Contact us: Email: winsfoundation@aol.com New York: 666 West End Ave., Suite 15-S New York, NY 10025 212-580-3051 (Phone) 212-580-0467 (Fax)

The WINS Foundation
We're Important, NOT Stupid

The WINS Foundation was founded in 1999 by Dr. Karen Purcell to promote biomedical and nutritional approaches that help children and adults suffering from moderate to severe learning disorders. These disorders include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD) and even autism. Using blood chemistry analyses, toxic chemical and heavy metal detoxification, nutritional supplementation, and dietary adjustment protocols, Dr. Purcell has been able to alleviate significantly these disabilities and conditions.

The Problem of Learning Disabilities

There are two major problem areas with learning disabilities. The first is recognition of moderate learning disabilities in children. The second is development of a complete diagnostic procedure and corrective protocol for the disability.

Learning disabled children tend to "fall through the crack" unless their particular disability is severe enough to be unmistakable. Though teachers see them every day, they are often the unseen children. At all levels from elementary school through high school, there are students who just do not seem to "get it". They do assignments poorly or not at all, though they may occasionally surprise their teachers and parents with a bit of exceptionally well done work. But they cannot sustain that level of effort. Their grades are below average or worse. Most are not rowdy, disruptive or violent. On the contrary, they often are almost invisible. And, though they may have friends, they feel isolated, alone and even worthless. Tutoring might help in some cases. Psychological counseling might help a little. Grounding and restriction of privileges usually do not help. They are a disappointment to their teachers, to their parents and especially to themselves. Yet these young people cannot offer any clues about what is wrong. In the end, they are usually labeled "lazy", both at home and at school.

The real tragedy, however, is that even if these unseen children are recognized as having, ADD, ADHD or PDD, current misunderstanding of the bases for these conditions often leads to inadequate and ineffective treatments. That is because these disabilities almost always have a physiological basis. Psychological counseling and tutoring help only in a limited way, because they do not recognize or address the cause of the disability. These children want to do better, but they cannot, because their brains literally are not working correctly. Medications have been used to deal with behavioral problems associated with some of these conditions. However, medical and complementary ("alternative") medical approaches heretofore have not been effective in addressing the core brain chemistry issues. Until recently, they have had no means for measuring the biochemical imbalances present in these children's brains.

The key to effective treatment of ADD, ADHD, PDD and even autism is to utilize a complete arsenal of currently-available amino acid and essential fatty acid blood chemistry analyses to develop a quantitative picture of brain chemistry imbalances. Following that, a carefully phased and monitored program of heavy metal and chemical detoxification, nutritional supplementation and dietary modification can be used to correct the brain's chemical imbalances. The resulting improvement in the child's performance can be significant and quite gratifying.

Other organizations and health care practitioners have used parts of this program in their attempts to help children and adults with these serious conditions. But Dr. Karen Purcell recognized the importance of the complete, combined program. She carefully developed the combination of blood chemistry analyses, detoxification, nutritional supplementation and dietary modification in her own practice as a complementary medicine physician in New York City. It resulted in such profound improvements for her young patients (the first of which was her own son, Carl) that she decided it was necessary to disseminate the good news available for ADD, ADHD, PDD and autistic children and adults, and to teach other health care providers the methods necessary for providing relief to these young, suffering people.

This is the purpose of The WINS Foundation.

This web site will be updated with articles about biomedical and nutritional approaches to alleviating ADD, ADHD, PDD and autism, with news of WINS Foundation activities, and with new products and events to support WINS Foundation work. Your tax-deductible donations are much appreciated and gratefully accepted. Please mail your contribution to the New York address shown at the top of the page.

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