Juvenile Junkies

Do you remember the famous Mary Poppins song, “Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down”? Even I find myself humming it from time to time. These days, it should go: “Just a spoonful of high fructose corn syrup and Red Dye #4 help the anti-depressants  go down”.  Here’s a riddle: What’s small, white, and pushed on virtually every kid in school?
 
Ritalin.
 
Hold it- I can already see the parents who give their kids this drug jumping up in defense.  You’re also probably attacking my “lack of understanding and compassion” for your children, whom you are convinced so desperately need it. Before I begin, ask yourselves this question: “Why are so many parents who want the best for their kids so adamantly against questioning what is being promoted as best for them?” Are you doing justice to your innocent children by accepting some bogus recommendation at face value while stubbornly refusing to examine all sides of the issue? Why are so many parents blindly following their doctors’ orders? Just hear me out- I have been following this issue for several years, and now that I see how much it’s being pushed in schools, I have to open my big mouth.
 
Once again Rebbe Nachman was way ahead of his time when he strongly advised people to stay away from doctors. He claimed that “doctors are agents of the Angel of Death, because he can’t be everywhere at once”.  I’m not saying we should never go to doctors; they have their place for helping people. However, we should be very wary of their advice and do our own research. There are many great doctors- those who are humble enough to be open to working with parents on a problem through a more comprehensive approach, rather than shoving dangerous pills down their kids’ throats.
 
To begin with, parents should know the damage they do by labeling their children. Once you tell your child he is abnormal in any way, whether he’s lazy,  a liar, hyperactive, or irresponsible, he will absorb that feedback into his psyche, and he will convince himself that he really does have a problem. As a result, you create a self-fulfilling prophecy, and it will be nearly impossible for your child to deprogram these negative behaviors.
 
What are the symptoms of ADHD? First, know there is no physical method of diagnosis; no blood test, saliva test, or DNA test. Many doctors would point to the MRI’s as proof that these children’s brains are different than normal children’s brains, and I will address that later. Generally, an MRI is not an appropriate tool for diagnosing something that’s not a suspected physical abnormality. ADHD is a disease of assumption. Does your child have trouble focusing? Does he not pay attention in class? Is he fidgety or hyperactive? Does he jump from one activity to another? He must have ADHD! Quick, get the Ritalin, STAT!
 
Could it be possible that our method of schooling is outdated and inefficient? Think about it- once you graduated high school or even college, how much practical knowledge did you gain that would help you embark on a successful career? Close to none! We expect our kids to sit in boring classes, learning complete lies and heresy, such as the evolution of creation (another possible article), or trigonometry- who in the world uses trigonometry?! Give me a break! If we take a step back and examine this generation of kids, we can see that they’re smarter and sharper than ever. My oldest one is age 6 going on 30, and I know he’s not alone! We are bringing down the greatest souls now in the time before Mashiach, and we need to accept the fact that they are light years ahead of us in every way. Have you seen a kid trying to explain a computer program to an adult? It’s amazing! I know many adults who still can’t figure out how to use Skype! These kids are brilliant!
 
If you were to put an 18-year-old student in 5th grade, how focused do you think he would be? Our system of education needs to be re-examined, and it’s up to the brave parents who are willing to fight for their kids’ futures to initiate that change. In Singapore, for example, there is a program called “Mind Champs”, which enables a child to learn and memorize material in minutes, as compared to the hours it would take from the Western method of learning. There are plenty of Montessori-type schools around the world, who are not only teaching kids practical skills, they are also nurturing them into caring, sharing adults. The reality is: our kids are bored in school! No wonder they’re fidgeting and can’t concentrate! To learn more about this, read
 
http://www.naturalnews.com/032247_ADHD_sugar.html.
 
Now take the problem with the archaic and boring method of schooling we force our kids to suffer through for 14 years, and add to that another ingredient. Literally, I’m referring to food- sugar and food colorings and additives in particular. This is one of the major culprits in destroying our children. A study done by Yale University shows that junk food chemicals actually affect two areas of the brain that also respond to drugs, creating an addiction to junk food.  Many processed foods, such as fast foods or frozen foods, contain chemicals such as MSG, aspartame, and high-fructose corn syrup, which are all highly addictive. These chemicals are also excitotoxins, which give the person a high and trick the brain into wanting more food than necessary.  They have also proven to cause cancers and stimulate growth of existing cancers. For more info, check out these links: http://www.naturalnews.com/rr-blaylock.html and
 
http://www.naturalnews.com/024275_red_clover_food_MSG.html.
 
