Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind: Nurturing Your ADHD Child with Exercise

by Stephen C. Putnam, W. Mark Shipman (Foreword by)

Overview

ADHD is a childhood epidemic. By some estimates, 5 percent or more of the school-age children in the U.S. have been diagnosed, and most of them are being treated with powerful prescription drugs. Scientists have now discovered that a simple, basic human activity-exercise-has the same positive influence on the brain without the negative side effects.This book shows how, in a great many cases, doses of medication can be decreased or eliminated in favor of a regular schedule of exercise, with vast improvements in the quality of life for the children and their families. The author describes in detail the scientific basis for exercise as therapy, how to determine the optimal schedule, and how to help children become motivated to obtain the appropriate level of exercise without parental nagging. If you are the parent of a hyperactive child, this may be the most important book you will ever read.This is not an anti-Ritalin book. It has been widely hailed by proponents of both alternative and mainstream physicians and researchers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780942679267
Publisher:	Upper Access, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Pages:	142
Product dimensions:	5.52(w) x 8.52(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

Stephen C. Putnam introduced—and advocates for—the now-popular concept that excercise can effectively supplement, and sometimes eliminate need for medication for ADHD children. He holds an M.ed degree in guidance and psychological services. As an adult ADHD, he adds personal experience to his extensive research, and has been a presenter for both of the major national ADHD organizations.

Read an Excerpt

Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind

Nurturing your ADHD Child with Exercise

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By Stephen C. Putnam

Upper Access, Inc., Book Publishers

Copyright © 2001 Stephen C. Putnam
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-942679-26-1

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Chapter One

The Marathon Mind and the Granola Effect

... And when we're not being tested-by the weather, by predators, by other tribes-several million years of evolution go unused.... -Sebastion Junger

How did our ancestors survive without Ritalin[R]? One answer to this question has long been apparent to a few educators and parents who understood the psychological value of exercise.

As recently as the 1970s and early '80s, when Ritalin was still making its debut, some doctors were referring "problem kids" to St. John's Anglican Boarding School, a Canadian private school that operated with the Outward Bound philosophy that hardship creates character. St. John's philosophy has evolved with the times, but, like many other private schools, it still operates on the belief that academic and career successes depend on exposure to sports and outdoor programs. Outdoor programs include canoeing, hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and dog-sledding. Sports include soccer, football, hockey, volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. The programs develop confidence and leadership abilities, teach life skills such as the work ethic, and promote endurance and stress management.

In the 1970s, some of St. John's students began showing up with Ritalin. One teacher decided that the students who brought Ritalin for their three-week canoe trips wouldn't need it. When you cover 30 miles a day by canoe, you don't need to take extra steps to calm anyone down, he noted. You actually need lots of activity. After a trip, the teacher often took parents aside to assure them that their children were fine without Ritalin.

The Marathon Mind

The term "Marathon Mind" might be a better label for ADHD, a condition with behaviors that often reflect a need for constant physical and mental movement.

Children with ADHD are often described as hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive. They appear to be non-stop thinkers or scanners. Some live in a dream world, some thrive on novelty. While there seems to be a lack of control, there's usually plenty of momentum. When the momentum is lost, depression can result.

In many cases and many ways, the marathon mind's need for constant stimulation is normal and healthy. The term Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder might make some children feel like victims who somehow lost in a genetic crap shoot. That description alone could conceivably contribute to depression.

While psychostimulant medication increases attention, it also reduces playfulness, another necessary component of childhood development. While this book will present evidence that suggests that the chemical benefits of exercise are at least comparable to the benefits of medication, it will also present some speculation from a leading neuroscientist, Jaak Panksepp, who believes that play is a mammalian birthright. Short-circuiting the brain's need for play may have undesirable consequences.

One concern about the chemical stimulation provided by medication is that it is a form of repression that breeds conformity. Medication's saving grace lies in its ability to at least make the classroom more tolerable for some children who suffer with ADHD. At best, it can enhance academic functioning. Along with medication, or sometimes in place of medication, you can teach your child to make use of the best stimulation that the environment already offers. You can nurture your child's psychological development with simple exercise.

Drugs as the Treatment of Choice

Since the 1970s, attention-deficit disorder has become the fastest-growing diagnostic category for children. A group of health-care providers in New York State reported that almost 19 percent of all pediatric visits involved psycho-social problems in 1996-more than two and a half times as many psycho-social problem visits as there were in 1976.

The rate of increase was greatest for children between four and fifteen years of age, and drugs became the treatment of choice. In 1996, 78 percent of the children diagnosed with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were taking medication, two and a half times the 32 percent who were taking medication in 1979.

