Add/adhd Diets and Natural Remedies

The best diet for them is the same as for those on the spectrum which is gluten free and dairy free. You can google for tons of information. There is so much out there! You can also join the Yahoo! Group GFCFKids. My son is on it and it's amazing. He has Asperger's. I only wish my daughter, who has ADHD, would comply fully with it, but she's 16 and has quite a mind of her own. Email me with any questions you have!!

Hi D. - if you live in the Rochester, NY area, you might want to think about talking with Jen Sorochinsky - she's a holistic health counselor (with a nutrition bckgd); she shares office space with her husband, who's a chiropractor. Jen's fabulous! She's excellent at working with exactly what you've indicated you're looking for: lists of foods and herbal remedies. You can reach her at: ###-###-####. Web site is: http://www.fullestlife.com/holistichealth. Please let her know I gave you her contact info. - Kathy H P.

I have heard of herbal 'medicines' out there that you can get at either Vitamin World or GNC called - "Attentive Child". Its an all natural supplement - I've also heard of staying away from anything that contains red dye #40 - ie, hawaiian punch.

I used to belong to a group on yahoo that specialized in ADD/ADHD and other behavioral symptoms - if you are a yahoo member - its easy to sign up and get other ideas to help you out - there are families on there that are just like you and chose not to medicate - http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ADD-ADHD-Parents/

good luck!

I never had this problem, but had a friend with a boy who did. She didn't like what the drugs were doing for him so she told me she read a lot and starting reading labels. She did cut out sugar, and the biggest culprits were nitrites and nitrates. Maybe this will give you some help. Good luck.

I have a friend who saw major improvement with her daughter's ADD/ADHD when she changed the diet to gluten free. There are many doctor's who promote a gluten-free/casein-free (google GF/CF and ADD together) diet for children with ADD/ADHD and autism and other childhood issues. You could also try talking to a holistic chiropractor - they often have natural remedies for ADD/ADHD. Plus talking to a natural medicine expert - if you have a local natural foods store, often they have someone who will meet with you for free and tell you what vitamins will help different problems. (Like DHA supplements are supposed to be great for ADD/ADHD, plus maybe vitamin D3, others but I can't think off the top of my head). Good luck!

Check out my web site at www.enhancedmentalclarity.com

I've been an algae eater for over 20 years. Omega Sun can help attention issues naturally. It has worked for my son, countless others, and me.

J. Marie

Hi D.,
I had my son on Cylert. That is definitely NOT the answer. I have since converted my home to natural household cleaning products in addition to using an alkaline food plan. It's the best decision I ever made. If I can provide further information, please call ###-###-#### and I'd be happy to help you.
L.

Try contacting the Feingold Association. The diet worked wonders for my son. www.feingold.org.

You can google the Feingold diet. I tried it with my son and it helped a bit but not enough to stick with it. We did discover he is very sensitive to food dyes so we avoid that . . .one thing you can do is take your kids to see a homeopathic Dr. - I know there is a good group in Newtown area. Where are you located?

I see a wonderful MDin Ridgefield who has experience with this stuff - her name is Marcie Wollinsky-Friedman. She had me try diet, supplements, etc. YOu could start with her - if interested send me a private message and i will give her info.

M.

Hi D.,
I homeschooled my children because they both had ADHD and ADD. My daughter was on Ritalin for a while until I couldn't stand the side effects any longer. I wanted my Tigger back!

Anyway, this is what helped us:
1. Routine, checklists, and advance notice about changes. Schedules are so important. (I know you are asking about diet, but I thought I'd throw that in there as extra!)

2. Of course, a reduction in sweets, preservatives, and synthetics. I didn't have a lot of sweets in the house and so, this wasn't too hard. I did not find any magic food - just as wholesome of a diet as possible. Fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, little processed food.

3. I also gave them a supplement called Provex Plus which is grapeseed/grapeskin extract. It is one of the few supplements that pass the blood brain barrier, and nourish the brain. It worked wonders. No supplement, though, is magic. Lots of physical activity, positive reinforcement, praise, schedules, healthy food, combined with supplementation worked for us.

