I am very proud of this Beauty.  I cherished it through the winter when it was nothing but leaves, and now look at its burst of splendor.  I photographed it by the little pond at the end of our garden.

CITIZEN PETITION OF THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION, THE OBESITY SOCIETY, SHAPING AMERICA'S HEALTH, AND GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER HEALTHCARE

For a number of years, there have been serious and convincing indications that the main drugs used for ADD/ADHD, Ritalin and Adderall, were  dangerous to the heart health of children.

ADHD drugs and cardiovascular Risk

ADHD update - new data on the risks of medication

However, to a certain mentality, this spells OPPORTUNITY.  In an amazing Alice through the Looking Glass approach, authorities are now suggesting monitoring (expensively) ALL children for heart problems, before putting them on the medication.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/573314

Yup:  definitely we should make sure their little hearts are healthy before we weaken them!

Surely the fact that this danger is inherent in the drugs, will cause parents and grandparents to consider other approaches? 

The Vitamin Lady writes about Natural approaches to ADD/ADHD

There has been a good deal of research connecting low B12 levels in the elderly to confusion, depression and apparent senility -  one of my very favorite nutritional physicians, Dr. Jonathan Wright, cites the case of an older woman whose confusion, depression and forgetfulness had caused her to be referred to a psychiatrist: but who responded 100% to injections of B12. He tells of a study of 228 residents in a nursing home, with an average age of 87. Despite good diets, and supplementation, 39% were deficient in one or more vitamins: most commonly B6, followed by Niacin and B12.

Its importance for cardiovascular health is also well-known.  Now it would appear that a B12 deficiency is actually part of the over-all frailty that afflicts some elderly people.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency May Contribute to Frailty in Elderly Women

Remember, anyone whose health problems suggest deficiencies of B12,  would do well to consider a possible HCL deficiency as the cause.  The symptoms of too little and too much stomach acid are almost identical, and rushing to take antacids will make a bad situation worse.

Read more about it here :

 Digestion- the Vitamin Lady writes about  solving digestive problems naturally

I have commented before on how easy it is to discredit something by setting up your own criteria, and then announcing that it has failed to meet them.  Just off the top of my head, consider the study that found St. John's Wort failed to help major depression .  What a lot of publicity that got, with not one of the reporting entities thinking to mention that - wait for it - NO-ONE EVER CLAIMED IT DID.  That's right - St. John's Wort has only ever been recommended for minor depression, and as the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine says:

An analysis of the results of 37 clinical trials concluded that St. John's wort may have only minimal beneficial effects on major depression. However, the analysis also found that St. John's wort may benefit people with minor depression; these benefits may be similar to those from standard antidepressants. Overall, St. John's wort appeared to produce fewer side effects than some standard antidepressants.  (my emphasis).

In much the same way, the words "evidence based medicine" are often used to discredit alternative treatments,  the implications being that since they cannot pass the same standard as allopathic medicine, they are not effective.

That is why I found this report in Dr. Moss's newsletter so interesting:  talk about payback! The British Medical Journal of Clinical Evidence has found that of around 2500 prescription treatments evaluated by a panel of experts, only 13% were definitely beneficial, while an amazing 46% showed no evidence of usefulness whatsoever.  Take that, big Pharma!

Are most current medical treatments backed by solid evidence of effectiveness?