Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 He and his parents had been coerced to stay on ritalin from first grade to age 13. He suddenly fell over while playing with friends and died. At autopsy, his heart muscle was diffusely enlarged, scarred and infiltrated with fat. The medical examiner, Dr. Drakovic, a highly experienced pathologist, said there was no doubt in his mind that Matthew Smith died of long-term chronic amphetamine methylphenidate ritalin poisoning.
Mike: So we have a population that is potentially setting themselves up for long-term death and harm just like drug addicts?
Dr. Baughman: Yes. |
Charles Barber
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 As the Harvard political scientist Harvey Mansfield has written, "Ritalin tempers the high spirits of boys, and Prozac raises the low spirits of women"—so both can be closer to the socially acceptable norm.23 By contrast, the drugs of the 1960s and 1970s were meant to deliver the opposite: they were not intended for functioning, but for doing as little as possible. One took the drugs to loaf, to exit, and to escape. (As the mantra of the day went, "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.") The purpose of LSD and marijuana was to get as far away as possible from mundane draggy reality. |
| Ours apparently not being a comedic age, there are few sitcoms anymore, and the only breakthrough domestic drama of recent years has been the appropriately named Desperate Housewives, in which one of the housewives gets addicted to her child's ritalin. There aren't new crime shows, either, just spin-offs from preexisting franchises, like fast-food restaurants: among the most popular TV shows are Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, CSI, CSI: Miami, and CSI: New York. |
Dr. Abram Hoffer, MD, FRCP (C) and Dr. Harold D. Foster, PhD
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 Dexedrine made her much worse, causing severe nightmares and visual illusions, and ritalin, which is less toxic than Dexedrine, did not have any therapeutic effect.
Her aunt had placed her on a dairy-free diet program, which produced a major improvement. Dr Hoffer added niacin (100 mg after each meal), ascorbic acid (500 mg after each meal), the essential fatty acids, and a multivitamin complex. She did not like the niacin flush, so her B-3 was changed to inositol niacinate (no flush niacin) 500 mg, three times daily. When seen 10 months later, she was almost normal. |
| Children's Attention and Behavior Disorders
Today, children with subclinical pellagra, as it was described in the 1930s, are classified in the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic Manual as suffering from one of the attention deficit disorders, such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), commonly treated with the popular drug ritalin.
In his book Healing Children's Attention and Behavior Disorders, Dr Hoffer has shown these conditions can be treated effectively with orthomolecular medicine. |
| None of these children was ever started on ritalin or other drugs, and, in most cases, when the children were taking this drug, they were able to substitute vitamins. The results have been, and continue to be, very good. Vitamin B-3 is one of the most important nutrients for most childhood health conditions, except for children with infantile autism, where pyridoxine is more useful.
1 Rajakumar K. Pellagra in the United States: A historical perspective. Southern Medical Journal 200o;93(3):272-277.
2 Rajakumar K. Pellagra in the United States: A historical perspective. |
John J. Ratey, MD
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 His experience begs the question of whether exercise can replace ritalin or Adderall or bupropion (Wellbutrin), and for the vast majority of cases I would say the answer is no. At least not in the way James Blumenthal and his colleagues at Duke showed that exercise can stand in for Zoloft in treating depression.
Yet there is something instructive in Jackson's motivation for discontinuing his medication. I think he felt out of control, knowing that he was smart enough to succeed but unable to make it happen. |
| He began taking ritalin and stayed on some form of stimulant throughout his school years. He was smart, but he had a lot of trouble with school. As a day student at a top-ranked private academy, he simply had more work than he could get through. Sleep became rare, and when it did come he would often wake up with a stomachache, dreading the drive to school. After having a panic attack, he withdrew from the school—despite a B average earned primarily by acing tests—and transferred to a public high school. |
| This area is a key binding site for ritalin, and brain scans show it to be abnormal in children with ADHD. Exercise increases dopamine levels in the rat equivalent of this area by creating new dopamine receptors.
One group of researchers, including the University of Georgia's Rodney Dishman, examined the effects of exercise in ADHD kids by using motor function tests that provide indirect measures of dopamine activity. The results threw Dishman for a loop because boys and girls responded differently. |
| I suggested we try the ritalin again, and it really toned down his violent outbursts. He was so relieved; he said he'd forgotten that he could feel calm and focused.
