A Message from our Healthcare Director, Dr. Jack  Maggiore:

Our followers know well of the statistics that we post of the 40%  misdiagnosis rate of ADHD, as reported by the University of Notre Dame in 2010,  and again by Portrait Health Centers in late 2011.   One of the more overlooked conditions that mimics the symptoms of ADHD,  inattentive type, is a sleep disorder.   Lack of quality, restorative sleep directly contributes to what appears as lack of interest, daydreaming, inattention, and poor comprehension, in the classroom, as well as in the workplace.   Not too surprisingly, the same individuals who are often misidentified and misdiagnosed as having ADHD, and the same people who have a tendency for migraine headaches.  One of the
more common triggers for a debilitating migraine event is the lack of
sleep.  The reason that inadequate sleep leads to a migraine headache is thought to be related to the predisposition of these individuals to have a period of hypertension in an attempt to keep the brain alert and the body awake in the face of physical and mental exhaustion.  Unfortunately, this increase in blood pressure leads to the body’s response to reduce the blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels in the head, a process called vasodilation.  Vasodilation leads to localized inflammation, or swelling, which causes severe pain, commonly
experienced as an intense headache in the more than 30-million Americans with  the disorder called migraine.

It is not likely that those with migraine have an  increased tendency for true ADHD, and there is not sufficient evidence that  those with true ADHD are more prone to having the syndrome known as  migraine.  However, for many  individuals with ADHD being treated with a stimulant medication, any “vacation”  from these drugs, or a change in the dose of the stimulant medication may serve  as a trigger to a migraine headache.   Also, for those who are prescribed the blood-pressure-lowering medication  Strattera® to control the symptoms of ADHD, one of the unanticipated benefits of  this medication may be a decrease in the number of migraine headaches due to the lowering of blood pressure, a possible initiator in the migraine pathway.  Any medication that has either stimulant or sedative properties is likely to cause a change in sleep patterns, which, as we indicated, is a trigger for migraine headaches. It is important that you discuss any change in sleep with your doctor, especially if you see that headaches are occurring with this  change.

 Do not underestimate the benefits of a good night’s sleep. A comprehensive sleep evaluation is valuable for many reasons related to ADHD  symptoms, migraine, as well as problems with weight management, diabetes, stress, and heart conditions.  Sleep is essential for much more than just an opportunity to recharge our inner battery, it is at the heart of a number of our hormone cycles, metabolism,  and mental health.  

Contact our Nurse Navigatorat (847) 868-3435 today to discuss how your migraine  headaches and ADHD tendencies may be related to a sleep disorder.  Visit us at www.portraithealthcenters.com.

To schedule an appointment online, simply click on the button below:

New Year’s Resolutions are all about making a commitment to improving our lives and ourselves.  Losing weight and exercising more remain the top two resolutions made by US adults, and those are fine self-improvement goals.  However, if you look at the trends for Americans who are increasingly overweight and in danger of becoming diabetics, it takes more than just a lofty promise to ourselves on New Year’s Eve to accomplish a goal.  It takes a plan.

Not Just a Promise… A Plan!

For the more than 5 million Americans with ADHD, a list of resolutions may include plans to become more organized, procrastinate less, channel your excess energy, and reconnect with friends and loved ones.  A top 10 list of New Year’s Resolutions may include:

Prioritize with a goal in mind

Starting each day without an agenda or plan of attack is a dangerous practice for those with ADHD.  Spend the first 5-10 minutes of every workday to build a “Things to Do Today” list on an 8 x 11 sheet of paper in a notebook or binder, not on a post-it pad or scratch sheet of paper.  First, prioritize your tasks.  If you are not sure as to what is most important to accomplish, ask your supervisor or manager.  If you are self-employed or in charge of a project, the best advice is to ‘follow the money’.  Complete the critical tasks that lead to increased revenues, secured contracts, job security, and satisfied customers.  Be sure to include on this page the resources or tools you need to get the job done, and the due date.  And if you can’t complete a task within a given day or by the due date, make sure that it remains your priority until the task is complete. Setting milestones for completing more complex tasks will help with project management.

To learn more about ADHD treatments, therapies, and tips, visit www.portraithealthcenters.com.  To schedule an appointment at Portrait Health Centers, call (847) 868-3435 or simply click below:

Gifts for ADHD Tweens and Teens

Motion Therapy
High-energy kids need active play, especially when they’re cooped up indoors. Active gaming fills the bill. Check out Kinect forXbox 360. The player’s body acts as the controller. Kinect tracks your child’s full-body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions, even different emotions in his voice. Sports, fitness, dance, and animal games will be first off the assembly line. Price: Xbox 360 console with Kinect: $299.99; Kinect sensor only: $149.99.

