Originally published August 18 2014
ADHD rates are rising because children's play and exercise is more restricted, says pediatrician
by PF Louis
(NaturalNews) We all know the medical solution for ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is to drug kids with a pharmaceutical that closely resembles cocaine's molecular structure and forces adverse side effects -- Ritalin. The medical mafia never addresses causes for the restlessness that's labeled ADHD. Instead of lifestyle changes, they medicate with harmful drugs.
Wise and informed parents who manage to work around and avoid the CDC's insane vaccination schedule have much less trouble with neurological issues and allergies with their kids. Eliminating packaged breakfast foods loaded with sugars and neurotoxic colored dyes has also proven successful for reducing ADHD or nervousness.
But the continued suppression of outdoor child play or unsupervised physical activity of any sort has also been cited as a problem that contributes to ADHD. [1] How often do you see preteen kids riding bikes around, or playing in a quiet neighborhood street, or climbing a tree? Hardly ever if at all.
That's not the way it used to be.
The good old days
There have been recent episodes of public school systems banning informal sports, even simple gymnastics like cartwheels. [2] Yet, a half-century or so ago, running amok in schoolyards during recess and after school was commonplace: swinging with abandon; exiting from the swing's seat at the peak of a swing; and spinning at high speed on those occupant-propelled merry-go-rounds
Then, these activities were done without adult supervision: walking to school blocks away before being able to ride a bike; riding a bike miles away to school and back as preteens; climbing trees; building "forts" in densely overgrown lots; BB-gun fights for fun and excitement; and using public transportation to go downtown as preteens.
Then there was also: riding bikes with others all over the place; playing softball in the neighborhood street; playing tackle football in grassy areas anywhere, including schoolyards; jumping to the ground from rooftops; and lots of physical activity and moving around without cell phones. Yet a very high survival rate and no ADHD.
In those days, parents remained as couples and only the father worked, which was sufficient for making ends meet for a one-car family with abundant food and ample housing. Those days are over.
Examples of restricting kids' activity to their detriment
More and more child-rearing involves lots of TV and video games, especially among parents who are so busy working to make ends meet. Latchkey kids have become more common with increasing single-parent homes, but coming home from school to an empty apartment or house also occurs with both parents working.
According to Jenny Deam of Parents magazine, one in 25 grade school kids is a latchkey kid. [3] School systems have had to cut back on after-school programs due to budgetary cuts, while organized athletic equipment and facilities continue being funded.
A parent can't even let a child walk to a park for some recreational play without fear of arrest. The sources below have two examples of two mothers arrested for letting their child walk to nearby children's parks alone equipped with cell phones for push-button access to their mothers. [4] [5]
One of those mothers, a single mom, worked in a McDonald's fast food joint. She didn't want her nine-year-old child hanging out at McDonald's for hours. She was jailed, and her daughter was taken by South Carolina Child Protective Services.
The increased, somewhat unwarranted, paranoia of child abductions, sexual predators and drug dealers has negatively influenced so-called child protection services, law enforcement and the school systems to put a damper on letting kids run around outdoors.
Without sufficient physical activity, what's boring to most kids cooped up in a classroom for several hours is bound to get some fidgety. Daydreaming those boring hours away has been usurped by restless and disruptive activity (not as imaginative nowadays?), which overwhelms teachers in overcrowded classrooms enough to use the ADHD label and drug those kids into compliance.
Hey, teacha! Leave them kids alone! (Pink Floyd lyric from "Another Brick in the Wall")
Sources for this article include
[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com
[2] http://www.naturalnews.com
[3] http://www.parents.com
[4] http://www.naturalnews.com
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