I have always avoided diet foods, but there were a few weeks when I was buying these diet ice cream bars for my husband, and I would help myself to one or two a day. I noticed that I became foggy and couldn’t think clearly. The real difference I felt was after I stopped eating them; it was then that I realized how I was affected. Now add to the mix refined sugars- you’ve got an overeating, overexcited, maybe obese kid who can’t sit still or listen.
 
Top that off with television, and you’ve got a recipe for failure. When we expose our kids to TV, their brains are absorbing movements and frames that are actually damaging them. By getting used to the ultra-fast motion of TV cartoons and frames per minute, they are finding it harder to sit and focus for a long period of time, listening to a teacher speaking in a monotone voice about nothing of any importance (“Bueller? Bueller?”).  For more information on the damaging effects of TV, refer to my article,

http://www.breslev.co.il/articles/family/children_and_education/killing_us_softly.aspx?id=20011&language=english.
 
Let’s not lie to ourselves any longer. Ritalin is a drug of convenience- our convenience. Take a kid who’s bouncing off the walls after watching his favorite cartoon, give him a hit of Ritalin, and voila, you’ve got a calm kid. What are we, magicians? We are manipulating our children so they will meet our expectations, and more importantly, society’s expectations. It’s not fun dealing with your kid when he’s having a freakout attack at the grocery store because you won’t buy him something.  Sure, kids are loud, they don’t listen, they get crazy- but that’s how kids are! This generation is completely different, and we must adapt to that. Now let’s look at the physical effects of Ritalin.
 
I found loads of info on Ritalin, and one website in particular was http://ritalinsideeffects.net/. Ritalin is extremely similar to amphetamines, or stimulants, in the way it is absorbed, metabolized, and the effects it creates. Ritalin is extremely addictive and can cause other side effects such as anxiety, palpitations, nervousness, and insomnia. Sounds a lot like speed, doesn’t it? Studies done by the National Institute of Mental Health have shown that a child taking Ritalin increases his chances of sudden death by 500%!! Other serious side effects include stunted growth, impaired brain development, seizures, and death

 http://www.naturalnews.com/026459_drug_child_children.html

There have been many incidences of kids collapsing and dying of heart attacks after taking Ritalin. On the street, it’s called Speed, but Big Pharma has convinced you that your child needs it. Another study found that after taking Ritalin for 3 years, the children’s brain development were 3 years behind, when viewed on MRI. Of course, the original study was corrupted to say that these kids’ brains were already 3 years behind, and that’s why they needed Ritalin- to catch up. Lies, lies, and more lies. In reality, your child will fall behind in every area of physical and mental development if you keep him on this drug. As one teenager put it, he felt like “a fake person” on Ritalin.
 
One more long-term effect that you may not have thought of: What will happen when your kids will be adults, after being on Ritalin for half of their lives? Are they going to magically transform their fake attention spans into real ones? How will they focus during hours-long meetings or all-night study sessions? If their brains have been trained to focus only while on drugs, what do you think will happen when they attempt to go off the drugs? Can anyone say, “withdrawal symptoms”?
 
“Yes,” you say, “but my kid is the exception. He really does have ADHD, and is out of control without it!” Let me ask you- where was ADHD 20 years ago, before Big Pharma invented it? It didn’t exist! And it still doesn’t exist, because it’s not a real disease!! So what to do about these unruly kids? First, listen to Rabbi Brody’s CD’s, “Healthy Eating” and “Education With Love”. These are two powerful tools you can use to get your kids on the right track. Second, change their diet- less processed foods, less refined sugars, more raw and healthy foods. Sure, this takes work, but that’s part of our jobs as parents. Third, get them outside more. Get rid of the TV and let them run wild, ride their bikes, play sports, anything safe outside. They have tons more energy than we do, and they desperately need an outlet. On a side note, just to prove that the same kid who can’t focus in school has no problem with his attention span, just add up the hours he’s playing “Guitar Hero” or XBOX without moving to eat, drink, or use the bathroom. And fourth, pray for your children. Rav Arush says the secret of a child’s success is his parents’ prayers. They need our support, spiritually and physically. Don’t leave them to their own devices, because things don’t usually work out so well that way.  Your children are your most precious commodity.
 
Don’t destroy their future because of your blind faith in doctors and medicine. And most importantly, don’t feel bad about your past decisions. As Rebbe Nachman says, “If you can destroy, then believe you can rebuild.” May we all merit the blessings of seeing our children grow into healthy, balanced, and successful adults, Amen.