tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post4215780496552335635..comments2024-03-29T06:57:49.917-04:00Comments on Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: The first 5 steps you can take towards health without pillsLisa Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-81271718210063789992012-03-14T17:02:50.722-04:002012-03-14T17:02:50.722-04:00Hello Anonymous,
To be clear, I have absolutely n...Hello Anonymous,<br /><br />To be clear, I have absolutely no problem with someone suggesting ways to eat better. And I don't think I said anything that would lead you to believe that "changing diet isn't [my] thing". However, what troubles me is statements like this:<br /><br />"5. Take an Omega-3 supplement ... It is also used intensively to help with cardiovascular disease, ADD/ADHD, and in children with apraxia with excellent results."<br /><br />This claim, if true, is the difference between medication with terrible side effects and a much higher quality of life. Since this statement has such a huge impact on people suffering from those diseases, why not spend an extra few minutes and throw in some links to back up these claims? There are only two possibilities: either the statements are true and adding a few links will just make them stronger or the statements are false and they should be removed.<br /><br />I do plenty of "work for an answer", especially with regards to ADHD. However, there is a fundamental difference between telling me to google "Feingold" or "Andrew Saul" if I want to know find evidence of diet-based ADHD treatments and actually linking to the evidence. The internet is a big place, after all, and google results change every day. If you found a particularly convincing study during your research, the best way to spread the word is with a link.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687706944620468850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-77535566879689095652012-03-14T16:36:04.527-04:002012-03-14T16:36:04.527-04:00Thank you, Lisa. It speaks volumes about your inte...Thank you, Lisa. It speaks volumes about your integrity that you are so willing to read and respond to criticism.<br /><br />And for the record, I agree about many things that are posted here. Eating healthier does have a huge impact on health but because of the chasm between doctors and dietitians a lot of this information doesn't make it to patients. <br /><br />My only concern is that there is a lot of misinformation on the internet, so I think everyone benefits when health tips like these are made verifiable. Thank you for taking steps to do exactly that.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687706944620468850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-65142410680138958612012-03-14T00:40:35.881-04:002012-03-14T00:40:35.881-04:00I must take responsibility for the title which is ...I must take responsibility for the title which is being called misleading. It was not Heather's title. I gave it a title to try to convince parents to consider something I believe in. That is try alternatives before trying pills. The pharma companies spend billions on the pill first message and there is not that sort of funding behind what the alternatives are. I mean think about it. Doctors don't study "health" they study "medicine."<br /><br />I will give this post a more appropriate title. <br /><br />I know Heather as an expert and asked her to share five ideas that anyone can use to get started toward better health and possibly avoid turning to pills. I believe the suggestions here will lead to better physical or mental health. <br /><br />As far as links, I know Heather has years of experience and study behind her words, however, because I want to ensure readers receive the best information possible, I have asked her to provide a link to each idea and hope that her schedule will permit in the near future. <br /><br />In the meantime, if any readers have links to information they'd like to contribute, I invite you to share.Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-84137466246851173322012-03-14T00:30:14.337-04:002012-03-14T00:30:14.337-04:00"I asked DeGeorge to share the top five thing..."I asked DeGeorge to share the top five things families can do to get started on a road to better mental and physical health without medicating. "<br />That is the lead in to the article. I don't see anywhere where it says, Heather tell us your cure ADHD. I don't see why a list of healthy alternatives is upsetting you so much, Ben. There's no harm in eating better, there's no harm in trying to eliminate foods that may causing reactions. There is lots of harm in taking medications and there are children who die from these medications. There are children who are addicted and can't get off. No child is going to look back and say,"Wish my mom let me eat white food" but they may look back and say, "I wish weren't so addicted to these drugs that are PRESCRIBED to me" If changing diet isn't your thing than go ahead and move on. <br />Feingold recommends a diet change. Andrew Saul recommends vitamins for ADHD. You can google those names or not but lots of info is readily available if you choose to work for an answer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-2234497201905046152012-03-13T20:57:47.624-04:002012-03-13T20:57:47.624-04:00The article is titled "5 healthy alternatives...The article is titled "5 healthy alternatives to treating children with pills". However, the article does not cite a single study that shows doing these things will treat any of the major diseases you list ("ADHD / ADD, diabetes, child obesity, bi-polar disorder, depression, asthma"). To state that your list is just a set of "guidelines" for "general health" is simply not true.