Better parenting without chemistry

FDA requests label change regarding Risperdal and diabetes

2007-06-30T14:29:00.000-04:00

FDA Requests Label Change Regarding Risperdal and Diabetes. In 2003, the US Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the manufacturer requesting additional information be placed on the Risperdal label, warning about a possible Risperdal-diabetes link. A similar request was made to five other manufacturers of new antipsychotic medications. Continued...

Website Membership

2007-06-29T19:17:00.000-04:00

Join Dr. Dave's website, DrDaveStein.com, today for the low price of just $10.00 for one year! You can ask Dr. Dave your parenting questions, questions about ADD/ADHD, or other situations. Julie Clark of AskMeanMom.com will also be answering parenting questions as well.

In addition to asking your questions, the parenting columns written by Dr. Dave and Julie are archived in the editorial section for your reading pleasure, you'll have access to previously answered Q&As, and a private, members-only parents forum with sections for various topics. This offer is good until September 1, 2007, so join soon! Get your parenting plan in action before the new school year begins.

If you've been looking for a non medication approach for dealing with difficult children, or just need some advice, you've come to the right place! Click the membership link to join.

MEMBERSHIP

Divorce puts children at higher risk of Ritalin use

2007-06-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

Science Daily — Divorce puts children at higher risk of Ritalin use compared to kids whose parents stay together, says new research by a University of Alberta sociologist, who cautions that this doesn't necessarily mean that divorce is harmful to a child. The study appears in this week's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Read More...

ADHD drugs linked to short stature

2007-06-29T19:08:00.000-04:00

Researchers at Riley Hospital for Children have found a link between short stature and medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The link suggests that medications prescribed for ADHD stunt growth in some children.
Or it could mean that conditions that result in being short also predispose children for ADHD.

The study was conducted after Riley physicians and nurses noticed a disproportionate number of short stature patients were on medication for ADHD. Read more...

Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco

2007-05-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

One of Dr. Dave's most popular books is Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco:

Successful Parenting Without Drugs.

Summer special!

School will soon be out, and we are offering ADD/ADHD Fiasco, one of Dr. Stein's most popular books, at the low price of $9.95 plus $2.00 postage. Read it this summer to plan for the upcoming school year!

* Each copy of Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco has been sign personally by Dr. Stein!

* A one-month trial subscription to www.DrDaveStein.com is our gift to you when you purchase a copy of Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco!

About the book: Challenging the disease theories of ADD/ADHD, Stein offers parents a safe, foolproof alternative. Rejecting the pill solution, he presents a truly effective parent training program called the caregivers’ skills program that helps children learn appropriate behavioral and cognitive skills permanently, without drug therapy. Stein presents case studies from his own highly successful practice that demonstrate the remarkably effective CSP that can help parents; educators, physicians and therapists treat today’s problem children.

See what others are saying about Dr. Stein's Caregivers' Skills Program: Testimonials

Click here to read more and to purchase ADD/ADHD Fiasco

Question of the month:

2007-05-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Dr. Dave's Question of the Month:

Q: We all know how important good nutrition is for young children. When my son started Kindergarten, the school sent home information about healthy breakfasts and lunches, that good nutrition was important for learning. In second grade, his teacher wanted to discuss ADHD. He had trouble sitting in his seat, would answer without raising his hand, and so on. We filled out the Connors checklist and his teacher filled out one as well. After reading our checklists, even though my husband and I didn't notice anything that would indicate that he was ADHD, the pediatrician wrote a prescription for ADHD medications after seeing our son for about 10 minutes. Our son lost his appetite and wouldn't eat breakfast or drink a breakfast drink. He would bring his lunch home, hardly nibbled. He began having problems concentrating and rarely answered in class. I called the pediatrician, who increased the dosage. He still didn't eat and he still didn't concentrate. I did some research and one of the side effects listed was loss of appetite. I felt so bad...of course my son couldn't concentrate, he wasn't eating well! We stopped the medication on the weekend and didn't give it to him on Monday (we did give him a vitamin pill and told him that it was new medicine, because his teacher would ask if he'd taken it). We got a report that day that 'the medicine must be working because he'd had his best day ever." My question is this: If loss of appetite is a side effect in many children, doesn't it seem that they could become malnourished and be unable to focus and concentrate? It doesn't do growing brains any good to be deprived of nutritious food. What are your thoughts on this? I am so grateful to have found your books and website! A grateful mom

A: Ritalin and the amphetamines used to actually be prescribed for dieting. Indeed, they often reduce appetite. We know that these drugs also reduce the production of growth hormone, which is important for lots of normal growth factors, such as height, girth, skull and brain size. However, some studies have indicated, just as you suspect, that lack of proper nutrition may exacerbate the slowing growth problem. Parents are told to not worry because their child will catch up once he or she comes off the drugs. Well, it is not quite working out that way. Many children do not come off the drug(s) when they reach the teen years and even the adult years, and furthermore, we have no way of knowing what size a child would have been had he or she never taken any of these drugs. I, for one, do not wish to mess with God's plan for the developing body and brain of a child. I have seen the school performance of many children improve with proper nutrition. If this does not do the trick alone then add my Caregiver's Skills Program, CSP (in my books), which will indeed produce results. I hope this helps, and feel free to write and let me know how your child is progressing.

* Dr. Dave answers parents' questions in the Members area of his website, http://www.drdavestein.com