Rage

02/19/2018 by Chava

3 Infections That Cause Aggression in Kids

The Damaging Impact of Infections on Children’s Behavior

When children are rude, aggressive, or even violent, they are often pigeonholed as hostile rebels. Lots of them are diagnosed with ADHD or ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) and put on medication from a very young age. But aggression in kids can sometimes be traced to an infection raging in their bodies. Violent behavior and aggression in kids and teenagers may be triggered by numerous factors such as:

Family related problems (poor parenting, child rejection, domestic fights)
Peer victimization
Exposure to violence
Psychiatric conditions
Mineral and vitamin deficiencies
Food intolerance and allergies, and
Medical conditions and infections

Occasional tantrums are normal, but when a child has such defiant behavior that school performance and social interactions are deeply affected, a thorough investigation is needed. This is not to say that ADHD does not exist or that all children with these disorders are aggressive and violent.

Doctors and medical researchers have recently found that certain bacteria cause reactions that can be easily misinterpreted as ADHD symptoms. As a consequence, the children do not receive the correct treatment and their behavioral problems may worsen over time.

Ear Infections and the Restless Child

More than three decades ago, medical researchers established a connection between ear infections and ADHD. Later studies, as the one carried out by Hagerman R.J. and Falkenstein A.R., brought additional evidence to support the theory that recurrent otitis may lead to hyperactive behavior. The two scientists observed 67 children (aged 6 to 13 years old) out of whom 27 displayed ADHD symptoms. The later had suffered from otitis at least three times in their infancy. The rate of year infections among the other 40 subjects was much lower.

Adesman A.R. and his team conducted a study on 138 children to investigate the link between ADHD, learning disabilities, and otitis media. Out of the total number of participants, 45 were diagnosed with learning disabilities without ADHD and 21 with ADHD but without learning disabilities. The researchers interviewed the parents and discovered no significant difference in the number of ear infections experienced by children in both groups. They noticed something else: hyperactive children had suffered from otitis more recently than the others. Thus, Adesman suggested that hyperactivity resulting from middle ear infection may not be a permanent condition.

Doctor Jean Hebert and his colleagues from Albert Einstein College Medicine in New York were highly intrigued by some laboratory mice which were running ceaselessly around their tails. Some tests were performed and all restless mice turned out to be deaf. They continued their observations and reached the conclusion that ear dysfunctions may affect the brain, triggering hyperactivity.

ADHD Symptoms – A Perfect Disguise for Candida Infections

Candida, scientifically known as Candida Albicans, is found in small amounts on the skin, in the mouth, in the digestive tract, and in the vagina. When the immune system is wakened the candida fungi multiply excessively with serious impact on health and unexpected behavioral issues.

When this fungus causes yeast infection and spreads toxicity in the body, it may cause:

attention deficit
extreme fatigue
learning difficulties
memory loss
nightmares
panic attacks, phobias, and unusual fears
increased irritability
aggressive behavior

As a result, numerous children are diagnosed with ADHD when the real problem is in their gut. Bacteria and yeast usually coexist in the intestinal tract. If this balance is disrupted, major health problems occur. For example, the prolonged and excessive use of antibiotics destroys the intestinal flora. Bacteria die but the yeast survives and even overgrows. Sugar is another “good friend” of yeast. Therefore, a balanced diet void of sugary products prevents the further development of yeast while the level of hyperactivity, anger, and irritability decrease.

Julia J. Rucklidge, professor of psychology at the University of Canterbury, New Zeeland, carried on a study on yeast infections and effective treatment of depression and ADHD. The researcher followed one case systematically for a period of three years and observed that the symptoms worsen when the Candida infection was present. Her work pointed out the importance of a healthy gut in alleviating behavioral disorders with micronutrients.

Candida infection can be detected through throat swab tests, IGg blood tests or urine tests. If the results are positive, an anti-yeast diet has to be followed. It is quite challenging to impose culinary limitations on a child that it is already tense and suffering from itches, abdominal pain and bloating. However, the results are visible and both parents and doctors have reported significant behavior improvement.

Tips for a Diet to Fight Candida

Eliminate all sugary products and foods that are high in carbs from your child’s meals.
No dairy products with the exception of yogurt that contains probiotics.
Say NO to fast processed food!
Pay close attention to fruit – most of them contain too much sugar and should be cut off from the diet, except citrus fruits.
Avoid processed or smoked meat.
Make sure your child eats lots of vegetables, but try to avoid potatoes.
Include fish, chicken meat, lamb, pasture-raised eggs and high-fiber food in the daily menu.
Give your child a few drops of propolis every day.
Grapefruit seed extract and colloidal silver can kill infections.
Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. Water flushes toxins away!
Discuss with the family physician before making major changes in your child’s diet.

When symptoms enter the remission stage, certain food has to be reintroduced gradually. This does not mean returning to the old eating habits since they were the initial cause of the toxic yeast infection.

PANDAS and PANS Infections and Aggression in Kids

Although difficult to believe, a common strep infection may have a dramatical impact on a child’s brain. Nice, friendly, and easy-going children can turn almost overnight into aggressive, restless, and compulsive ones. This sudden, out of the blue change might be the result of PANDAS or PANS.

Doctors explain that the Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections occur when the antibodies fighting against streptococci, also attack body tissues which present structure similarities with the invasive agent. The antibodies damage the part of the brain that commands both behavior and body movements.

In 2000, a group of medical researchers from Yale School of Medicine was conducting a study on OCD, Tourette Syndrome, and strep infections. To their surprise, they discovered that subjects with ADHD had more strep antibodies than the other participants. This pointed towards a recent infection. The scientists considered that using antibiotics as a preventive measure was by no means advisable.

Since PANDAS and PANS are only now becoming more common, children suffering because of them often receive medication and therapy for OCD or ADHD. The real causes of obsessions, tics, and irritability are not addressed and therefore the child’s symptoms aggravate. Doctors specialized in the disorder claim that when given immunological treatment, children affected by PANDAS feel much better.

It is very difficult to get a correct diagnosis in the case of these disorders. There are blood tests to identify the presence of strep antibodies. However, this alone does not mean that a child’s uncontrollable behavior is the outcome of an infection. Studies still need to be performed in order to identify the factors which make some children prone to PANDAS.

Signs and symptoms usually associated with PANDAS and PANS include:

obsessive rituals
refusal to eat for reasons such as fear of getting contaminates or gaining weight
high levels of anxiety, especially separation anxiety
tics or choreiform movements
laughter and crying beyond any control
poor school performance
behavioral regression and frequent use of baby-talk
depression, high levels of aggression, tantrums, insomnia

Most PANDAS and PANS cases are treated with psychiatric medication, antibiotics, nutrient supplements, and anti-inflammatory therapy. For severe cases, it is sometimes recommended the intravenous immunoglobulin therapy.

Children need their health to have a harmonious intellectual and physical development. A minor cold or a common infection should be given proper attention because they do have an impact on their body. This does not mean to hide children in an antiseptic bubble, but to seek adequate and professional help to prevent and cure body imbalances.

References:

Adesman A.R. and his team

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2304807

Hagerman R.J. and Falkenstein A.R

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3568530

Doctor Jean Hebert

http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/932/inner-ear-disorders-may-cause-hyperactivity/

Other Sources for Ear Infections and Aggressive Behavior

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299352/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-005-5066-3?LI=true
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02253288?LI=true
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002221949903200205

Julia J. Rucklidge

http://wethinkhappy.com/empowerq96/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Rucklidge_2013_yeast_infection_case_study.pdf

Other sources for Candia and Aggressive Behavior

http://www.hoffmancenter.com/page.cfm/609
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1345/aph.1h516a
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163673/

PANDAS and PANS

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9464208
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cap.2016.0145
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5610394/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5610394/
https://www.omicsonline.org/from-research-subgroup-to-clinical-syndrome-modifying-the-pandas-criteria-to-describe-pans-pediatric-acute-onset-neuropsychiatric-syndrome-2161-0665.1000113.php?aid=4020

10/22/2015 by Chava

3 Ways to Communicate Effectively with your ODDer

3 Ways to Communicated Effectively with your ODDer

Whether or not your child has an Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) diagnosis or not, children who are ready at the drop of a hat to explode with rage can be nearly impossible to communicate effectively with.

