In our look, over the past few weeks, at the problem of ADD/ADHD misdiagnosis we came across some possible causes that seemed very straightforward and logical when you stop to think about them. I suppose most intelligent people would be able to come up with the hypothesis that giftedness or lack of sleep could cause symptoms akin to those of ADD/ADHD if they analyze the issue for a while. There are however some possible causes for ADD/ADHD misdiagnosis that are so ‘strange’ and unexpected that they remain undetected for years or even decades.
The factual account of the behavior of a young boy whose behavior drastically changed to such a degree that his parents could not believe their eyes. A normally easy going child becomes uncontrollable in just a few short weeks. The parents struggle to understand why their normally compliant and obedient son now responds to them with fits of rage and erratic and impulsive behavior. They follow the footsepts of what any parent would do to help their child by looking to a professional in the area. The diagnosis of the medical professionals is depressingly predictable and familiar: ADD/ADHD. The decision made by the parents is to give their son drugs which seems to be the right decision for awhile. They are still faced with questions. Why was the onset of the ‘symptoms’ so sudden? Why was the medication increased to such a degree that their son became dizzy from the high dosage? The question then comes up as to why didn't the evaluators see some of the traditional ADD/ADHD symptoms in the earlier stages of the conditions development? The drive to find other sources stem from these questions.
The answer that they come up with astounds them and shows that all the ‘experts’ who so confidently diagnosed ADD/ADHD were in fact dead wrong. The story above describes the experience of Jenny Miner and her son Kenny and it has implications for just about anyone struggling with the ‘symptoms’ of ADD/ADHD. It turns out that Kenny’s problem was not neurological or behavioral but bacterial!
There happen to be two types of bartonella and babesia caused by bateria that smother blood cells. The symtpoms of these bacterial causes are very similar to many symptoms for ADD/ADHD. Ticks are the transmitors of babesia and bartonella throughout North America. In other words, they could be the root cause behind many of the incorrect ADD/ADHD diagnoses.
The issues rest in that blood test for bacterial causes is not listed in the standard ADD/ADHD diagnostic processes. This problem is compounded by the fact that the tests to pick up these specific kinds of bacteria are quite complicated and that they will almost invariably be ‘missed’ if a standard blood test is used.
Dr. James Schaller, author of Bartonella: Diagnosis and Treatment and Babesia: Diagnosis and Treatment, was involved in Kenny’s final diagnosis and treatment. He strongly believes that undiagnosed bacterial conditions, caused by ‘tick borne’ bacteria, are behind many modern health problems including some cases of ‘ADD/ADHD’. He has written extensively on the subject and strongly advises parents to eliminate these conditions from the list of probable causes before settling for an ADD/ADHD diagnosis. This can be done by conducting a specialized blood test costing a few hundred dollars. If the tests come back confirming the bacterial causes, a treatment using antibiotics will be administered. This is usually an effective method of eliminating the bacterial invaders and the ADD/ADHD symptoms!
His mother had his blood tested where it came up positive and he was able to receive treatment. It all came down to $200,000 spent to discover the true cause of his ADHD symptoms. Regretting wasted time was something Jenny Miner became familiar with. In fact the knowledge of bartonella and barbesia is not that well known so never even appeared on the doctors' radars when she first looked into it. She feels that it is her job to raise awareness of the connection of ADD/ADHD symptoms and bacteria spread by ticks.
The ‘take home’ advice: If you do suspect that there might be a bacterial explanation to the ADD/ADHD symptoms that you are dealing with (e.g. starated after a tick bite) tell your doctor and make sure that he performs tests as quickly as you can.
All of the above goes to show once again that it would be rather foolish just to accept an initial ADD/ADHD diagnosis as being written in stone. It would be wroth your time to look further than just accepting the first diagnosis. Doing this could mean the difference between trudging the path into the arms of the ‘ADD/ADHD Industry’ and finding your own course to the best solutions for Ayou in your circumstances.