Around the same time, I was immersed in studying severe aggression—researching, treating, and writing about what made patients of all sorts so violent. I stumbled across a study by Frank Elliott, then chairman of the neurology department at the University of Pennsylvania. Within a. large population of prisoners, he discovered that more than 80 percent of them had had serious learning problems as children. |
| Dopamine also carries signals to the nucleus accumbens, or reward center, which is where ritalin, amphetamine-dextroamphet-amine (Adderall), and the active agents of other stimulants—from coffee to chocolate to cocaine — end up. The reward center needs to be sufficiently activated before it will carry out its important duty of telling the prefrontal cortex that something is worth paying attention to. It engages the prioritizing aspect of executive function, and this is a central component of motivation. Essentially, the brain won't do much unless the reward center is responsive. |
| I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters. It's a handy metaphor to get the point across, but the deeper explanation is that exercise balances neurotransmitters—along with the rest of the neurochemicals in the brain. And as you'll see, keeping your brain in balance can change your life. |
Craig Pepin-Donat
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 Prescription for Trouble"
Sandy Fertman Ryan
Girls' Life (October-November 2005)
An article on ritalin — and other drugs — abuse by kids to lose weight, pull all-nighters, etc.
"Use of Prescription Drugs During Pregnancy"
Karl E. Miller
American Family Physician (June 1, 2005)
Chapter Three
The Supplement Scandal
Unproven claims, poor quality control and products marketed to make you look better, feel better, live longer and enhance performance are the lies of this unregulated industry. |
Mike Adams
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 There is little question that ritalin works. Much like Prozac (fluoxetine) is effective for MSG-induced depressive symptoms, ritalin is effective for a wide range of MSG-induced symptoms. Should we be using a potent drug ...just to treat another drug reaction from monosodium glutamate? The thousands of cases responding solely to MSG elimination indicate a likely widespread response.
- George R. Schwartz, M.D., In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex
As Dr. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 It's like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of ritalin," he says.
Exercise can also reduce levels of the stress hormone Cortisol, elevated levels of which ultimately age the brain by shrinking the hippocampus. Thus exercise improves both heart and brain function. It's the ultimate antiaging drug.
Pump Iron, Live Longer!
And that's just aerobic exercise, which is defined as exercise that's dependent on a steady flow of oxygen, e.g., walking, biking, stair-climbing, and the like. Add weight training to the mix and you get even more benefits. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 There are none, of course. ritalin is an authority drug. It keeps children in line. It makes teachers feel less stress and parents feel less guilt. ritalin is a mind-altering narcotic, and yet millions of children are on it today. Its purpose is not to help children, but to make life more convenient for those who manage children.
You think statin drugs have a medical purpose? Think again. In reality, they only have a profit purpose. These drugs were invented to sell pills that manage disease states in people, not that solve any real health problem. Don't believe me? |
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
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 For reasons that are not understood, stimulants like ritalin produce a paradoxical response in these children: slowing them down and helping them concentrate, rather than speeding them up. However, despite its effectiveness, this powerful drug can cause numerous side effects, including loss of appetite, insomnia, rapid heart rate, headache, and possibly growth retardation. Furthermore, ritalin does not address the cause of ADHD; it merely suppresses the symptoms. |
Charles Barber
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| Before 1990, outside of the occasional use of ritalin, the medicating of kids was just about taboo. Clomicalm (known as Anafranil when taken by humans) is approved by the FDA for separation anxiety for dogs. To increase their appeal for these segments of the market, Prozac and Paxil come in mint- and orange-flavored liquids, respectively, and Clomicalm is meatflavored. A Los Angeles veterinarian estimates that 5 percent of the cats and dogs in his practice are taking psychotropic agents for their behavior.18
• Zoloft's American sales—$3. |
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
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| WRIGHT'S CASE STUDY
Jeremy is NOT going on ritalin! Susannah Bernstein declared. "I don't care if we have to put him in a private school, even if we can't afford it. They're not drugging our son. We've been asking around, and we heard sometimes your clinic can help."
"We know Jeremy can be a handful," David added. "But we couldn't understand why the school was pushing so hard for that ritalin, even hinting they might not let Jeremy come back without it. How do they know it's exactly the right thing for him? They're teachers and administrators, not doctors. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| So if you've ever wondered why ritalin -- which has no medical purpose whatsoever -- is perfectly legal, and yet medical marijuana -- which has a well-proven medical purpose -- is outlawed, now you know the answer: because ritalin makes powerful people rich. And marijuana doesn't. Anybody can grow marijuana. Drug companies don't control the patents. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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 This is the same ritalin that became well known in reducing hyperactivity in children. Methylphenidate may calm hyperactive children, but in some adults it helps combat fatigue. No one really understands why the drug has diametrically different actions in children and adults. This class of drugs is under strict control because of its abuse potential. However, this has not been an issue in my patient population.
