The Hyperactivity Hoax : How to Stop Drugging Your Child and Find Real Medical Help

Rating:
Summary: I was his patient as a child.
Review: After years of unsuccessful psychiatric work, school problems, and Ritalin, my parents found Dr. Walker. I was eight, and my parents and teachers were at a point where I was probably no longer going to be able to attend school and there was a possibility of being institutionalized. The rages that I would fly into would take a room apart. The animals and three other siblings in my family were continually terrorized. Babysitters refused to stay with us.

It is hard to talk about this stuff now, as I am a thirty-something adult with a very healthy and happy life. I have a wonderful husband, a 17-month-old daughter, and a baby on the way. Dr. Walker diagnosed me as being allergic to gluten and as being a borderline diabetic who with strict diet management would hopefully never have to take insulin. My diet went into effect when I was eight, immediately after my parents brought me home from Dr.Walker's multi-day visit. It worked. I don't know how long the diet took to work because I was so young, but my parents said that the change was like night and day. A normal, healthy, child without Ritalin. In adulthood I still do not need insulin.

It is not always easy to find out what the problem is. In fact, my parents probably spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars, many hours, and many trips to different doctors. (We visited Dr.Walker who practiced in CA, while we lived in AZ.) Boy do I owe my parents! But there can be reasons for such behavior that take some serious digging. Ritalin, often, is just a cover-up and a heck of a lot easier to do. But for sake of the health of the child please consider alternatives.

Rating:
Summary: Some valid points, but....
Review: overall the book isn't one that adds up. Walker seems to vacilate between suggesting ADHD simply doesn't exist -- that it is always the symptom of an underlying problem -- and saying that there may be something to it if no underlying disorder can be found, but Ritalin isn't the answer. I found myself getting confused in spots about what he really believes.

His points about Ritalin are well made. He's absolutely correct in stating that it can be a risky drug for children to be on, that we haven't done enough appropriate longitudinal research, and that the side effects for some children can be problematic, at best. The key words, however, are some children. I know children who are on the drug who aren't having any problems with it. The whole issue of what is a cause and what is an effect is a confusing one, and this book doesn't make it any clearer.

In terms of the safety of Ritalin, the research and studies Dr. Walker mentions are based on such small sample sizes that they can't be taken as proof. His writing suggested to me that he was attempting to suggest causal relationships when he only had enough evidence to point out a correlation.

Now, Dr. Walker's points about HMOs and the lack of proper diagnosis of children are ones I can completely agree with. It's in this area that his evidence and argument is the strongest. He does a good job of explaining the different possible non ADHD causes of hyperactive behaviour. I did find this part of the book a bit long, however.

The latter parts of the book, dealing with advocating for your child with medical and educational professionals, is the most effective and useful part of the book. I would give the book two stars simply for the chapter where he gives readers observation sheets to fill out and give to the doctor as a basis for a proper medical examination. His advice on dealing with these professionals is sound and easy to implement -- he takes alot of the mystery and fear out of working with doctors and teachers. I would have like to see him encourage readers more to press for wider societal change, such as loosening the grip of HMOs and relieving some of the pressure on our schools -- changes that can only occur on a legislative/cultural level -- rather than simply pitting parents against doctors and teachers, however.

This book is worth looking at if you know nothing other causes of hyperactive behavior. It's got some useful information, but I wouldn't make it the only book I read on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read !!!!
Review: Put very simply, this could be the most important book you will ever read. It will change your life, your children's lives, your family life, and the way you view the medical and psychiatric community. If your child has been "diagnosed" with ADHD, ADD, or one of the other behavioral "disorders" or has been put on Ritalin, Aderall, or an anti-depressant, you owe it to yourself and your family to read this book.