pediatric housecalls Robert R. Jarrett M.D. M.B.A. FAAP

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Series: Intro/Index

In medical school I ran across a wild article by a “doctor” claiming he could “cure” hyperactivity by having them stop using things like toothpaste and anything else containing salicylates. The results and claims seemed wildly simple and too good to pass up to me; so I convinced my pediatric honors mentor to let me do a study for my honors project. She did.

Dr. Feingold, the proponent, proved to be most unhelpful so I used the best professor sources, his literature and all their procedures to set up a double-blind study which would “prove it.” Problem was, of our 30 patients who signed up for the trial we couldn’t get even one to actually respond so we could give them the real or placebo salicylates that would prove which it was.

My mentor reported the results after I had graduated and went on to become one of the country’s authorities on ADHD. I’ve written several posts on this blog covering various aspects and they are now curated into this series.

14 Posts in "ADHD Hyperactivity" Series

  • ADHD Hyperactivity: Intro/Index – 5 Feb 2013
    A wide and varied series of posts, just like the wide and varied nature of the disorder—ADHD

  • Treatments - 'alternative' – 6 Feb 2013
    Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), placebo effects, sacred cows, mistrust, secret remedies, doctor's secrets and financial incentives—this series has 'em all!

  • Treating ADHD lowers incidence of smoking! – 15 Jun 2014
    Funny thing this: if you actually treat ADHD correctly (i.e. with medications) you find that a certain kind of self-defeating, illegal behavior (underage smoking) diminishes!

  • Labels and 'Alphabet Soup' – 7 Jan 2017
    This post explores the "alphabet soup" that is hyperactivity, learning disabilities, and all the frequent name changes.

  • First, the diagnosis – 11 Jan 2017
    Making the diagnosis of ADHK is no cakewalk. And, unfortunately, it's too often done wrong for varied reasons and leads to either wasted energy or money or distracts from finding the real issue.

  • The Patient – 15 Jan 2017
    What does the ADHK child look like? Do they fit into a mold or is there some variation? What issues do they have?

  • (Video) Sucess in 'Something' Helps – 20 Jan 2017
    As critical as it is for any child, finding something, somewhere to experience success in, is one of the KEY treatments for ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Let's break in our series about ADHD to watch the inspiring story of 12-year-old Pierson Feeney, who has ADHD, discovering his love of dance, traveling to a national dance competition in Las Vegas, and talking about how finding his talent for dance has improved his life.

  • Treatment: How can we know what works? – 29 Jan 2017
    For a child with ADHD, how do we know what the real issues are; how can we tell what really works?

  • Treatment: Five Pillars of ADHD Treatment – 4 Feb 2017
    With all the supposed rhetoric about ADHD and wild claims of treatment, how can we know that what we're doing is right. There are FIVE pillars of diagnosis and treatment that all treatment MUST demonstrate.

  • Treatment: Cognitive Training, Medication – 18 Feb 2017
    In ADHD is it: Cognitive Training (counseling, training), Medication, or Both?

  • (Link) Don't JUST take my word for it – 23 Feb 2017
    Here is another pediatric specialist's advice about ADHD from his position on a medical university faculty.

  • The Children - Followup and Outcomes – 26 Mar 2017
    Let's take the children we've been talking about and follow them through their lives. What about that? What are the outcomes like?

  • Hyperactivity & Puberty - Part 1 – 10 Jan 2019
    Ooops, we forgot to consider ADHD and puberty. What's that like? What are the considerations for "ADHD on steroids"?

  • Hyperactivity & Puberty - Part 2, Issues and Actions – 22 Jan 2019
    When puberty happens to an ADHD child, what are the issues? And, what are the "tips for parents"?