The new school year demands a lot from children
So summer is over for another year and after six weeks of running around and playing they are now been told to sit still and listen to their teachers. For children with attention disorders this is not an easy task.
European statistics show that ADHD and ADD occurs in 3% to 5% of all children. And these children too must again sit still and be attentive from now on.
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. If it involves only an attention disorder without hyperactivity, one refers to ADD. In both cases, children who have these disorders find it more difficult to concentrate than other children. At school, this is a genuine obstacle for both the child as well as the teacher. The class is disrupted, the teacher’s remarks are not heard and the child often falls behind the rest of the class.
Medication is available for children suffering from ADHD or ADD, however parents are now being advised to look at all their options.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings as early as in 2007 against the dangerous effects of ADHD medication. Even though the FDA found the medicines to be beneficial in the treatment of ADHD symptoms, they said that the effects and risks are not directly in proportion to these benefits. "The medicine manufacturers must make the patients more aware of the fact that there are real cardiovascular risks and psychological side-effects involved."
However, parents do not need to give their children those heavy medications against their conscience. In recent years, there has been increasingly more scientific research done into the working of L-Carnitine and children with ADHD/ADD. Carnitine is responsible for the transportation of fatty acids from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria (described as the 'cellular power plants') and is present in every human tissue. Carnitine is also an antioxidant and has a protective effect on the heart and blood vessels.
The administration of extra L-Carnitine further promotes the generation of bio-energy because the Carnitine present in that stimulates the production of energy from the fatty acids. It so happens that the most common fatty acids with a chain length of more than 10 carbon atoms cannot pass through the cell wall of the mitochondria without assistance. A good availability of Carnitine is especially important in the heart muscle, where fats form the primary source of energy. It has been demonstrated that Carnitine has a beneficial effect on the heart.
The Belgian HWB International believed in the healing effect of ALC and commercialised it in the form of HyperAD. This dietary supplement contains 250mg Acetyl-L-Carnitine. This acetylated form of Carnitine is absorbed extremely well by the body and has a more powerful effect at the brain level than the traditional Carnitine.