VOLUME 6, NO. 12                                                                          DECEMBER 20, 2001

NJ ADD/ADHD ADULT NEWSLETTER

ADD ADULT SELF HELP SUPPORT GROUP

FOR ADD/ADHD ADULTS

AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

MEETING: THE NEXT MEETING OF THE ADD ADULT SELF HELP SUPPORT GROUP WILL BE ON DECEMBER 20, 2001 AT 7:30 PM AT MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER, ROOM 114 STEINAM HOUSEMAN, LONG BRANCH, NJ.  GO TO THE RECEPTION DESK IN THE MAIN LOBBY AND GET DIRECTIONS.  THE TOPIC WILL BE:  ADD SELF-CARE.

REPORT: IN THE DECEMBER 2001 ISSUE OF NATURAL HEALTH, A NEWLY AVAILABLE HERB WAS DESCRIBED.  IT'S CALLED RHODIOLA (RHODIOLA ROSEA), A SIBERIAN ROSE-SCENTED SHRUB.  TWO RELATIVELY WELL RESPECTED JOURNALS (PHYTOMEDICINE AND HERBA POLONICA) PUBLISHED RESULTS OF STUDIES OF THE HERB AND ITS EFFECTS ON ENERGY, FOCUS, AND ATTENTION.  FORTY MEDICAL STUDENTS TOOK 50mg TWICE DAILY FOR 20 DAYS AND FOUND DECREASED MENTAL FATIGUE, DECREASED NEED FOR SLEEP, AND AN 8 PERCENT INCREASE IN THEIR EXAM SCORES.  NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR, GREG KELLY, SUGGESTED TAKING THE HERB ON A CYCLE OF FOUR MONTHS ON AND TWO WEEKS OFF.  IT DOES THIN THE BLOOD.  RESEARCH IS STILL SPARCE ON THIS HERB, SO BEFORE VENTURING INTO "NO MAN'S LAND", DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR DOCTOR.

REPORT: IN THE SEPTEMBER 2001 ISSUE OF THE COMPLETE PRACTITIONER, IT WAS REPORTED FROM A REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE THAT EVEN ONE EIGHT OUNCE GLASS OF GRAPEFRUIT JUICE  PER DAY INCREASED THE BLOOD CONCENTRATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING MEDICATIONS THAT YOU MAY BE TAKING: BUSPAR, ANAFRANIL, VALIUM, VERSED, SERZONE, SEROQUEL,  AND SONATA.  XANAX, KLONOPIN, ATIVAN, RESTORIL, AND AMBIENS ARE LIKELY TO HAVE SMALL OR NEGLIGIBLE INTERACTIONS WITH THE GRAPEFRUIT JUICE.

RESEARCH: IN AN ARTICLE BY HARVEY, E., PARENTING SIMILARITY IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD. CHILD AND FAMILY BEHAVIOR THERAPY, 2000, 22: 39-54, IT WAS FOUND THAT SIMILARITY BETWEEN PARENTS IN CHILD REARING AND DISCIPLINE TECHNIQUES RESULTED IN FEWER DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS AMONG THEIR CHILDREN, LESS MARITAL CONFLICT, AND GREATER MARITAL ADJUSTMENT.  THE MOTHERS IN THIS STUDY WERE FOUND TO HAVE LOWER PARENTING STRESS.

COMMENT: TAKING A PARENTING CLASS TOGETHER WITH YOUR SPOUSE MAY BE HELPFUL TO YOUR MARRIAGE AND FOR YOUR ADHD CHILD'S BEHAVIOR.  SOMETIMES FAMILY THERAPY CAN PROVIDE SIMILAR OUTCOMES.

RESEARCH: IN AN ARTICLE BY BOVASSO, G. Ph.D. CANNABIS (marihuana) ABUSE AS A RISK FACTOR FOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AMERICAN J. PSYCHIATRY, 2001, 158(12): 2033-2037, IT WAS REPORTED IN A FOURTEEN TO SIXTEEN YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY, THAT CANNABIS ABUSE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE RISK FOR DEPRESSION LATER IN LIFE.  PARTICULARLY THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN SUICIDAL THINKING AND LOSS OF PLEASURE. 

COMMENT: ONCE AGAIN IT HAS BECOME APPARENT THAT MARIHUANA IS NOT WITHOUT ITS SIDE EFFECTS, SOME OF WHICH MAY BE LONG TERM.

THE JANUARY 2002 ADD NEWSLETTER WILL BE AVAILABLE FREE FROM THE WEBSITE www.drlopresti.com.  IF YOU WANT IT SENT TO YOU VIA EMAIL, JUST CLICK ON THE APPROPRIATE ICON IN THE WEBSITE, ENTER THE INFORMATION AND YOU WILL BE SUBSCRIBED; UNSUBSCRIBING WILL BE JUST AS EASY.  THE LIST SERVER IS NOT YET AVAILABLE BUT WILL BE IN PLACE BY THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY.  I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO CUT BACK FURTHER ON SNAIL MAIL NEXT YEAR.

                                                                                                                PEACE and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

                                                                                                                                Bob