ADHD and Diet

Studies show that diet can affect Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. Since every child is different the key is to experiment and find out what foods aggravate your child’s ADHD. Studies show that the foods that most likely to cause aggravation are corn, eggs, citrus, dairy and wheat. Remember finding the right diet for your child can take time. It can take up to eight weeks to show any progress with diet change. Also if your child is deficient in certain nutrients such as fatty acids certain supplements can help in having a positive effect on your child’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Stress Busters

People have stress. It is a fact of life. However, there are a few ways that we can remove certain stresses from our lives. First, take a deep breath. This is something that can be done anywhere and not everyone needs to know what you are doing. Remember breath deep in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Second, physical activity can work wonders for your stress. It doesn’t have to be a long mind-blowing workout, instead take a few minutes and walk around your block to let off some steam. Next, positive attitude can go a long way. If you can genuinely come across as a positive person then everyone around should follow suit. People love “positive” role models. Also, your diet plays a big part in how you feel so remember nutrition when you are trying to feel better. Good foods like fruits and veggies will help when you have the “stress munchies”. Next, there is meditation. Do you have a quiet place at home or at work that you can take five minutes to concentrate on your mantra( one particular word or phrase)? Remember to slowly repeat your mantra over and over while slowly breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Last but not least, if your find yourself losing site of your goals or just feel overwhelmed by what has to get done today. Visualize yourself getting these things done and over time you will be able to achieve your goals. Visualization is another type of meditation that can take some to master. So, remember to take deep breaths and you can conquer anything.

Vince Vaughn and ADHD

A fact that many people may not know is that Vince Vaughn, cinema funnyman, has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While going through school, he was diagnosed with chronic dyslexia and ADHD. Instead of giving into stereotypical views and opinions, Mr. Vaughn worked hard and attributes his success to his learning disabilities. Vince believes that having dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder taught him that anything is possible you just have to work a little harder.

Do You Want to Live Longer? Widen Your Circle of Friends.

A recent Australian study shows that friends are valuable to longevity.
Previous studies showed that strong social connections help older people
live longer but these studies did not differentiate between friends and
family. The new study does and the results are in favor of friends over
family.

The study of almost 1500 people over the age of 70 (when the study began)
showed that those with five or more friends were 22 percent less likely to
die in the following decade. The presence or absence of family had no impact
on survival.

Although researchers are unsure why friends - and not family - aid in the
survival rate, they postulate that friends might help in times of stress
while family members can be a source of stress.

And we all know stress kills.

Depression in Men

Men are from Mars, which explains why a men's depression symptoms are so
unlike women’s.

The symptoms of depression manifest themselves so differently in men that
the people that love them - and even themselves for that mater - often fail
to recognize the symptoms. The woman in depression will cry - and often. Men
just don’t go there. Society teaches boys that to cry or even to show
sadness is to show weakness. Men have become quite adept at bottling and
hiding their emotions.

Even if the man in your life does not open up and discuss their true
feelings, there are tell-tale signs of depression - if you know what to look
for.

Does the man in your life displays some of the symptoms below;
- Behaves violently
- Has a lost interest in sex
- Avoids friends, family and other previously enjoyable activities
- Takes serious risks such as reckless or extramarital affairs
- Has difficulty thinking clearly
- Has trouble sleeping or sleeps more than usual
- Has excessive feelings of failure and/or guilt

Men are less likely to see treatment for depression. Men are also four times
more likely to ill themselves. Finding effective treatment is essential.

Exercise alone is a highly effective depression treatment. Medical therapy
helps about 50 percent of people with depression. Counseling also helps
about 50 percent of the time. Combining all three, along with using
alternative depression treatments like Deprex, provides a well-rounded
treatment plan that approached healing from many angles.

Jut remember, depression is not a character flaw and it is nothing to be
ignored. The first step to healing is to recognize the presence of
depression, muster the courage to address depression and seek help in
finding the joy in life again.

Tetanus for Depression?

I often wonder how scientists come up with their discoveries. What on earth
compelled Louis Pastuer to inject people with toxic bacteria? Lucky for the
world, his germ theory that led to the concept of vaccinations cured instead
of killed.

I thought about Pasteur, the founder of the science of microbiology, this
morning when I read an article entitled “Docs Use Tetanus to Cure
Depression.” It appears that Spanish scientists in their labs at the
University of Barcelona found that sub-lethal doses of tetanus show promise
as a depression treatment. Fine if it works, but what on earth compelled
these scientists to inject their study subjects with tetanus?

There are two parts to the tetanus molecule. One part produces the toxic and
potentially deadly tetanus symptoms while the other part is harmless. The
experiments indicate that the harmless part of the tetanus molecule inhibits
serotonin from making its way to connecting with neurons. Scientists believe
depression - as well as some behavior disorders - can be curtailed by
inhibiting serotonin from reaching the neurons. Scientists also believe this
tetanus treatment can be used as protection against neuro-degenerative
disorders such as Parkinson’s.

It will be interesting to follow this development. It could add a whole new
value to getting your tetanus shot.

Simple Ways to Deal with Stress

Hey moms - are you STRESSED? Here are strategies for dealing with and reducing stress:

Exercise. Any kind of physical activity helps to reduce stress and provides a release for anger.

Eat well. Limit caffeine and alcohol; eat a balanced diet.

Deep breathing. Close your eyes and breathe in slowly. Let the breath out slowly.

Stretch. Practice simple stretches such as rolling your head in a half circle.

Get enough sleep. Establish a regular sleep pattern.

Laugh. See a funny movie, go to a comedy club, joke with friends.

Cry. Crying can be as good a release as laughing. Talk with a friend, mate or child. Express feelings you might be holding in.

Build a success file. Remind yourself of your accomplishments.

Visualize. Keep focused on the future. Visualize yourself happy.

Journal. Writing is a great way to order your thoughts and to see progress over time.

Limit negative influences. This may include limiting news watching or other television shows that are pessimistic.

Get out of the house. Be with friends or family. Don't isolate yourself.

Consider involvement in a social cause. Focusing on others can bring a sense of fulfillment.

Find a counselor or support group. If you need help untangling your feelings, call for help.

A Kennedy Fuels the Autism Debate

You will see posts that pertain to autism's connection to childhood vaccinations. It should be noted that many believe the damaging ingredient thimerosal (a mercury preservative which is a known neurotoxin) can also cause ADHD. You can follow the link to see the article or read it here. It's a good one.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/14/eveningnews/main709269.shtml

A Kennedy Fuels Autism Debate
July 14, 2005


Is there a link between autism and childhood vaccines?

Medical experts say no -- resoundingly -- but a few advocacy and parent groups refuse to believe them. As CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports, those who believe there is such a link now have the forceful and highly controversial support of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Advocates say that it's no coincidence that one new study indicates that when a mercury preservative was removed from most vaccines, autism rates in California went down. After growing for more than a decade, new cases of autism may be slowing down in California. That's according to data compiled by the state that has been on the leading edge of identifying and tracking the nation's autism epidemic. The trend is fueling a debate over vaccines and the autism epidemic--a debate that Kennedy has now entered.

Kennedy is lending the famous family name to a new cause: the idea that something in vaccines triggered the autism and ADD epidemics.

Attkisson asked Kennedy what he thought when he initially heard of the link between autism and childhood vaccines. (Video excerpts of interview)

"I was skeptical but sympathetic," says Kennedy. "These are people who have been through hell, literally."

After researching studies on both sides, Kennedy became a believer.

"The science connecting brain damage to thimerosal is absolutely overwhelming," he says.

What is thimerosal? It's a vaccine preservative containing mercury, which is a known neurotoxin. It was in lots of kids' vaccines thru the 90's, as the CDC kept adding new shots. At the same time, autism and ADD cases skyrocketed.

Not only that, but there's new word this week from the bellwether state of California: as mercury has been phased out of most childhood vaccines in recent years, new autism cases have declined. But that is just one study.

Health officials like Dr. Tanja Popovic insist the research definitively shows mercury in vaccines doesn't trigger autism.

"Based on what we know right now, we don't think there's an association," says Dr. Popovic.

