Oneson is Ritalin Free!!!

We have used Ritalin for Oneson for about 2 years. Putting a mere 3.5yr old on such medication was not an easy decision, but once we tried it we were glad we had - it brought such relief for ALL the family and we've used it nearly every day since. However, we were also keen not to use it more than we had too or for longer than necessary.

In early December I decided to take Oneson and Twoson for Chiropractic treatment to try to help the bladder control develop in both of them, especially at night. The Chiropractor we saw is also a Kinesiologist. Well, we didn't fix the bladder control, but Oneson became calmer in himself. So I decided to take him to my naturopath who practises many different treatments. She gave him a couple of dedicated kinesiology sessions. She also showed me some adjustments to do on a daily basis at home.

The first observable objective change was that the cleft that has always run over his head from ear to ear disappeared (the cleft was where a suture between the skull bones had healed, as per normal infant development - it usually heals flat and smooth, but in Oneson there was an easily observed cleft). The ridges around the base of his skull (e.g. around the Occipital bone) also disappeared!

The second change that could be observed relatively objectively was the very sudden virtually complete loss of appetite when given Ritalin. Ritalin has always suppressed Oneson's appetite a bit, but not so completely. He was going through an entire day packed with physical activity on about half a small packet of chips/crisps! I also realised how relatively skinny he was getting around his long bones so had a weight and height check - he had not gained weight in 9-12m! So the lack of appetite and lack of weight gain created pressure to stop the Ritalin.

This was when the third change became apparent, but it is highly subjective - we felt he has been far calmer and more responsive off the Ritalin than he's ever been before. Yes, he's still more 'hyper' with less impulse control than when he's on it, but he is now manageable. Although easily distracted, he remains open to redirection without withdrawing or becoming aggressive.

He last had Ritalin 10 days ago! He has participated in vaccation care and kindy without incident. You should have seen the size of the grin when I expressed to him how proud I was of him for managing his behaviour without drugs!!