6 Year Old Diagnosed with ADHD

Hi, J.,
Neither of my children have ever been considered ADHD, but I work with children (own a childcare facility) so do have some experience with children that have these labels. I have to admit, I'm one of those that believe ADD and ADHD are highly overdiagnosed. I believe medication should be a last resort, also. So, two suggestions I have:

1) Read Dr. Aman's book (he's a brain specialist, and PBS had a great show on him the other night) as it might help with the diet part.
2) Google "Sir Ken Robinson", and listen to his speech from the TED convention in LA. He talks about a woman who, had she been in school nowadays, would have been labeled ADHD. It's a WONDERFUL speech, and I highly recommend it to everyone. (It's actually about the education system, but that one story he tells touches briefly on the ADHD subject.)

Best of luck to you! J.

Have you considered dietary changes prior to putting him on medication? That might be one thing to try before putting him on stimulants...
Here is a good book that has been highly recommended to me.
http://www.drbob4health.com/StopTheHype/Intro%20Page.htm

ADHD in my opinion is a way for teachers to keep young ones sedated so they don't have to deal with perfectly normal children. If you think he really does have it try this first remove all soda pop and anything with red or blue food coloring in it.Cut the sugar of anything he eats way back.And actually if he can drink coffee once a day just maybe a half cup it should slow him down instead of charge him up.Put a little cream and maybe stevia in it to sweeten it.
My nephew was put on several ADHD drugs in junior high school.Really upset me, one day we had a normal nephew the next week we had a couch potatoe then he gained weight , his grades did improve some but he was miserable because he got no exercise because the drugs made him so tired and made him gain weight. Finally my sister listened to me in high school and took him off of them and he became a straight A student.Lost the weight and got a job before he graduated high school.He is now a Dad to 2 wonderful kids a boy 3 and a little girl 1 1/2 .
Kids are kind of like kittens , you can't expect them to sit still for long.

Hi!
I am the parent of 2 children diagnosed with ADHD. The oldest is 14 and the youngest is 8. My first question would be HOW was your child diagnosed? By whom? What tools were used? Often this is done improperly. My oldest was diagnosed at age 6. I did not want anything to do with "medication". I tried both diet and supplements and the two together. I really didn't see much difference with diet, but the supplements seemed to help some, for a while. As my child grew bigger they seemed to work less and less. One of the supplements I used was a hybrid type that is no longer available. What symptoms are you seeing? There are many things you can do. I used the largest Omega-3, fish oil dose possible for my child's size, as well as magnesium and whey protein. There are lots of books and websites out there with options. My two kids take two different meds. This is a moving target. The oldest child has been on the same medication from the time I "gave in". My Dr's words to me were, "If your child were diabetic, you would give him/her the insulin they needed. It's the same for treating ADHD." My younger child is using a patch. This avoids the problem of how to "get down" a pill or capsule and you can "un-do" it at any time if needed or desired. It also seems to work with a lower amount of meds. I will give you my email privately and be happy to answer any more detailed questions I can that way. If there are things I can answer more publicly, I am happy to do that as well. I would have done anything to have more support when my child was first diagnosed and will go out of my way to help you as a result. You are the parent, follow your instincts and heart.

Best Wishes,
"
R.

My 6 year old son has not been diagnosed with ADHD. However, he does have a very hard time staying focused and following through with instruction. I have noticed this at home for quite awhile and his Kindergarten teacher was concerned with it. We took him off ALL artificial coloring, red is the worst for him, and foods high with preservatives. It has helped him quite a bit. We also had him tested for food allergies and were stunned to find out he is allergic eggs, milk, peanuts and chocolate. We are in the middle of making the transition to life without these foods. We meet with the Nurse Practioner doing all the testing in a couple of weeks to find out how to best handle this. I have had people suggest that he may be ADHD, but also know that certain foods allergies can manifest themselves in this kind of behavior. I refuse to put my child on medications until I have tried alternative ways to help him. I am not against medications for ADHD, but have seen children who Have ADHD be on certain diets and not need medication. I hope this helps. It sounds very overwhelming with the fodd allregies and cutting stuff out of our diet, but his is for the health of our child and aid him in having a better future!