Studies suggesting a link have been dismissed by virtually all mainstream medical organizations in America and Europe. And health officials are deeply concerned that high profile advocates like Kennedy could stop parents from vaccinating their children and deadly epidemics will return.

Despite all the attention he is getting, Kennedy tells Attkisson that there is resistance to putting the debate out in the public. He says he wrote an op-ed piece on the issue -- but no publication would print it, he says.

"I went to all the major newspapers and nobody would touch it," he says.

One publication did bite. Salon.com printed Kennedy's article in which he made a highly speculative and unproven claim of a full-fledged government cover-up.

Government officials, for example, held a private meeting when an early study did connect mercury in vaccines to autism, ADD and more. The public wasn't invited--but pharmaceutical companies were. One official at the meeting said "we are in a bad position from the standpoint of defending any lawsuits" without more research.

Kennedy insists there is a cover-up. Dr. Popovic refutes this claim.

"Quite to the contrary," she says. "We've always been open about all of our activities."

Meanwhile, public health officials struggle to end the whole vaccine-autism debate. But with the Kennedy name attached, it seems destined to survive in controversy for now.


© MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Is It ADD or Sleep Deprivation?

Several years ago a University of Michigan study found that children who snore are two to four times more likely to have attention deficit and hyperactivity problems than there non-snoring peers. Children with the worst sleep problems were nine times as likely to develop hyperactivity than children of the same age who did not have sleep problems.

Now, four years later, researchers have the follow-up data. Children with daytime sleepiness in the original study were more likely to have developed hyperactivity four years later. The follow-up study is the first to show that sleep problems come before hyperactive behavior and that sleep problems predict hyperactivity.

Researchers in the late 1990s surveyed parents in pediatric clinic waiting rooms. The surveyed parents agreed to allow researchers to follow up on the survey four years later. Of the 866 parents originally surveyed, 229 returned the follow-up survey.

Researchers believe that snoring, sleep apnea and other sleep problems diminish the quality of sleep, reduce oxygen levels and affect daytime behavior.

STOP POISONING OUR CHILDREN

International Medical Veritas Association


The march/rally on Washington to protest the use of
thimerosal in vaccines is only the opening confrontation in what
will be a long campaign to free the world from the yoke of
pharmaceutical terrorism. There is nothing civilized about the fact
that all over the world the medical establishment is injecting
poison (thimerosal/mercury) into young children and getting away
with it by denying there is anything wrong with doing so. As long as
it continues and we allow it to continue we are card carrying
members of the human race that condones the poisoning of its young.
We might as well be a part of an African tribe that performs
Clitoridectomy (genital mutilation) of its young girls or those of
ancient times who would sacrifice their young to the gods. Today we
sacrifice our babies to the medical gods whose benefit vs. risk
philosophies justify the continued sacrifice. As long as our
children do not die of infectious diseases medical officials seem
content. They could care less, it seems, if they die from vaccines
or live a life of gross disability because of the toxins in
vaccines. Their hearts are closed and strapped in steel because they
will not even entertain the possibility that vaccines are dangerous
enough to maim and kill.



Until a "hard-core, pissed-off bunch of people"[i] get
together to force medical officials off their thrones medicine will
continue with the type of activities that were born in the thirties
in Nazi Germany, in their hospitals and later in their concentration
camps. Is it acceptable to allow them to continue a few days, months
or years longer with this human obscenity of injecting nerve poisons
into babies? Even the 'good' politicians think it is acceptable for
the laws being passed on the state level are not putting an absolute
stop to the madness. The New York State Legislature passed an act
that, beginning in mid-2008, would prohibit further sale or use of
the mercury compound thimerosal in vaccines for children younger
than 3, and for inoculating pregnant women. So until then the
barbaric process will continue even though the evidence is piling up
that children can and will get hurt tommorrow. Isn't this a little
like telling a rapist or child molester it is all right to continue?
As long as it is doctors doing the abusing our civilization deems it
acceptable.



