Re: alleged “alternatives” for ADHD

[Patte Rosebank]

Um, an allergy, by definition, IS a hypersensitivity (which is another word for “intolerance”) to something. Generally, a mild hypersensitivity is called an “intolerance”, while a severe hypersensitivity is called an “allergy”. And you don’t get allergy-tested at a homeopath who uses test methods that have been discredited. You get allergy-tested by an allergist, who uses test methods that are proven to be effective.

I repeat, if there is NO way of quantifying or repeating the results, or comparing them amongst a large sample of the population, then the “alternative” procedure cannot be verified, and is thus, discredited.

I also repeat that the real danger in “alternative” therapies is that vulnerable patients are often convinced to abandon legitimate medical therapies in favour of the “alternatives”, and they pay for this decision with their lives. Because of this, it is not “innocuous”.

While it appears that ALCAT worked for you, the fact that it has not, and cannot, be scientifically proven, and the fact that it has been discredited and/or banned by regulators in many countries, means that it is highly irresponsible to promote it as an alternative to legitimate medical tests and therapies.

Those promoting and selling “alternative” therapies, always paint the dangers of medication. Medication is just one part of the treatment picture. You need a combination of medication, behavioural therapy, and exercise. Ruling out medication because you’ll be on it the rest of your life, is like ruling out eyeglasses in favour of vision exercises (as sold on infomercials in the 1990s, and subsequently completely discredited), or ruling out Metformin and insulin if you’re diabetic. While it is true that many medications do have side effects, if they are given under proper medical supervision, they are a very beneficial tool. Their results can be repeated and quantified, and have been tested in huge studies, involving thousands and thousands of people. They are proven to be effective. The difficulty is that medications for mental conditions are not one-size-fits-all, and require a trial-and-error process to find the right one(s) and right dosage(s) for each patient. This process can be very difficult, but when you find the right one(s), the results are life-changing—for the better.

One “alternative” therapy that is highly recommended, quantified, and proven effective, is exercise. It’s cheap, too, since all you need to do is put on your sneakers and go walkies. You’ll still need your medications, but you’ll feel so much better than if you didn’t exercise.

I do use some other “alternative” therapies: chiropractic care and massage. These have been proven effective, and are, therefore, covered by insurance plans. In fact, they were partially covered by OHIP until the cutbacks of a few years ago. For a procedure or therapy to be covered by health insurance (particularly government plans), it must be scientifically proven to be effective. And ALCAT has never been covered by insurance plans.

So, I repeat, it is highly irresponsible to choose and recommend it over legitimate medical tests and treatments, particularly when there is a danger that patients may abandon legitimate treatments in favour of it.

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