Guest Post: Adrienne Sprouse, MD, Talks about ADD

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From Trudy:  “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to share the thoughts of Dr. Adrienne Sprouse as a guest blogger.  Dr. Sprouse has dedicated herself to the field that saved her life:  Environmental Medicine.  After being diagnosed with Chemical Sensitivity and successfully treated, she was accepted to eleven medical schools at the age of 37, and chose Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating with multiple awards.

In 1995, she opened New York City’s first chemical-free environmental medicine center, treating patients made ill from environmental factors.  She has appeared on ABC News, NBC News, New York One and The Tony Brown Show, as well as serving as the Environmental Specialist for Fox Good Day New York. She has been an important part of my own journey to good health.”

A.D.D.:  Psychiatric Illness or Medical Problem in Disguise?

Children and adults who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder usually have one or more of these symptoms: inattention,hyperactivity, poor impulse control, poor school performance, social impairment, and low motivation.  However, these troublesome symptoms can also be caused by several medical problems.

Medical Illnesses Mimicking ADD

Several medical conditions cause symptoms similar to ADD.  These medical conditions include:

  • nutritional deficiencies
  • food allergies
  • inhalant allergies
  • sensitivities to chemicals
  • heavy metal exposure
  • hormonal imbalances
  • medication reactions
  • seizures, etc.

 

If You Are Having Behavioral Problems, Please Consider the Following:

Do you have a nutritional abnormality?

The body needs certain vitamins, minerals, fatty acids,carbohydrates, and amino acids to work correctly.  If one or more of these vital nutrients is low or abnormally elevated, behavior changes can follow.  It is possible to measure your body’s levels for these important nutrients and then tailor a nutritional program to your specific needs.

Do you have a hormonal abnormality?

Thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormones play key roles in body metabolism.  An abnormality in any of these hormones can cause inattentiveness and a depleted mood.  Many chemicals in the environment today are hormone disruptors and can alter the performance of hormones in your body.  A thorough hormonal assessment can identify abnormalities and a corrective plan can be designed.

Do you have food allergies?

Symptoms of food allergy include irritability, itchy eyes, abdominal bloating, headache, sleepiness after a meal, bed wetting, recurrent ear infections (esp. in children) sinus infections, and behavior changes.  Treating food allergies can bring significant relief.

Do you have inhalant allergies?

The following inhalants have been documented to cause illness:  molds, pollen, trees, grasses, flowers, dust, cats, dog, and cockroach.  Identifying and treating your inhalant allergies can go a long way toward returning you to good health.

Do chemical exposures make you sick?

Toxic chemicals abound in our environment and often go unsuspected as a cause of illness.  Any one (or more) of the following chemicals or items can make you ill:  your gas stove, commercial cleaning products, air fresheners, new carpeting, perfumes, paint and varnish, personal care products, new computers, cigarette smoke, copier fumes, pesticides, etc.

Where Chemicals Are Stored

After chemicals enter our bodies, they circulate through the bloodstream to all parts of our bodies…even our brains.  In fact, many of these chemicals are fat soluble and get stored in the body’s fat.  After chemicals enter your body, they will find that fat which then will serve as a reservoir for dangerous toxins and become a staging ground for toxic illness.  Only proper diagnosis followed by individualized treatments to remove those substances will reduce your chemical load.

Clearing Chemicals From the Body

Chemicals already in the body are not likely to leave on their own.  So if you can, avoid them.  But if you can’t or didn’t, you have to remove them.   To remove them, we’ve got to assist the one organ in our body that is the command center for clearing and fighting our war against toxic chemicals:  the liver.  Through a process called detoxification, your chemical load can be reduced.

Phase I liver detoxification results in the modification of reactive  chemicals  by a series of chemical reactions like oxidation, reduction, etc.  Big words, but let it go as the first internal “scrub down.”

Phase II liver detoxification may follow Phase I reactions or may proceed independently.   Here, the liver maximally converts fat-soluble substances to water-soluble substances, facilitating their excretion from the body.  Look at Phase II as the “flush.”

To accelerate the detoxification process, a combination of selected nutrients and amino acids are given to the patient along with an in-center heat detoxification program.  This program contributes to the reduction of the total body chemical burden, and the eventual reduction or disappearance of symptoms.

Summary

Allergy, malnutrition, hormonal abnormalities, and toxicity arereversible causes of behavior problems. Those with allergies are often misdiagnosed with ADD.  Look for the underlying causes of your ADD.  The right treatment can make all the difference!

Learn more about Dr. Sprouse and her work at www.passionandpoison.com.