ADHD in teens and correlation with social media use

As a parent, it can be so overwhelming to have kids growing up in todays environment.  Hazards are everywhere.

There is this condition that exploded onto the scene several years ago and been increasing ever since, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Comes in many different severities and as of yet there is still no good explanation as to why it happens and why its occurrence has been increasing.   There is the unfortunate situation with a new virus, or perhaps a old virus which is now exploding onto the scene and causing untold misery, called the zika virus.   There is increasing rates of different spectrum of Autism in the some kids today and nobody is certain exactly why.   There is all sorts of nasty bugs being found in the environment that is making children sick(er).  Sometimes just a simple swim in a lake can be followed by unusual skin symptoms, or in some cases a more severe brain problem caused by an amoeba!

As a parent, how do you cope with all these hazards?  Obviously such an undertaking would be beyond the scope of this article but various blogs over time to cover many of the factors  effecting children’s physical and mental health are possible, starting with a very common problem facing the new generation,  with a relatively easy fix:  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

We know that ADHD is on the rise, but what exactly its due to is not so easy to determine.  Its assumed that high social media use such as texting, reading news feeds, video games, video chatting, online streaming, tweeting, etc correlates with ADHD.   So a group of researchers looked at a number of high school students, around 15 years old, who at the start of the study did not show any symptoms of ADHD.  After a two year follow up, and categorizing the participants as light, moderate, or heavy social media users, they found that those with the highest use of social media correlated very positively with the highest subsequent symptoms of ADHD!

And it makes perfect sense too.  You have an adolescent who is, in the case of social media and media feed threads, having all sorts of stories, images, and sounds go into their brain for processing, and the brain has to make an instantaneous decision as to what to do with the information, and move on.  There literally is no time for the brain to slow down and relax.  Its bombarded with one type of information (usually useless) vs another on a continous basis, specially when the notifications are on.

To reduce the chances of a child developing, or worsening an already existing condition of attention deficit and hyperactivity, it seems to be necessary to control what and how much digital media and images they are exposed to!  There is no getting around that.  Its good old fashioned parenting in todays bizarro environment that still works.

Regarding Zika virus and its effects on the developing brain:  Its not just babies in the womb that are in danger of being effected by the zika virus but essentially everybody is in danger from this virus!  The virus it was found destroys the neuronal progenitor cells, aka neuronal stem cells.  We know that stem cells in the brain are constantly being used to repair damage in the brain due to old age, trauma, infection, inflammation, or any other reason where a new neuron needs to be laid down where an old one used to be.  This process goes on in everybody, young and old.  Therefore Zika virus has the potential to do serious damage even in grown ups.  It is not just a virus dangerous to babies in the womb, but to all!  Use mosquito protection everywhere it maybe needed.  Don’t lapse, your happiness and health (and cognition) may depend on it.

Regarding mania, bipolar tendencies, and depression in susceptible kids and individuals:  We know that good nutrition is important for good mental health, more so in some than in others, but did you know that the food we eat can actually help to exacerbate the condition?   Foods that we eat provide the necessary building blocks of proteins and peptides for proper brain functioning.  There are essential fatty acids required in our diet because they help with proper functioning of the brain.  There are essential vitamins and other minerals that the brain needs for optimal performance.  There is no substitute for water and staying well hydrated.  More recently we have found out that artificial colors, artificial flavors, and artificial seasonings, all of which are with chemicals that our bodies did no learn how to process and clear from the body, as these chemicals did not exist while we were evolving.  There artificial compounds linger in the body and cause damage.

Keep your kids away from artificially colored and artificially flavored foods as much as is possible.

Last week I blogged about a new find:  nitrates found in cured foods and its role in worsening mania!

The more we stick to the natural world, the better the outcome.