My older son, now 40, was very hyper when he was a child. They didn't have the ADHD thing when he was young. But he couldn't sit still in class to save his sole, didn't remember things well and couldn't consentrate. We finally figured out that he was allergic to milk and milk products. We got rid of the milk but the doctor said not to worry about things with milk in them. He still can't drink more than a quart of milk in any given week. But we gave him Ritalin while he was in school, otherwise we let him run off his energy. I don't know about the fish oil but he only took the pills while in elementary school, he did outgrow most of the problems.

Karen

Since many people are so out of balance between their Omega-3 and Omega-6 intake, individuals are trying to consume more cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and trout. This way they can get EPA and DHA, which is the precursor to our natural anti-inflammatories. They can then produce anti-inflammatory hormones very easily and quickly correct this imbalance. Since it is critical that we increase our intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, I strongly recommend supplementing our diet with pharmaceutical-grade filtered fish oil capsules that are high in both EPA and DHA. Not only can they reduce inflammation in your body but also improve brain function, cholesterol levels, and cell membranes. In fact, several studies are now showing that people can improve depression, bipolar tendencies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and a host of other inflammatory diseases by simply supplementing their diet with fish oil capsules. There have been many studies that have shown a significant health benefit when this is done.

In happiness and health,
D.

Hey J.! I am an Environmental Wellness Consultant and I have helped several families with this. Clinical studies indicate that there is a link to dietary and environmental factors. Several studies show a link to essential fatty acid deficiencies within the brain. Things you should be looking at include all food, food additives, and toxins in household cleaners and personal care products.

Some things you should seriously consider: Convert your home to environmentally friendly products (I can help you with this if you like), reduce fried foods and sugar (including artificial sweeteners). Also, use supplements to help maintain proper nutririon. My company recommends and has developed products that have been very successful with this. Products that help maximize cerebral circulation, reduce free radical activity, improve brain function (with omeega 3 fatty acids), maintain cell structure in the brain and mantain proper blood sugar balance. All of which are important strategies to help with ADD/ADHD!

Again, I can help you convert your home to safer, environmentally friendly products (and save money doing it!) and getting the right nutrition. Just PM me if you like!

Hope this helps!

D.

J.,

ADHD occurs when the neurotransmitters in the brain cannot carry the electrical impulses (we call thoughts) efficiently over the tiny spaces between brain cells called synapses. Brain cells do not actually touch, they have a very tiny spacce between then and our brains make neurochemicals that carry our thoughts from cell to cell, and when that process is interrupted, by a shortage of the chemical, or an inablity of the cells to read the chemical, then that person has ADHD.

It is a physical process. The reason we see hyperactivity in some individuals with ADHD is that they are trying to stimulate themselves, to keep themselves going, kind of like the two year old that does anything to stay awake even though they are really tired. They are under stimulated on the cellular level, just the place that medication works its wonders!

Stimulants work because they imporve the transmisssion of thoughts going from brain cell to brain cell. They have been tested extensively, and are very safe medications. There are many out there to choose from, and one may work better for your son than another. Find a qualified prescriber, and then look for the medication and dosage that will work for him and be willing to ajust the dosage or type of medication as he ages.

All areas of his development are effected if he cannot count on his thought process to work well, this causes all kinds of difficulty as he ages and will cause him to have gaps in his learning in school (no matter how smart he is)and if you think about it, you can see how this affects his behavior too. How would you feel if this is how your brain functioned? Do you think you might be a little irritated? A little defensive? A little angry? Would you resist learning or working on things that you found difficult if you knew that at some point you would just loose track of what you were doing and you did not know when that would happen but knew there was nothing you could do to stop it from happening? (even though everyone else seems to be able to do that, and everyone keeps telling you how smart you are, so why can't you just...you get the idea!)

Try fish oil if you want to, but don't count on it to help his basic disorder, please do not abandon standard treatment unless you find that he cannot tolerate it at all. This is an illness, and there is good medical treatment that works great! It is nothing to be afraid of because he has everything to gain.

J. before going the medication route, try the doctor feingold diet. We did it in my house when my little brother was diagnosed and as long as he and we followed the diet things were fine and he was able to concentrate. It limits what type of products you can eat.... ie no red die but it is easy to flow because they give you a product by product list to follow for example ( you can drink 7up but not sprite) because of some additive that sprite adds to their product that sets off kids who are sensative to ____ what ever it is __. When my family followed this, everyone in the ouse realized they were able to concentrate better, do better ins hcool and work and when we were off the diet, we were all a bit adhd!!! HAHAHA.... I highly reccomened this approach first. With him being so young and the number of mis diagnosed cases of ADHD at such a young age.... I say diet first and if he does not improve, then medicate. BTW you can not cheat on the diet.... if you do, you will see results immediatly! good luck, I'd love to hear what happens.
R.