Neat Things
Building toys, like LEGO, are great for creative kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but, oh, the mess! This year, along with the latest “Toy Story” or “Harry Potter” LEGO set, give your organizationally challenged child a LEGO ZipBin. When unzipped, it turns into a play mat, on which your child can construct buildings, airplanes, whatever. When zipped up, it’s a box or basket, depending on the model, which stores the bricks inside. Perfect for one-step cleanup. Price: $12.99-$24.99.

Let’s Roll 
A Maze and Marbles (via Young Explorers) is an interactive building toy that captures -- and holds -- our ADHD kids’ attention. The countless configurations of chutes, bridges, and drops, through which the marbles race, develop organizational and spatial skills. This hardwood version of the classic toy is sturdy, making it ideal for the rough play of ADHD kids. Price: $69.95.

Spheres of Influence
Hoberman Spheres are an engineering marvel, and an addictive distraction that occupies busy hands and curious minds. The colored collapsible spheres, which expand from six inches to 30 via small plastic joints, are not only fun to play with, but can also teach self-regulation, a function often lacking in ADHD kids. 1000 Petals Yoga suggests using the Hoberman sphere as a visual aid for meditation. “Take a deep breath, while expanding the sphere, breathe out while contracting it.” Price: $14.99 - $34.99.

Feel the Burn
Super Skipper, by International Playthings, burns up a child’s extra energy while harnessing the therapeutic benefits of music and rhythm. Kids jump and skip over a revolving bar in time to music. Music is key to brain development, for language processing, motor skills, and coordination. As a bonus, the toy might just tire out your child! Price: $32.99.

The Holidays are supposed to be joyous times to spend with family and friends.  For many, these happy times are replaced with stress and anxiety over the demands we place on ourselves over the expectations of Christmas presents and shopping, holiday baking, decorating, writing cards, visiting friends and relatives, and hosting parties.  Tackling these 4-6 weeks requires organization, careful planning, controlled spending, and cooperation with loved ones.  For those with ADHD, these qualities may prove to be particularly elusive, and may leave you longing for January 2, 2012.

Why not spend an hour talking with an ADHD Adult Coach to devise a strategy for not only surviving these holidays, but to develop a New Year’s Resolution that includes learning proven coaching methods for planning, organization, prioritization, and relationship management?   

Until your visit, consider these helpful hints:

Ways to cope with the stress of the holiday season.

1. Taking care of yourself.  Continue to do what keeps you feeling energized and healthy.

2. Decide in advance what you’ll buy. Make a list that includes the people to buy a gift for, each with a dollar amount and gift idea. Shop specifically for the items on the list. Shopping online cuts down on impulsive overspending, saves time and gas money you would spend driving, wrapping, and mailing.

If finances are especially tight, homemade gifts or services or a family gift exchange are very nice options. Other family members may be relieved by your suggestion.

3. Delegate. Deciding what others can do to help. Keep a list and post each family member's duties on a chart on the fridge, with a check-off box next to the name and the task. You’ll know at a glance whether the job has been done.

4. The perfect holiday is only a fantasy. There’s only so much time and only one of you. Most of us think we can do more than we actually have time for. Better to plan too little than too much. Family traditions are wonderful, but as families change and grow, you may need to do things differently. Adjust the holiday plans to your current situation. Rediscover the word “No!”

5. Extra efforts to focus. If possible take a day off from work or hire a babysitter so you can plan, write cards, or shop without the kids.  And you will be treating yourself time alone to recharge your batteries.

6. Skip shopping. Rediscover the true meaning of the Season by making a donation in family members' names to a favorite cause or nonprofit organization.

7. Escape! Try a quick in-town vacation from the holiday season and its frenzy. Take your family on a day trip the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

About 4 percent of adults have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and many others have never been diagnosed. (About half of kids with ADHD still have it in adulthood.) A diagnosis can be important. Adults with ADHD tend to have lower incomes as well as higher rates of accidents, unplanned pregnancies and substance abuse than those without it, says Martin W. Wetzel, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha.

If you believe you might have ADHD, call the Portrait Health Centers at (847) 868-3435 or click below to schedule an apppointment:

1. You're restless.

Children with ADHD can be overly energetic, but adults may just feel edgy or restless.

"Adults don't show the more obvious signs such as running and jumping," says Colette de Marneffe, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Silver Spring, Md. "Hyperactivity presents more subtly in the form of restlessness."

However, you may recall a rambunctious childhood. Dr. Wetzel had a patient who recalled spending a lot of time in the school hallways because "he couldn't sit still." It's a "classic story," he says.

2. You have a child with ADHD

ADHD appears to have a genetic component. When one member of the family has it, there's a 25- to 35-percent chance that someone else in the family does, too, according to the Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, some adults, who may have had the same symptoms when they were children, realize that they may have always had the condition without realizing it.

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The Portrait Health Centers are multi-specialty clinics where families and adults can come to experience the most cutting-edge and proven treatment options available for those struggling with ADHD and other behavioral and learning disorders. Parents should not have to “play doctor” by researching available treatments and then self-selecting which of these treatments has been scientifically validated and would be most appropriate for their child.

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