Submitted by Jane Hersey, Jan 9, 2008 23:31

It's too bad there was no mention of the many ways that children are being helped without drugs. If the doctors would simply ask themselves "I wonder WHY this child is behaving so badly?" it would be a good start.

Many years ago I learned that my daughter's often bizarre behaviors were being triggered by petroleum -- in the form of food dyes, artificial flavorings, preservatives. When I switched to foods without these chemicals her behavior quickly became normal.

Today there is no lack of research to show that one of the things that can set off such children are some of the food additives widely used in products in the US. (Did you notice the blue Gatorade and the artificially colored icing on that birthday cake in the show?)

In September the leading British medical journal The Lancet published the results of the most recent study that showed food dyes and one preservative caused disturbed behavior in children, even those with no diagnosis. This study is only the latest of many. See www.diet-studies.com for details.

There are many reasons why a child behaves abnormally, including sensory integration dysfunction, vision deficits, allergies, sensitivity to environmental chemicals, too little of a nutrient or too few good fats, too little sleep and even -- curiously enough -- teething, which can be a problem for any child who does not yet have all of his adult teeth.

For more than 30 years the non-profit Feingold Association of the US has been successfully helping children like these. See www.feingold.org. We have seen that most children who eat well behave well; it's as simple as that.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.