<br /><br />Your response that "There is no shortage of research on the effects of blood sugar & insulin dysfunction" misses the point entirely. If there is no shortage of research, show us some. Your article still has the burden of showing that blood sugar and insulin dysfunction are somehow caused by "white foods" and which, if any, of the diseases you list will be treated by not eating such foods. <br /><br />And yes, parents feel a tremendous amount of guilt when someone suggests they may not be doing all they can for their children. You add to this guilt by suggesting that parents who medicate their children are somehow uninformed, that some who use medication are of the "quick-fix" type, and that the long-term impact on children can be "detrimental".<br /><br />I don't expect a thesis. I only expect that if you make the claim that a wide swath of serious diseases can be treated with diet instead of medication that you back it up with links to actual research. If what you say is true then adding links will simply help more parents come to the same conclusions you have and help their own children. If what you say is not true, however, then this article is at best irresponsible and at worst dangerous to the children of parents who follow your advice.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687706944620468850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-75200570844680182422012-03-13T20:04:40.365-04:002012-03-13T20:04:40.365-04:00Ben, did you actually read the full article? Beca...Ben, did you actually read the full article? Because it was not specific to ADHD. It was the first steps towards getting a better handle on your family's health which could potentially reduce the symptoms of a broad range of problems and get one step closer to fixing the root problems. I never once in this article said that removing white foods would fix or cure ADHD--not anywhere. In fact, I would never make a comment like that about ANYthing because individual biochemistry dictates that different people's bodies will react differently to the same thing/treatment regimen; and that two people exhibiting the exact same condition could be doing so with profoundly different root causes. That is the heart of a new field of medicine called "Functional Medicine".<br /><br />Furthermore, I explained my rationale for removing white foods. There is no shortage of research on the effects of blood sugar & insulin dysfunction that causes countless problems (including some in my list of disorders--that include but are not limited to ADHD--earlier in the article... like diabetes). And for the record, insulin imbalance can cause plenty of mental health issues (again, some of the things in my list other than ADHD).<br /><br />And these are guidelines. FOR GENERAL HEALTH. So I'm not sure where you got the impression that I have "thoughtless platitudes about ADD/ADHD" nor where you feel I have guilted anyone into anything. I offered up a list of very basic things people can do to help them on their way towards better health and that as a grouping, offer a well-rounded jump start for people consuming the Standard American Diet. Without writing a thesis, I gave some basic explanations of each of my suggestions. These are starting points for people, not end points.Heather Jones DeGeorgehttp://www.heatherdegeorge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-87249408867511382772012-03-13T16:17:21.563-04:002012-03-13T16:17:21.563-04:00While it's true that there is some research su...While it's true that there is some research suggesting that diet my have an impact on ADHD, it is misleading and irresponsible to assert that doing things like removing white foods from your diet will somehow fix or cure ADHD.<br /><br />Unfortunately, just as stimulants are not a silver bullet for ADD/ADHD, neither is diet. It is disappointing to see Heather DeGeorge suggest this, especially without linking to any research backing up her claims. Such thoughtless platitudes about ADD/ADHD hurt the very kids they are purportedly trying to help by guilting parents into experimenting with a diet that Heather has chosen arbitrarily rather than a diet supported by science.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687706944620468850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-38167990437594067902012-03-09T09:53:03.492-05:002012-03-09T09:53:03.492-05:00Heather, I totally agree! I've been telling pa...Heather, I totally agree! I've been telling parents about these things for years. Preaching about nutrition in the South has been a challenge. However, kids with "ADD/ADHD" traits generally need less sugar, more protein, and many have a minerals deficiency, especially magnesium and zinc. Books that helped when our kids were misdiagnosed were "No More ADHD" and "No More Ritalin", by Dr. Mary Ann Block.Dori Staehlehttp://www.nseducationalconsulting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-5116906086849190592012-03-09T09:12:47.788-05:002012-03-09T09:12:47.788-05:00I'm on board. Would it be OK if I posted this...I'm on board. Would it be OK if I posted this onto http://www.bbat50.com ? <br /><br />Answer to bbat50 which is a gmail address.BBat50https://www.blogger.com/profile/09736054246852300843noreply@blogger.com