WOW. That's all I can say.

Have you ever read or heard something that you just felt in your gut? That just shook you to your core? That just screamed at you- "YES! YES! THIS is what I've been searching for!"? (Please, please God, please let this be what I've been searching for). What I have just read REALLY makes me want to call Dr. Bock and get on his many months to a year-long waiting list, and make the drive to Rhinebeck, NY to see him. Hopefully the dr. that we are seeing, located east of our closest city, will be doing the same things... and if not, she seemed open to following his protocol. Apparently, they are actually friends, so I'm going to assume she could also consult with him.

I just read about a little girl named Alisa who sounded so much like my daughter. Not 100% exactly, but the closest I've come in my search for someone, anyone, who looked like her. Interestingly, her diagnosis was ADHD- both inattentive subtype and hyperactive-impulsive subtype- with bipolar features. She had rapid cycling mood swings. Signs of oppositional defiance disorder. Attendant colitis. Allergic rhinitis. Hypoglycemia. Are you freaking kidding me? My daughter is not as severe, but again, the closest I've come. And my daughter has all of these symptoms. Hypoglycemia has not been confirmed, but I suspect it.

So I'm reading about what actually happens in my daughter's brain, and I am both fascinated and sick. I am reading about different areas of the brain and what happens with them- way too lengthy to get into here. To sum it up, here are two paragraphs from page 98 of  Dr. Bock's book, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics- Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking New Program for the 4-A Disorders:  "The net effect of all of these classic contributing factors to ADHD is a brain that just can't take good care of itself.  In particular, it can't have a good talk with itself, in the same way that you might have a talk with yourself when you're trying to make a difficult decision.  The higher brain simply can't engage in a smart dialogue with the lower brain.  The lower brain hogs the conversation and thoughts and feelings get bogged in a mire of fear, anger, and selfish desire. Negativity builds upon negativity, until bad behavior finally bursts forth like an uncontrollable fire."  "When this unfortunate process occurs, people lose what neurologists call executive function.  Losing executive function means that the frontal lobes aren't in charge anymore. The Boss is out of the office.  Chaos reigns, and the lower instincts prevail. When people lose strong executive function, they can have the best of intentions, but just don't have the biological means to harness those intentions, and do the right thing."  The psychology major in me is fascinated. The mother in me is sick that this is happening.  On page 96- "It's been said that 70% of the brain is there to inhibit the other 30%. In some ADHD kids, however, this ratio seems to get reversed, and it's very difficult for these kids to control themselves. A person with this neurological makeup can go through his or her life feeling as overwhelmed by temptation as the proverbial kid in a candy store. This is part of the reason why so many kids with ADHD grow up to become adults who overindulge in alcohol, drugs, food, and other avenues of immediate gratification." You can see why I have fears for the future, and you can see why when told about these possibilities by the pediatrician, that I said- yes, I will try anything! Even stimulant meds, if that's what my daughter needs. Well, 30% of children with ADHD are not helped by stimulants, and my daughter is one of them. And let me tell you, if the meds had worked for her, I can guarantee you we would be on them and stay on them. I'm sure at some point along the line I would have tried to get her off of them and then perhaps investigated biomed, but that didn't happen. I don't know for certain what the statistics are for biomedical intervention to help my daughter, but let's say it's even 30-50%. Worth a try, in my opinion. Worth every penny it's going to cost. Worth every fit she's going to take when she can't have a certain food or treat (I say that now- LOL). Worth EVERYTHING if this is her answer.  I read a blog the other day about a mother who tried biomed for her son with ADHD and it really didn't do anything. So I know that can happen. But I also know there are many success stories, and I'm praying that we're one of them!