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High U.S. Costs for Treating Attention Disorder
The costs of treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in US children is similar to the price tag for fighting childhood asthma -- and far higher than national average healthcare costs for kid.
The findings indicate that ADHD and asthma "deserve similar emphasis" as public health concerns. Researchers used data from a 1996 national survey to estimate the annual healthcare costs of children and teens with ADHD, those with asthma and those in the general population with neither condition.
They found that on average, the cost of healthcare for a child with ADHD was $479 higher than for kids in the general population. The findings were similar for children with asthma, whose healthcare costs were $437 higher than average.
The bulk of the cost for treating ADHD was in doctor visits, prescription drugs and out-of-pocket expenses. The potential economic burden of ADHD is enormous.
Based on the survey's estimate of the prevalence of childhood ADHD (3.5%), the researchers put the yearly healthcare cost of the disorder at $1 billion.
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine May 2002;156:504-511
| DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: |
Well over one million American children are on drugs for ADHD.
Clearly drugs are not the answer for children with ADHD. There are so many better options.
If they only did the following three steps, the great majority would notice amazing improvement in their ADHD:
Omega-3 oils, specifically fish oil, is probably the single most important nutrient for a child with ADHD to take.
Next they should only drink water as their beverage, taking care to avoid fruit juices, soda and milk.
Restrict sugars and grains, which cause insulin levels to be elevated.
I
would highly recommend Dr. Stoll's book
The Omega-3 Connection. He is a Harvard psychiatrist who has done a
great job of compiling the evidence supporting the use of fish oils for
depression.
You can also consider using EFT for improving your child's emotional component. I have recently updated my video series on how to actually perform the treatment.
The updated video series has many new advantages:
- New material-over half of
the material is new and updated
- Professionally edited
- Will be available on DVD
mid-June for extra high quality video
- Over two hours of updated
information on my Eating Plan
- Live demonstration of how to juice
If you have a child with ADHD you will certainly also want to view the links below.
Related Articles:
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Major Study Shows Fish Oil Fat in Infants Increases Adult Intelligence
Non-Drug Treatment of ADD/ADHD - Exclusive Interview with Lendon Smith, MD
Non-Drug Treatment of ADD/ADHD