Many parents and professionals have found ways to help these troubled children - before they seek their own deadly solutions.
The violent behavior we see described in the media so often seems to come out of nowhere, and it baffles most people. The authorities are frustrated because they have difficulty finding logical explanations for such events. For some researchers, however, the frustration is the fact that they do have logical explanations for many of these behaviors, and they know that help is available to prevent future incidents, but they do not attract media attention or have adequate funding.
Typically, the teen who acts out with violence does not become such a person overnight. He began as a fussy baby, who grew to be an aggressive toddler, and later became the student who did poorly despite an average or higher intelligence. In most cases, he was treated by numerous professionals, receiving many hours of therapy and multiple drug prescriptions. But he is a failure, not just individually, but also a failure of the behavior modifying/medicating approaches that did not address his particular problems.
A child's behavior can be affected by many things beyond his home environment.
- If his system contains toxic levels of heavy metals, he might grow up in a loving home, and still be dysfunctional. Lead exposure is not limited to children growing up in the inner city, and even small amounts have been found to inhibit learning. Herbert Needleman, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh, measured the lead in the teeth of children living in suburbs, and found that their test scores directly correlated with the amounts of lead found.
- If he has severe allergies that are not detected he could be the "black sheep" of an otherwise stable family. Doris Rapp, MD, allerigst and author, has seen the profound behavioral effects that foods and some synthetic chemicals can have on sensitive children.
- A youngster with sensory dysfunction will not welcome his mother's hug. Patricia Lemer, M.Ed., president of the non-profit Developmental Delay Resources, explains that a child with "tactile defensiveness" could find such a touch to be threatening. Therapy is available for such children but under-utilized.
- A baby who does not want to be held and comforted could be reacting to the dye in his pediatric medicine. Dr. Bernard Weiss, a toxicologist at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, believes that, for some children, food dyes act like drugs, and the younger the child the greater the potential for damage.
- Bright six-year-olds can have difficulty learning to read when their school uses a method that is badly suited to their learning style. Professor Diane McGuinness of the University of South Florida, points out that about one third of the children taught reading with the phonetic method fail to learn to read well, and for those classes using "whole language" the failure rate is 43%. Solutions are available. Dr. McGuinness is the author of Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About It.
Nutrients and behavior - an undeniable link
A new study demonstrating the role of nutritional supplements in normalizing the behavior of violent offenders as been published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.C. Bernard Gesch and colleagues at the University of Oxford conducted a double blind, placebo-controlled study of nutritional supplements on 231 young adult male prisoners, and compared disciplinary offenses before and during the time they received the supplements.
Vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids were given to half of the inmates, and placebos (dummy pills with no nutrients) were given to the others. All of the inmates ate food that is typical of Western diets - containing synthetic additives and lacking in many important nutrients.
The researchers recorded the number and type of offenses each of the prisoners committed during a nine month period before the nutrients were given. They continued to document inmate behavior during the nine months the supplements were given.
Those prisoners who received the active pills committed 26.3% fewer offenses than they had in the previous months, and there was a 40% reduction in violent offenses. The men who received dummy pills continued to behave as they had all along.
"The supplements just providedthe vitamins, minerals and fatty acids found in a good diet, which the inmates should get anyway. Yet the improvement was huge," Gesch wrote.
This work is significant, not only because of the positive results that have been shown in a carefully controlled study, but because it has been published in such a highly respected, traditional journal. This is a first.
British professionals have been impressed with the implications of this study, called: Influence of supplementary vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids on the antisocial behavior of young adult prisoners. by C. Bernard Gesch, et al, British Journal of Psychiatry (2002), 181, 22-28.
Here are some of the responses it received:
"There are many causes of antisocial behavior. But our project has shown that an important factor is the lack of proper nutrition. The reduction of disciplinary offenses by [approximately] 25% among those who took the supplements cannot be shrugged off as insignificant." -- Bishop Hugh Montefiore, Chairman of National Justice, a research charity investigating causes of crime
"If healthy eating is part of a healthy lifestyle, and a healthy lifestyle is a crime-free lifestyle, I hope they will look seriously ar exploiting the evidence presented to them." -- Sir David Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons
"This research program promises to have an impact on antisocial behavior with minimal intervention and deserves full support." -- Ron Blackburn, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Liverpool
If supplementing a poor diet with good nutrients can improve behavior, the next logical step is to see how well such men would do if they were given basic healthful food, and then, how well would they do with a combination of both?
Better ways to help prevent violenceImportant knowledge on violence prevention has been available for decades, but it is seldom acknowledged or used.
This new study is impressive in many ways, but the information it offers is far from new. Others have worked for decades to demonstrate that diet affects behavior.
Dr. Feingold was one of the early pioneers, starting in the mid 1960s to connect food additives and behavior.
Reversing a long-standing policy on the use of vitamin supplements, the Journal of the American Medical Association has issued new guidelines that doctors encourage patients to take a multivitamin pill every day for optimum health and to prevent many illnesses. (The Feingold Association would add that the vitamin should be free of the synthetic additives we eliminate.)This represents an enormous change. We can only hope that some day the AMA will take a closer look at the effect of a diet that is not only lacking in nutrients, but that also contains harmful additives.
In the 1970s and 80s Barbara Reed was having remarkable success in helping parolees stay out of trouble. Most probation officers had success with only 15% of their parolees; Barbara's success rate was an unheard-of 85%. You can read about her work in the book Food & Behavior, a Natural Connection, by Barbara Reed Stitt.
Alexander Schauss is a criminologist who has worked since the 1980s to show how anti-social behaviors can be the result of a poor diet, heavy metal poisoning and environmental pollutants. His book, Diet, Crime and Delinquency is a classic.
Practical solutions have been available for many years but most have been ignored.
Stephen Schoenthaler has conducted numerous studies similar to the one just published. He introduced the British researchers to this concept and was available as a consultant.
His work also goes back several decades, and has shown the way to addresss some of the most serious problems in our society.
Dr. Schoenthaler was the researcher who conducted the landmark study in 803 New York City schools in the 1980s. By removing certain additives and upgrading the nutrition, they brought about a huge increase in test scores.
Dr. William Walsh established the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Illinois to address behavior problems with the use of nutrients. Like the others who have worked in this area, Dr. Walsh's spectacular successes have not changed the deeply entrenched system.
Heavy metals are a serious issue overlooked by most despite the work of Bellinger, Weiss and others. Fluoride's role is not acknowledged despite the research by Masters and colleagues which demonstrates its role in neurological damage.
The role of food additives is ignored by most professionals despite the undeniable connection found by Feingold, Weiss, Egger, Kaplan, Boris, and Rowe.
When it comes to behavior problems, there is a mindset that says there are only two causes: bad parenting or an abnormal brain. With the constantly growing use of drugs that control behavior, the financial incentive to keep these old beliefs is even greater. The fact that these old ways of thinking have not worked very well hasn't stopped them from being taught and re-taught. Those scientists who challenge the system have always been a lonely fraternity. Fortunately for us, they have persevered; otherwise we might still be dunking witches.