and
Learning Disabilities have a biological basis in the brain. The current breakthroughs in neuroscience have
identified “weaker” or developmentally delayed brain areas, to be involved.
To illustrate how developmental delays play out, I use the analogy of a philharmonic orchestra.
The brain is the conductor, the musicians with their instruments representing the
different areas of the brain with their specific role, and the music, which corresponds
to behavior, emotions and thoughts. The conductor moves back and forth to cue/activate
the left or right side of the orchestra /brain. The musicians do not usually
all play at the same time or same at the same volume. Each musician must not
only play the right notes, but play them a precisely the right time. Timing is everything.
If the a poorly trained conductor focuses more on the left side of the
orchestra, the right side can become confused or slow down, the two sides
become disharmonious, because one side has become dominant. Furthermore if five
or seven musicians/areas of the brain are playing off key, the music becomes
disharmonious. The conductor is unable to do anything about it. In either case
additional training/rehabilitation is needed. The same goes for the brain.
Factors that can cause or contribute
to the brain developmental delays that produce true ADHD, are as I understand them to be are: stressful
pregnancy or birth, birth trauma, failure to crawl, rigid areas in the spine,
poor posture with weak core muscles, sedentary lifestyle (not enough physical
play), allergies and the inflammation they trigger, intestinal inflammation,
chronic inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic (body chemistry)
imbalances such as blood sugar levels or neurotransmitter levels. Environmental
toxins and psycho-social factors (IE bullying or abuse) are also part of the
picture. Yes, there is a genetic involvement, but it does not determine a
child’s fate, meaning that the activities of the genes can be modified.
Indeed about 85% of all the genes in a human are dedicated to building
and shaping the brain, the new science of Epigenetics and research in Neuroplasticity
are showing that these brain-building genes are selectively turned on or off,
during the developmental stages of the infant, child and throughout life.
Epigenetics has demonstrated that it is a child’s environments and stimulation,
for the most part, that flips the “on or off switches” of the brain-building
genes. A dramatic example of this would be the failure to thrive of an infant
that is neither touched nor loved, which can result in the infant actually
dying.
Now when it comes to treatments, conventional
Medicine’s approach to ADHD has not significantly changed in the last 40 years;
it is all about managing the symptoms. Psychological treatments are also about
better managing the symptoms and the complications that arise from them.
The end result, which
the MTA study (multimodal treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
conducted by the US National Institute of
Mental Health) illustrates that after
2 years of a combination of medication and psychotherapy 50% of children still
have “full blown” ADHD symptoms, and that 50% have improved symptoms, as long
as they are on medications and receive therapy. Clearly better results need to
be achieved, and can be achieved.
Thanks to Neuroplasticity research and
the new advances in diagnostic testing,
showing us how the brain is actually functioning, such as Functional Laboratory
Testing, some genetic testing, SPECT imaging and special EEGs, are now available diagnostic tools. Furthermore
the breakthrough Functional Neurological physical examinations and brain
rehabilitation treatments, developed by Dr. Frederick Carrick,D.C. are other
advances. (Dr. Carrick is a
Chiropractic neurologist, who is accomplishing a small revolution in the field
of neurology, in the mid-1990s, he gained attention for bringing comatose
patients out of their vegetative states using manual stimulation.)
For the most part traditional medical
doctors are unaware of these recent developments; and while some of them are,
they do not know what to do therapeutically with the information, at this point.
Aside from the medical route, there
are some therapy programs that help with for instance visual processing,
auditory processing, nutrition or academic skills, but they are all focused on
a few particular problems and none of the offer a comprehensive brain based
therapy.
A specialized branch of the
Chiropractic profession does have a comprehensive and holistic approach to
helping the areas of the ADHD brain, that have some catching-up to do.
I have received my post graduate training
and specialization in integral brain based therapy.
In my office we
provide specific individualized rhythmic exercises and sensory-motor
stimulations to trigger the neuroplasticity of the brain, in target specific
areas affected. Furthermore, normalizing the spine and postural muscles is key
to jumpstarting the “weaker” brain areas. The brain also needs to be fed and
inflammation prevented, this implies looking at the nutritional building
blocks, allergies, blood sugar levels, digestion, absorption and much more,
which we address.
You can visit my
website to read more about my treatment approach at: vitaliaquiro.com (English
section) or my Youtube channel: Vitalia Quiropractica. I regularly give
presentations on the new neuro-scientific discoveries related to ADHD and Learning
Disabilities, and the treatment solutions I offer. You can also contact my office at 34-93 414 22
49 or email at info@vitaliaquiro.com
