The diagnosis of hyperactivity or / and attention deficit and other behavioral disorders / autism is a real world epidemic.  A great number of parents are looking for natural alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs usually prescribed to “fix” these problems. My experience of the past many years has led me to three conclusions (observations) I would like to share.

1. There are various etiologies able to explain these types of problems. Homeopaths know a great number of remedies addressing the different causes (such as a very stimulating diet, emotional problems, dyslexia, vaccination side effects, etc.) Once the causes are eliminated, the symptoms disappear.
2. Some amazing homeopathic remedies appear to be a possible solution in most of the cases of hyperactivity and attention deficit: Tuberculinum, Medorrhinum, Carcinosinum.
3. Many diagnoses in cases of children disguise the actual deficits and anomalies to be attributed to the educational system and “working conditions” itself.

The Attention Deficit able to capture it all!
A mother has come for consultation with her 11 year old boy diagnosed by his teacher as having an attention deficit disorder. The consultation reveals, however, a disturbing fact: this bright young man is the best student in his class! Maybe he is a little too enthusiastic and effervescent. However, it is clear that young Jonathan does not need a long explanation to get the point. As soon as he gets what his teacher is about, his interest shifts to something else.  A few further questions  (yes, he loves fish, he is often thirsty, his hands are warm, his imagination is prolific and sometimes when he is too excited his nose bleeds) and a prescription of Phosphorus 200 k will “sedate” the boiling energy of this little genius … who, certainly , never suffered from attention deficit disorder!

Attention Deficit Cast by Grief
Eight year old Paul has an attention deficit, but the real problem is of a different kind. During the past year, his school scores have dropped dramatically. The child is often daydreaming, inattentive and even “lost”, according to his teacher, who suggests he visit a pediatrician and consider taking “Ritalin”. The consultation revealed that Paul’s parents had separated 18 months ago and that the child drowned his grief (and energy) in deep silence.  Being more introverted than before and a few other symptoms, such as morning headaches, his eyes dry quickly when he is in front of the computer screen, nail biting, all lead to a prescription of Natrum Mur. The child cried abundantly after taking the remedy, and in the following weeks his energy and his smile returned and his school performance  improved.  Could the prescription of Ritalin help to deal with Paul`s grief?

Irritability And Hyperactivity Caused By Parasites
For months, Jessica, anxious and cold sensitive, often had to visit her school principal. Irritable and sometimes violent, unable to sit calmly in class, she was diagnosed with behaviour troubles and hyperactivity. However, it had taken a few minutes of consultation to understand the source of her problem.  Considering her intense anus and nose itching, I asked the mother if the child grinds her teeth, if she gets a short dry cough at bed time and has a strong desire for pastry. Having affirmative answers to all these questions, I concluded that the child has worms (parasites) and a prescription Cina alternating with Arsenicum Album modified completely her behaviour in the space of a week! Would the Ritalin prescription fight the cause of Jessica`s problem?

Hyperactivity and Diet
Kevin is a Mister Dynamo. If his uncontrollable energy could be directed in to a different channel, it could illuminate half the city of Paris. But now Kevin is 6 years old and his teacher cannot bear with this hyperactive child anymore. Kevin’s  young father wanted to avoid him taking chemical drugs, but admitted not knowing what to do with his child. The consultation revealed that Kevin`s consumption of sweet food could be recorded in the “Guinness” record book! Subject to frequent colds and flu, sunken eyes, deformed nails , Kevin’s hyperactivity would attenuate after a few doses of Tuberculinum 200 k and a change his regime. Would Ritalin or any other chemical product of this kind address the cause of Kevin`s problem?

Dyslexia, Violence, Vaccination

There are other causes able to engender symptoms of attention deficit and behavioural disorders. A dyslexic kid (Lycopodium)often will be a problem in his class.  Another child has vision problems.  I had a case of a child being frequently beaten by one of his parents, who behaved violently (Anacardium).   There are excessively timid children who are lacking self confidence (Silicea)and never dare to pose questions.

Finally, it’s important to note all the causes of children with attention deficits and hyperactivity and the secondary effects of vaccination that are often evoked. Since children receive their first vaccination at a very early age (2, 4, 6 months) it is not always easy to observe the way the immune, nervous or endocrine systems are affected by the injections.  On the contrary, every homeopath interested in the secondary effects of vaccination would find a whole number of other problems (asthma, insomnia, eczema, herpes, headache, diarrhea, allergies, convulsions, etc.). Sometimes, it isn’t easy to make a direct connection between the problems of attention deficit / hyperactivity and the vaccines these children have received.