At the incremental rate that ADHD has been diagnosed in the twentieth century, an estimated 15% of American children may be diagnosed with the disorder in the early 21st century.

There is nothing particularly surprising about the rise of drugs as the treatment of choice for a condition that is becoming increasingly pervasive.

A truly effective effort to resolve psychological problems requires coordination among all those interested in a child's well-being. Treatment is often frustrating and time-consuming. Pediatricians can't change the school system. Therapists can't change parents who don't spend enough time with their children at home. Parents can't change their children's peer groups. Most of the time, teachers can't take their students out for a run. Could it be that school districts, insurance companies, and stressed parents see medication as a quick fix for this complicated problem?

The Dangers of Simplistic, Extreme Positions

News media discussions ignore the diagnostic complexities of attention-deficit disorder and present a debate that pushes people into polarized positions based on personal beliefs rather than medical certainties. The impression is that one needs to either be "for" or "against" drugs. There is a tendency for those who support drugs to rule out other useful therapies, and for those who oppose drugs to latch onto anything else, regardless of whether it has been shown to work. Many act as if there are only two possible options-medicine or good old-fashioned willpower and responsibility.

This polarity is also reflected in recent class-action lawsuits that allege that Ritalin's manufacturer conspired with the American Psychiatric Association to invent the standards for ADHD diagnosis, using a broad variety of symptoms that could apply to any child. The nonprofit support group Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) has also become a target of this class-action suit.

Is the disorder real or imagined? Are psychostimulant meds effective or ineffective, safe or dangerous? No matter what we believe about ADHD and medication, polarized views won't help parents and teachers of children who have trouble functioning at home and at school.

There's too much at stake to choose one or the other based on our personal beliefs-either romantic ideas about natural remedies or blind faith in medicine. It really is more complicated than that. For starters, ADHD does not always have the same exact symptoms and causes.

Aside from diagnostic questions best left to qualified doctors and psychologists, and aside from the debate between those who believe that ADHD is a fictitious construct of the pharmaceutical community and those who believe that ADHD is medically credible, the behavioral, academic, and social problems remain. The efficacy of medication has been proven, to some degree, for children living in modern environments under conditions unprecedented in human history.

The causes of ADHD range from genetic inheritance to ingestion of lead. The condition varies from mild to severe, and in subtype from hypoactive to hyperactive. There may be co-morbidity-in other words, it may coexist with another category of learning disorders such as dyslexia. Symptoms of depression and other psychological conditions can mimic those of ADHD and vice versa. To complicate things even further, a child who is diagnosed as ADHD by one physician or psychologist might be diagnosed as normal by another. Both might describe him or her as highly creative, adventuresome, or personable. Since ADHD takes on so many symptomatic forms, any blanket statement about medication or any other treatment mode is likely to be inaccurate.

The Pros and Cons of Medication

There are a number of books and articles advancing the argument that medication is inherently bad. This is not one of them. Lab studies have proven in many cases the effectiveness of psychostimulant medications such as Ritalin, and real-world doctors and parents have seen these medications improve attention, impulse control, and mood.

It is also a fact of life-unfortunate but true-that financial realities often dictate treatment. If a psychological disorder has biological roots, insurance will more likely cover medication than extended psychiatry or other forms of therapy. When you consider the expense of psychotherapy or hiring a personal exercise coach, medication may be the most cost-effective option available.

On the other hand, some argue that Ritalin and other psychostimulant medications may stunt growth, cause rebound effects, increase blood pressure, and cause weight loss. Researchers report that the brain may become sensitized to Ritalin and similar drugs, and also might have long-term toxic effects on the brain.

Drug therapy poses numerous potential risks. Some children forget-and some refuse-to take medication, especially those who are self-conscious about going to the school nurse's office for meds. Adolescents may experiment with drug cocktails, a mix of pills from more than one prescription. On occasion, the media report rare but extreme side effects such as heart damage. For parents, the decision on whether their children should take medication is a risk-management question. Do the risks of ADHD behavior outweigh the risk of medication?

Exercise as an Alternative

Many parents of ADHD children are looking for viable alternative therapies that can complement, and perhaps eliminate the need for, medication. No matter what position parents take on the medication issue, exercise provides an additional option. Based on the limited research that is available, it is effective with children who take medication as well as with those who don't.

The idea that exercise has psychological benefits has not gone unnoticed by government agencies and non-profit organizations that serve the interests of children. The Surgeon General's Report of 1996 finds that inactivity leads to a deterioration of mental health.

According to Child's Right to Play (IPA/USA), an organization that advocates recess for children, physical movement often relieves attention-deficit symptoms. The group also suggests that Americans could learn from other countries, such as Japan, where long classroom sessions alternate with intense periods of outdoor play.

