As most of you know, last year, R-- was
diagnosed
with ADHD. Her testing was in the very high range
with
many high scores in each of the seven
characteristic
areas.
As you may also know, a good friend told me about
the Feingold diet last fall and I tried it on her. The
results were very good, but the doctors were all
very sceptical. R's biggest offender is artificial
color in foods, hygiene products and even play toys
like markers and playdough. Contact with these
chemical "fires" her up and she even has physical
symptoms such as a rash around her nose and
gassiness.
She's been drug-free since the beginning of last
December.
Still, the doctors do not support this form of
parenting. So, R-- had her annual testing three
weeks ago and I told the Child Psychologist that
she has not been on Ritalin in months. Now, R's
grades aren't the best in the world, but I think
she
needs some time to catch-up on what's she missed in
the real world. The results of the testing
astounded
the doctor. The Psychologist was literally
scratching
his head. R's IQ had increased 14 points from
a
100 to 114. Each of the 7 areas of ADHD (attention,
impulsivity, distractibility, etc. ) had dropped
dramatically to the point that her ADHD was nearly
undiagnosable. He still pushes Ritalin, or now,
Concerta on me, but I did remind him that I almost
cancelled the testing that day. Earlier that
morning
while we were getting ready, R-- was drawing
pictures with her sister. I thought she was acting
"off" in the car on the way, but I thought it was
because she was nervous. When I got to the office,
I
noticed that she had red marker all over her palms.
The doctor finally conceded that she would probably
score higher if she didn't have the marker on her
hands. Either way, I was impressed with her
progress
and the doctors astonishment.
I know I sound like an evanglist about this diet,
but
it really does make sense and it impacts the future
of
children (and us). Our world is so chemical laden
that
REAL food doesn't even appeal to us anymore. Sad.
The
major food companies like Nabisco and McDonalds
have
so much money and can influence our spending with
commercial after commercial. They don't care if
their
products are harming us. WE need to be the educated
consumer.
Thanks for reading my message.
D--