Hope this helps!
MA

Dear D.,
I really feel for you. I can't tell you that I have had any experience with it, but I know people that do.
The only idea I have is to check out a product that I take and I am crazy about, it is helping with all kinds of health challenges and I heard that it has helped children with ADD/ADHD as well. You have nothing to lose, it is all natural and anyone from age 1-100 can take it. Check out: http://www.now.gotvia.com/presentations.html and see for yourself. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or perhaps I could hook you up with someone who had good results with your same situation.
Much success to your whole family.
Warmly,
D.

My daughter is ADHD and we help with her diet. One person wrote about red dye #40 and for her it is a HUGE trigger to bad behavior. It is so many foods and other products such as toothpaste. We also switched to whole wheat pasta, bread or any "bread" products (try to avoid white sugar and bleached flower). Also my kids love Cheese-its but we switched to the white cheddar with no red dye 40 and it helps. I can't control everything she eats but anything she gets from home. I also have my in-laws and my parents on board with watching what she eats. I also when we go out encourage her, teach her to make good choices about the things she chooses. The "Finegold" diet my MIL used with my husband when he was a kid and it worked well for them. Good Luck. A.

-no chemicals of any kind in food or home
-eat only organic
-no sugar or dairy or processed carbs or fats. Make treats with agave or stevia
-use triple amounts of the recommended dosage of fish oil first thing in the morning. Barleans Lemon Meringue does not taste even a little bit like fish and is quite yummy
-use only good oils: virgin olive or avocado, organic coconut oil, butter may be okay if there's no dairy allergy
-NEVER allow amalgam fillings and please research vaccination ingredients which can be a recipe for disaster for anyone with a brain problem.
-make sure they get sufficient exercise--get a rebounder for rainy days.
-avoid mold at all cost

check out this website, it's run by parents (mostly moms):

http://millermom.proboards107.com/

very experienced ladies, forums, you can ask questions, it will help you.

Hi D.
What a great family!!! Twins at 4 can be a stress, but they do grow up.
I again could write a book myself on what I think about ADD/ADHD. You will be able to also when they are grown. First of all I truly believe that they stem from food allergy which is different than treating. I also believe exercise helps.
Our younger boy, had what was diagnosed as ADD, and we were offered meds for him at 15 months. He could not sit still.
If you want to see how great yours are write and ask about mine. I can encourage most by our story that we lived through with success.
Take away chemicals. Try to buy natural/organic. Find lactose and gluten free vitamin/mineral product and have them take them. Preservatives were one offender, and the one that was hardest to figure out. TBHQ our worst, and not always on the lists back then. Don't know about now.
Go to the health food store. Ask about how you can build up your ADD/ADHD children. Find a good health food store that sells everything not just protein supplements for athletes. One where the people are professionals, not just hired to sell stuff. They usually have any of the good books on treatments, although they can not say this vitamin will treat this ailment. No where will you find that because they would be considered practicing med without a license and be shut down. So don't expect that.
Our son slept/sleeps 2 hours in 24. Our daughter though never diagnosed because we just started using same treatments.
If you are interested I would love to talk to you more. Write I have some of those books/some I got at our local library
God bless you
K. SAHM married 38 years === adult children 37, coach; 32, lawyer, married with son 6 mo. and the recovered ADD; and twins 18, journalism major commuting with 3.8 GPA; and fine arts major on campus with 3.7 GPA after homeschooling.

Dear D.:

My grandson has adhd so I have spent a lot of time researching this. There is the Feingold diet (I believe it's called) which provides a list of foods and so on for children with this disorder. Also, I found that clear juices, apple, white grape, etc. are better than ones with added color. No red apples, they can affect them as well as red colored juices. I also understand that processed foods, such as hot dogs, lunch meat and so on, are not good either. There is a holistic doctor in Rumson, NJ, who treats the disorders without drugs. If you are not in this area, there may be a holistic doctor in your town. The only thing about that is it can take a long time. I went on line to research information, I did not buy books, and I talked with parents who had children like my grandson. This was very helpful. Also, activities like karate is great for these children. It builds their self-esteem and is a good outlet.

