Excerpts from a report by German paediatrician, Dr Ursula Klemm:
Dr Klemm thought it unlikely that Hafer's recommendations would help children with ADD/ADHD. However, she was persuaded to trial the diet in her clinic and was astounded by the results.

An extract from a research report by Dr Roy-Feiler:
Two psychiatrists did some tests in order to discover if children were affected by the high intake of phosphate. In a double-blind test one group of children were given phosphate-rich food, the second group was given foods low in phosphate. The results were impressive - those children who had consumed high levels of phosphate in their diet had displayed violent and threatening behaviour.

Extracts from a news article in The Age(Melbourne, Australia):
The article reveals that researchers now suspect that there is a link between the high consumption of soft drinks and the high incidence of osteoporosis and tooth decay in young people. Phosphoric acid is used in many soft drinks, and particularly in cola drinks. Hertha Hafer had already recognised this link in her early research studies.

Dr. Lendon H. Smith, MD, a US paediatrician, has always maintained that certain foods play a major role in causing problem behaviour and other ailments. For example, Smith suggests that allergies, alcoholism, insomnia, hyperactivity in children and a host of other problems are the result of enzyme disturbances. As Dr Smith writes, "With suitable blood and hair tests I found that all hyper kids were low in calcium and magnesium, despite excessive consumption of dairy products. They were not absorbing the nutrients they needed to correct their 'neurological' problem."

Like Hafer, Smith argues that all these conditions can be managed by making changes to the diet. We highly recommended that you read this long but very interesting article ADHD and ADD. The Hyperactive Child.

South Australian farmer Percy Weston's book Cancer: Cause & Cure is remarkable for its findings and strongly supportive of Hafer's theories:
Weston spent a lifetime researching the health risks of super-phosphorus on humans and livestock. He devised a low-phosphate diet, very similar to Hafer's.

The article Cut out Dairy for Autistic Children - published in THE AUSTRALIAN November 14, 2002 - quotes Paul Shattock from the University of Sunderland's autism research unit in Britain who suggests that dairy consumption is linked to autism and other mental disorders.

A brief report titled Born to be Wild appeared in THE WEST AUSTRALIAN newspaper on the subject of research at the University of Chicago which revealed an anomaly in the saliva of children with a history of juvenile delinquency.

A report on the Mental Health of Australian Children (5KB), released in November 2000, revealed that fifteen percent of Australian teenagers suffer from some form of mental illness, of which the most common forms were Attention Deficit Disorder (11.2% of children affected and almost 20% of boys aged between 6 and 16), Depressive Disorder (3%) and Conduct Disorder (3%). These are all conditions in which Hafer considers phosphate intoxication to be a major causative factor.

As far as we are aware, Hafer was the first researcher to appreciate that ADD/ADHD is a lifelong condition, that there is a genetic factor involved and that children affected by ADD/ADHD are at increased risk to a number of other very serious conditions, including asthma and allergic conditions, osteoporosis – particularly in the case of girls, substance abuse including alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, adult criminality, depression, accident proneness and suicide. From a major longitudinal study of 450 families over 15 years conducted under the auspices of the Australian Institute of Family Studies (8KB) comes clear confirmation of her argument.

Recent research reported in The Lancet (8KB) indicates that we may be close to the development of a brain scan that could make possible the precise diagnosis of ADD/ADHD by detecting, and measuring precisely, biochemical abnormalities in the brains of ADD/ADHD sufferers. Such a diagnostic tool could finally resolve the arguments which rage about the over-diagnosis or under-diagnosis of ADD; it could also potentially make it possible to measure the relative effectiveness of various forms of treatment and management, including Hertha Hafer's diet therapy.

Research into the effectiveness of stimulant medication (10KB) - commonly Ritalin or Dexamphetamine - to control ADD/ADHD, conducted at the University of Queensland, Australia, seems to suggest that less than fifty percent of children derive benefit from these medications. The research team is investigating a system of single patient trials for use in general practice to improve decision-making about long-term medications for chronic conditions.

The book Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis (16KB), by West Australian Professor of Medicine George Jelinek MD, lends some very interesting circumstantial support to Hafer's theories. There are intriguing parallels - as well as significant differences - between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and ADD/ADHD. These are summarised for your information. Of particular interest is Jelinek's claim that the progression of MS can be slowed significantly, quite possibly halted in very many cases, by strict observance of the diet he recommends. Furthermore, his diet (which is based on Roy Swank's ms-diet) has a lot in common with Hafer's. This book also reveals how the medical profession has largely chosen to turn a blind eye to very promising research into dietary control and doggedly pursued drug oriented solutions, even though to date, in most cases, dietary management appears to be more promising than the available medications.

A study from birth to age six of 2,888 babies born between 1989 and 1992 revealed that the babies which were fed formula had a much higher risk of developing Respiratory Problems, Allergies and Sleep Disorders (5KB) in the first six years of life. A check of formulas for babies on sale in Western Australia reveals that they have a much higher phosphorus content than breast milk, up to five times higher. The findings of this study do not prove Hafer's theory on the connection between excessive intake of phosphorus and the incidence of ADD/ADHD, asthma, allergic conditions and sleep disorders but they are entirely consistent with her claims.

In a 1922 lecture entitled The Human Being in Body, Soul and Spirit Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), Austrian philosopher and founder of Anthroposophy and Waldorf Schools, takes a look at the link between the excessive consumption of phosphate and uncontrollable human behaviour. Although his comments are based on pure (unscientific) speculation, even defying the laws of chemistry, his conclusions are nonetheless remarkable:
"When excessive phosphorus levels reach our head, we will not only be fidgety and nervous but we will actually throw fits and go raving mad."
To many, Steiner's writings have enormous relevance to the healing arts. 55 years later Hertha Hafer was to provide solid scientific evidence for Steiner's theoretical speculation.