Medication?
thirsty than other kids, but that a lot less urine was produced as well. Where did all that water go? Also ADHD kids suffered from asthma and dry skin and dry hair far more often than other kids. They founded the Hyperactive Children's Support Group in the UK and observed these children very carefully. They dove into the technical literature on the biochemistry of water absorption. Soon they learned that skin is waterproofed through the action of essential fatty acids which - like all vitamins - must be replenished daily through food. They concluded that ADHD children were loosing water rapidly through their skin because the waterproofing mechanism was not working. There was a chronic depletion of essential fatty acids in these children. Their skin was also less protected against infection and allergic reaction, hence the frequency of asthma and eczema. As they continued their search, they learned that essential fatty acids (EFAs) from food are converted through the liver and gut metabolism into polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), a very important type of fat.
The PUVAs are the most important brain food without which perception, cognition, memory, attention, spatial behaviour, and the eyes simply cannot work properly. Vicky and Sally drew 2 important conclusions: 1) Hyperactivity must be due to a deficiency of EFAs (the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids); 2) These kids cannot convert the EFAs in their diet into the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUVAs) that the brain requires.
EFAs as Brain Food Dr. Jackie Stordy at the University of Surrey, and Dr. David Horrobin, began proving in the late 1980's that a lack of essential fatty acids triggers these learning disabilities as well as schizophrenia. So, Vicky and Sally were right: while the regulation and mechanism of brain development are genetically guided, the enzymes that build the brain and facilitate all mental activity cannot do their work without the EFAs and their PUFAs. Then research took off like a rocket. The British government followed 17,000 children from entry into school for several years. Children who were identified with learning disabilities were supplemented with EFA - with immense success. In 1995 in the US, Purdue University did controlled studies providing incontrovertible proof of the EFA hypothesis. It was found that human breast milk was rich in EFAs, but infant formula contained virtually none - resulting in highly significant differences in IQ. In 1998 EFAs was added to infant formulas at last. With biochemists studying EFAs all over the world now, discoveries are piling up at an amazing rate. Clinical depression, arthritis, osteoporosis and certain autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, all are being associated with depleted levels of EFAs and
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