Wired for Action

"The industrialization of medicine has taken away the human element of healthcare.."

I am not a medical professional, and this is not medical advice, nor is it new information. I have a master’s degree in behavioral science with a concentration in mental health, counseling, career counseling, family therapy, couples therapy, and child and adolescent therapy. I have an extensive research background and five additional board-certified certificates in brain health, wellness, and several in ADHD and sensory processing disorders. The topic I’m addressing today is a sensitive one, and I fully understand that. However, as a student of life, my intention is simply to question certain concepts and ideas that, in my view, are being strongly emphasized. While I may not agree with them, I also don't dismiss them entirely, I am not an extremist in my views. Let’s get to it.

You and I both grew up in a medical world where we were repeatedly told by the highest authorities that eggs, red meat, and fats were the causes of obesity, cardiovascular issues, and cancers. This '”bible belt” of doctors spread worldwide, preaching to everyone and ensuring that all professional and licensed doctors followed suit, managing medical care based on this ideal. Today, we know that it was all a lie driven by corporate interests to promote illness, gaslight the public, and create permanent patient loyalty through continued illness management. All the research was bought, tweaked, or faked. The mental health body of governance is playing the same game. Except their focus isn’t as much on the adults as it is on our children.

I first heard about Fidgety Philip in graduate school. He was a fictional character created by a German physician to describe a hyperactive and impulsive boy, a 'criterion' dating back to the 1800s. In that era, when physicians 'discovered' what we now recognize as ADHD, the treatment was simple: behavioral structure, physical activity, and a focus on engaging objects, projects, and hobbies. At that time, no amphetamines or other chemicals were used or recommended to manage this type of brain wiring. Yet, somehow (hmm…), children developed, progressed in life, and went on to have healthy and happy lives overall, without medication.

So, what’s the obsession with ADHD today? If you ask a corporate-trained professional, they will tell you that it is a serious and debilitating disorder with severe and life-altering consequences if the child or adult isn’t medicated. Dr. Russell Barkley, the 'father' of ADHD, calls it a “serious public health problem and a disorder of executive function.” Doesn’t this fear and scary song sound familiar? I can see him holding a dozen eggs and saying the same thing about eggs, same dance, different music. When did we decide that children need to be medicated for a brain wiring mind that isn’t going to heal through medication? So instead of learning how to manage your mind, we’ll just give you some drugs, you’ll be fine. No worries. Say what?

I got into ADHD work by accident. I happened to have a client in clinical practice who exhibited incredibly intense thoughts, ideas, and skills. I was sure he was gifted and different. He kept fidgeting during the session, and I noticed that the more he focused, the more his body moved—how interesting. Long story short (skipping irrelevant details), I started digging through my old books and reading up on ADHD, only to realize how much of the research is drenched in circular data. Then, I came across Dr. Yaakov Ophir and David Barack, both of whom were shunned and Dr. Yaakov almost lost his license for even questioning ADHD as a disorder. Dr. Yaakov, through his clinical practice and research, explains that the reason ADHD has "grown" in society as a concern is due to societal disadvantages, nutritional deficiencies, severe dependence on technological devices, and the sudden rise in strict and rigid educational expectations (not because there are more ADHD brains.) David Barack, a scientist, presented information that questions the validity of ADHD as a disorder that qualifies for long-term medical care and interventions by explaining that the ADHD brain shows clear indications of evolutionary elements of hunters and gatherers.

What does that mean? It means that, according to some professionals and research, ADHD is not a neurological disorder; it is an evolutionary brain adaptation that helped support and sustain growing communities through hunting and gathering. I tend to lean into this theory a lot, especially since I work with ADHD adults and teens. Both females and males (myself included) exhibit impulsivity and risk-taking, hyperfocus and novelty-seeking, movement and knowledge-seeking behavior (I am generalizing, but it hits the spot). Have you ever hunted, or do you know someone who has? Look up the skills needed to hunt and gather—hello, ADHD.