Who would have extended the medical experiments in the
concentration camps a few months or years longer? Tragically we
discover that the former board of directors of several of today's
pharmaceutical companies would surely have had such experiments
continued, for they were the ones who built the place that brought
hell to earth in the first place.[ii] Actually it all started long
before Hitler was ever born, started with the toxic preservatives in
foods at the end of the 1800s. It started even before that with the
sugar slave trade. Vast amounts of money are made poisoning people.
It's an obscene way to make money. It is simply an abomination of
human nature. But it is a popular thing to do and has made certain
men and women fantastically wealthy. In 1816 Thomas Jefferson
wrote, "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our
moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government
to a trial of strength and to bid defiance to the laws of their
country." The bane of corporate capitalism is the insane greed that
drives people to destroy human life and natural environments.
Corporate capitalism is already responsible for more death and
disease then all the communist madmen put together. Through the
centuries this greed and wealth has bred a group of men and women
who are true abominations, people who bring terror to earth tearing
the fabric of humanity, destroying what it means to be a caring
compassionate human being. These are the people we are trusting with
our children's lives. Are we insane?


When we buy into the paradigm that justifies the poisoning
of babies we defeat the nature of good by joining the dark side
giving it power to defeat us. We do this when accept the reasoning
behind childhood immunizations. Poki Stewart Mankung from the public
health department of Santa Cruz County says vaccines are crucial for
our children. "We, in the United States, have had the unprecedented
fortune to have lived these past 50 or so years in a period when
common, devastating childhood diseases essentially became extinct."
Mankung would like us to share his belief that this would not have
been the same case without the vaccines. And he would also like us
to forget that a new disaster is happening. Instead of kids falling
from infectious diseases they are falling from chronic diseases,
which are no less devastating than infectious ones. Mankung would
not like anyone to know that vaccines themselves are, in part,
responsible for much of the increase in chronic diseases and a tidal
wave of human misery. A careful study of the dangers of vaccines
would clearly lead one to think differently then Mankung. In reality
vaccines are crucial for your children to stay away from because
they contain neurotoxic poisons and because they were created and
are produced by the very people who built the Auschwitz
Concentration Camp.






Just fifteen years after they were convicted in the Nuremberg
War Crimes Tribunal,
Bayer, BASF and Hoechst (Aventis) were again the architects of
the next major human rights
offences. In 1962, they established the Codex Alimentarius
Commission. All these men
were quickly let out of prison only to join up with the
pharmaceutical companies again.



People who would have mercury injected into your baby's body
are not exactly the kind of people to trust with your baby's life.
Poisoning has a long tradition in the United States as in Germany.
And though the mercury story and the use of thimerosal in vaccines
is a terrible part of it, it is not the only issue when it comes to
chemical poisoning. For instance, American soldiers who entered POW
camps at the end of World War II found stockpiles of fluoride stored
near the water supply. When they asked what the fluoride was used
for, they were told that the Germans used the substance as an
additive to the prisoners' water, to make them docile.[iii] This is
the first known incidence of intentionally fluoridating drinking
water. Though most of the countries of the world have rejected
fluoridation not so the Americans, who seem to have a passion for
poisoning their own.



The American government seems to have a tendency to treat its
own people as if they were enemies of the state. The government
doesn't protect its citizens it poisons them on a massive scale with
aspartame and MSG and a line up of chemicals a mile long. Let's stop
pretending that they do not know what they are doing. The American
government made a huge mistake though, in the early 1990s when they
tripled the amount of mercury injected directly into baby's bodies
and now the cat is out of the bag and more and more people are
realizing that they cannot count on their doctors or their
government to protect the lives of their young.



Poison was normally chosen as a weapon to kill through the
ages because poison was not traceable like an arrow in the back. But
now the tracks are clear and scientists from all over the world
point to this vast increase in mercury that clearly exceeded FDA,
EPA and the World Health Organization's limit for what is tolerable
to human biosystems. So the FDA, the CDC, the entire medical
establishment as well as the pharmaceutical companies are caught
holding responsibility for poisoning a generation of children with
mercury. It is fifteen years later and we are just starting to roar,
just starting to say no, just starting to wake up from our drugged
stupor to realize we are being had by professionals who lie to the
public as well as themselves.



