Ruel18

Besides drugs and behavior management from a CBT type of angle, neuro-feedback is also very successful. When the client has the ability to see the brain wave forms in real time and manipulate them with thought modifications, the client is empowered far beyond simple CBT. CBT is a valuable part of the whole drug free or minimal drug solution but the addition of qEEG waveform guidance is a big help. The fact than mTBI can be a cause of a ADHD diagnosis does not mean the ADHD has the same physiological basis as a non-mTBI ADHD. Treating mTBI caused ADHD with stimulants will likely be a rough road. The injured brain simply does not respond well to stimulation. The most common cause for a relapse of mTBI/concussion symptoms is over-stimulation, such as auditory over-stimulation, visual over-stimulation, cognitive over-stimulation. By differentiating mTBI/concussion as the cause from non-injury causes, the client can properly combine the needs of both conditions, ADHD and PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome) The NIMH notes the big overlap of symptoms between mTBI/concussion and ADHD. They have tried to state that a very small number of ADHD patients have suffered an mTBI. This is based on a very high threshold of head impact and immediate symptoms before a head impact is considered an mTBI. The damaging effects of sub-concussive impacts is well known by some physicians and researchers but the scientific evidence is still being collected. Personally, I can become very ADHD when over-stimulation triggers my adrenal system to malfunction. But, by focusing on reducing the triggers of PCS symptoms, my ADHD like events are kept to a minimum. The classic PCS student who refuses to moderate their cognitive over-stimulation are extremely prone to the roller coaster ride of PCS symptoms taking them out of the study environment just to recover to a functional level. Regarding aspartame, I should have posted the research link I read just yesterday. I will try to find it. My history folder has too many links to find it.

The every day clutter is my main problem - and I am a little OCD about liking things neat. So with kids here are some things I have done to help control it. -I have a few desk organizer type things on my kitchen counter to sort out mail, bills to be paid, to do item (RSVPs) etc. I keep my to-do lists and phone book there too. Home goods has a ton of nice wood and wicker ones. -We have a pottery barn style bench with baskets underneath by the front door. This holds the kids shoes, school stuff, my purse. We also have a row of hooks for hanging jackets. -I have light color floors and a lab so my floors are always a problem. I vacuum often for the dog but my WHITE kitchen floor shows everything (It was in the house when we bought and I can't wait to change it!). I think that using the Swiffer Wet some how makes my floors get dirty quicker. Like it leaves a film or something that things stick to. So as easy as it was to use that I find just mopping every week (more like every other) with water and vinegar or sometimes Mr. Clean keeps the floors a lot cleaner. I love the pp idea about spraying the floor with her own solution! I am going to try that. Lets just say I do a lot of spot cleaning (often with a baby wipe!) when some one is coming over. -I don't leave dirty dishes in my sink overnight and I run the dishwasher every night. Empty it first thing even though it is one of my most dreaded tasks. If not it's too easy to get backed up with dirty dishes everywhere and the dishwasher still needing to be unloaded. -I do a load of laundry almost everyday. And I make sure it's put away too. That's another thing that builds clutter easily if it gets backed up.

The psychologist who diagnosed both my son (6) and myself suggested we talk to his school about establishing an IEP at the beginning of the school year…he especially encouraged this since we are choosing, at this time, to not medicate. We haven’t started the process yet as I plan to ask about at at registration in a couple weeks. But I’ve done a lot of reading online about the subject and I’ve seen examples and actual IEPs that have been set up for children with ADHD and I’m torn. I wasn’t diagnosed until, well, now. I lean toward inattentive (straight ADD) and not hyperactive like my son. Despite spending most of my school years in a dream-like state I did well, thank Heaven for being naturally smart (which my son also is…according to the IQ testing we’ve both endured). So my issue with the IEP is actually two fold. The first is, “I survived without any special program or plan in place” and even looking back now I don’t know that I needed anything different until college when 3 hour lectures were pure ###### (aren’t they for everyone though?). I don’t want come across as one of those parents who tells the “walking up hill, both ways, in snow knee deep” type of story but that is a bit how I feel…I did it, so can he. BUT, my logical side argues that he is much more hyperactive than I was so perhaps that makes all the difference…I don’t know. Some insight from the ADHD side on that may be helpful. The other issue is from the perspective of his follow first graders. We’re talking about a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds here…not the least judgmental or most understanding group of kids. I imagine things sounding like this: “Why does he get extra time for his test?” “Why does he get to go outside for recess even though he was in trouble too?” “Why does he get to stand up and stretch in the middle of the day?” My poor kid is pretty socially awkward as it is and I don’t see how his classmates thinking those things about him will help him make friends…nor does it seem fair to them. Am I the only one who has these thoughts about the accommodations that are available at school? I know that an IEP would make things easier for him and they say it levels the playing field..I get that. UGH!

AS an allergic reaction almost hmmmmm. Double check the shot I don't think he can legally inject a live bacteria into you in the US. I don't think the shot has KLEB in it but am unsure of all the rules here. From his site"Since the other allergens and components in LDA are from pharmaceutical suppliers accepted by the FDA, Dr. Shrader did not want to include bacterial antigens in LDA. Please note: neither EPD nor LDA are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The absence of the bacteria from the general mixtures of LDA appears to make no difference"

"73 physicians participated in the study at different centers (multi-center) in the USA and Canada. Patients were selected randomly for this study in many or most instances. However, a quite significant percentage of these of patients were selected because they had previously failed on treatment with both medications and conventional immunotherapy." " Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization (EPD) is a unique method of immunotherapy, developed in the 1960s, which involves treating all types of allergy with combinations of a large variety of extremely low dose allergens. EPD is a cell-mediated type of immunotherapy. It has been employed to treat multiple conditions and appears to be a long lasting treatment option for allergy and autoimmune illnesses. It has also been employed for many conditions not generally thought to be due to any type of allergy or autoimmune disease. EPD is no longer available in the USA and has been replaced by Ultra Low Dose Enzyme Activated Immunotherapy (LDA)." "Comparison of EPD to conventional immunotherapy Conventional "escalating dose" (where the dose is started "low" - usually 1 to 10,000, and increased over time to as high as 1 to 10, 1 to 20 or 1 to 100) immunotherapy is employed in this country primarily to treat hay fever, cat and dust mite allergy, which are primarily IgE mediated. This type of therapy works by causing the patient to produce "blocking antibody" (specific IgG), which inhibits the histamine-releasing ability (which produces the allergy symptoms) of the mast cell. The higher the level of blocking antibody that can be produced, the more successful is the treatment. In order to produce adequate levels of blocking antibody, studies have shown that it requires administration of very high doses of allergen. Therefore, treatment using this method often causes intolerable swelling and other side effects before clinical efficacy can be attained, and can be dangerous due to the risk of severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, massive swelling, collapse and death. In England, "conventional" (escalating dose) immunotherapy has now been banned by the Medicines Commission (26 deaths had been reported) except when given in a hospital setting where emergency resuscitation equipment is immediately available. On the other hand, EPD is allowed to be administered in physicians' offices in England. Hence there has been a virtual demise of conventional high dose immunotherapy in England. In the United States, at least 60 deaths have been recorded since treatment began in the 1930s as a result of conventional immunotherapy, but the actual number is likely closer to 100." " It is very highly unlikely that EPD or LDA will ever receive FDA approval. The costs of FDA approval (the average cost of the average drug approved today is about 800 million dollars) are simply too great to allow either to be a financially viable treatment, even if they were approved. Further, the number of allergens contained in EPD and LDA is far too great for the FDA to consider approval, since the FDA's approval slogan is effectively, "one drug, one indication"."