All these cases and, in particular those of Jessica, Kevin, Paul and Jonathan, demonstrate well known principles to all homeopaths.  If a prescription (or  counseling) allows eliminating the energy perturbation caused by these symptoms, the latter will effectively disappear.

The importance of recognizing etiologies was highlighted in a remarkable way in the initial aphorisms of Hahnemann’s  Organon (3) , “To be a genuine practitioner of the medical art, a physician must clearly realize what is to be cured in diseases, that is, in each single case of disease”.  Evidently, those who prescribe pharmaceutical drugs are not aware of such considerations.  One of the most fashionable causes used by modern medicine is attributing the troubles of attention and behavior problems to a genetic factor. It is a subtle way of saying “the child is like this!” and the prescription of Ritalin can only control the most disturbing aspects of behavior.  Certainly, like any treatment not directly concerned with the cause, the application of pharmaceutical drugs does not lead to a genuine recovery but to a suppression of the symptoms, resulting in many more or less severe secondary effects (arresting growth, “zombie effect” character modification, loss of appetite, various neurological troubles, etc.)

The Surprising Principal Remedies

After more than 30 years of practicing homeopathy, I found that some remedies have a greater ability than any others to truly modify the terrain and eradicate the symptoms attributed to attention deficit or/and to hyperactivity. Let’s look at how the repertoires (Kent and Murphy) treat that subject:

Concentration difficulties in children, : Aeth 1, c bar 3, carc 2, graph 1, lach 1, med 3, ph-ac 1, phos 2, sil 1, Tub 1, zinc 1

Hyperactivity, child:  anac 1, ars 2 ars-i 1, calc-p 1, carc 3, Cham 2, Cina 2, coff 1, hyos 3, jod 2, med 3, merc 1 Nux-v 1, stram 3., tarent 2., thuj 1., tub 3., vera 2t.

The remedies best covering these two symptoms are:

Medorrhinum (6)  Carcinosin (5) Tuberculinum (4).

These are three nosodes having extremely profound actions.

And if these two symptoms are due to side effects of many vaccinations received by child as happens often in case of AHDH:

Immunization, (vaccination) following: acon1, ant-t.2 apis.2, ars2, bell1, bufo.1, carc.3, crot-h.1, echinacea,1 gels 3, hep 3., hyper 3., ign 1., influ 3, kali-chl 1., kali-m.2 lach 3., led 3., Maland 3., med 2., merc.2, mez.3, ped.2 , psor.2, sabin.1 sars.3, sep.1, sil 4., sulph3, thuj 4., tub.2, vac.3, vario.2

The repertorization of the three symptoms (attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, following vaccination) yields the following result:

Carcinosin (8); Medorrhinum (8); Tuberculinum (6); … Silica (5); Thuya (5); etc.

Obviously, the prescription of each of these remedies must be confirmed by a few characteristic symptoms to better follow the principle of “totality of symptoms”.

The “Carcinosinum” child suffering from attention deficit and / or hyperactivity was often in infancy great insomniac. Often we find the hypersensitive child  reacting very badly to reproach, easily captivated by music (iPod?) and dance and with brown birthmarks as well as  a tendency to be allergic to many foods. Parents or other family members might struggle with cancer (which is increasingly more often the case).

The same efforts to find characteristic symptoms should be made in order to confirm Tuberculinum  (a great susceptibility to cold, flu’s, otitis)  or Medorrhinum (presence of Molluscum contagium, strong tendency to bite nails, etc).

To Be Or Not To Be Adapted?

Finally, allow me to share a few personal comments regarding a number of ADHD diagnoses. Multiple times I was surprised to learn that the same children who had been diagnosed with AHDH could remain immobile and perfectly attentive for hours when watching a movie like “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the rings”. It appears that these children do not suffer from any disturbances of attention or hyperactive behaviour when they are inspired, fascinated or just interested in a subject or in an activity! It leads to the question: does the modern educational system meet the aspirations of its young clientele? Most programs are designed to contribute, one way or another, to the consumer society. Is it possible that some young souls are deeply annoyed by this type of program and therefore have difficulty adapting their behaviour to the expectations of this society?  As Krishnamurti said, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” The fact that so many children now have ADHD these days is a message in itself.