In the vaccine arena we are dealing with one of the most
carefully constructed money making machines ever put together.
After two hundred years of people battling about this the winning
side is not about to roll over and play dead, plead for mercy, or
concede that they were dead wrong. It will be very interesting to
see what manifests in Washington on the 20th but we must remember
real success will come when the very idea that anything justifies
the poisoning of one more child is thrown down. More children have
died from vaccines then there are medical officials in the world and
more children have been struck down with autistic spectrum disorders
then there are doctors in the world.



In a world where we think nothing of buying toothpaste for
our children with poison in it, with fluoride, what can we
expect?



Yes we have to understand that there are multiple causes of
autism spectrum disorders but in understanding those causes it
becomes clear what the primary cause is - mercury poisoning.
Everyone in the world is actually being poisoned with mercury when
you realize that about 10,000 or more tons are being released, one
way or another, into the human biosphere each year. We are being
terribly slow in stopping the poisoning and we are going to pay a
terrible price for this.



Vaccination is actually a key battleground in the fight
against the deliberate poisoning of humanity and if we allow mercury
in childhood vaccinations we really have no hope to stop it in
general. We have literally lost the war against the bad guys leaving
them in such power that they have no shame to poison children. They
have left us splintered and confused and divided in our objections,
thus weak and impotent. Instead of winning what needs to be won they
have us compromising on vaccine questions joining with the enemy in
celebrating the wonderfulness of their ghastly designs that have
everyone jumping up and down saying how wonderful childhood
immunizations are.



For so much less we have seen huge investigations. Watergate
and Contragate riveted the nation but for our children we have done
little. It is my guess that the marchers on Washington will be
ignored or ridiculed, as Robert Kennedy is now being, and the real
issues ignored as usual. I hope I am wrong but certain lessons only
come the very hard way and what I am saying is that when you play
around with vaccine issues, ignoring or denying any part of the
whole picture, weakness is displayed and everything is lost. Yes we
can focus on the mercury issue but too narrow a focus will defeat
the very purpose of protecting our children from being hurt by the
medical industrial complex.

It is encouraging to hear from Washington that there are
still humans who care about our children. That was made evident this
week when a new federal law was passed that bars states and schools
from keeping students out of class in cases when parents disagree
with a recommendation to medicate a child. There is reason to
celebrate that school officials will no longer have the upper hand
in deciding whether children should be given Ritalin or other
controlled substances. Yet that does not atone for the people and
organizations which have turned the government into the largest
terrorist organization on earth. Perhaps the government can begin to
redeem itself and cut the FDA and the CDC off from itself like one
would cut a gangrened arm or leg.

When I was a young boy, my father taught me that you kill a
snake
by cutting off its head -- not by grabbing hold of one scale on
its body or
grabbing its tail. To that end, I champion the death of all the
corrupt
and greed-driven entities, be they governments, corporations,
industries,
or individuals who, in the name of the "greater good,"
physically harm,
maim and/or destroy others to satisfy their greed and/or lust
for power.

Dr. Paul King



"There's tremendous profit in promoting the death-dealing
lifestyles that many of us lead. You may not believe it, but the
leading promoters of our destructive lifestyles are the United
States government, the food and drug industries, and the medical
community." wrote the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, in his
book "A Torchlight for America", in the section called "The
Merchants of Death."



Vaccines are at the center of all this because it takes the
massive poisoning down to the level of the newborn baby. The battle
has to be won for the babies first and then we can move on to saving
humanity from a side of itself that should never have come into
being. "This is a battle between 'We the People', and the free
world's biggest and worst enemy - ever - "Big Pharma," and we're
just getting started with the counter-attack," writes Tim Bolen. I
hope some people going to Washington make some signs saying STOP
POISONING OUR CHILDREN. Or STOP PHARMACEUTICAL TERRORISM. BRING THE
FDA TO TRIAL. COVER UP GOING ON AT THE CDC. I imagine though that
this first demonstration will be nice; people trying to be nice
though they do not feel nice and are not up against nice people at
all.



