Ask the Doctor – December 2008

Please Help My Child

Dear Sir,

My child was a late speaker. He also started walking late. At the time when my wife conceived, I was seriously ill due to some unknown phobia and suffering from sleeplessness. Later on, doctors found jaundice in my blood tests. I am now healthy but my son is suffering. He is a slow learner.

My son has also suffered due to asthma and seasonal eye allergies. Doctors advised him to use an inhaler. He is now free from allergies at eight years of age but is unable to compete with children his age. His maturity level is lagging by one year and his teacher complains daily about his slow understanding. I work very hard but observe no improvement.

He doesn’t understand the concept of addition/subtraction or greater/lesser number in mathematics. He eats more than the children and is a light sleeper. However, his look is very attractive and he is no different than any other child.

If you could suggest some concrete solution, I would be much obliged. I think Baryta Carb might be suitable for my son? Please respond.

With regards,

Rajiv Narayan
DR. RONA’S RESPONSE

Dear Rajiv:

Your letter was forwarded to me for a reply.  Homeopathic remedies like the one you describe can indeed be effective for some cases of ADD, ADHD or learning disabilities.  In cases where there is a poor response to such treatment, it may be important to rule out other physical problems such as toxic heavy metal excess with cadmium, lead and mercury or an imbalance between zinc and copper (usually too much copper and not enough zinc).
Also, look into getting some tests done to diagnose food allergies and vitamin and mineral deficiencies (especially vitamin D and iron).  Blood tests can be done to diagnose the vitamin deficiencies and food allergies while hair mineral analysis is a good way to find out about the levels of various minerals, be they toxic heavy metals or nutritional minerals.  Usually you have to work with a natural health care practitioner to get a personalized treatment program based on biochemical tests.  If you want to learn more about the lab tests, check out my book, Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection.