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Fluorescent Lighting can Stimulate Hyperactivity he pioneering American photobiologist Dr John Ott drew on a range of plant, animal and human evidence in his classic work, Health and Light (Ariel Press, Columbus, 1973), to demonstrate how important nat- ural light is for the health of the body and functioning of the brain, endorsing the inescapable fact that light is an essential nutrient. Others, such as optometrist and light pioneer Dr Jacob Liberman, in his book Light: Medicine of the Future (Bear & Co, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1991), and, in the UK, Dr Damien Downing (Day Light Robbery, Arrow Books, London, 1988; out of print), and most recently Dr Richard Hobday (The Healing Sun, Findhorn Press, 1999), have strongly supported this premise with a wealth of evidence and research. By contrast, Dr Ott observed that the lack of the full spectrum of nat- ural frequencies of light in many offices and classrooms had many adverse effects, including hyperactivity in children. Such "mal-illumina- ion" was often caused by fluorescent lighting, which lacks the full spec- rum and proper balance especially in the UV and blue/green frequen- cies. He reported that when fluorescent lighting was replaced by full- spectrum lighting (FSL) in classrooms, children's previous misbehaviour and hyperactivity were replaced by much calmer and more attentive behaviour. A study by M. Painter corroborated his observation and lound a 32% drop in hyperactivity in children when fluorescent lights were removed from their classrooms (Exceptional Children 1981;47(5):352). In 1973, a five-month study by Dr Ott's Environmental Health and Light Research Institute in Sarasota found (and filmed) dramatic change in hyperactive children. Under standard cool-white fluorescent light, children in two classrooms demonstrated nervous fatigue, irritability, lapses of attention and hyperactive behaviour. When these lights were replaced with FSL, marked improvement in behaviour began to appear, with children becoming calmer, more interested in their work and pay- ing more attention. The results were published in a peer-reviewed jour- nal, and similar results were obtained in experiments in two schools in California. Psychiatrist Dr Wayne London corroborated in a 1988 study in Vermont, which showed children stayed healthier during winter months, measured by a dramatic drop in absenteeism, if taught under FSL. Russian work reported by others has also confirmed that children exposed to FSL achieved higher marks, were less hyperactive and grew more quickly. Interestingly, Dr Ott also reported that local dentists observed a 67% drop in cavities in children under similar conditions. Such findings were corroborated by a professor of dentistry at the University of Alberta, Canada, and it was also discovered that full-spectrum lighting even reversed the development of cavities (New Scientist 1991; 6 April, p. 13). Other studies have found that the number of cavities varied inversely with the amount of sunlight children were exposed to (Am. J. Public Health 1939;29:777; J. Nutr. 1938;15:547), an effect explained by the boosting of the photosynthesis of vitamin D (which requires UVB frequencies from the Sun), which is essential for the sufficient uptake of calcium to form strong bones and teeth. To underline the stress that fluorescent lighting probably causes to young children's developing bodies and biological systems, the research by Professor Fritz Hollwich in Munich, as far back as 1980, should be brought to the attention of all teachers and parents of hyperactive chil- dren. Prof. Hollwich found significantly higher levels of the stress hor- mones cortisol and ACTH in those working under fluorescent lighting compared with FSL (Ophthalmologica 1980;180(4):188-97). His find- ings led the German government to ban the use of such lights in hospi- tals and medical facilities—an enlightened stand that has doubtless reduced the stress and improved the recovery of many patients, and which other governments and medical associations—not to mention all educational establishments—would do well to follow. It is time that the above research received the attention it deserves. conversion. In addition, individuals differ in their genetic constitutional ability to facilitate this conversion. All the above, as well as disease factors, suggest the potential benefit of a dietary supplement of the pre- formed LC-PUFAs. Clinical features suggestive of EFA deficiency The higher ratio of boys to girls with ADHD is well accepted and varies from 2:1 to 10:1 (Szatmari, P. et al., J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 1989;30:219-30). This is explicable using a fatty acid model, since males are more vulnerable than females to LC-PUFA deficiency (Huang, Y.S. et al., Biochem. Arch. 1990;6:47-54). The same level of male excess is also found in other developmental disorders that are clini- cally associated with ADHD, including dyslexia and dyspraxia (Stordy, B.J., Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2000;7 1 (supp. 1):3235-65; Richardson, A.J., Ross, M., 2000, op. cit.). An excess of minor physical abnormalities is associ- ated with ADHD (Quinn, P.O. et al., Pediatrics 1974;53:742-7) and EFAs, phospholipids and their metabolites play important roles in the cell abnormali- ties likely to underlie them (Hughes, D.A. et al., J. Nutr. 1996;126:603-10). Hyperactive children have also been found to have more chronic health problems, such as asthma or allergies, than normal children (Hartsough, C.S. et al., Am. J. Orthopsychiatry 1985;55:190-210). Compared with normal children, ADHD children have been found to have a higher incidence of sleeping problems including difficulty settling, waking in the night and overtiredness in the morning (Trommer, B.L. et al., Ann. Neurol. 1988;24:325). PUFAs play a major role in the control of sleep mechanisms and directly affect the structure of neuronal membranes and indirectly affect the dynamics of complex lipids, prostaglandins, neurotransmitters, amino acids and interleukins that are required for the initiation and maintenance of normal sleep (Yehuda, S. et al., Med. Hypotheses 1998;50:139-45). ADHD children exhibit more somatic complaints than normal children, including stomach aches, headaches, proneness to infections and general malaise with no obvious cause. In one study, 24% of ADHD boys and 35% of girls between 12 and 16 fulfilled the criteria for somatisation disorder (Szatmari, P. et al., 1989, op. cit.) Because fatty acids and their derivatives play a criti- cal role in regulating immune and digestive functions (Alexander, J.W., Nutrition 1998;14:627-33), EFA deficiency is known to contribute to general health problems such as proneness to infections and digestive and related disorders. Symptoms of depression, anxiety and low self- esteem are typical in ADHD, whose co-morbidity with other behavioural and emotional disorders is common, with up to 44% having at least one other psychiatric disorder (Szatmari, P. et al., 1989, op. cit.). Increasing evidence is appearing that n-3 fatty acid deficiency may be important in depression (Hibbeln, J.R., Lancet 1998;351:1213; Peet, M. et al., Biol. Psychiatry 22 = NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2001