|
COPY OF ARTICLE:
:"HOMEOPATHY QUIETS HYPERACTIVITY" PUBLISHED
IN BRITISH HOMEOPATHIC JOURNAL-OCTO1997
Attention
deficient hyperactivity
disorder(ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed
psychiatirc disorder of
children, afflictring
about 3-5% in the U.S.and
about the same amount in
Canada.
It is generally believed to be a physiological brain
disorder with a genetic component. Children with
ADHD are impulsive,
overactive, inattentive, poor learners, and are
frequently disruptive,.
Aggressive and uncontrollable.
ADHS is
treated medically with stimulant drugs such as
Ritalin, or oral
antihypertensives. While these medications
are usually very effective, side effects are
possibl, and most of
these drugs are not given to children under age six
for fear of toxicitay.
20% of ADHDchildrewn do
not respond to the first stimulant drug tried, or he
a negative reaction to it.
Clinicians using homeopathy for ADHD have reported
good results, but objective evidence has been
lacking. Now, a double blind, placebo-controlled
study of 43 children with ADHD shows
tht homeopathy can be
effective in treating the disorder.
In the
study, children afflicted with ADHD were given
either a homeopathic treatment or a placebo for 10
days, then parents or caregivers rated the children
on the amount of ADHD behavior they displayed. Those
receiving homeoopthic
medicines showed significantly less ADHD behavior
than those given placebos.
When
evaluated in a follow up interview two months after
the study's end, 57% of the children showing
improvement with homeopathy had continued to
improve, even though they had discontinued the
homeopathic medicines; 24%relapsed by the time of
the follow-up; and the remaining 19% continued to
experience positive results, but only while taking
the homeopathic medicines.
The
homeopathic medicines found most helpful for ADHD
were
Stramonium,
Cina and
Hyoscyamus
niger.
(i)
Stramonium
was
specifically indicated when children had many fears,
or suffered symptoms of
post traumatic stress disorder;
(ii) Cina
benefited
those children who were physically aggressive and
(iii) Hyoscyamus Niger
benefitted
those
children whose ADHD was accompanied with manic or
sexualized symptoms
|
