Mother’s Little Helper

Adderall Part of the Evolving Amphetamine Abuse
SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellcorps International, one of the nation's leading social, health and environmental advocacy groups, today released a major paper on the history and evolution of amphetamine and anti-depressant use in America. The paper can be found in its entirety at http://www.wellcorps.com.
Authored by Wellcorps Founder and President Tony Rich and clinical medical anthropologist Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, the paper delineates the history and widespread, medically-prescribed use of amphetamines by Americans and offers alternative, holistic approaches to kick starting the brain.
"From 1935, when Benzedrine Sulfate first appeared to entice doctors to prescribe amphetamines to housebound women tired of their daily drudgery; to the chemical manipulation and rebranding of it into the fastest selling drugs to children and young adults, the history, evolution and morphology of amphetamine use in America is disturbing and eye-opening," said Rich.

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In their combined work, Rich and Jordan delineate how this category of chemicals, banned for sale to adults due to its health hazards and addictive qualities for weight loss and improved mood in the 1960s, is now the leading prescription medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and has become the drug of choice for high school and college students across America.
Within the paper, Dr. Jordan also highlights the ongoing search by millions around the world for natural remedies to physical and mental ailments as well as the challenges they face in finding them due to lack of knowledge by conventional health care providers.
"It should come as no surprise that when drug companies are spending twice as much on marketing and administration than they do on research and development, that doctors, who are as vulnerable to the $3 billion worth of drug marketing as anybody, tend to reach for the prescription pad when you complain of feeling down or not being able to focus," said Jordan. "From 1997 to 2001, the number of retail prescriptions increased from 2.4 billion to 3.1 billion, much of it the result of direct-to-consumer advertising."
Jordan says, “If you’re looking for natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals, don’t give up hope. Many doctors will work with you for a holistic approach.
For more information and to read a copy of the paper, please visit the "News to Use" section on the Wellcorps International website, http://www.wellcorps.com.