Also check into the Feingold diet at www.feingold.org. It is amazing how behavior can change once you take all the chemicals out of their diets. That's why they've started to ban so many food dyes overseas. A number of schools in the UK saw dramatic improvements in behavior and learning when the children stopped eating all the foods with dyes.

You should also get him checked out for other issues. My son was diagnosed with ADhd and it know seems like it was a symptom of another problem. He is now being checked out for sleep apnea and I have done a lot of reading about not getting enoough good sleep and what it does to a child's attention and focus. I have also seen an osteopath doctor who treats many kids with ADHD with non invasive treatments. There is a link with kids sensory issues and allergy issues that cause a lot of ADHD symptoms also. FOr example the food dye and other additives in food can cause problems in our bodies. I know I have problems with this too and read a lot of labels to avoid processed foods. I prefer organic and fresh when possible. Good luck to you.

When I found out that my son was ADHD I tried everything before I decided to put him on medication. We first tried Adderol (sp) and he started to develop a tick. So then we tried the natural pills and saw no result. Now he is on a Non-Stimulate which is Stratera he takes this at 8 and noon with the 8 o'clock pill he also takes Concerta. I have seen a world of change in him. The two do make it hard for him to sleep so he takes Risperdal at night only to help him sleep. Again medication was a last resort to me but it makes a world of difference. It was a last resort because my son was always in advanced classes in school because he is very smart. When he was diagnosed he was put in a Emotionally Handicap class room half a day for behavior. This was in 4th grade. In fifth grade I noticed he developed a tick so we had him changed. It took a couple of weeks to notice a change but then in the last 6 weeks we noticed he was his old self. Smart and funny and in those last weeks because of the new medication he was taken out of the EH class room and placed back in regular classes and he even tested and passed to be in Honor classes in the 6th grade. I still don't like the medication idea however these medications have made a life changing chance for my son.

I have 3 boys all diagnosed as having ADHD (ages 14, 7, and 5 1/2) and I had the oldest on meds when he was first diagnosed because he was HIGHLY unmanagable most of the time. We started him out on Adderal, and had to keep upping the dose every few months because it was losing it's effectiveness, until he reached the maximum allowed dosage for his size, then switched to Concerta. We had to do the same thing with that and then switched to Stratera. With all of them, they also made him VERY moody (depressed) and EXTREMELY skinny (anorexic is what the dr. called it, but not the kind where he did it on purpose, but was caused from the meds). I finally got disgusted with it all and took him off of it. I asked the dr. about alternative methods of treating it and he recommended sugar-free CAFFINATED drinks because caffiene has the OPPOSITE effect on ADHD kids (just make sure it's not got sugar as that will counteract it). Also, try to stay away from bleached and white starches, and red dye. They also contribute to the hyperactiness.
We give them coffee when they start to get too hyper (or Diet Mt. Dew) and limit the starches and red dyes regularly and they have been MUCH more manageable. Most importantly though, my oldest's depression went away and his appetite returned (with a venegance, the boy is eating me out of house and home now like a typical growing teenage boy).
When my now 7 year old was in Kindergarten, his teacher was trying to talk me into (more like force/bully me into) getting him on meds because she had "3 other students in class that were also ADHD and made life hectic for her". I told her about the adverse effects meds had on my oldest and was leery about putting my other children on them for fear of the same problems. (I should add also that my middle son has mild OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but has also always been a straight A student.) And, I told her I was not comfortable medicating my son just so she would not have to deal with him. I spoke to our pediatrician about it and her comments and he agreed with me, even suggested that I speak to the principal about her comments as he thought they were rather unprofessional. I didn't talk to the principal, but did send a note to school for the teacher saying that our dr. agreed he did not need medicine. His first grade teacher commented also about son's disruptiveness and inattentive behavior, but when I told her all this, she was MUCH more understanding and adjusted her teaching techniques to suit him rather than try to make him comform to her.
I know each case is different for each family, child and dr. but I would just suggest you try alternative methods before resorting to medicines.

