Positive Parenting

Adult Onset ADHD Totally Different Than Childhood ADHD

Ever since I blogged about 5 Holistic Ways To Treat ADHD a few weeks ago, I’ve gotten dozens of emails from readers wondering if the same approach would help them with their adult ADHD too. So this is the perfect time to update you on the latest medical research about adult onset ADHD and give you a few additional recommendations.   Although adulthood ADHD can absolutely simply be a continuation for childhood ADHD, researchers are now finding out that there is a separate, totally different, adult onset ADHD syndrome.   This is important to understand, because currently to have a …

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Poor Sleep Equals Weight Gain, Even For Children

Continuing my focus of supporting the health of our children during this back-to-schoool month… …today’s article is a reminder about just how crucial it is for children to get good sleep.   Just published in The Journal Of Pediatrics, a new study finds that an earlier bedtime for young children reduces their risk of obesity as a teenager. As we’ve already touched on, sleep helps with focus and concentration in children, as evidenced by this study on the relationship between ADHD and sleep. And we also know that sleep is absolutely required for the long term function of our brain, …

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Bullying Is No Joke, 3 Ways To Protect Your Kids

  Continuing in this Back-To-School month with a focus on the health of our children, let’s talk about something uncomfortable.     Let’s talk about something that we *need* to be talking about more. Let’s talk about something positive that we can do to protect the physical and mental well being of our children for the rest of their lives: end bullying. Published in JAMA Psychiatry in Feb, 2016, the largest study ever to look at childhood bullying documents something we already *know* — that victims of bullying in childhood have painful, lasting ramifications well into adulthood.   The Study: …

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Holistic Protection From Getting Sick When School Starts

As I talked about a few weeks ago on the blog… there is a huge problem with the development of *super bugs* that are resistant to our current arsenal of antibiotics and antivirals, and the problem is only getting worse.     As bacteria and viruses evolve resistance and become more pervasive, I see people reaching more and more for hand sanitizers and wipes. I can’t walk into a supermarket or drugstore or convenience store any more without seeing a box of hand sanitizing wipes right in the entryway. But what you might not know about these wipes, is that …

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Back To School Special: The Latest Medical Studies On ADHD

Recently published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) on May 31, 2016… …researchers found that the stimulant methylphenidate (commonly prescribed for children to treat ADHD: Ritalin, Daytrana, Concerta) increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias.     It’s back-to-school time… a time when children are often diagnosed and treated for ADHD (average age of diagnosis of ADHD: 7 years old.) 11% of the American pediatric population is awarded a diagnosis of ADHD… …with about 6% of all of our children in the United States actively on a Rx medication to treat it. With that many children being medicated, it’s very important …

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Pets Decrease Asthma Risk

  Since Mother’s Day was yesterday, today let’s talk about an important medical study that parents need to be aware of. You’ve probably heard that exposure to dirt in childhood is an essential part of boosting immunity and decreasing future allergies… …but did you know the same is true for animals?   It’s true. Early exposure to dogs and farm animals (during the first year of life) statistically significantly decreased the development of asthma in children 5+ years later. Published on November 2, 2015 in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers found that exposure to animals decreases future development of asthma, a very …

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Autism Linked To Low Levels Of This Brain Chemical…

Published December 17, 2015 in Current Biology, a new study finds and association between Autism and decreased action of GABA in the brain.   GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is calming to the brain. It helps to down regulate brain activity and it’s absence has long been associated with seizure disorders. After noting that a striking number of patients with autism have seizures, researchers looked into GABA activity in autistic individuals. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers found an absence of inhibitory signaling in the brain while participating in activities that normally activate GABA pathways. The severity of the deficit …

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