I'm beginning to prepare for a parent-teen seminar that I will be leading in January on "Virtual Idols and Addictions," and the more I study the more my heart is saddened. I am learning things that as a parent I never wanted to know, but need to be aware of. And I guess that someone had told me some of these things ten years ago, so that maybe I could have made things easier for my own kids growing up.

I want to pass some of these things on to you, so that you can be warned, and so that you can begin as a parent to prepare yourselves to deal with these issues in your own home with your teenagers. So here are some excerpts from a press release in our local paper promoting the seminar...

Virtual Idols and Addictions Read more of the article...

ADHD and Food Allergies

by Anthony Kane, MD

Introduction There are a number of controversial areas in medicine when it comes to ADHD. Food allergy is certainly one of them.

The classic allergic reaction, which is classified as the type-1 hypersensitivity reaction, can be elicited by food, but this is fairly uncommon. When we discuss food sensitivities in ADHD we are discussing a different, not well-defined, mechanism. One of the main progenitors of the food allergy/ADHD connection is Dr. Read more of the article...

While collecting comments, ideas, and wisdom from readers on the topic of ADHD and Marriage, our reader Christie and her husband wrote in sharing these marriage tips. -- ED

My husband and I are both ADHD and we have developed several strategies over our 20 years of marriage. Here is what we have come up with off the top of our heads.

1. EVERYTHING goes on the calendar and EVERYONE is responsible for checking it before they go to bed and again when they get up in the morning.

2. Keep the extracurricular activities to minimum.

3. Have a set schedule and do your best to keep to it, but remember to build some flexibility into it. Read more of the article...

I have ADHD but didn’t know it until my son was diagnosed with it (last year during first grade). He and I both grade the same in our inattentiveness. My son is still struggling (now in second grade) but we believe we are on the right track in getting him on the proper medication and dosage.

As soon as I found out what ADD/ADHD was life began to get a lot easier for me in the way of acceptance of who I am and became over the years. It explained a lot of my past growing up and how I function as an adult (now 44) today. But I digress...

"ADHD Marriage: Some things that I have learned" Read more of the article...

Press Release: NEW YORK - November 21, 2008

Tobacco use is more prevalent and smoking cessation less likely among persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.) In a study of smokers with attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, those who exhibited elevated hyperactivity and impulsivity, with or without inattention, showed lower quit rates after 8 weeks than those with inattention symptoms alone or those without the A.D.H.D. symptoms. The study, now available online in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, could help smokers and physicians to better tailor cessation treatment for individuals with A.D.H.D. Read more of the article...

A recent press release from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that surprised me. NIMH is funding two research projects on what they term novel and innovative approaches to treating children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and one of these studies will be focused on EEG Biofeedback training. Read more of the article...