It is through the childhood immunization schedule that we
see the worst but it is only the tip of the iceberg. The government
poisons not only its citizens' young but its soldiers on the
battlefield, with enriched Uranium soon after threatening soldiers
with court marshals if they do not take enough vaccine shots to kill
a horse. And now the US government wants to get a few more million
kids on antidepressant drugs after it diagnoses them for mental
illness. Let us hope that a sleeping giant is just starting to awake
and human history will see a demonstration of indignation the world
has never seen before.



Mark Sircus Ac., OMD
Director International Medical Veritas Association
http://www.detoxchelationclinic.com
http://www.imva.info
http://www.worldpsychology.net

Give Tom Cruise a Break

The mental health industry has completely slammed Tom Cruise for opposing
the use of mind-altering drugs like antidepressants and ADHD medications.
This same industry that receives untold billions of dollars from
pharmaceutical companies.

Tom Cruise did not state that depression and attention deficit disorder are
not real -- only that there are healthy and effective alternative therapies
to mind altering drugs. This is a great message to hear, especially as the
adverse side effects, deaths and suicides linked to antidepressants and ADHD
medications continue to mount.

The Case for Family Dinner

Do you want to reduce the risk of alcohol or drug use with your teen child? Have dinner with your child - and often.

A University of Michigan study points to the dinner table as a powerful predictor of a child's well-being. The time spent passing the potatoes better predicts a child's well-being than time sent in school and time spent studying. Time spent breaking bread with the family better predicts a child's well-being than time spent in church or in sports activities.

Often, dinner is the only time a family is together at the same time and place yet this practice has been on the decline for decades. Cooking dinner is a chore easily dropped when there is a fast-food restaurant minutes away from most Americans and the majority of American families are headed by either a single parent or two parents who both work. Yet, the benefits to the family and children are clear.

_ A National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse study showed that children between the ages of 12 and 17 are less likely to smoke marijuana or try alcohol if they share a family meal five or more times weekly.
_ A study published in the Archives of Family Medicine show that children who eat regular meals with their families have better dietary habits, consume more fruits and vegetables and consume less fried foods.

Keep in mind that the family meal does not need to be extravagant. It just needs to be shared. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is just fine.

FDA Tells Strattera Maker to Pull Misleading Commercial

The FDA has asked Strattera maker Eli Lilly to pull a recent television ad, deeming the ad “false or misleading because it inadequately communicates the indication for Strattera and minimizes the risks associated with Strattera.”

The 60-second television commercial was busy and distracting, with competing visuals, graphics and music presented at the same time the risk information and indication information was being presented.

As if someone with ADHD needs more stimuli thrown at them, especially when it concerns an important topic like drugs to treat the very symptoms the commercial addresses.

Additionally, the commercial implied a broader indication for the drug by promoting it as a treatment for ADD. Strattera is only approved to treat ADHD. Distractability, inattentiveness and inability to focus or concentrate are common symptoms of ADD. The hyperactivity and impulsive components of ADHD differentiate the two.

The pharmaceutical company complied with the FDA order, but denies wrongdoing.

Of course.

Psychiatric Watchdog Speaks Out About Tom Cruise Speaking Out

I just ran across this article and wanted to share. I have been, for the past couple days, wanting to write in support of Tom Cruise's mind-altering medication bashing but this did the trick for me and saved me an hour of writing. Read on!
-----------
Group warns about national crisis of child drugging with "kiddy cocaine" and suicide-inducing antidepressants. Video exposes the hoax of psychiatry's "chemical imbalance" theory.

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a psychiatric watchdog group, said Tom Cruise's remarks on NBC's Today Show (Friday, June 24) represent a growing public awareness about the national crisis of children and adults being prescribed mind-altering drugs. More than 8 million children in the United States now take these drugs; millions more abuse them. Today the group released a White Paper on "Common Psychiatric Drugs and Their Effects" that educates people about the physically and mentally damaging effects of psychotropic drugs that are often prescribed for a "chemical imbalance" medical experts say doesn't exist. Accompanying this is a video documentary on the group's website, www.cchr.org, that includes prominent doctors, neurologists and psychiatrists debunking the hoax of mental disorders being physically based or the result of a chemical imbalance.

