Recent findings into the prescription medication used to treat conditions like ADHD are prompting serious medical concerns amongst medical experts, reports The Daily Telegraph. Of course as natural therapists we have long had concerns about these drugs that have had very little studies done on the potential and deadly side effects that these drugs can have. Leading Australian Child psychiatrist Dr Jon Jureidini, head of psychiatry at Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital, says he is worried by new figures showing an increase in psychotic episodes among children taking the medications. Dr Jureidini says it is questionable whether prescription drugs do much good for conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and little research has been done on their possible side-effects. “Children’s behaviour problems are generally a reaction to something that’s happening inside them or outside them and I can almost always find a better explanation for what’s going on than calling it ADHD, so the idea of whether to use drugs rarely arises,” he said. “We doctors need to be much more cautious about prescribing them; we also need to be much more careful in our assessment of children with behavioural problems.” Here at Vital Chi Dr Jureidini comments come as a fresh breath of sanity! Of course children suffering behavioural issues have something going on for them. There are many factors that can contribute to behavioural problems in children. Including: • Food Sensitivities and Allergies • Chemical sensitivities • Emotional issues at home or at school • Undiagnosed hearing problems or sight problems • Undiagnosed learning difficulties • Poor brain integration • Nutritional deficiencies • Candida infections • Just to name a few These drugs have been causing children as young as five to attempt suicide. The number of serious reactions to ADHD drugs has doubled in three years, now up to 827. But the true extent of the side effects is unknown, with many doctors and parents under-reporting the impact, experts said. I don’t have children, and I’m sure that at times children can become relentless and maddening even to the calmest of parents. But as a naturopath who works a lot with these kids, there is always a cause and always and answer, and for the sake of your child’s physical and emotional wellbeing getting to the root cause of the problem makes logical sense.