(Source: High Point Enterprise)
By Jimmy Tomlin, High Point Enterprise, N.C.
Oct. 26--HIGH POINT -- If there's such a thing as an "ADHD Establishment," Dr. Bose Ravenel stands firmly in the anti-
establishment camp.
And that badge -- he refers to himself as "a rebel with a cause" -- is one the 70-year-old High Point pediatrician wears proudly.
"I don't relish it," he says, "but it doesn't bother me because I'm convinced about what we're doing."
Ravenel, who has practiced in High Point since 1988, has co-authored a new book -- with noted family psychologist John Rosemond -- that likely will make him a lightning rod for criticism from the aforementioned ADHD Establishment.
In the book, "The Diseasing of America's Children: Exposing the ADHD Fiasco and Empowering Parents To Take Back Control" (Thomas Nelson, $24.99), the authors not only hold the ADHD Establishment's feet to the fire -- they toss the establishment into the fire, using such pointed phrases as "a travesty of science," "flimsy evidence," "a scandal waiting to erupt," and "an effort that has resulted in the manufacture of diseases that do not exist."
Specifically, the authors contend that those "diseases that do not exist" -- namely, ADD (attention-deficit disorder), ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) -- are based on bad science, most likely do not derive from a genetic brain disorder, and therefore do not require potentially harmful medications for treatment.
They further contend that the classic ADHD symptoms such as inattention, forgetfulness, inability to focus, hyperactivity and impulsivity can be addressed through a behavioral treatment model rather than resorting to drugs.
"We believe the professional literature is skewed in the direction of overstating the effect of medications on these children and understating the potential harmful effects," Ravenel explains.
Ironically, Ravenel admits he's a former member of the ADHD Establishment.
"That's why I don't blame them, because I was there with them," he says. "I never knew any different. As a busy doctor, you tend to read the journals that are published by authors who have heavy pharmaceutical company ties, so you're not aware of this whole alternative perspective."
About seven or eight years ago, though, Ravenel says he began to question the alarming rate at which children were being diagnosed with ADHD, particularly considering the absence of the disease in previous generations.
"That got me to begin looking seriously at those rare individuals who would write articles suggesting that ADHD is not real -- I looked at why they said that," Ravenel recalls.
His conclusion? ADHD is B-O-G-U-S.
