Did you know that Albert Einstein, one of the greatest geniuses of the last century, did not speak until he was four years-old and didn't read until he was seven? His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and refused admittance to the Zurich Polytech Institute. Today, he would have been put on Ritalin.

Thomas Edison's teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. Isaac Newton did very poorly in grade school. Opera singer Enrico Caruso's teacher said he had no voice at all and could not sing. Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer. Would these geniuses have been Ritalin candidates also?

What are we doing to our children? How did we allow our country to be jokingly referred to as the "Ritalin capital" of the world? Ritalin is a very dangerous and highly addictive drug. Under Federal law, it is classified as a "schedule II controlled substance," the same rating given to cocaine, opium and morphine. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe and include depression, fatigue, paranoia, increased dreaming, irritability, bedwetting and suicide.

At my "Chiropractic Mother's Morning Out" program on The Ritalin Controversy, one of the mothers stood up and told her son's story. He had tried Ritalin for a very short time and hated the way it made him feel, so he stopped taking it on his own (hurray for him!). What's scary is that seven years later, he still suffers from the side effects -- including bedwetting. Can you really try it just once? Think long and hard about the answer to this question.

Ritalin's side effects are numerous and severe. According to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders," the side effects include stunting of growth, depression, insomnia, nervousness, skin rash, anorexia, nausea, dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, blood pressure and pulse changes, and Tourette's Syndrome (a permanent and irreversible condition characterized by body ticks, spasms, screaming obscenities, and barking sounds). The physiological changes that cause these side effects are occurring whether there is an outward manifestation of symptoms or not. This is frightening. How far will we go to control, mold, and conform our children to somebody's made up normal? Are we turning our geniuses of tomorrow into drug addicts?

According to a Canadian report, Ritalin is responsible for more street crime than any other drug. Kids are selling their Ritalin to other kids. A USA Today report indicated that some kids crush Ritalin into a powder and snort it like cocaine, while others cook it and inject it into their bloodstream. "My child wouldn't do that," you might say. How do you know? This is a highly addictive drug we are talking about here. Remember the 15 year-old who is still suffering from withdrawal seven years later. He no longer owns his life and his consciousness. He now has a lifelong battle for his will.

Well known criminal defense attorney Melvin Nash, from Marietta, Georgia, who receives chiropractic wellness care with his family, indicated that approximately 60% of the people he defends for everything from DUI to armed robbery have been on Ritalin at some point in their lives. He stated: "I would home school my kids before I put them on Ritalin!" That's a powerful statement!

The United States is number one in Ritalin consumption in the world, by far. How did we let this happen? Have we bought into the multimillion dollar marketing strategies of the drug manufacturer? You decide.

One person who just started teaching in a middle school was asked if a lot of her kids were on Ritalin. Her reply: "Yes, but not enough." This gives me a pain in my heart. Another person was discussing her friends who became parents late in life. They said they couldn't deal with their son because they had forgotten what it was like to be a child. Their child is on Ritalin. I cry for him.

It has always puzzled me why in some schools up to 50% of the kids are on Ritalin and in other schools very close by, only five percent are on the drug. This variation can be seen from class to class as well. How do we let this happen? Where is the responsibility going that we entrust our child's mind to a highly addictive and dangerous drug such as Ritalin? What price are we willing to pay to maintain our high tech lifestyles and busy schedules or to have our kids be "perfect"?

What if Albert Einstein had been on Ritalin?

There is a genius in all of us that is just trying to get out. Think about all the ideas, talent, strength and creativity we keep stored inside because we worry about what other people would say or think. They would put us down, call us unruly and tell us to grow up. They would put us on Ritalin to get us to conform to the norm that is mediocrity and maintain our drug dependent world.

As a chiropractor, I get to experience this genius every day in my office. I see the healing and regenerative powers of the human body and spirit at work every day. People who were on drugs get off them. So-called "hyper" children calm down and parents who are hypoactive get increased energy. I have seen people's own bodies begin to work correctly because of chiropractic and heal themselves from just about every malady you can name.

I have also seen what the continuous expression of this genius can create in families that under chiropractic wellness care. Wellness care keeps the expression of this genius uninterferred with so people can express all of their genetic potential on a moment-to-moment basis, every minute they're alive. All children, especially the ones who aren't "perfect" or "normal" need their senses clear. They need their adaptation capacity at 100%. They need their nerve system free from interference. Do they really need artificial stimulation or sedation?

Could you imagine if Helen Keller had been on Ritalin? Would it have given her the best opportunity to thrive in the world and express her innate potential? I doubt it. We would have been robbed of a wonderful gift.

Is Ritalin the drug industry's version of a Joe Camel cigarette billboard? Is Ritalin the drug companies' insurance policy to big business down the road? Is it any wonder our country can spend close to $80 million a year on drug abuse awareness and the problem continues to get worse?

Please parents, open up and take these insights to heart. I am a parent and I know that all parents make the best decisions they are capable of for their children, given the knowledge they had at the time of their decision.

You now have more knowledge. Let's take a stand for our next generation.

by Eric Plasker, D.C

To discover more information on current health trends, alternative health approaches, and/or information about how Network Spinal Analysis can help you and your family, visit the INNATE CHIROPRACTIC HEALING ARTS CENTER, 2021 Driscoll, Houston, TX 77019. To schedule a free consultation with Dr. Jackie St.Cyr call 713-521-2104 or visit our website.

Dr. Jackie St.Cyr is a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine with postgraduate education and certification in Network Spinal Analysis. The Innate Chiropractic Healing Arts Center is located at 2021 Driscoll in Houston. For more information please call 713-521-2104.

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