What if Albert Einstein had been  put on Ritalin?  Did you know that Einstein, one of the greatest geniuses of the last  century, did not speak until he was four years old and  didn't read until he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and refused admittance to the Zurich Polytech Institute. Today he would have been put on Ritalin.

Thomas Edison's teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. Isaac Newton did very poorly in grade school. Opera singer Enrico Caruso's teacher said he had no voice at all and could not sing. Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer. Are these geniuses Ritalin candidates also?

What are we doing to our children? How did we allow our country to be jokingly referred to as the Ritalin capital of the world?

Ritalin is a very dangerous and highly addictive drug. Under Federal Law, Ritalin is classified as a schedule II controlled substance, the same rating given to cocaine, opium and morphine. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe and include depression, fatigue, paranoia, increased dreaming, irritability, bedwetting and suicide.

At a Chiropractic Mother's Morning Out program on The Ritalin Controversy, one of the mothers stood up and told her son's story. He tried Ritalin for a very short time and he hated the way it made him feel, so he stopped taking it on his own (hurray for him). What's scary is that seven years later he still suffers from the side effects, including bedwetting.

Can you really try it just once? Think long and hard about the answer to this question.

The side effects of Ritalin are numerous and severe. According to the Diagnostic  and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, the side effects include stunting of growth, depression, insomnia, nervousness, skin rash, anorexia, nausea, dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, blood pressure and pulse changes, and Tourette's Syndrome (a permanent and irreversible condition characterized by body tics, spasms, screaming obscenities, and barking sounds).

The physiological changes that cause these side effects are occurring whether there is an outward manifestation of symptoms or not. This is very scary.

How far will we go to control, mold, and conform our children to somebody's made up normal? Are we turning our geniuses of tomorrow into drug addicts?

According to a Canadian report, Ritalin is responsible for more street crime than any other drug. Kids are selling their Ritalin to other kids. A USA Today report indicated that some kids crush Ritalin into a powder and snort it like cocaine, while others cook it and inject it into their bloodstream.

"My child wouldn't do that," you might say. How do you know? This is a highly addictive drug we are talking about here. Remember the fifteen year old who is still suffering from withdrawal seven years later. He no longer owns his life and his consciousness. He now has a lifelong battle for his will.

Well known criminal defense attorney Melvin Nash, from Marietta, Georgia, who receives Chiropractic Wellness Care with his family, indicated that approximately 60% of the people he defends for everything from DUI to armed robbery have been on Ritalin at some point in their life. He stated, "I would home school my kids before I put them on Ritalin!"  That's a powerful statement!

The United States is number one in Ritalin consumption in the world, by far. How did we let this happen? Have we bought into the multimillion dollar marketing strategies of the drug manufacturer? You decide.

One person who just started teaching in a middle school was asked if a lot of her kids were on Ritalin. She replied, "yes, but not enough." This gives me a pain in my heart.

Another person was discussing her friends who became parents late in life. They said they couldn't deal with their son because they had forgotten what it was like to be a child. Their child is on Ritalin. I cry for him.

It has always puzzled me why in some schools up to 50% of the kids are on Ritalin and in others schools very close by, only 5% are on the drug. This variation can be seen from class to class as well. How do we let this happen?

Where is the responsibility going that we entrust our child's mind to a highly addictive and dangerous drug such as Ritalin? What price are we willing to pay to maintain our high tech lifestyles and busy schedules or to have our kids be “perfect”? What if Albert Einstein had been on Ritalin?

There is a genius in all of us that is just trying to get out. Think about all the ideas, talent, strength and creativity we keep stored inside because we worry about what other people would say or think. They would put us down, call us unruly and tell us to grow up. They would put us on Ritalin to get us to conform to the norm that is mediocrity and maintain our drug dependent world.

As a Chiropractor, I get to experience this genius every day in my office. I see the healing and regenerative powers of the human body and spirit at work every day. People that were on drugs get off them. Children who are so-called hyper calm down and parents who are hypoactive get increased energy. I have seen people's own bodies begin to work correctly because of chiropractic and heal itself from just about every malady you can name.

I have also seen what the continuous expression of this genius can create in families who are under Chiropractic Wellness Care.  Wellness care keeps the expression of this genius uninterfered with so people can express all of their genetic potential on a moment-to-moment basis, every minute they're alive.

All children, especially the ones that aren't "perfect" or "normal" need their senses clear. They need their adaptation capacity at 100%. They need their nerve system free from interference. Do they really need artificial stimulation or sedation?

Could you imagine if Helen Keller had been on Ritalin? Would it have given her the best opportunity to thrive in the world and express her innate potential? I doubt it. We would have been robbed of a wonderful gift.

Is Ritalin the drug industry's version of a Joe Camel cigarette billboard? Is Ritalin the drug company's insurance policy to big business down the road? Is it any wonder our country can spend close to $80 million a year on drug abuse awareness and the problem continues to get worse?

Please, parents, open up and take these insights to heart. I know that all parents make the best decisions they are capable of for their children, given the knowledge they had at the time of their decision.

You now have more knowledge. Let's take a stand for our next generation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Empowering people to live healthy lives has been Karl R.O.S. Johnson, D.C.’s  quest for more than 19 years.  Two times per week Dr. Johnson gives a chiropractic orientation for people considering chiropractic care.  Also Mothers Morning Out Programs are scheduled regularly.  The programs feature a variety of health and wellness issues.  Both are open to the public and free of charge.  Call to find out the date and location of the next one.  Dr. Johnson and the Chiropractic & Nutrition Wellness Center also have available in the Children’s Chiropractic Information Center articles on children’s health challenges (ADD/ADHD, Hyperactivity, vaccines, trauma, antibiotics, ear infections, and more).

 Call for more information. 

 (586) 731-8840 or (586) 726-KIDS