| News Release: June 11, 2008: JAMA Publishes Bastyr University Research Findings on Treatment for Pediatric ADH... | February 8, 2010 |
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NEWS RELEASE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION PUBLISHES BASTYR UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FINDINGS ON TREATMENT FOR PEDIATRIC ADHDStudy finds St. John's Wort not effective in Alleviating Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents Kenmore, Washington - June 11, 2008 – JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, today published a study conducted by a research team at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington, titled "Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial." The study, an eight-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of St. John's Wort for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17, found that St. John's Wort had no additional benefit beyond that of placebo for treating symptoms of ADHD. ADHD affects 3 to 12 percent of children in the United States, and up to 30 percent of these children do not respond to pharmaceutical medications, or experience adverse side effects from them. For these reasons, many parents seek complementary or alternative medicine for the treatment of ADHD, including massage, dietary changes and dietary supplements. There is a lack of research surrounding the effectiveness of St. John's Wort in treating ADHD and it is not widely recommended by health care professionals for this purpose. However, St. John's Wort remains one of the most widely used herbal treatments for ADHD in the United States because many parents purchase it and administer it to children suffering from ADHD, as a dietary supplement. As with many herbal supplements, unsupervised use of St. John's Wort presents a risk of negative drug interactions because it increases the breakdown of many medications. "These study findings are very significant for consumers," says Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH, research associate professor at Bastyr University and principal investigator for the St. John's Wort study. "Our results indicate that one of the most common, self-prescribed treatments for ADHD in children and adolescents is not effective. We hope the results of our study will prevent potential drug interactions which can be associated with St. John's Wort by encouraging parents to not give it to their child to alleviate ADHD symptoms. In the future, we plan to study other forms of complementary and alternative treatments commonly used for the treatment of ADHD to determine if they are effective." This study is the first placebo-controlled trial of St. John's Wort in children and adolescents. Extracts from St. John's Wort, also known by its Latin botanical name, Hypericum perforatum, have been studied for the treatment of depression in adults. Some studies have found benefit and others have not found benefit of St. John's Wort for the treatment of depression. Two studies demonstrated that St. John's Wort was helpful for children and adolescents with depression, however no control group was included in either study. In the study 54 participants from the general population were randomized to St. John's Wort or placebo. Participants in this study were similar in age, sex and co-occurring mental health conditions as those enrolled in other ADHD clinical trials. This study examined the use of St. John's Wort alone, and therefore the results are not indicative of whether St. John's Wort may work in conjunction with other botanicals, vitamins or supplements to treat ADHD. "This study is an excellent example of a first-rate scientist and clinician using rigorous scientific methods to explore a treatment commonly used by the public without much evidence to support its effectiveness," says Timothy C. Callahan, PhD, Vice President for Research and Collaboration at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. "The results of this research study will inform the public and stimulate further research to determine the effective, appropriate use of complementary and alternative medicine." Dr. Weber and the Bastyr University research team will use information gathered from this study to develop and conduct future studies surrounding complementary and alternative medicine. For more information on research studies at Bastyr University, please visit www.bastyr.edu/research. ABOUT BASTYR UNIVERSITY The University offers Bachelor of Science degrees with majors in exercise science and wellness, health psychology, herbal sciences, nutrition, nutrition and culinary arts, and a dual major in nutrition and exercise science. Graduate programs include naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, nutrition, and nutrition and clinical health psychology. Student clinical training takes place at Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle's Fremont/Wallingford neighborhood and at many external sites throughout the region. For additional information about Bastyr University and its teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, visit www.bastyr.edu or www.bastyrcenter.org. 
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