(FYI when my oldest first started on med was 7. I don't think you would want to risk having your child have depression issues due to ADHD meds and possibly something worse happening if there were other methods available equally effective with out all the harmful side effects)

Good luck and keep me informed, please? I'm curious to see how things turn out.

I hope this isn't repeated info, I haven't yet read the other responses.

Have there been any major changees in your childs life lately?all the nasty stuff in the fake foods today that mess up our brain chemistry and the lack of necessary nutrients such as omega 3's in fish oil, and food allergies are all good places to start as other moms have suggested but don't overlook learning disabilites and emotional upsets and even lack of physical exercise. Too many drs are quick to diagnose ADHD when there are other problems. My 6 yr old grandson was having no problems in school until his father left my daughter and the kids. The teacher sent a note home saying she thought he needed to be tested for ADHD--after my daughter explained the situation they started having him work with the counseler and that helped a lot. Teh poor little guy was just angry and sad and acting out. He also goes absolutely nuts when he has red dye--I have seen the amazing transformation in front of my own eyes ! And he needs a LOT of physical activity at a time when most schools are cutting out gym and recess. They live in NC and we got to visit them last week and had a great time. After hiking for several hours on mountain trails he was very calm and focused when we did crafts with the kids in the evening!

My son is six and also ADHD. I read everything I could and also heard about adding Omega-3. I think the problem is there's no standard. I tried adding it to his diet using eggs that are specially bread with a ton of Omega-3s and I did see a little improvement, but I also read that certain foods, including eggs have triptophan - the chemical in turkey that makes you calm and tired. I have been through parenting classes for children with ADHD at Cincinnati Children's hospital. Keep in mind that the term "stimulant" applies to things that stimulate production of something. These drugs "stimulate" the production of certain brain chemicals, depending on the drug, it doesn't mean that they stimulate your child - don't let the term scare you. My son is on a very low dose of Focalin (2.5mg) and it makes a huge difference.

I hope in all your research, you've read extensively about chemicals and dyes in food and how they effect behavior. MANY kids who go off these dyes and chemicals don't even have symptoms any more!!! Therefore........no meds!

A change in diet will only help a bit, if at all. It is important to know if an allergy is making your child 'not feel well' which is leading to poorer concentration BUT I loved the quote from one of your replying Mamas that a Doctor told her: "If your child were diabetic, you would give him/her the insulin they needed. It's the same for treating ADHD." We suspected ADHD by 3 or 4 years old. We started family counseling to work on behavior issues and ways to parent our spirited child. We did not officially get her diagnosis in place and on medication until she started to have problems with behavior as school and her organizational issues were pretty bad. That was 1/2 way through 3rd grade (approx. age 9). Each medication works differently and the doctors do not know for sure, but they will suggest the best one based on the symptoms and issues your child has. We put her on Focalin XR and kept adjusting the dosage each month until it was good. There was improvements from the first day. When it was no longer working as well [she needed more than an 8 hour day for school work], we tried Daytrana (a patch with similar medication which lasts longer). She is now on Vyvanse, which is new since last year. It works great, is an extended release for up to 10 hours and she is doing so well in school and at home. We also participated in a Behavior Modification Group Therapy at Cinti Childrens Hospital for both kids and parents [in separate groups]. We have determined that all four of us have some form of ADD/ADHD but only two of us are on medication. [Wow, what a difference it has made for me!] My husband still does not want to admit he could function with less stress and concentrate better with a diagnosis and medication. Please write me back if you have more questions - I'm happy to help.

Hi J., I know people that have found results with a juice called MonaVie. It's a food not medication so it's completely safe and sooooooo good for you. Below is an email from someone talking about their nephew on MonaVie.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELEIVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS FOR SHARING THIS KELLY!!!

Our nephew went for a parent teacher conference for the first time since being diagnosed with ADD. They said he was doing wonderful and that the medication must be working well for him. When Mike's sister and Bro-in-law told them he wasn't on medication they asked for information on the product! The Principal, teacher and guidance counselor all want to know more.

Thanks,
Kelly

You've got to hear about this stuff J....it's absolutely incredible in so many ways.

There are several local doctors drinking as well because they are seeing the results in their patients. Get back to me if you'd like to hear more. God Bless! N. L.