What immediately comes to mind is when my kids and I were off visiting some friends after school one day.. My friend’s 9 year old, let’s call him Jimmy, was sitting down to eat some lunch because he had missed lunch time at school for some reason. Here’s what went down:

Mom: Ok. Here’s your lunch! It’s some rice, lentils and spinach. Yummy stuff!

Jimmy: Thanks. Where’s my spoon?

Mom: Oh, Jimmy, I’ve been looking for your favorite spoon all day, I’m actually not sure where it is..

Jimmy: What! I can’t eat without that spoon!

(remember, Jimmy is 9 years old and neurotypical..)

Mom: Here, you can use this spoon. It’s a perfectly good spoon!

Jimmy: No!

And then he upsets the bowl of food onto the floor. My friend told me later that she would have lost it on him if me and my family weren’t there. As it was, Jimmy ran off to his room and his mom, really struggling to keep it together, cleaned the food up off of the floor. She told me that that was the fourth or fifth time he had exploded that week. It was only Tuesday and it was looking to be a long week…

Jimmy does not have an official ODD diagnosis but these angry outbursts happen frequently and often drag on and on. The “Spoon Episode” was just a small episode compared to the normal episodes.

I listened to my friend vent while the other kids played and Jimmy did who knows what in his room. She says that she’s no expert when dealing with these issues, but there are a few things that she tries her best to do. I want to share a few tidbits with you, so here are three ways to communicate more effectively with your ODDer.

1. Remain Calm and Avoid Power Struggles

This can be such a difficult one, or maybe it’s just hard for me because patience isn’t yet a virtue of mine. It’s easy and even natural to yell back at someone who is yelling at you. You are the parent, you want to feel like you’re in control. But yelling back and losing it is doing just the opposite, though. It means that you’ve lost control of the situation. Power struggles are always, always fruitless. Do you ever want to back down from a power struggle? Neither does your child. Once the power struggle is going strong, it’s incredibly difficult to get out of one, even hours or days later.

Whenever you get push back from your child or if that push back escalates into an argument, you’re in a power struggle. I’m not into permissive parenting, responding in a push-back way to every defiant act your child may have will result in resentment and a regular cycle of anger and frustration.

2. Don’t Punish Until You’re Calm

If your 9 year old upturns his food for no good reason, you might feel justified in giving him a good hard smack, or at least letting him have it by screaming at him. This might make you feel better for that moment, but you’re not teaching your child a thing except for that if he loses it, you will, too. Waiting until you’re calm will allow you to clear your head and come up with a logical consequence (or let the natural consequence happen). I’m very sensitive to be shouted at, really by anyone, but especially by my children (and especially when they are all screaming and crowding around me… Agghg!) so I truly understand how difficult this can be. But if you close your eyes and count slowly to ten, you will give yourself a little bit of time to collect yourself. Children are gonna lose it – they’re children. Even if they’re older children who really should know better.

3. Wait, wait, wait

Are you seeing a pattern here? Wait for the storm to pass until you even try to reason with your child. If he’s in the middle of going crazy because you can’t find the spoon he wants to eat his lunch with and you don’t see that he’s going to calm down, it’s ok to just shrug your shoulders and walk away. Go sit on the couch or wash your face in the bathroom – it doesn’t really matter. If Jimmy had gone on and on about the spoon instead of leaving almost immediately, it wouldn’t have made sense for his mother to try and reason with him about using another spoon or helping to find the one he wanted. He would have, potentially, just kept ranting and raving until he blew up anyway.

I think there is a lot to say about validating a child’s feeling and helping him work though them by labeling the feeling and even imagining that you could produce his desired result. “If I could, I would just make your spoon appear!” But for kids who are in the middle of an intense rage, these techniques don’t always work. Try it yourself and see – they might, but they might just make things worse, also. Sometimes these chronically angry kids need time to let their heads clear.

