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When you think your child has ADD, where do you start?
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Jessica McCabe, who runs a Facebook site called How to ADHD, shared a Mothers Day post thanking her mother for helping her. - photo by Erin Stewart


People toss around the terms ADD and ADHD so casually these days that theyve almost become less of a medical diagnosis for attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and more of a throw-away word to describe any kid who cant focus or has endless energy.

But for parents who deal with the actual diagnosis and the therapy appointments and medicines that go with it, these disorders are so much more than the flippant terms bandied about by parents who have never had to face ADD or ADHD head on.

As of yet, I am one of these parents. I have not had a child diagnosed, although I have had my concerns about whether we might have a child who could benefit from visiting a counselor about distraction, forgetfulness and disorganization.

And for all my pro-medicine stance on things like depression and anxiety, I find myself nervous to walk down a path that may lead to an official diagnosis or a prescription. I hate to admit it, but Im hiding my head in the sand hoping the problem will resolve. Hoping that some organization skills, checklists and a day planner may nip this thing in the bud.

Maybe it will.

But maybe it wont. And if thats the case, Im honestly scared of what comes next.

Ive watched friends struggle with children with ADHD. Theyve dealt with medicines that made their children severely depressed and even suicidal. Theyve dealt with teachers who think the disorder is a sham, and other teachers who blame every single misbehavior on the diagnosis.

I worry about medicine changing my daughter or curtailing her creativity. I worry shell think there is something wrong with her. I worry shell use her diagnosis as a crutch or an excuse, and others will use it as a label.

Clearly, I worry a lot. Now you see the genius of my whole head-in-sand thing.

But a Mothers Day post by Jessica McCabe, who runs a Facebook site called How to ADHD, made me think that maybe its time to face the facts. At the least, maybe its time to try to understand if my childs brain works a little differently and even more important, maybe its time she understands it herself.

McCabe writes: What I want to say to my mom, who 'drugged' me":

"Thank you. Thank you for listening when I told you I was struggling. Thank you for standing up for me when my dad tried to dismiss what I was dealing with as 'normal.'

"Thank you for taking me to get a proper evaluation so I understand my brain's differences and don't feel like it's just all my fault. Thank you for taking me to a psychiatrist, month after month, to get a new prescription.

"Thank you for ignoring the people who judged you. I know there were many.

"Thank you for understanding that there was a difference between my sister occasionally forgetting her homework and me losing or forgetting something almost every day. Thank you for understanding that while all children can be fidgety or impulsive or get distracted, I struggled way more than the other kids my age.

"Because of you, I got the treatment I needed, I did better in school, I felt more confident and able to reach my potential. Because of you, I never had to self medicate like so many ADHDers I know. I never sank into depression. I never gave up on myself. I never felt misunderstood. You understood. You believed me. And when you did, when you took me to a doctor who could explain to me what was happening in my brain, you took away so much shame.

Her words rang true to me. Ive watched extended family members with ADD who say understanding their unique brain made them feel so much more at peace with themselves. Their diagnosis made them less critical of themselves, and medicine made them not have to work twice as hard as everyone else and still come up short.

The last thing I want is to ignore something because I want it to go away. My head in the sand saves no one but me, while my daughter silently suffers because Im not brave enough to speak up for her. I see the signs. I feel that blasted mothers intuition knocking on my door.

Its probably time to open it up and see whats on the other side.

Have your dealt with ADD/ADHD in your family? How did you know when and where to start?
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.