Tame your kids without drugs
Life can be an uphill battle for many parents trying to cope with out of control kids but their temper tantrums can be tamed without the use of drugs.
Many families who have out of control kids turn to drugs like Ritalin to control their behavioural problems such as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The children suffer from poor concentration, they can not learn and they find it hard to deal with life.
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Like thousands of other families around Australia, the Reekie family was in crisis because their children were out of control.
Lillian and Andrew Reekie were confronted with a toddler who could not be tamed.
"He would kick and spit and punch and bite even at two or three years old," Lillian said.
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Ten years on and their son Caleb is as gentle as a lamb and his transformation was completed without drugs.
"Obviously as you can see, I'm not running around kicking walls in and stuff so I guess it's changed me," Caleb said.
Lillian changed Caleb's diet by taking him off wheat, yeast and sugar.
"We started going to seminars that taught us about food colours and preservatives and additives so we really got diligent with his diet," Lillian said.
The family also found that cleaning and personal products they used around the house every day contained chemicals and toxins that set Caleb's behaviour off.
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"It was like the magic wand his behaviour improved dramatically," Lillian said.
Lillian has now written a book and travels Australia speaking to other parents in the same predicament.
"We've spoken to parents that are desperate and parents who have their children on medication and want to get them off because there are some challenges with the medication," Lillian said.
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Child behaviour expert Dr Neil Wigg said there is a swing away from medicating children.
"Some children are put on medication to treat ADHD when it isn't truly ADHD and therefore you're exposing those children to drugs and the side effect of those drugs where there isn't a clear indication that they need that type of medication," he said.
"Of concern to me as a paediatrician is the fact that the diet might be so severe that you put the child at some sort of nutritional risk."
Dr Wigg said for the vast majority of children with ADHD, changing the diet is not going to be the answer.
To contact Lillian and Andrew Reekie phone 0418 393 298, email reekie@iprimus.com.au or go to the website www.hiddendangers.com.au.
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