Hi J.,

I think you are on the right track looking for a solution to the problem, rather than a bandaid. There are many new interventions that you can try to get your child healthy, and hopefully you won't need to resort to the medication. In some cases, medication will be the only way to go, but you should try everything you can first to determine what your individual situation is. Fish Oil works really quickly for some (Try Nordic Naturals in Peach or Orange) no fishy aftertaste. If your child still doesn't want to take it you can add it to a small glass of water, juice, milk (anything that will work) Sometimes ADHD can be caused by yeast or viral issues, so Nystatin, Diflucan and Valtrex can work wonders. Fixing the problem at the core without your child being on Ritalin, Adderal or the like. The problem is that this is fairly new to most doctors and most likely you will need a pediatrician with a very open mind or you will need to seek out a special doctor. DAN doctors (Defeat Autism Now) treat ADHD aa well, as it is part of the Austism Spectrum Disorder. Good Luck!!

Fish Oil will help. The child I am raising was diagnosed at 5 and we tried Stratera (sp) which caused him to pick himself to bits, Aderall XL which meant he slept like 2 hours a night and wouldn't eat, and Ritalin which had to be taken at exact times twice a day and frankly I don't think helped as much as they say it will. Presently he isn't on any medication (for the last year) and we are learning to control on our own with rewards and discipline actions. Recently got new glasses and saw a new optomitrist, we found out he has some type of control problems with thinking, talking, focusing his eyes, and sending the signals to body limbs simotaniously. The documents on this show 75% of the children diagnosed with ADHD have this problem and not ADHD. We are now in a 27 week therapy program to train him to think about one thing and focus his eyes, move limbs, etc. at the same time. I am seeing a little improvement at week 6. They think most of his problem is this and was never ADHD in the first place. It can cause anger because of the frustration, depression because they don't feel they are able to keep up with the other children and anxiety because they are slower at writing, reading, and sports activities than their friends/peers because they lose eye focus while trying to answer a question or write when someone is talking to them because they only focus their mind on one thing at a time.
Just a suggestion you talk to your eye doctor and see if this could be part of the problem, it has nothing to do with their vision. I asked about his right eye drifting in toward his nose when he was tired (a question I have been asking since he was 3 and being told I was just imagining things) at the end of his eye exam and the new doctor said I was not imagining it and that he had other problems like when you ask him a question he lost his eye focus and both of his eyes drifted outwards slightly while he was thinking and answering then he would refocus on what he had been doing prior to asking the question he had to answer.
Good luck!!!

J.,

There are several changes that you can make in his diet that will help. Decrease the amount of sugar he is consuming. There is sugar or high fructose corn syrup in almost everything. Bread, ketchup, sauces, frozen dinners, boxed meals. And of course the obvious candy, ice cream, desserts. Decrease the sugar as much as you can. Eliminate anything with dies or food coloring, especially green. I don't know why but there is something in it that causes even children who do not normally have behvaioral or attention problems to get out of hand. (This is a good place to start). I have several friends personally that have been using Shaklee's Omegagaurd (Fish Oil) and are beginning to see results with their children. Also, the household cleaners and laundry detergents have toxic chemicals that cause problems from ADHD, ODD. allergies, asthma. I can introduce you to an acquantence of mine who is a nurse and has ADD, her daughter had terrible ADD/ADHD and has nutritional info that has changed her life as well as others. She now does consulting, usually by phone and I think she charges $25. But it is well worth a life time of Ritalin.
My son has been taking OmegaGuard since I was pregnant and nursing. When he was aroung 10 months I started giving him the capsuls. He chews on them and loves them. I need to hide the bottle from him becuase he cries if he sees the bottle and I do not give him one. You can go to www.shaklee.net/gemsoffire and type in OmegaGuard in the search engine. There is a link to a 2 minute video on it that I find useful. Also, they have a tremendous line of non-toxic cleaning products that are the most economical on the market. I do not think people are aware of how harmful the everyday products we use around the house can be. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info.

