In fact, one boy was a zombie when he took Ritalin. She found that what her children ate made an enormous impact on their behavior. The boys are now in their twenties, and doing great. I tell their stories in the book. One earned his PhD, and the other was selected for Phi Beta Kappa.
Medication is an easy approach.
It is relatively cheap and works rather quickly, and it is easier to take a pill than to change a diet. But Ritalin doesn't answer the question of why a child is hyperactive. No one is Ritalin-deficient. It is like taking aspirin for a repeated headache without investigating the causes of the headaches. Use of Ritalin does seem to be on the increase.