ADHD and ADD Answers for Parents

In my office I routinely work with children who are having a hard time in school.  It is becoming more and more common for these kids to be diagnosed with a neurobehavioral disorder.  Regardless, of what "label" has been put on your child I want to take a few minutes to explain what is happening in your child's brain that may affect him/her throughout life if not corrected.  For parents, I know it can be frustrating when your child is not doing as well in school as you had hoped for them.  It is very important that you understand what may be causing your child's difficulties, and that there are measures that can be taken to help your child.

In children with ADHD/ADD we see that they have a "Functional Disconnection" between the two hemispheres of their brain.  For whatever reason, whether it be poor diet, vaccinations, molds, subluxations, birth trauma, etc., the right side of their brain has failed to develop appropriately.  In turn, this causes the child's left brain to over-fire.  When this brain imbalance exists, it creates an inability for your child to inhibit impulses.  Let me explain further...

I want you to think of the right brain as your brake pedal.  It helps you to inhibit impulses whether they are movements or thoughts.  Therefore when your child is sitting in class and there are noises around them, their right brain fails to categorize these noises as "trivial" and your child's natural reflexes dictate that they "investigate" the change in their environment.  This is why these kids with right brain deficits are inattentive and have a hard time focusing.  There are many other consequences of these right brain deficiencies but that is for a different day.

The important thing to note here is that your child's brain is malleable, meaning it is susceptible to permanent changes for good or bad depending on the stimulation it receives.  In my practice we focus on helping these kids by balancing their brain's activities through brain based stimulation.  Unlike many other "therapies" available for children with neurobehavioral disorders we locate the exact regions of cortical function that are failing to work appropriately and aim treatment at stimulating that specific region.  If you would like more information on the techniques I use in my office to help children with ADHD and ADD contact my office at 763-398-7770 and request my FREE DVD for our ADHD/ADD Recovery Program.

In closing, I always like to give you a practical piece of information that you can immediately apply to help your child.  I mentioned above the importance of stimulating the weak right brain in these kids.  It is equally important to decrease stimulation to the over-firing left brain.  Activities that stimulate the left brain include: TV watching, video games, and computer use.  Just something for you to consider.

Dr. Josh Huffman, D.C.

Allergy Testing?

Allergies promote inflammatory responses in the body that lead to pain, arthritis, metabolic diseases, and even brain degeneration.  The problem is you have to know what type of allergy you are dealing with.  Traditionally when we think of allergies we think of IgE responses.  IgE responses are allergies that are immediate reactions.  These are the types of allergies that can lead to anaphylactic shock.  So, if you are stung by a bee for example, and you have in IgE response you will see instant swelling.  This type of allergic response does not lead to the degenerative changes that I listed above.

You see, the less talked about allergic response, IgA allergies are the form of allergic response that can quietly lead to chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions, that leave an individual feeling frustrated and looking for answers.  IgA allergies are delayed response allergies.  Many times individuals have IgA responses to foods that they eat every day and they are completely unaware of the degeneration that is taking place in their body as a result of this.  With IgA allergies you do not get symptoms for 6-36 hours after exposure. You can see how this may make it difficult for an individual to identify these allergies.  Many times it is this type of chronic immune response that leads to the development of seasonal allergies, chronic infections, and asthmatic changes.

I regularly run labwork in my office to check for these types of allergies.  If you are suffering any chronic or neurodegenerative condition you must get checked for these IgA allergic responses, as they may be one of the driving forces behind your condition.  If you have further questions or are interested in getting checked for these allergies call my office at 763-398-7770. 

God bless,
Dr. Joshua Huffman, D.C.

Thyroid Sufferers!

Hi Everyone, Dr. Huffman here. Today I wanted to share some information on a disorder that I believe to be one of the most mismanaged conditions in America. If you are suffering from hypothyroidism, chances are you have received thyroid hormone replacement but still feel fatigued, lethargic, depressed, overweight, and just plain out worn down.

Let me ask you this. Do you know what type of hypothyroidism you have? If your anything like the thyroid patients I see in my office daily, you have never been told what type of hypothyroidism you have. There are actually 22 patterns of hypothyroid function, and the majority of these do not respond to hormone replacement therapy. So if you want to receive true freedom from this condition, you MUST discover what is causing your thyroid to dysfunction.

Here is the good news. I am going to explain the 7 major patterns of hypothyroidism next Wednesday night. I will also be going over the lab tests that you have not had performed that MUST be done if you are going to experience relief from your thyroid dysfunction. This information will change your life. So make sure to write it on your calendar and call our office at 763-398-7770 to reserve your seat, because seating is limited and they are filling up fast.

Again, this breakthrough seminar on thyroid disorders will be held on Wednesday December 15th, at 6:30 pm in our office located at 2220 County Hwy 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 (Right next door to the Mermaid Event Center).

We'll see you Wednesday!

Dr. Josh Huffman, D.C.