Hey There

I see you have already recieved a lot of advice, just wanted to say that I have a son who we believe has ADHD, he was on Ritalin for a very brief period, we took him off of it because two days after we put him on it, my mom told us about an herbal remedy that she found online called Bright Spark, it is all natural, and no side effects, and let me tell you, it is truly a God sent! My son was so out of control, it was unreal, to make a long story short, things had gotten so bad that my mom had to come live with us temporairaly, to help out. Now that he is on this herbal remedy, we have seen great improvement, he is not nearly as destructive as he used to be, and actually listens to instruction now! I would definitely try this before you put him on prescription meds, the side effects can be scary. Some moms suggested chainging his diet, that may help a little, but I strongly recommend Bright Spark, because now, we can actually enjoy our little boy again because of it. I have heard that the fish oil is really good too. My sister-in-law took omega 3 when she was pregnant with both of her kids, and they are real smart and very advanced for their ages. If only I had known, I would have taken it when I was pregnant too. You can can get Bright Spark at SupplementBay.com or nativeremedies.com, if you are interested.

Good Luck!

My son was diagnosed with ADHD at the same age. We had him tested because he was having problems in school despite being very smart. His teacher said he just couldn't seem to concentrate, sit still, and was easily distracted (by other kids, noises, etc..). She immediately said ADHD but we wanted to make sure that is what it was so we took him to a specialized clinic in our area. Turns out that is exactly what it was. For about a year we tried literally EVERYTHING but medication because we really did not want to put him on a drug. However, nothing seem to work long term. My hubby and I did some praying about it and decided to try medication right before the start of this previous school year. We were nervous because often kids have to go through many meds before finding the right one for them. We did not want him to be a "zombie" but we also needed to treat the problem. His caseworker was VERY supportive. He had already been visiting our home once a week during the previous year and he explained that when a med works properly that the child should retain their personality fine but just be able to concentrate and stay calm. I didn't quite understand what that would look like for Tobias but we decided to try it. We prayed that the first med he took would be perfect. My husband made the decision to try Concerta. It is a new fangled extended release capsule. (I can tell you more about how it works if you want to contact me). Anyway, they started Toby on the lowest dose (18 mg which looks like a piece of rice it is so small) and it worked wonders! I could tell a difference almost immediately. It was kind of a struggle to get him to take it at first but once he realized what a difference it made, HE would ask ME to give it to him in the morning. Now, he doesn't even have to be reminded most of the time. I just set it out and he takes it great! This last year he went from not passing his current grade level the year before to straight A's. He loves to draw little intricate pictures and do lots of coloring now. It was just like the doc said. He is still himself but he is so much more focused now. His thoughts are more organized etc... Having come from a place where I ABSOLUTELY did not want to medicate him, I am now an advocate for it...AS LONG AS THE CHILD IS ACCURATELY DIAGNOSED AND MONITERED TO MAKE SURE THE MEDS ARE WORKING PROPERLY (Toby still sees his doctor every three months). Ultimately, though you have to do what you think is best. I applaud you for not being in denial about it like I was for awhile and seeking some help for your child whether it be meds or not. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to share my experience with you. Good luck and God bless.

J.,
You've gotten a ton of info. I will try to keep my comments brief.
My two boys and myself have an intolerance to dairy. It can't be "tested" in a normal sense because reactions are behavioral. When I was a child, I literally would bounce around the room (ADHD) when I had dairy products. My oldest 9yrs. got aggressive/violent. My youngest 3yrs. cries.
I teach children with varying levels of difficulties in the public school, and agree with ADHD diagnosis for some and not for others. I've encouraged a few parents to choose meds. and have helped others find alternatives. It depends upon the child and the effort the parents will put into the situation.
We chose to medicate for ADHD for my oldest for the past 4 years. He's gifted, and behaves "like the typical boy" (one of his teachers said this a year ago, They felt we had finally found the right med.). After more issues cropped up this year, we had him retested for sleep disorders. Allergies are a big factor, but a bigger factor is the lack of sleep he was getting. He has Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. He's taking Gabapentin, and we changed allergy meds. Everyone has noticed an extreme difference, without the ADHD meds. We have also eliminated ALL Dairy, and reduced prepakaged meals because of dairy (fewer preservatives too). There's a bunch of recipes on the web for cooking with food allergies. He's doing great.
It's my opinion #1 First follow your Mommy Instincts, #2 Most children have an underlying cause for their inability to focus.
Keep Smiling and God Bless.
P.S. Concerta and Adderal have proven the most effective if you choose that route. The patch is a close second.