With regard to the holistic doctor, he was recommended by several people, including my chiropractor. I would carefully check out any doctor prior to taking your children to them.

I hope this information has been helpful for you, I know this can be very trying. I have had custody since December, 2000. He is nine years old. I am also single and work full time.

Good Luck,

A. C.

Hi D.,
Whatever you do -DO NOT DRUG THEM! That is correct. First they are too young and 2nd they are normal "Blue" color personality children! There is nothing wrong with Creative and Active children. It is their job to be active! It is in the perspective of seeing what they are doing as neg or Positive. I was a Blue-very creative and active and that was pounded out of me so now I need to learn to visualize my reality that takes work to do now, when I had the ease of doing that when I was younger. What a shame no one understood me either! Today they put a name on it to CONTROL YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN FOR THEIR EASE OF TEACHING, WATCHING WHATEVER AND PAY THE DRUG COMPANIES AND THEN THE MEDICAL ARENA WHEN IT HAS MESSED UP YOUR ENTIRE BODY AND NEED MORE DRUGS TO CORRECT. VISCIOUS CYCLE AND I CALL IT CRIMINAL!

The Powers that be will make you think there is a problem. Well ignore that! If you would like some helpful additions to their diet, call me before this Sat-I leave on a one week Cruise to warm weather! I can help with all natural food in a liquid form that all your children and you will love to drink. It is NOT a fruit juice. It has herbs and sea weed with fucoidans which do amazing things for the body. (TRACE MINERALS? DO we remember we need these to survive on this planet??) It will center them and you too will be less stressed if you drink this too. It does have some raspberry extract in it so that it takes delicious and people will drink it because it tastes great!

Give me a call anytime after 11am-10pm at night. Wed nights I have some business calls at 8-9 and 9-10 pm. Other days are good. ###-###-#### If I am out-leave phone# and i will cal you as soon as I get the message-I promise this.By the way I have Twin 27 year old Daughters who are healthy and wise. I adore them with my entire Being. They are my Loves of my Life too.

Good luck to you and your precious bundles, May God love them and keep them in HIS Grace. I pray you see what is best for them-you are their only protection from the world and it is your responsibility to make sure they are healthy and safe!
God Bless you too,
M.

If you are not serious to do something about it, do not call me and waste my time. To help you is what I would love to do, but I will recommend my LIMU PLUS which is one of the nutrients that you and the children need. And a few others can help in the mix. These products can be gotten via internet, or I have some extra here that I do retail (reasonable price) that I get for some of my customers who do not have internet connect. It will cost you less in the long run and you will notice the difference.

Hi D.,

I have 3 with adhd and spd. My advice - find a good naturopath, and look into the possibility that there is some sensory processing disorder mixed in there too. There is not one thing that will help - it will take a combination of things. I have been the medicine route also, and that may have to be part of your solution for at least a time. I don't like the idea of meds either, but when your child is crashing and burning (at school, and socially), you might have to rely on medicine in order for other "therapies" to be instituted. My kids are 14, 11, and 7, and we are trying to go without meds now, since we have other things in place like systems at home and school, natural suppliments, behavioral methods, etc. It's a process that is always evolving/changing, and one that needs your constant reevaluation and adjustment.

Hope this helps,

K. D.

There is a doctor in Rhinebeck who specializes in natural remedies- nutritional and dietary supplements. Dr. Rita Kirsch is her name, I believe.

Be aware, though, that ADHD is not a metabolic disorder, it is neurological. Changing a child's diet to be more balanced will often improve daily functioning and reduce "hyperactivity", but don't expect a quick change or a noticable increase in sustained attention.

