Author Topic: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues  (Read 1175 times)

MillCreek

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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/18/616805015/cutting-edge-program-for-children-with-autism-and-adhd-rests-on-razor-thin-evide?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180618

I heard this story today on my ride home from the office.  I had never heard of 'Brain Balance' before and did some research in the literature after reading this story.  From my STEM-trained, evidence-based Western medicine viewpoint, it sounds like quackery to me in the absence of good controlled studies demonstrating effectiveness. Has anyone here ever heard of this?

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MillCreek
Snohomish County, WA  USA


Quote from: Angel Eyes on August 09, 2018, 01:56:15 AM
You are one lousy risk manager.

bedlamite

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2018, 07:37:54 PM »
May be quackery, but i bet it cant do any worse than the current system is: Here, have some more pills.
A plan is just a list of things that doesn't happen.
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KD5NRH

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2018, 08:20:48 PM »
I heard this story today on my ride home from the office.  I had never heard of 'Brain Balance' before and did some research in the literature after reading this story.  From my STEM-trained, evidence-based Western medicine viewpoint, it sounds like quackery to me in the absence of good controlled studies demonstrating effectiveness. Has anyone here ever heard of this?

Name something about modern mental health care that doesn't sound like quackery.  Then name anything found at a "gluten-free expo" that doesn't sound like quackery.

MillCreek

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2018, 08:41:53 PM »
Name something about modern mental health care that doesn't sound like quackery.  Then name anything found at a "gluten-free expo" that doesn't sound like quackery.

Sure: medication therapy for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis.  All of which have controlled published studies demonstrating the indications and effectiveness of the medications used, and evidence-based recommendations for therapy.  The controlled studies, published in reputable peer-reviewed literature, combined with thousands of patient-years of treatment data, lead to evidence-based medicine, which is not quackery.  The gluten-free expo, well, there is evidence-based medicine on the value of gluten-free in treating celiac disease, which effects about 1% of the population. 
_____________
Regards,
MillCreek
Snohomish County, WA  USA


Quote from: Angel Eyes on August 09, 2018, 01:56:15 AM
You are one lousy risk manager.

KD5NRH

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2018, 10:25:24 PM »
Sure: medication therapy for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis.  All of which have controlled published studies demonstrating the indications and effectiveness of the medications used, and evidence-based recommendations for therapy.  The controlled studies, published in reputable peer-reviewed literature, combined with thousands of patient-years of treatment data, lead to evidence-based medicine, which is not quackery.

For all the research, it's still treated by trial-and-screwup guesswork.  Something as delicate as the neurochemical balance shouldn't be handled by "let's dump this in and see what happens, then we'll try something else if that doesn't work."

Quote
The gluten-free expo, well, there is evidence-based medicine on the value of gluten-free in treating celiac disease, which effects about 1% of the population.

It's estimated that 9% of the population legitimately has diabetes, but do we see diabetic expos?  If another 15-20% thought it was cool to imagine themselves as diabetic, I bet we would.

Jamisjockey

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2018, 10:57:56 AM »
For all the research, it's still treated by trial-and-screwup guesswork.  Something as delicate as the neurochemical balance shouldn't be handled by "let's dump this in and see what happens, then we'll try something else if that doesn't work."

It's estimated that 9% of the population legitimately has diabetes, but do we see diabetic expos?  If another 15-20% thought it was cool to imagine themselves as diabetic, I bet we would.

I always take nutritional advice from the guy that loves the dollar menu at McDonalds.
JD

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makattak

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2018, 11:03:29 AM »
I always take nutritional advice from the guy that loves the dollar menu at McDonalds.

If he's not overweight and generally healthy, I'd be happy to take nutritional advice from someone who loves the dollar menu.

The poison is in the dosage.
I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought

dogmush

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2018, 12:28:42 PM »
The poison is in the dosage.

-Lucrezia Borgia

Jamisjockey

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2018, 12:53:52 PM »
If he's not overweight and generally healthy, I'd be happy to take nutritional advice from someone who loves the dollar menu.

The poison is in the dosage.

Which is a great reason to reduce the intake of grains and gluten.  I know I feel it for days if I eat more than just a little bit of bread now that I rarely eat it.
JD

 The price of a lottery ticket seems to be the maximum most folks are willing to risk toward the dream of becoming a one-percenter. “Robert Hollis”

Pb

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2018, 09:28:57 AM »
Well, all I can say is that the more things people try, the more likely it is someone will stumble on something helpful... though running a controlled experiment to validate would be necessary.  It sounds like that was not done.

A have a relative with Aspergers who uses vibrating devices (touchpoints) and they are helpful at calming him to some degree.

Brad Johnson

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2018, 04:15:50 PM »
Quote
And he argues in the book that for people who follow his program, "ADHD, dyslexia, and even autism, among others, can become a thing of the past."

It looks like a rebranding of the old left brain/right brain mantra, only with a shiney new package and some sciency-sounding terminology.

While there are regions central to certain neurological functions, a portion of that function's activity is still spread across both hemispheres.  A system based on strict compartmentalization of neurological function is way off base right from the beginning. The brain simply doesn't work that way.

Brad
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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2018, 10:44:04 AM »
Which is a great reason to reduce the intake of grains and gluten.  I know I feel it for days if I eat more than just a little bit of bread now that I rarely eat it.

Gee, imagine that; if you avoid a normal food long enough, your body won't be accustomed to it anymore.

Jamisjockey

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2018, 04:30:07 PM »
Gee, imagine that; if you avoid a normal food long enough, your body won't be accustomed to it anymore.

 ;/

If you think excess consumption of grains is normal you’ve been duped.
JD

 The price of a lottery ticket seems to be the maximum most folks are willing to risk toward the dream of becoming a one-percenter. “Robert Hollis”

De Selby

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2018, 09:28:22 AM »
Gee, imagine that; if you avoid a normal food long enough, your body won't be accustomed to it anymore.

If you could get expired psych meds at goodwill would that change your position?

"Human existence being an hallucination containing in itself the secondary hallucinations of day and night (the latter an insanitary condition of the atmosphere due to accretions of black air) it ill becomes any man of sense to be concerned at the illusory approach of the supreme hallucination known as death."

makattak

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2018, 10:49:04 AM »
If you could get expired psych meds at goodwill would that change your position?



Hey, let's not be crapping all over Goodwill here. I've gotten some very good expired meds from Goodwill! You just have to know which ones to look for.
I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought

De Selby

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Re: Brain Balance for childhood autism, ADHD and other behavioral issues
« Reply #15 on: June 22, 2018, 05:54:24 PM »
Hey, let's not be crapping all over Goodwill here. I've gotten some very good expired meds from Goodwill! You just have to know which ones to look for.

Actually that’s true - I once heard of a guy who found 100 tabs of oxycontin there marked $10!
"Human existence being an hallucination containing in itself the secondary hallucinations of day and night (the latter an insanitary condition of the atmosphere due to accretions of black air) it ill becomes any man of sense to be concerned at the illusory approach of the supreme hallucination known as death."