You should try MonaVie juice. It's really been helping kids with autism& adhd. It has lots of good oils in it & has all wild & organic fruits in it so you are getting the recommended amount of fruit you need in your body. That way, your body can function at its best! Also it has helped people to rest better, which also helps your body to heal. (The main ingredient is the acai berry, which is the #1 superfood known to man). I also encourage you that Jesus is still in the business of healing!=)

Our oldest daughter had ADHD. We first took her off of ALL foods and drinks with red food dye in them and there was a huge improvement. We did Ritalin for a year then we took away all the preservatives and artificial sweeteners and she did great. We gradually added stuff with preservatives back in but we stayed away from the red dye and artificial sweeteners. She was still very active but not hyperactive. We took a walk after dinner and she was only allowed water from then until bedtime so she could get a good nights sleep. Now she is an adult with kids of her own and still doing great.

I am not too sure what to think about all these different medications for disorders. There are way too many meds out there! Are they really safe? Some have new things in them that haven't been tested too much. They are loaded with different chemicals as well that may have a bad reaction with the body - causing us to become reliant and addicted. I would try natural things like the fish oil; it is the most natural thing for the brain - DHA and ARA - there are other supplements for these nutrients like shakes. Do hands-on activites every day to exercise the mind. Kids love activities that get their imaginations going. I believe doctors diagnose adhd too early or when the symptoms are minor. Just play it out - play is a child's work, it will build the brain the more they play. Puzzles are perfect. NO TV! Commercials will only cause the adhd to get worse. Good luck.

Hi J. - First let me say my children do not have ADHD. However I am very interested in the idea of using food and propper nutrition as "medicine" first. DON'T GET ME WRONG - I do not think that traditional medications are all bad!
I have had personal experience with prescribed anti-depressants and severe side effects, including the suicidal thoughts those wonderful commercials warn about. With all the information out these days, I've come to trust the FDA less and less.
I recently came across this article that I thought of when I read your request. It's not an answer, but something to think about in your search for one. Here's the link (I guess you'd have to copy and paste it)
http://beveragedaily.com/news/ng.asp?id=85921
"the article raises questions about the validity of results from medical researchers heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry, researching dietary supplements and food and reporting null results." It has to do with St. John's Wort and asks if we should trust studies that companies have done that have been funded in large part by pharmaceutical companies.
In any case, the others here are right - you have to "follow your heart." Get all the info you can and I'm sure you'll have a gut feeling about what is right for your child and you should, without doubt, go that way. God bless you on your search!
Love & prayers -B.

My 11 year old son has ADHD. He was diagnosed at 5. I have read all kinds of information on different treatments and meds. I personally decided to help him with medication. He has tried several and now is taking Adderal and doing well on it. Each child reacts differently to each med so it takes a while to find which med works best. I have heard a lot about kids trying to self medicate with drugs and alcohol as they get older to help the symptoms. From what I have read this is less likely to occur if the symptoms are relieved with prescription meds. I think this is a very individual decision and I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Try the Omega-3 and if it doesn't work there are plenty more options to try.

L.

Have you read the book Stopping ADHD by Nancy O'Dell and Patricia Cook? It's a med-free treatment program. They have a clinic in Indy by the University of Indianapolis. website is www.stoppingadhd.com. Best Wishes!
R.

Hi J.
My 10 yr old has ADHD. She is moderate to severe. We are currently using Concerta 27MG for her. Originally she was on a smaller dose. But couldn't focus at school and the behavior problems was still happening.

Omega 3s are great for the kids. I have done lots of research on them and they do help ADHD kids.

http://www.coromega.com/index3.html

This company has a children's Omega 3. It don't have a bad taste. I mean my 4 yr old son who is so picky it is ridiculous. He will take it. If you look on the site there is a free sample.

I mixed his in the yogurt. My oldest daughter I just hand it to her and she eats it.

J.: Please contact your doctor about what types of medication might be right for your child. Also, talk with a Behavior Therapist. Let them do an evaluation with him and they may be able to find other ways to assist you with your child and dealing with the ADHD rather than masking it with medication. I work for a company that provides ABA therapy and Behavior Therapy. Depending on the severity of the ADHD and how it effects his every day life, would make a difference on the action that you might want to consider taking.

Hi J.,
I recently heard something similar on a PBS show that was based on a book called "Change your brain, change your life" by Dr. Daniel G. Amen, and it mentions several food alterntives. Try and see if you can find the book in your local library.

I personally believe that, specially with children, we shoul try natural ways and leave medicine as a last resourse if all else fails.