"The paper provides information that psychiatrists are not going to tell people, enabling them to make an informed choice," CCHR's international president, Jan Eastgate said. She slammed the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and affiliated mental health organizations that tout false statistics to the media about the number of Americans suffering from "mental illness" which she said is a fraudulent misrepresentation.

Ms. Eastgate said, "The Today Show interview was a warning that people need to study psychiatry and its purported research rather than accepting at face value concepts such as a chemical imbalance in the brain is causing their problems, which can deny them real help. In any media interview with a psychiatrist he should be asked what lab test he uses to determine this. There isn't one."

The "chemical imbalance" theory, popularized by marketing, is "no more than psychiatric wishful thinking," the group's U.S. president, author and former educator, Bruce Wiseman says. "It has been thoroughly discredited by researchers, doctors and scientists. The only reason it exists is that it makes it easier for psychiatrists to drug vulnerable and often desperate individuals. It is driven by more than $23 billion in drug sales each year."

Appearing in CCHR's video is Dr. Julian Whitaker, author and founder of the highly respected Whitaker Wellness Center in California, who says that psychiatry is a pseudoscience. "There's no pathology. There's no blood test. There's no lab test. There's no x-ray. Psychiatrists list out and vote on clusters of behavior and call them a disease. They are giving drugs to millions of people who do not have a defined medical problem."

Also interviewed is New York psychiatrist Ron Leifer who says, "There's no biological imbalance. When people come to me and they say, 'I have a biochemical imbalance,' I say, 'Show me your lab tests.' There are no lab tests. So what's the biochemical imbalance?"

Based on this false theory, millions of people have fallen prey to psychiatric treatment: stimulants and antidepressants have induced teenagers to go on murderous shooting sprees (8 out of 13 school shootings, such as the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, were committed by teens on psychiatric drugs). Mothers on these drugs have killed their children or cut off the arms of their baby while taking these drugs. Electroshock—the firing of up to 460 volts of electricity across the temples—is damaging the brains of over 100,000 Americans every year.

Because of the influence of psychiatry in the nation's schools, hundreds of parents have also been forced to place their children on psychotropic drugs as a requisite for their education, an abuse CCHR and others countered with congressional support last year. The Prohibition of Mandatory Medication amendment now prohibits this practice.

For 14 years, CCHR, which was established by the Church of Scientology, has also worked with parents and concerned groups to expose the violence and suicide-inducing effects of antidepressants. Last October, the Food and Drug Administration ordered a "black box" label for antidepressants that the drugs could cause suicide. But these reforms are not enough to curb what CCHR says is a "national crisis" of child drugging and psychotropic drug abuse.

The International Narcotics Control Board says that 80% of the world's Ritalin consumption is in the United States. This is a drug that medical studies show can predispose children to later cocaine use because Ritalin and cocaine derive from similar chemical properties. A study of 500 children over 26 years by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that Ritalin is basically a "gateway drug" to other drugs, in particular cocaine. A recent survey by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found 10% of teens abuse the stimulants Ritalin and Adderall. Between 1995 and 1999, the use of antidepressants increased 580% in the under-6 population and 151% in the 7-12 age group.

In some communities, 20% of children are taking stimulants, according to Drug Enforcement Administration pharmacologist Gretchen Feussner. "That should be a wake-up call that something isn't right," Feussner said.

"Psychiatrists are society's biggest drug pushers," Wiseman says. "People do suffer from serious mental difficulties or life-crippling problems and their methods of coping with this can fail. Psychiatrists exploit this, marketing drugs for conditions they admit they do not know the cause of or can cure. Fraud involves intentional deception or deliberate misrepresentation to secure money, rights or privilege. Americans are waking up to this psychiatric fraud."

The group's White Paper, "Common Psychiatric Drugs and Their Effects," and other website publications warn people that they should not stop taking psychiatric drugs unless it is under medical advice and supervision. They stress the need to find competent medical (not psychiatric) doctors who can do thorough physical examinations to determine what could be underlying and causing emotional problems.

Contact: Marla Filidei or Ben Williams
humanrights@cchr.org
1-800-869-2247