Dr. Gore & Swizz Beatz
Dr. Gore chopped it up with Rapper, Producer and Activist Swizz Beatz. The two visionaries discussed the future of KAVI and potential collaboration.
KAVI’s Dr. Glenn Payne provides some tips on avoiding certain foods to improve ADHD symptoms…
Eliminating foods from your diet can improve ADHD symptoms
Eat a high-protein diet, including beans, cheese, eggs, meat, and nuts. Add protein foods in the
morning and for after-school snacks, to improve concentration.
Eat fewer simple carbohydrates, such as candy, corn syrup, honey, sugar, products made from
white flour, white rice, and potatoes without the skins.
Eat more complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and some fruits (including oranges,
tangerines, pears, grapefruit, apples, and kiwi). Eating complex carbs at night may aid sleep.
Eat more Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in tuna, salmon, other cold-water white
fish, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and olive and canola oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are also available in
supplement form.
Avoid these substances:
Artificial colors, especially red and yellow
Food additives such as aspartame, MSG (monosodium glutamate), and nitrites; some studies have
linked hyperactivity to the intake of the preservative sodium benzoate.
Sugar and ADHD
For best overall nutrition, sugary foods should be a small part of your diet, try eliminating sugary foods to
see if symptoms improve.
Caffeine and ADHD
Most ADHD experts recommend avoiding caffeine.
Don’t forget about other steps to help with ADHD. These include the following:
Get enough sleep: at least seven to eight hours each night.
Get regular exercise: at least 20 to 30 minutes most days of the week.
Learn deep-breathing techniques to help with anxiety and anger.
Relaxation training can help increase focus and concentration, as well as reduce distractibility.
Most of all, the more you know about your own ADHD and your overall health, the better you can
assess which treatments — including dietary changes –might help. Over time, you can determine whether
specific foods, additives, or supplements make ADHD symptoms better — or worse.
Here are some tips to help make your changes successful:
Make changes slowly — usually one at a time. That way you can test whether the change helped
or not.
Make sure that you stick to the diet long enough to see changes. This may take a month or more.
Don’t give up too soon, but also, don’t stick to a plan that is not working.
Keep a diary of your changes and the effects, much like you would for taking ADHD medication.
Include what you changed, when you did it, and the effects — both positive and negative — you
noticed.
Show the diary to your doctor at each visit.
-Glenn Payne
Dr. Robert Gore
This Black History month, the Kings Against Violence Initiative’s insightful, energetic and empathetic Founder and Executive Director Dr. Robert Gore has made history of his own. Dr Gore has been given the honored by TheGrio, a fraction of NBC news which follows and highlights African-American life, as one of 100 Most Influential African Americans of 2013. ‘TheGrio’s 100′ features philanthropic heavy-weights from a variety of backgrounds. Dr. Gore holds his title on a list among celebrities such as Kerry Washington, Gabrielle Douglas, Terrence J and a plethora of other like-minded leaders. Much congratulations is due to a man, Dr. Gore, who save lives inside and outside of the emergency room, and who has proven through his career of giving, caring and visionary leadership that every idea that involves saving and empowering the Black community is worth nurturing and developing by any means necessary.
See the Full List at TheGrio
This in-depth article is dedicated to thoroughly explore and define the question of what is teen depression? Although depression most 
commonly develops between the ages of 20-30, it is still quite prevalent in teens as well. Is it genetic, biological, environmental or psychological? Bio-psychosocial depression is defined as genetic, biological, environmental and psychological as its cause.
Some say depression is an illness.
Some say it is an emotion.
Others believe it is merely an attitude or life view.
Some doctors say medications are the only true cure.
Some say psychotherapy that teaches you to adjust your self-perceptions is the best solution.
Others believe that there is really no cure at all.
