Off all mineral elements, phosphate has the greatest influence on our bodies pH regulatory system.

To confirm phosphate sensitivity, it is possible to carry out a very simple, low cost pH saliva test. The test involves measuring with universal litmus paper the relative acidity/alkalinity of your child's saliva. Get litmus paper in the range of pH 6.0 to 9.0. Universal litmus paper is available from chemists, drugstores, laboratory suppliers or pool shops.

The test should be carried out when the child first wakes in the morning and before s/he has eaten anything, taken any medication or used toothbrush and toothpaste. It involves simply wetting a strip of the sensitised paper with your child's saliva, observing a colour change and recording the result.

pH values range from 0, which is extremely acid, to 15, which is totally alkaline.

A value of 7 is neutral, neither acidic nor alkaline. The optimum pH level of a normal unaffected person is 6.4, i.e. it is very slightly acidic. The saliva of an ADHD child will be distinctly alkaline; pH readings in the range 7.5 to 8.5 are common. If your child has alkaline saliva the universal litmus paper will change colour and become blue-green.

IF:
(i) - your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or you are concerned after working through our diagnostic questionnaire that s/he may be affected .... AND:

(ii) - the litmus paper test reveals that your child's saliva has a pH value above 7.5 ......

IT IS HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT YOUR CHILD CAN BENEFIT CONSIDERABLY FROM HAFER'S RECOMMENDATIONS.

BUT NOTE: THIS TEST WILL NOT WORK IF YOUR CHILD IS ON MEDICATION TO CONTROL ADD/ADHD.

Medications commonly prescribed for these conditions - Ritalin, Dexamphetamine - have the effect of making the saliva acidic. Hertha Hafer is not sure how long a person would have to be off medication before the effects of the medication would cease to be a factor.

Children and adults who have been on stimulant treatment for long periods frequently develop tooth decay - their acidic saliva attacks the enamel coating of teeth. This effect may be masked if your water supply is fluoridated.

Children with ADHD not on medication often have perfect teeth - their alkaline saliva protects them against tooth decay.

Note: The pH-scale grows exponentially. A pH of 8.0 is 10 times as alkaline as a pH of 7.0; 9.0 is 100 times as alkaline as pH 7.0 - any reading therefore above 7.5 may be a cause for concern.

Please contact us if you have conducted the pH test and found your child to be of 7.5 or above. We need to hear your stories so that other people can learn about the very real risk of phosphate-rich foods.