A recent double-blind placebo-controlled trial did find this drug to reduce fatigue and improve concentration. |
| However, some people who cannot tolerate Provigil or ritalin do just fine on an amphetamine. With this drug, I use as little as is necessary to produce a noticeable reduction in the patient's fatigue.
To my amazement, some insurance companies insist that patients try methylphenidate or amphetamines before they will pay for modafinil, even though these drugs can have much more serious side effects. Modafinil is not yet on the list of drugs the FDA has approved for use in chronic fatigue syndrome or idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF), although it's approved for other purposes. |
Dr. Timothy Scott
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 Even in the 1970s when Carolyn was first prescribed ritalin several studies had already linked high doses of amphetamines to dyskinesias.6
There are two messages I hope you will reap from Carolyn's experience. First, there is too little awareness and concern about adverse drug effects among physicians. Today many physicians freely prescribe ritalin or other stimulants without any awareness that 7.8% of children given them will develop tics, including those on low doses,7 or that a smaller number will develop other movement disorders. |
James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 Teens who take ritalin may be tempted to mix it with alcohol, marijuana, or other recreational drugs, creating a dangerous brew with unknown consequences. And as with many conventional prescription drugs, the most compelling argument against ADHD drugs is that they fail to address the cause of the problem. Without the underlying cause being treated, children may have to tak; ritalin well into their twenties.
There are many underlying reasons why a child may have attention or behavior problems. |
Byron J. Richards, CCN
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 Thus, animal studies with ritalin show a change in stress response that fuels the mechanism by which adults gain disease-associated fat.
It would be relatively easy for parents and schools to help solve both the apparent need for ritalin and the general obesity epidemic in our youth. Parents could ensure their children eat a good breakfast, one with a good protein base and void of sugar sweetened cereals. Schools could replace morning snacks with morning exercise, and forbid snack-ing before lunch (except with instructions from a medical doctor). |
Craig Pepin-Donat
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| So the next time your "hyperactive" kid starts to get out of control, don't reach for the ritalin, look at his or her food intake. No more soda pop, Fruit Loops or any of the hundreds of horrible unnatural products mass marketed to your kids. To borrow a phrase, 'Just say no!"
Another highly popular self-inflicted disease is acid reflux, which is thought to be caused by stress and poor food choices. Instead of curbing our appetites or changing our diets, TV ads encourage us to pop a pill prior to a night of overindulgence. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| So if you've ever wondered why ritalin -- which has no medical purpose whatsoever -- is perfectly legal, and yet medical marijuana -- which has a well-proven medical purpose -- is outlawed, now you know the answer: because ritalin makes powerful people rich. And marijuana doesn't. Anybody can grow marijuana. Drug companies don't control the patents. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald
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 It is no accident that she has focused her energies recently on the so-called "epidemic" of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the huge numbers of prescriptions for ritalin and other drugs that are being prescribed for it. "There are many studies, here and abroad," she says, "that clearly demonstrate that foods and environmental factors can cause ADD and ADHD. Sixty-six percent of hyperactivity is related to food allergies. Another piece of the puzzle is clearly dust, molds, pollen and chemicals. |
Melody Petersen
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 Drug manufacturers boast in their ads for stimulants like ritalin and Dexedrine that the pills will boost children's grades. But they did nothing for Peter, who continued to get Cs and Ds. He also became angry sometimes. Anger is a known side effect of Dexedrine.
When told of his bad temper, the psychiatrist gave Peter an additional diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder. Sandy believes that is why the doctor wrote yet another prescription for her son, this time for the antidepressant Paxil. |
| Collins said she again talked to the family and convinced them to stop the ritalin for good. The boy's seizures stopped, she said, and haven't reappeared after four years.
"No one cared about his seizures," she said. "They wanted his behavior controlled."
And then there was the day the stepmother of one of her patients called to say she was worried because the girl was depressed. Dr. Collins referred the family to a counselor she knew, but the visit was brief. The counselor talked to the girl for twenty minutes, before sending her back to Dr. Collins. The counselor told Dr. |
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