I am not a proponent of inappropriately medicating young children, but stay in close contact with your children's teachers, school psychologist, and pediatrician to determine whether or not there are genuine changes as the holistic treatments for ADHD are not supported by long-term research.

Medications, when given correctly and closely monitored, can drastically improve a child's functioning, self-image, peer relationships and family dynamics. That being said any doctor who considers medications for a child under the age of 5 is poorly read on the topic.

Also keep in mind that diagnosing ADHD before the age of 8 is risky- children's neural pathways are still highly maleable until the age of 8 or 9. Try genuine behavior modification and consistent routines. If your children respond positively, then they probably do not have ADHD. Children who are geniunely diagnosed cannot inhibit their responses in any situation! Try the book "Ritalin is Not the Answer". I can't recall the name of the author, but there are great suggestions regarding behavior mods!

Best of luck-

I do not know anything about the herbal/natural remedies but I am a firm believer in behavioral management. There is so much that parents and teachers can do to help children manage ADD/ADHD that makes a great difference in the behavior. I am not sure where you live but there are places that will help with the behavior without resorting to drugs.

google dr. hallowell - he has books and centers and i believe he has natural suggestions - high doses of omega 3+6 oils etc. also there is a company called enzemedica that is worth looking into. gluten casein free helps alot of people. love 'em and love yourself! all the best!

I am just starting to have a problem with my 7 yr old. His doctor has suggested the feingold diet??? I started to research it and it just seems like a very natural way to wat no thing crazy. There is definate connections between red dye #40 that is in everything and kids with add so keep them away from that stuff. Good luck and if you hear of anything great pass it along,, we as mother just want to do the best we can for our kids. I am there with you NO DRUGS!!!!

I don't know if you've looked at the Dr. Sears book on ADHD? I think it may contain info as to foods to avoid, ones to eat, etc. Hopefully you can borrow it through your local library or, at the least, through your library using inter-library loan if your library doesn't have it. Good luck.

It's really all about eating natural and organic foods as much as possible, and there isn't a whole lot of difference between the adhd diet and what is healthy for the whole family, so you can look at it as a lifestyle change rather than "the kids' special diet". Eat whole grains- bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, etc. Try to buy foods in their most natural state. Rather than buying canned soup, buy the fresh ingredients and make it from scratch. Buy organic, hormone-free meat, dairy and eggs. Cut out processed foods, high fructose corn syrup and other sugary foods, dyes and food colorings- these are the things that seem to cause problems. A good rule is if you look at the box and there are more than 10 ingredients, don't buy it.

Hi D.,
The best advise I can give you is feed your kids a low carb diet, no sugar, no white bread etc. and supplement with fish oil capsules.
Do yourself the favor and go to the library or buy the book from Dr. Daniel Amen, "Change your brain, change your life"
This will make your life so much easier.
The other thing I suggest is get rid of all your "toxic" cleaning and laundry products in the home. Many are neurotoxins. If you have Tide, Clorox, Bleach, Formula 409, Pine Sol etc. in your home, your home is loaded with carcinogens.
We only learn by educating ourself.
You might also check out: www.saferforall.net
C.

My son was diagnosed at 7 and I could not reconcile using a narcotic on a child. They do not have "ritalin" or (whatever the current drug is) deficiencies.

Today my son is 20. We never used drugs. We used a combination of behavior modification, exercise (he became one of the top breastroker in the state his sr. year in high school), change of foods, and nutritional supplemantation.

I have documented our story on http://www.nosickvisits.mysite.com/ . Feel free to contact me and I can tell you specifically why I chose these particular supplements.

Foods - remove sugar, artificial sweetners, hydrogenated oils to start. The entire family needs to change - for instance mom & dad can't have soda etc.

I experimented with different substitions. Again I woudl be happy to share my info. Very important to keep the protein level up- many of these symptoms are exacerbated with low blood sugar.

A big side effect - my children used NO antibiotics in the past 13 years. Why - they didn't catch strep, ear infections etc.

Keep asking questions D.. Your children deserve nothing less. :)