Corn A Major Food/Brain Allergy for ADD/ADHD

1. March 2009 by Shirley.

This is a comment that was sent to me and I’m so excited to post this on my blog:

I was diagnosed with A.D.D. (A.D.H.D) when I was 6 in 1984. About a decade ago I tried a self directed elimination diet after I had returned from living in Europe: where my symptoms of hyperactivity had completely disappeared. It took me 5 years, but I finally realized that I was allergic to CORN, including HFCS, corn syrup and all the other 1,200 derivatives of corn that are in 80% of our US foods. This allergy triggered my A.D.H.D. I felt good in Europe (and since in Canada) because they use wheat not corn in most their traditional foods. It took me so long to figure this out in the US, because in the ingredient lists of most products corn can be called, gluten, dextrose, and is used to make food coloring and food additives…etc.. etc..

The other interesting parallel that I discovered is that after the US initiated its trade embargo with Cuba in the mid-70s our supply of cheap cane sugar was cut-off and manufacturers had to find another source of sweetener. It was at this point that the corn suppliers stepped in and corn has been a major additive of our foods since. This addition of corn to our foods in non-traditional ways parallels exactly the increase in diagnosis of disruptive children with A.D.H.D. in the late 70s and early 80s. So my advice to people with A.D.H.D, take a week off corn (and A.D.H.D. medications)… Make your own food from scratch and just see if this makes a difference in your life. I can feel the difference with in 2 or 3 days.

Good references for learning about corn in US food are the book “The Omnivores Dilemma” and the new documentary “King Corn”.

Jason

I’m so glad Jason shared his personal experience and knowledge with me! It pains me to see children as young as 3 years old being put on ADD/ADHD medication when most of these children could have taken a $150 Food Allergy Test or do a Heavy Metal cleanse. I feel like a broken record when I mention in most of my blogs or e-mails that if you are a parent of a child that may have ADD/ADHD please go take:

1. Heavy Metal Test

2. Neurotransmitter Test

3. Fatty Acid Test

4. Food Allergy Test

5. Intracellular Test (optional)

These are the FIRST steps I would have taken had I known about these tests. Do you think ADD/ADHD medication cure the root of your problem? By taking these tests you begin to indentify the core of the problem versus treating the symptoms. As you can see Jason testimony is a great example of how food allergies contribute to hyperactivity. Like Jason we did an elimination diet too because like I said we were unaware of this test. This is a method of removing specific foods or chemicals from your diet for a specific period of time before reintroducing them and noting the effects in a journal or diary. Charlie’s kryptonite are dairy and especially artifical chemicals (MSG, and artificial colors, dyes, and preservatives). Not one single family practitioner, pediatrician, or psychiatrist mention this option to us. Instead they were all adamant that ADD/ADHD medication was the only option that would work. These test would have shaved off a year of trail and error for us.

Here’s a great example of finding the “Root” of the problem: My husband’s client was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome about 10 years ago. Her health was getting worse and worse as time went on. I had mention many times go get a Food Allergy Test done. But she was someone that believed whatever her doctor told her to do and an food allergy test sounded silly to him. But one day she was at the Health Store and they had a licensed pharmacist on staff that had a Bio-Feedback machine. She took this as a sign and decided to take this test. She sat for 1 hr with her hands on these hand-shaped things that are attached to the computer. It tells you what your levels are and your sensitivities to food. Mold and corn were her kryptonite. So she went home and pulled ANYTHING corn out of her diet. And then she realized what I had been telling her for months, HFCS is in everything. Like Jason within 3 days of eliminating corn from her diet, her fatigue was nearly gone.

Food/brain allergies have different affects on different individuals. Some individual can become hyperactive or depressed. Jason mention that ”corn can be used for food coloring and food additives.” Great point and another reason why you must also pull the artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives from your diet. Another major point that stood out about my husband’s client Bio-feed back results, was her sensitivity to mold as well. Rae Ann (Biometics Distributor) had mention to me about a book called “The Fungal Link by Doug Kaufman.” http://www.know-the-cause.com/Shows/tabid/54/Default.aspx Kaugman talks about how corn and peanuts get moldy because of the way they are grown and stored. So when someone has a sensitivity to corn products, they are also having problems with the mold in the corn too. Food allergies will lead to yeast overgrowth and constant inflammation. This overgrowth will develop into fungus and mold causing chaos in your brain and body chemistry. This is a must read book!!!

Enthusiastically yours,

Posted in ADD/ADHD Brain Chemistry, Questions From My ADD/ADHD Website, Proper Nutrition for ADD/ADHD | 1 Comment »