I believe that there’s usually an underlying reason for kids who have these types of rage issues. The reason could be emotional, nutritional, or almost anything else. If anger is a big problem in your youngster’s life, consider seeking help for him.

03/26/2015 by Chava

12 Ways to Calm Your Angry Kid

Angry, out of control children can be downright scary. When control is lost, destruction can happen, regrettable things can be said, people can get hurt. It’s my hope that these 12 ways to calm an angry child will help you out with your child.

1. Stay calm.

When your child is in the middle of a rage, it can be terrifying at times, annoying and frustrating at others. The most important key is to stay calm. Take a breath, get a drink of water and sit down if your child is yelling and screaming. Make sure he knows that his behavior isn’t affecting you at all, that you are the eye the center of his storm. Your calmness will help in the future, teaching him that it’s not necessary to react explosively when met with intense emotions. You can let him have the last word instead of arguing back.

2. Allow him to vent in an acceptable way.

Sometimes a punching bag can get aggressive energy out. There are lots of potentially acceptable ways to vent – writing, painting, walking the dog, jumping on a trampoline, throwing a ball around.

3. Don’t try to reason with him in the middle of a rage.

If your child is acting out in a way that is very out of control or dangerous, just do your best to move him to a safe place and wait until he has calmed down. It’s pretty much impossible to reason with anyone who has completely lost control of themselves. Sometimes trying to talk to your child in this state will make things worse, even if you have the best of intentions.

4. Punish the behavior, not the anger itself.

Allow your child to experience his emotions. Bottling them up won’t do anyone any good, especially when that bottle explodes one day. If he does something unacceptable such as destroying property or hurting someone, respond with clear and consistent consequences. You can validate his anger by repeating what he’s angry about, such as saying, “You’re angry because your older brother can stay up later than you and you want to, as well. When you’re his age, you can stay up, too.” Validation can go a long way in diffusing tense situations.

5. Check his diet.

Certain foods have been proven to affect aggressive behavior. These foods include anything he’s allergic to, artificial food coloring, preservatives, sugar, artificial sugar and oftentimes, gluten, dairy, and foods that contain salicylates, an amino acid found in

Apples
Melons
Grapes
Tomatoes
Oranges
Almonds
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

6. Teach him meditation.

Now, now, before you blast past this tip, check out the free app called Breathe, available in iTunes and in the Google Play Store. There are surely more great apps but I like this one because it asks about how you’re feeling first and then gives a guided meditation that lasts for a few minutes. This is useful right after a rage has passed (probably not in the middle of one) and even at other times, when he is fine. It’s a good tool to get in touch any emotions that come up.

7. Seek out a third party.

If the problems with anger and aggression are ongoing and seeming not to go anywhere, consider finding a mentor or counselor for your child. You might be able to find one at your child’s after school program, or perhaps you know of a family friend who will take your kid under his wing.

8. Figure out the frustration.

There might be something legitimate really getting under your child’s skin. Little brother driving him nuts, breaking his things? Did he have a fight with his best friend at school? Sometimes kids don’t realize that they are taking things out on you, his parent, even though you had nothing to do with the problem. And we don’t often see our kids for the majority of the day. Maybe his teacher really isn’t being so nice to him, or perhaps there’s a bully that he’s embarrassed to tell you about.

9. Have family meetings.

One of the best ways to foster solving problems together and learn communication skills is through family meetings. Holding a non-wavering family meeting once per week will help your children learn cooperation, expression of feelings, respect for one another and cooperation. You can use these meetings for problem solving, clearing out old business, to schedule activities together and just have conversations. Just make sure that the television and the phones are off so that ever member in the family has full attention and an ability to speak.

10. Spend time outdoors.

Time outdoors is crucial for everyone’s health, whether you’re throwing a ball, going for a hike, doing some jumping jacks or jogging laps around the yard. These activities are great ways to let off steam and some of them facilitate communication of you do them together, too.

