a compound herbal preparation (chp) in the treatment of.docVIP

A compound herbal preparation (CHP) in the treatment of children with ADHD: a randomized controlled trialM. KatzADHD and Adaptation Clinic, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel A. Adar LevineTree of Healing-LD Clinic, Jerusalem, Israel H. Kol-DeganiTree of Healing-LD Clinic, Herzliya, Israel L. Kav-Venaki Tree of Healing-LD Clinic, Herzliya, Israel Abstract Objective Evaluation of the efficacy of a patented, compound herbal preparation in improving attention, cognition, and impulse control in children with ADHD. Methods Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: University-affiliated tertiary medical center. Participants: 120 children newly diagnosed with ADHD, meeting DSM-IV criteria. Intervention: Random assignment to the herbal treatment group (n= 80) or control group (placebo) (n=40). 73 patients in the treatment group (91%) and 19 controls (48%) completed the 4 month trial. Outcome measure: Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) administered before and after the treatment period; overall score and 4 subscales. Results The treatment group showed substantial, statistically significant improvement in the 4 subscales and overall TOVA scores compared with no improvement in the control group that persisted in an intention-to-treat analysis. Conclusions The well-tolerated compound herbal preparation demonstrated improved attention, cognition, and impulse control in the intervention group, indicating promise for ADHD treatment in children. Background An estimated 4.4 million school age children (ages 3 -17) in the USA are reported to have a history of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis (Bloom Cohen, 2006, National Center for Health Statistics, 2007); of these, over 2.5 million (over 56%) are reported to be taking medication for the disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003, Froehlich et. al., 2007).  Recent neurobiological studies have indicated that alterations in cate