Tai Chi May Improve Some ADHD Symptoms

May 26, 2010 (New Orleans, Louisiana) – The practice of tai chi chuan for 6 weeks during a summer camp improved behavior control in adolescents with mental illness, according to a study presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2010 Annual Meeting.

“We found beneficial effects in controlling hyperactivity in the group as a whole, and adolescents with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also showed improvements in cognitive skills, “said Peng Pang, MD, a resident in psychiatry at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.

Read entire article
at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/722490

Tai Chi helps us all focus on the ball of energy.  We have peaceful smiles on our faces.  The energy feels warm on top of our head.

Doing Tai Chi with Kids in the Bronx,NY

I had a great week in the NYC public schools. I am working with a Bronx Outreach program bringing healthy activities into the schools of the Bronx.

What a beautiful feeling it is to look out on the faces of the children as they relax, let go of anxiety and fear, get in touch with their inner feelings, grow roots into the earth for stability and connection. Little smiles appear on their faces.

What a beautiful moment of peace and harmony.

Oh, how I love working with the kids! They deserve to feel peace, too.

Ritalin Gone Wrong

THREE  million children take Ritalin. It is a 20 fold increase in 30 years. We are now learning how the effect fades over time and it “neither improves school achievement nor reduces behavior problems. ” It does have serious side effects including stunting growth. See the full report in the NY Times.

“Ritalin and Adderall, a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, are stimulants. So why do they appear to calm children down? Some experts argued that because the brains of children with attention problems were different, the drugs had a mysterious paradoxical effect on them.

However, there really was no paradox. Versions of these drugs had been given to World War II radar operators to help them stay awake and focus on boring, repetitive tasks. And when we reviewed the literature on attention-deficit drugs again in 1990 we found that all children, whether they had attention problems or not, responded to stimulant drugs the same way. Moreover, while the drugs helped children settle down in class, they actually increased activity in the playground. Stimulants generally have the same effects for all children and adults. They enhance the ability to concentrate, especially on tasks that are not inherently interesting or when one is fatigued or bored, but they don’t improve broader learning abilities.”

But we have alternatives.  Tai Chi is not as quick as a pill, but it develops a powerful effect over time.  It carries over into many other aspects of life.

Try Tai Chi with your kids. It gets better and better and has no negative side effects. It’s been working for thousands of years and keeps on working.