subject: Interesting and Rarely Mentioned Facts About ADHD [print this page] Interesting and Rarely Mentioned Facts About ADHD
If I were to tell you a story about a person who had an ongoing problem grinding their teeth while struggling with basic organizational skills which in turn lead to a problem keeping up with their night-guard you likely would not ponder the possibility as to whether or not ADHD was involved.
Or what about a community whose children seemed to have an unusually high dropout rate, a high juvenile crime rate, and a high teen pregnancy rate located close to a landfill, agricultural area, or a poorly maintained chemical plant? Would you consider the possibility that ADHD could be a primary contributing factor in the delinquency of this communities youth?
Surprisingly these examples are just two of the many different circumstances where attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been linked. Why don't we take a few minutes to walk though each one of these examples in a little more detail.
Teeth grinding is medically referred to as bruxism and probably about the last condition you would believe to be linked to ADHD. Bruxism is a real medical problem involving clenching and grinding of the teeth, especially at night during sleep. Overtime time, dental bruxism can cause sensitivity and may also force the jaw to move out of proper balance.
It is also true that approximately 5 percent of Americans facing the daily challenges of bruxism are also at increased risk of developing ADHD with the highest correlation being between those with ADHD who are type A (aggressive/ambitious) personalities. While more research needs to be done recent studies suggest that the strong link between the two conditions is caused by a dominance of slow moving brainwave activity.
Do you know anyone who has both bruxism and ADHD? I bet if you think carefully you might be surprised to find that indeed you do!
Our second example listed above illustrates the link between ADHD and environmental toxins. There are many large studies showing that an increased risk of neurological and degenerative disorders increases as exposure to environmental toxins increases. There are many examples of environmental toxins linked to ADHD with possibly the two most prolific culprits being mercury and pesticides. Lead and aluminum are two others but we will not be discussing them in this article.
Mercury has been creeping its way into our food supply for years and awareness has been growing about the dangers of both short and long term mercury toxicity. One quite amazing study conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) found that 17 percent of women have unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies placing any children produced by these unsuspecting moms at increased risks of disorders like ADHD.
As far as pesticides go a study which appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics stated that children with above average levels of a specific type of pesticide (organophosphates) commonly used to protect fruits and vegetables were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Organophosphates have been linked to behavioral and inattention problems in the past, but previous studies had been largely discounted primarily because they focused primarily on communities of farm workers.
What made the study featured in the Journal of Pediatrics different was that it was a large study consisting of 1,139 children from all across the country which focused on the effects of exposure in the population at large.
In conclusion, though a great deal has been learned about ADHD in recent years the mystery of attention deficit disorder has yet to fully unraveled. What can said for sure is that the number of diagnosed cases of ADHD continues to grow, and if left untreated, can have profound short and long-term effects on peoples lives.