11. Monitor your own anger.

Children learn what they live. Be honest with yourself. Do you have a problem with anger?

12. Get a diagnosis.

Sometimes persistent, extreme anger and aggression can be a sign of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder (IED), anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or another personality disorder. Sometimes a visit to the doctor is necessary to help your child.

I would love you hear about your family. How do you go about calming your angry child? Please let me know in the comments below!

03/10/2015 by Chava

Children and Rage

I write this post with great trepidation. Rage is very common to one of my sons and this is difficult for me. Rage, often coming from the seemingly smallest of things, is such a difficult trait to deal with in children. Angry outbursts, destruction, name calling and more can just drain a parent, and make a parent feel exhausted and out of control, totally hopeless.

In the case of my own son, his rage has a hair trigger, but often subsides fairly quickly, and he is usually very remorseful afterwards. But this doesn’t negate the difficulty of dealing with the rage when we are in the middle of it. And thankfully, my son isn’t terribly destructive, but it’s not abnormal for children who experience rage to destroy their toys, furniture, appliances or anything else that is in their path. I heard of a particularly rage-filled boy kick in the windshield of the family car. It can be really scary because a raging child is generally unaware that he can seriously hurt himself. It’s also something that is worthwhile to try to deal with before the child is an adult, as these angry outbursts become less and less acceptable the older a person becomes.

I have often looked at my son in wonder, totally unsure what to do about the by fact that he will spend 45 minutes screaming and calling names because someone brushed against him accidentally.

So, this is an ongoing challenge in our house, but I believe that it can be overcome. I believe that we must, as parents and caregivers, give our children the tools they need to succeed.

Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child, compares this to a person who needs eyeglasses to see better. We don’t fault the child for needing glasses, instead, we recognize that he simply needs a tool. It’s just as bizarre to try to “teach lessons” because the child knows very well that his behavior is not ok. We don’t take the child to the eye doctor only for the doctor to say no, no, come back when you really can’t see. As in, when you’ve really learned your lesson. These children usually know, they simply don’t know how to handle their frustrations.

One way to help a child overcome this is to try to anticipate potential triggers. This could make the atmosphere in your home a lot more peaceful, as can choosing your battles. You may feel like you’re letting your child win, but power struggles truly help no one.

Recognizing and verbalizing the good in your child is a good idea for everyone. Children who go through these rages are often hurting a lot underneath.

Of course, it’s crucial that the parent always remain in control. This is usually easier said than done, but you truly can’t control your child, only yourself. Don’t say or do anything that you will regret later.

Try to let natural consequences take the lead. And get support from other parents when you can.

Anger and rage are sometimes attached to other disorders, such as ODD, or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Sometimes these children need medication or even hospitalization, if they injure themselves.

There are some nutritional tricks that may help a chronically angry child. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in meat and fish, can help reduce symptoms of ODD. 1 This nutrient is needed for proper brain function.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and antioxidant. This powerful nutrient can protect the brain from oxidative stress and cognitive decline. Vitamin E also works together with omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts and seeds are a great source of vitamin E.

The great Dr. Kenneth Bock didn’t coin the phrase “no zinc, no think,” but he did bring it into consciousness for me. Zinc regulates the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is the center of emotional responses, pleasure and pain in the brain. Many of us don’t get enough zinc, which can also help with impulsivity and behavioral abnormalities. 2 Good sources of zinc are seafood, beef, lamp, spinach, pumpkin seeds, cashews and chicken.

1. Richardson, Alexandra J. “Omega-3 fatty acids in ADHD and related neurodevelopmental disorders.” International review of psychiatry 18.2 (2006): 155-172.

2. Akhondzadeh, S., Mohammadi, M. R., & Khademi, M. (2004). Zinc sulfate as an adjunct to methylphenidate for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: a double blind and randomized trial [ISRCTN64132371]. BMC psychiatry, 4(1), 9.

How do you deal with rage and power struggles in your home? Do you deal with children and rage in your home? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.