'This clinic gave my son his childhood back'

PETER'S parents were at their wits' end when they first heard about the strangely named clinic which helped change their lives. At the age of seven their son had been diagnosed as suffering from ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Doctors recommended that the 'difficult' little boy should be be given a prescription for Ritalin, a widely used, amphetamine-based drug which can help to curb hyperactivity in children.

In itself that was hardly surprising. The number of UK children given Ritalin or similar drugs has increased by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Despite growing concerns about the side-effects of such drug, the number of prescriptions for Ritalin alone went up from 359,000 in 2004 to 389,000 last year.

But in Peter's case, Ritalin had little effect on his behaviour. If anything, it got worse.

Doctors tried a second, a third and then a fourth drug designed to modify behaviour, but the situation continued to deteriorate at home.

"He came off Ritalin and went on another three types of drugs. It seemed that the doctors were prescribing drugs to control the side-effects of the other drugs. We were on a slippery slope downward in terms of behaviour at school and at home," says his father, John.

"The hyperactivity was bad enough at the start but it just got worse despite the drugs. He would be disruptive in class and his concentration span was down to seconds."

This state of affairs continued for years and by the time Peter was 11, his parents were really desperate. His mood swings, bad at the best of times, became even more dramatic and extreme. "He would become aggressive and argumentative to the point where he would totally lose control and start damaging things."

His parents were at the end of their tether, dealing with what John called a 24-hour hell. "Our son had no concept of the word 'no'. If he wasn't happy with a situation he would hang on for grim death until he got what he wanted."

As time wore on Peter's parents began wondering if there were any alternatives to drug therapy. "I became aware that the doctors didn't seem to be treating the symptoms of ADHD, they were treating the side-effects of the tablets. I felt that the only way the doctors had of managing the condition was through drugs."

The couple were puzzled that Peter was never offered any behavioural therapy, an approach which has been shown to have some success.

"When we complained, the doctors just increased the dose. It seemed the best way to manage Peter was to turn him into a zombie and that was unacceptable."

It was at this point last year that the family got a lucky break. John's wife, who teaches in the Stockton area, was talking about Peter's problems when a colleague mentioned the Cactus Clinic at Teesside University. "My wife rushed home to tell me and we made an appointment to see them," says John.

They discovered that the North-East has a unique asset, a clinic set up in 2000 to try to provide an alternative way of treating children with ADHD.

Set up by the late Professor Steve Baldwin, who died in the Selby rail crash of 2001, the clinic was revived by his friend and college Dr Dave Woodhouse with the financial support of the Baldwin family.

Using the dual approach of individually tailored diets and behavioural therapy, the Cactus (Clinical and Counselling Treatment Units) Clinic team has helped more than 60 hyperactive children from all over the UK.

One of the core beliefs is that many children who develop ADHD are probably suffering from food intolerances or dietary deficiencies.

Because the Cactus approach is still pretty unconventional the team have to charge parents around £600 to put their children through a course of treatment. But despite the charges the clinic is in touch with more than 200 families who have expressed an interest in coming on the course.

Peter's family were impressed by the clinic's track record and decided to take the plunge. The first step was to test Peter for any obvious nutritional deficiencies and any food intolerances by analysing samples of his blood, hair and urine.

Using a combination of techniques, including the widely-known York Test, the Cactus Clinic staff came to the conclusion that Peter's system was reacting badly to three food groups - dairy, wheat and gluten. To try to turn Peter's behaviour around - while simultaneously weaning him off ADHD drugs - the whole family needed to banish 'bad' foods from their home.

Peter was also booked in for a series of counselling sessions with the clinic's specialist staff, sessions which also involved his parents.

A key moment was when Dr Woodhouse had a meeting with Peter to convince the boy that they were on his side. "Dave sat Peter down and levelled with him about what they were trying to do. He told him 'we want you to get better. You know you are not happy with yourself at the moment, one way you can do this is to be on our side'," says his father. "Dave told him that if he did what he was asked, they could beat this thing."

That man-to-man talk did the trick. "Peter really seized the opportunity with both hands. He has been incredible. He is now really motivated and has come on in leaps and bounds," says his father.

John does not pretend the last six months have been easy. "The diet kicked in the moment we left the clinic. I can tell you that it has been an education for the whole family," he says. "We had to remove lots of different foods from our diets and physically from our house. It also meant I spent the next six months or so reading food labels in supermarkets."

It was very difficult at first. Peter still had all the symptoms of ADHD but was being told he couldn't eat favourites like ice cream, chocolate and milk. "We had to remove bread, cake, biscuits, basically most things that an 11 year old boy likes," says his father.

Now Peter has been weaned off the drugs and has been on his new diet for months - including dietary supplements - and the benefits are clear to see.

After months of being on a special diet, combined with regular behavioural therapy sessions at the clinic, John can see a huge difference in his once unmanageable son. And it may be able to help others in the region - the clinic is planning to try out their approach on a Middlesbrough school by enrolling around 60 children on the programme.

"Peter is like a totally different child," says his father. "He is back where he was. He is calmer, less edgy, he understands reason. It was a gradual process but every point along the scale was a massive jump for us."

His school work has also improved. "They have noticed a difference. He is enjoying his lessons again and is doing really well at sport, particularly rugby."

In short, John says the Cactus Clinic has helped his family get a life again. "It was like walking on egg-shells before, just waiting for the next explosion. Now we have all got a life and he's got his childhood back. It's great."

* Names have been changed to protect Peter's anonymity.