Can the Feingold Association Help Your ADHD?
Feingold Association of the United States (FAUS) is a nonprofit organization composed of parents and professionals. Many ADD and ADHD children have a variety of deficits and may benefit from different treatments, but the removal of petroleum-based synthetic additives has proven to be a logical first step. The Feingold Association believes that an initial trial of diet management should be considered prior to the use of medication.
The program is generally most effective when a child is not on drugs, but parents are cautioned not to discontinue any medicine without the guidance of their physician. FAUS organizations carefully research foods to determine which brands are free of both obvious and hidden additives. This information, provided to FAUS members, lists brand names of popular as well as lesser-known food items, provides step-by-step guidance, and gives phone numbers of parent volunteers. A complimentary packet describing how the association helps families deal with learning, behavior, and health problems is available, as well as information on research supporting this approach.
Background
As early as the 1940s, allergists began to publish reports of patients who were sensitive to tartrazine (Yellow dye No. 5). The medical literature contains many references to symptoms such as hives, asthma, and nasal congestion as a reaction to Yellow dye No. 5. Aspirin and some fruits and vegetables were also discovered to contain substances chemically similar to synthetic yellow dye. The chemical in aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, from which the term “salicylate” is used to refer to these substances in select fruits and vegetables. Physicians later found that these chemicals can affect children as well as adults and that they can trigger behavior and learning problems. The doctor who first observed this was Benjamin F. Feingold (1900-1982), chief of allergy at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco.
Dr. Feingold, who was both a pediatrician and an allergist, was a pioneer in the fields of allergy and immunology. In addition to eliminating yellow dye and salicylates from the diet, he also recommended removal of other synthetic food dyes and all artificial flavorings. Dr. Feingold eventually expanded what he called the “K-P diet” to exclude the preservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. In 1973, he reported the results of his work at the annual conference of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Feingold called upon the scientific community to research and test his hypothesis. But the science of the biochemical basis for behavior was, and still is, in its infancy. Dr. Feingold’s work received widespread publicity, and Random House asked him to write a book (Why Your Child is Hyperactive) that parents could use to help their children. As a result of thousands of parents using the Feingold Program outlined in the book, volunteer support groups began to spring up around the country. Scientific Studies Connect Diet with Hyperactivity and ADD Many studies support the use of the Feingold Program.
See here for links on related research.
Feingold Association of the United States (FAUS) www.Feingold.org
