The other day I came across “No More Ritalin,” by Mary Ann Block. Evidently it was a top-selling book about ten years ago, at which time Block argued that we AD/HD people should find healthier ways to cope with our concentration problems.

Certainly I share Block’s concerns about amphetamine use, as it makes my mouth and personality dry, it gives me anxiety and occasionally elevates my heart rate. Moreover, I despise the pharmaceutical companies for the stranglehold they have on politicians and on the good people of America who need medicine and can’t afford it. So I read a few chapters in Block’s book, thinking perhaps it would enlighten me on how to fight back against corporate power.

But fighting back entails more than simply following all dissenters in blind faith. Ultimately, Block looks just as bogus and self-interested as the pharmaceutical industry her book bashes. Lashing out against the pharmaceuticals was in fact quite lucrative for Mary Ann Block. Her suggested “alternative” for Ritalin and Adderall, DMAE (initially called “CONCENTRATION For-Your-Kids^TM“) never got FDA approval. Guess who developed this magical product? You guessed it, she did. DMAE was created and marketed at Block’s own The Block Center. What better way to round up some business than to blast your competitors in a top-selling tirade that gives false hope to good people.

As a D.O. specializing in manipulative therapy, Block is neither a pediatrician nor a psychiatrist (arguably, the two positions most qualified to comment on the affects of stimulants on kids). In the late 1990’s Dr. Block successfully marketed herself as a “medical expert,” becoming so popular that attorneys began asking testifying as a guest witness at trials where the dangers of Ritalin came into play. She also had several network TV appearances, on CNN and on 48 Hours. Block wore a white physician’s coat for these TV events, so as to look more official, and so maybe people wouldn’t realize how Block’s preachings seemed shaky at best.

Block followed up her first book with such titles as “No More Antibiotics” and “Today I Will Not Die.” These titles revealed finally Block’s affiliation with the CCHR, a group established by the Church of Scientology. Block’s last book, “No More ADHD,” apparently came and went with very little fanfare. This suggests that, fortunately, people are catching on to the shenanigans… this time. I hope with all my heart that A.D.D. people (and our loved ones) continue to have the strength to take phony experts (and their hoaxes & fake alternatives) with a grain of salt.