Reader Responses to The Latest on Distraction

In the early 1980s the BAM published an article (“The Good That Came From A Family’s Desperation,” Sept. ’82) about Jane Hummerstone Hershey [’60] who graduated a few years before I did. She was the editor of a newsletter put out by the Feingold Association about a diet free of artificial colors and flavors used to treat ADD (later renamed ADHD). At a time before the internet, this was our first connection to a solution for our hyperactive child. You can see Jane herself on the Feingold Association’s home page Feingold.org. This is a nonprofit group of mostly volunteers that has been a big help to our family and thousands of others. They are still going strong—because it works!

As the author notes, there are many things that can lead to an ADHD diagnosis. Two that are often overlooked are: (1) the child’s birth date, which can put him in a class where he is among the youngest, and (2) the dramatic increase in the use of synthetic food additives such as petroleum-based dyes. One of the most dramatic studies is from the University of Southampton where researchers found that a modest amount of food dye brought on ADHD symptoms in children in the general population—those with no ADHD diagnosis (McCann, The Lancet, Nov 2007). Because of the many studies linking dyes to ADHD, the California State Senate is working on a bill that would require warning labels to be placed on foods with synthetic dyes. This would be similar to the labeling required in Europe. Research information and practical assistance are available at feingold.org.