Psychology and Mental Health

Have you heard of ABC? No, not the first three letters of the alphabet! This is part of the program developed by Dr. David Katz of Yale University. He has set out to show that because of the issues connected with side effects of medication for ADHD people, there are non drug solutions for ADHD.

The ABC program which stands for Activity Bursts in the Classroom shows teachers how to deal with short activity bursts in the classroom so that their hyperactivity, restlessness and general fidgeting cam be released in a harmless and non disruptive way.

It is fascinating to learn how Dr. Katz was almost forced to develop the program as his son had ADHD and the promises and risks of ADHD stimulant and non-stimulant drugs were anything but convincing.

Going back to the whole question of the side effects of medication for ADHD people, the first uncomfortable question we have to ask is about how exactly these drugs for people with ADHD are working on the children’s brains.

This is an easy question to answer as nobody knows! I love questions with short clear answers. The truth is that doctors and researchers are not sure how and exactly why the psychostimulant drugs which stimulate everything else in the body actually calm the ADHD child’s brain so that hyperactivity and restlessness are all controlled.

But the side effects of medications for ADHD people are worrying and can range from loss of appetite, stunted growth, disturbed sleep patterns, stomach problems, headaches, drowsiness and many more effects too numerous to mention here.

The second uncomfortable question we have to ask about the ADHD problem is why there are no studies at all on the psychostimulants and their long term effects on neural and indeed physical development. Yet Ritalin has been on the market for almost fifty years and there are no studies available as far as I know. Why? Is there something that is being hidden from us?

The third uncomfortable question concerns care providers, pediatricians, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, teachers and all the ADHD stakeholders. Why have they taken so long to reveal the fact that the most effective way of dealing with ADHD is through behavioral therapy or simply effective parenting skills?

I would need a book to answer that question but it does point up the obvious fact that there has been far too much reliance on the first option which has always been to medicate.

Medication needs to be put into perspective and must be seen for what it is. It can relieve some of the ADHD symptoms but cannot teach the ADHD child or adult life skills, coping skills and how to learn to control impulsivity and how to manage multi tasking successfully.

These are the questions and answers that we must take into consideration when talking about the side effects of medication for ADHD people and taking a long hard look at the alternatives which are much safer. To help you do just that, I have built a website on the whole question of a comprehensive treatment for ADHD which is not just about ADHD meds. Why not find out what this is all about?

In the first week after ACL surgery it is imperative to the long term stability of the injured knee that exercises are done that promote range of motion and stability of the knee. The knee after an ACL operation is still able to move, however, if it is left in its neutral “comfortable” position the range of motion can decrease and ultimately may require another operation. It is for this reason these exercises are very important (critical!) in the first week.

5 important ACL Surgery Recovery Exercises

1. Heel lift
Place a towel under the ankle of the injured leg and let the leg lay straight so that there is a stretch under the knee stopping the knee from going to 0 degrees. The purpose of this exercise is to improve the range of motion on the knee.

2. Quad sets
While sitting on the floor extend your legs out as straight as possible. Place a towel or pillow under your injured knee and tighten you quad on your injured leg trying to push the knee into then towel or pillow. Hold the quad flex for 10 seconds and then relax, repeat this ACL surgery exercise 10 times.

3. Heel slides
While still on the ground lie flat on your back. With your leg flat slowly move your heel along the rug while bending your knee. The goal here is to get the heel as close to your butt as possible. This post ACL surgery exercise is intended to increase the range of motion and get the hamstring muscle working again.

4. Prone knee flexion
Prone knee flexion as an ACL rehab exercise is used to increase the range of motion of the knee. Lie flat on a carpet or bed and slowly bend your injured knee to the limits of it’s range of motion. As the bending knee reaches it’s limit hold it at the limit for 5 seconds.

5. Ankle pumps and rotation
An ACL operation can cause a lot of swelling. This swelling can significantly slowdown the healing process. In order to accelerate the removal of swelling from the leg it is a good idea to do 20-30 ankle pumps(like you are pushing the gas pedal) and 20-30 ankle rotations regularly. This ACL rehabilitation exercise can help blood circulation and get the swelling to dissipate quicker