An Alternative to Ritalin
Homeopathy as a Highly Effective
Treatment for ADD

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Are There Any Things I Can’t Do During Homeopathic Treatment?
There are certain substances and exposures that consistently interfere with homeopathic treatment. Most practitioners will advise you to avoid the following substances: coffee, eucalyptus, camphor, menthol, recreational drugs, and electric blankets. You will be asked to avoid using topical medications such as topical steroids, antibiotics, antifungals, and to use oral antibiotics and cortisone products only after consulting your homeopath, except in cases of emergency. Acupuncture, although a treatment of tremendous value, is not recommended during homeopathic treatment. Nor are other treatments, which are prescribed in order to remove specific symptoms without treating the whole person.

Can Homeopathy Help Me or My Child?
Most people are potential candidates for homeopathic treatment. As with any treatment, you must make a commitment to follow the recommendations of your homeopath. You must be willing to follow these guidelines:
1. You should stay with homeopathic treatment for a minimum of six months to one year before seeking out other therapies.
2. You, as a patient or a parent or family member, need to provide thorough and honest information to the homeopath. The better the homeopath understands the patient, the more likely the best medicine can be found and a lasting cure can result.
3. You need to inform the homeopath of any medications that you or your child is taking. Once there has been improvement with homeopathic treatment, prescription medications for ADD are generally unnecessary. A growing number of conventional physicians are encouraging parents to seek alternative treatment for ADD in hopes that the children will not need to be medicated throughout childhood and sometimes throughout much of their lives.
4. There are a small number of substances and influences, such as coffee and recreational drugs, which are likely to interfere with homeopathic treatment and which you will need to avoid. Homeopathic practitioners will make their own recommendations regarding this matter.
5. You need to come for scheduled appointments and to inform the homeopath of any significant changes in your health during the course of homeopathic treatment. Homeopathic follow-up appointments are generally every six weeks to three months. Once you are doing well, follow-ups are generally scheduled less frequently.

The Limitations of Homeopathic Treatment
Homeopathic treatment is not for everyone. The following are factors that prevent a person from being a good candidate for homeopathic treatment:
1. There are some children, particularly teenagers, who are so opposed to anything their parents recommend that they will sabotage homeopathic treatment, either by refusing to go to appointments or take the medicines or by intentionally using substances that interfere with homeopathic treatment. Similarly, both parents need to be convinced that homeopathy is a valid treatment or willing to try it for at least six months.
2. Some people have such severe behavioral problems that they need to be in an institution, such as a jail or drug or alcohol treatment center, rather than outpatient treatment. We are aware of only one such institutional program, which offered homeopathy as part of a research study and hope others will in the near future.
3. Individuals who are unwilling to avoid those substances which interfere with homeopathic treatment, such as coffee or recreational drugs, are not good candidates for homeopathy.
4. Homeopathic medicines may not act as quickly initially as prescription drugs, though the positive effects last much longer. This requires patience and a willingness to stick with the treatment process.

Why Not Treat Yourself or Your Family?
As you read through the cases in this book, you will probably think of someone you know who may have a very similar symptom picture. You may even be tempted to try to find the medicines mentioned in this book and administer them yourselves. Please heed our advice regarding self-treatment.

There are many classes available on prescribing homeopathic medicines for acute illnesses such as colds, flus, and minor infections. We encourage you to take these classes, to read more about acute prescribing, to buy a homeopathic home kit, and to try homeopathic medicines on yourself and your family for minor illnesses. If the person treated does not improve in a day or two, be sure to consult your homeopathic or conventional physician.

The conditions mentioned in this book are not acute conditions. These are chronic states and need to be handled much more carefully. There are over 2,000 homeopathic medicines. It takes years of homeopathic study and practice to make the fine distinctions about when to prescribe which medicine. Although homeopathic medicines do not have long lists of side effects like many conventional medicines, it is also possible to experience a reaction to the medicine. IN ANY CHRONIC CONDITION, WHETHER PHYSICAL, MENTAL, OR EMOTIONAL, DO NOT TREAT YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILD. Find an experienced homeopathic practitioner. We have received a number of calls from people who have read our articles on ADD, thought they recognized themselves or their children, and gone out to find the medicine themselves. Invariably they have called us for treatment because they did not select the right medicine or did not know how to administer the medicine at the right frequency or potency. If you were considering brain surgery, you would not read a book or two, buy a set of scalpels, and start cutting. Homeopathy is just as complicated an art as neurosurgery. Just because homeopathic medicines are widely available does not mean they are easy to use. Please do not experiment on yourself or your family members for ADD. Find an expert.

How Can I Find a Homeopath?
A growing number of health care practitioners, including medical doctors (M.D.), naturopathic physicians (N.D.), osteopathic physicians (D.O.), chiropractors (D.C.), family nurse practitioners (F.N.P.), physicians’ assistants (P.A.), acupunturists (L.A., C.A., or O.M.D.), and veterinarians (D.V.M.), practice homeopathic medicine. Most homeopaths have a family practice. We know of no experienced homeopaths in the United States who focus solely on patients with ADD. Since a home- opath always treats the whole person, such specializa-tion is not necessary to find good treatment. What is most important is to find a practitioner who special-izes in classical homeopathy, who spends at least an hour with each new patient, prescribes one homeo- pathic medicine at a time based on a detailed inter- view rather than a machine, and waits at least five weeks before assessing the progress of the patient. If at all possible, find a homeopath who is board certified. It is not always possible to find a homeopath in your immedi- ate area, or even your state. You will be likely to find much better results, even if you need to travel or do your homeopathic consultations by telephone, than to go to someone in your area who knows some home- opathy, but is not experienced and does not specialize in homeopathy. We treat many patients by phone, though we prefer to do the initial interview in person if at all possible.

In the appendix you can find the names and addresses of organizations that publish directories of homeopathic practitioners in the United States. It is still wise to speak to the practitioner directly to make sure he or she meets the guidelines we have suggested.