So, what is the research showing? It shows that ADHD brains require constant productivity—whatever that may look like, which is a whole other ballgame. It also addresses the issues that arise from boredom and stillness, which are almost painful for ADHD minds. Dr. Yaakov, on the other hand, goes on to explain how much of today’s society depends on instant gratification and impulsivity, which resemble ADHD but are actually much deeper-rooted physiological issues. He believes, as do I, that ADHD is over-diagnosed, misunderstood, and heavily marketed, often masking other issues. I agree with that too.

As a society that has become addicted to information and convenience, impulsivity is everywhere. Our kids are being given Chromebooks in kindergarten before they even learn all their letters—they need to memorize their Chromebook passcode first. Children are given iPads, phones, and tablets before they turn 1, without understanding the severe brain development issues that this can cause. Kids are being fed highly processed foods on a daily basis, which contain obscene and lethal levels of chemicals and sugar. The kids start acting out in class because they’re high on sugar and screen time, and then they get diagnosed with ADHD and put on medication and “special services.” Not a single doctor that I worked with as a team to help treat ADHD ever mentioned discipline, physical exercise, or limitation of screen time—not once, never. Did you know that an entire group of physicians developed a video game for ADHD kids to help with symptoms? Yep, it’s called EndeavorRX and can be prescribed along with some amphetamines.

Why the sudden rise in ADHD over the last 50ish years? No, it’s not because we diagnose better—that’s the best corporate line I’ve ever heard. We’ve only been industrialized for maybe 150-200 years. You mean to tell me that 200 years ago everyone was hanging off trees and dying at 12? The Renaissance movement somehow made it without today’s antidepressants, hmm…because it’s not ALL ADHD, it simply isn’t. Look at today’s “formal assessment” of ADHD—oy vey.

Finally, today’s parents have lost their confidence as parents too; they suddenly feel the need to read 20 books on parenting and ask everyone for validation and support. Did you have to read 20 books on how to make a baby and carry a baby for 9 months? How do you think thousands of years of evolution managed to parent without positive parenting books? Somehow, we all made it. How are other animals in the kingdom managing to parent their young without books? We are animals, and let’s not forget it. We have instincts, we have intuition, and we have self-awareness. Yet, I constantly hear from parents who share with me that their kids don’t listen, throw fits, have issues at school, and the schools recommend medications or some form of "positive" parenting. Discipline your children, give them boundaries, stop being afraid of their emotions, and have a backbone. They need you, not your people-pleasing. Give them consequences, teach them about hard work—this isn’t rocket science. However, Dr. Yaakov mentions the importance of stable and consistent parenting and how it can affect ADHD brains. Parents, stop being influenced by societal expectations, comparing yourselves to other parents, and seeking validation.

If you’re an adult who has ADHD, congratulations. You made it and I bet you’re doing pretty well in your career and you’ve had experience in many different areas of life and work, right? Not all ADHD presents the same, but there are a few common similarities including the need to read a lot of self-help books, biographies and innovation because we thrive on learning, am I right?

The truth is (based on my research) that people who had ADHD before food was poisoned, tablets were forced into our lives, and the overwhelming amount of information spilled from every possible orifice, ADHD wasn’t diagnosed as heavily as it is today. Our biggest flaw as a society when it comes to science, evolution, and humanity is that we live too far forward; we prescribe ahead more than we re-evaluate history and theories. Look back at history—how did we manage then? Why is it that something that never needed such a clinical approach is now one of the top diagnoses today that is "a public outcry"? You know what’s most telling? Doctors still don’t suggest nutritional changes, sports, discipline, and consistency. They offer empathy, pills, and medical management. If you call a child and adolescent psychiatry office today, they will likely tell you openly that they do not work with kids who are not medicated. How will they get paid if the prescriptions aren’t filled?

If you truly have ADHD, in my personal opinion, you have a magnificent brain wiring that allows you to supersede intellectual norms and redefines focus and adaptability. To harness your brain, you require deeply rooted discipline and an understanding of how to manage your ever evolving innovative mind.

It’s never that scary, that serious and that permament. Why? Because there is one medication that can’t be replicated, duplicated or faked. That medicine is resilience.