So, is teen depression actually a game of multiple choice where you pick the definition that best suits your purposes? Sometimes it would seem that way: scientists, doctors, counselors, and even a few self-declared experts are all promoting their ideas and claiming them to be fact. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with depressive illnesses do not all experience the same symptoms. How severe they are, how frequent, and how long they last will vary. It depends on the individual and his or her particular illness. Here are common symptoms people with depression experience:
difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
fatigue and decreased energy
feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
insomnia, early morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
irritability, restlessness
loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
no pleasure left in life any more
overeating or appetite loss
persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
experimenting with drugs
breaking household rules
thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
While these are common symptoms of teen depression, they may also occur in patterns. The truth is teen depression is very complex, there is no easy answer; In fact, no one really completely understands how teen depression works or why it causes particular symptoms. A treatment that is effective for one teen may not necessarily work for another, and that can be very frustrating to the clinically depressed. And, although several causes have been proposed, there is no definitive proof. For every study that supports a particular theory of what is teen depression,there seems to be one that refutes its findings. Some arguments are just plain silly and obviously come from the uneducated ramblings of someone whose life has never been touched by teen depression. However, others seem to have enough scientific backing to at least deserve some consideration.
Teen depression is not something that you can just “snap out of”. Ignoring it will not make it go away. Holding your head up high, putting on a happy face, and pretending all is right in the world will not send it running. It is not about keeping the right attitude so you can get through a bad day at school, or even a challenging period – teen depression is about surviving in a darkness that completely changes your reality. So what is teen depression? Well, teen depression is about finding ways to fight that darkness, and win!
Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of Prozac Nation, states, “That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.” So, telling a clinically depressed person to “shake it off”, “press on”, and keep a positive attitude “the sun will come up tomorrow” keeping a positive attitude is like telling a blind person to drive a car by pretending they can see. Teen depression is not a sign of weakness, it is not a ploy for attention or sympathy, it is not an act of self pity, and you cannot simply “will” it away. It is important to understand that teen depression is a very serious illness – one that usually requires professional or medical intervention. Without some sort of treatment, most teens will not recover.
Teen depression is also known as clinical depression, unipolar disorder, or recurrent depressive disorder. Depression is characterized by a combination of symptoms that adversely impact a teens ability to sleep, eat, enjoy once-pleasurable activities, and carry out the functions of school and everyday life. In some cases, it can be continuous, but most of the time it comes in episodes. Some teens may only experience one episode, while others can battle the condition their entire lives. Depression is often difficult to diagnose, and even treat, because there are so many different types with a variety of symptoms and, often one type of depression can evolve into another, especially if treatment is not received. So, Don’t Hesitate to Seek Help!
Please donate to the Brooklyn Recovery Fund to help victims who have suffered from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy:
Educators and Parents:
Black men’s dismal college enrollments, disengagement and underachievement, and low rates of baccalaureate degree completion are among the most pressing and complex issues in American higher education. Perhaps more troubling than the problems themselves is the way they are continually mishandled by educators, policymakers, and concerned others. Amplifying the troubled status of Black male students at all levels of education has, unfortunately, yielded few solutions. Thus, educational outcomes for this population have remained stagnant or worsened in recent years. This is attributable, at least in part, to the deficit orientation that is constantly reinforced in media, academic research journals, and educational practice. To increase their educational attainment, the popular one-sided emphasis on failure and low-performing Black male undergraduates must be counterbalanced with insights gathered from those who somehow manage to navigate their way to and through higher education, despite all that is stacked against them. This report is based on the National Black Male College Achievement Study, the largest-ever qualitative research study of Black undergraduate men. Offered in the report are key insights on success from achievers at 42 colleges and universities in 20 states across the U.S. Also included are details about the research design and methods; information on the full sample and participating institutions; profiles of a few study participants; a summary of key findings from the study; and implications for educators, administrators, families, and policymakers.
Please read and feel free to distribute Professor Harper’s research, because our society need to see more positive achievement stories of African-American males. Please note, that the more elite the university (i.e. Stanford, UPENN, Harvard) the higher the graduation completion rates for African American males.
Black Male Student Success in Higher Education
-Nathaniel Haynesworth, CEO Esoteric Academic Solutions
KAVI on Here and Now!
Watch as our Executive Director, Dr. Robert Gore discusses the Kings Against Violence program and empowerment through Brooklyn youth! He joins the host of Here and Now an ABC talk show dedicated to bringing awareness to the African American community.