As you will see later in this book, extreme forms of sensory deprivation, including immobility, can trigger attention-deficit symptoms in anyone. These symptoms include inattentiveness and hyperactivity.

Victims of Inactivity

Twenty-first-century technology makes many of us victims of inactivity. Most of us, including children, have far fewer physical chores than did past generations. We also have far more opportunities for leisure activities that make use of joysticks, mice, and remote control devices rather than muscles. Given what we know about the effects of exercise on the brain and the consequences of lack of exercise, the staggering increase in ADHD should come as no surprise.

Most likely, genetic makeup predisposes some children to ADHD behavior. From an evolutionary biological point of view, some things that we consider diseases or disorders may have served as useful functions at the time that they evolved. If this is the case, at least some ADHD cases can probably be more accurately identified as a disorder of adaptation rather than a result of genetically caused brain abnormalities. While sickle-cell anemia is an illness in the western world, it protected people from malaria in Africa, where it evolved. Some ADHD diagnoses may be a result of genetic makeup combined with modern lifestyles that are made possible by a more comfortable environment.

Thousands of years of evolution have provided the best preparation for situations that require physical prowess and quick thinking, both attributes of a marathon mind. Out of necessity, many contemporary school and work environments suddenly discriminate against these attributes. In the past, environment and genetic makeup were less likely to conflict. The runner would be more likely to outrun a lion if he could outsmart him as well.

We often compartmentalize ideas of physical exercise and intellectual exercise. Many in our 21st century world constantly distinguish between athletic jocks and intellectual geeks, almost as separate categories of people. It's easy to forget that the mind and body function as one. As our species evolved, in all likelihood, intelligent runners out-survived counterparts who were only intelligent or only fast runners. And, as we now know, running (among other physical activities that influence blood flow and oxygen intake) also enhanced mental functioning.

In practice, the same children who respond most to psychostimulants seem to also respond most to exercise. Since all of us have a threshold at which inactivity affects us in a negative way, exercise is important for everybody's mental health.

Available research with ADHD children has often been informal, but there is enough lab and anecdotal evidence to make a convincing case for the benefits of exercise. More research might provide more clues for determining how much exercise is optimal, although it is clear that everyone is unique in that regard. Unfortunately, extensive new research is unlikely to happen until someone finds a way to make as much money promoting exercise as the drug companies make from their patents.

Exercise may not be a cure-all for ADHD. But the evidence is strong that treatment plans that don't include exercise are missing a vital factor in brain development and maintenance.

Caution Required when Reducing Medication

With these assumptions, parents should approach exercise therapy with a pragmatic attitude that asks, "How well does it work for my child?" Ideally, your child's doctor can monitor the effects of exercise using the same criteria used to monitor the effects of medication.

For parents who hope to discontinue medication for their children, drug withdrawal requires clinical supervision. In cases in which children are suffering from side effects of drugs, there may be a tendency to move too quickly. Stimulant meds, like other drugs, can produce withdrawal symptoms. Behavior can worsen temporarily. Mental symptoms ranging from fatigue to depression to suicidal tendencies are possible. In general, any withdrawal of medication should be gradual.

Have we, as a society, substituted medication for the exercise that is no longer a routine part of life? That may be an overstatement. In practice, most would agree that the relative safety and convenience of modern life are, in an overall sense, highly welcome. However, restoring enjoyable forms of exercise as a routine part of life helps many children to reduce or eliminate drugs and increase their overall quality of life.

How Much Exercise?

The belief that exercise helps children to "let off steam" is not precisely accurate, but does generally describe the way it triggers neurochemical change and decreases restlessness. At certain extremes, either too much exercise or too little may be perceived as abusive. Where do the boundaries lie, in either direction?

The question of how intense the exercise should be does not necessarily need to be answered with a rigid recipe or prescription. Some of the best personal or group exercise programs have been based on intuition rather than a prescribed dosage.

However, for parents who claim that their child exercises already and that it doesn't seem to help, an effort to codify the scheduling and intensity of the activities may be very useful. Intelligent scheduling can also guard against the other extreme. With exercise, more is not always better. And any regimen that is too rigid or intense is likely to fail if the child dislikes it.

Good old-fashioned age-appropriate fun makes a good base from which to start. A general understanding of the effects of different intensities and durations of exercise is useful but should be adapted to fit your child's age, personality, and schedule.

At one relative extreme, St. John's takes its students on long-distance canoe trips that last three or four weeks, depending on how long it takes to reach the destination. At a similarly high level is the father who helped his son train for Olympic-level ski racing and, as the training intensified, hired a part-time coach.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind by Stephen C. Putnam Copyright © 2001 by Stephen C. Putnam. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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