Natural Remedies for ADHD Symptoms/signs?

You can't remedy something if you don't know the problem. Quite honestly he sounds pretty normal to me, but if you're concerned about ADHD you need to get a proper diagnosis, not just a guess.

You need to go gluten free. Bright green leafies and a rainbow of veggies & some fruits help out tremendously. NO SUGAR, limited juice. I have a friend who did this w/ her son who had been diagnosed and she was able to avoid all medication just by diet alone. I do believe the Jenny McCarthy has a book out as well telling how she helped/is helping her son who had been diagnosed as well.

Classical Homeopathy can help. Dr, Dan Cook ###-###-####. There is a Dr. Alex Bekker in Dallas too. You are a great mom to seek out something other than western medicine.
L.

There is no evidence that anything you mentioned works. Many people see placebo effects, and, if any of these things worked, they would be drugs too.

Get a diagnosis. This is not a charachter defect. If your son has ADHD he has a real medical issue that is completley out of his control, and he will no be able to fix it himself. ADHD is an issue with brains, and they are flesh and blood, and unless you reject all medical care, you are selling your son short by denying him what works. Brain cells do not touch. There is a small space, called a snyapes, in between each one. We have thoughts in our brains that are carried from brain cell to brain cell as electrical impulses. When the electrical impulse reaches the synapes, they trigger our bodies to produce neurotransmitters that then carry the thought over the space, to the next brain cell. It happens hundres of millions of times a second, and you can't "think" that process into working right if it is damaged. People who do not make enough neurotransmitter or whose brain cells have damaged neurotransmitter receptors have ADHD.

This is a medical issue, but treating it is not a cop out or an easy way, it is a tool to help kids get the most benefit, and sometimes any benefit at all out of all the treatment they should be getting which shoudl consist of many, many hours of som combination of cognative behavioral therapy, play therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, social skills classes, and behavioral and educational interventions. it is very hard work for his doctors, his therapists, his teachers, you and him.

So, you see, what I think you are afraid of is that he will be handed a pill from a pediatrician from a doctor after you talk to them for five minutes or less, and that every child with issues has gone to see their every day doctor and tried a pill. That is just not how it works, and shame on any parent or doctor for doing that. Get an evaluation from a Developmental Pediatrician, or a Board Certified Child Psychiatrist/w a Neuropsychological evaluation combo. Then, contact your school district and have them evaluate him too, and learn about school advocacy from www.wrightslaw.com. He is not even 8 yet, so you have a long road ahead if he really has ADHD. Nobody, not a doctor, not a school district, is going to hand out that diagnosis to any child who does not need it to get the help they need to succeed.

If you need it, there is no replacement. If you try something else and it works that is great, but they never had ADHD to begin with. Find out for sure, and find out what is true and false about what you think you know, and about what has scared you. It just is not what you think, and your son will thank you if you get him appropriate treatment if he really has ADHD.

M.

About once a month someone posts something at this site asking for natural remedies for ADHD. I always say the same thing: the best way to treat a medical condition is with medicine.

If your child had diabetes, RA, or Chron's you would get them a prescription right? Well, ADHD is a disease in which the chemical neurotransmitters produced by the brain and the neuroreceptors do not operate correctly. People call it a "behavior" issue but it's a MEDICAL issue.

Please do not deny your child a happy, content, and productive life because you are morally opposed to medicating for a "behavior" issue. Are you morally opposed to medical treatment for depression or bipolar disease?

As a parent you should want to do what's best for your child. You should visit a physician and explore every option available to you. If you can spare your child the torment of growing up with a disease that interferes with success in school and making friends and that makes you get in trouble all the time, makes you feel antsy and out of control all day long, keeps you isolated from your peers, makes you less successful in things that you try to accomplish, and is damaging to your self esteem then you should try anything and everything to make that happen.

Hi M.
If you want to go the natural route I would recommend going to a holistic centre and have a Bio Resonance test done.This test scans the body's energy field,which mirrors the actual state of your organs and system.
It will show up any allergies,his state of mind etc.
It is a non invasive test,it is done by testing a piece of hair.
I take my son approx twice a year and he takes homeopathic medicines if needed.
Just a thought,is there any chance he could have worms as the symptoms are similiar to that of a hyper actice child.
Best of luck
B.

Your son sounds like a normal 8 year old and a book called The Good Son may help you see what behavior is normal for boys and how to deal with that behavior in a classroom setting. I read it because I have 2 sons and it has helped me understand why they do the things they do and how to guide them to use that behavior in a constructive manner. Please leave diagnosing a child with any possible problem to the professionals-medical doctors. Also, don't give your child anything, natural or not, without the advice of a doctor. I took one of these natural remedies and ended up with severe abdominal pains that lasted until this stuff worked it's way out of my system. They aren't regulated by the FDA. Doctors and perscription meds aren't always the answer, but their not the enemy either. All rememdies have their place depending upon the situation. Good luck!

My daughter has ADD (the non-attentive type, she is dreamy, cannot focus unless it interests her, but not hyper at all). She was tested at school and then some additional discussion and tests with a neuropsychologist. She is now on Concerta 18 mg once a day for a month and it has made a WORLD of difference. I offered that she could skip a school day recently since she had music and some kind of assembly and not much school work that day, and she told me that "school is misery without it". She does her homework INDEPENDENTLY, which never happened, we were always struggling well into the night. She is attentive at school and completes her class work and on recent tests she got all 90's and up. If your child had cancer you would not withhold meds because they are not "natural", would you? These meds help create chemicals in the brain that are missing in ADD-ers. I would ask your school or pediatrician for advise. In Massachusetts where we live, if you write a letter to the principal with your concerns, they have to respond in a certain number of school days (30 or 45, can't remember) to you. First a team met to discuss her data, then the team decided testing was warranted. AD(H)D does not have a medical test, but questionnaires are filled out by parents and teachers and interpreted/scored by a psychologist. Good luck.

I'm on a program called Advocare - I'm a distributor as well for my own benefit. They have told me the Spark - their no sugar energy drink helps with ADHD. So - to your question YES - those will help.

Here is my website link - you can explore and see testimonials and all the nutritional facts and such on there.

www.AdvoCare.com/10062907
https://www.advocare.com/10062907/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?i...

Just to ease your mind a bit, your son is acting like a typical 8-year old. The frontal lobe of the brain, which controls impulsivity, consequences and focus does not fully mature until early 20's. Not to say that you can't help him with these things along the way, but understanding that it may take some trial and error when it comes to keeping him on track and may also take some creativity on your part, is key. Most children are right brain dominant. This means that they will respond more visually than verbally. Try using a chart with pictures to note his daily chores, when to do homework, etc. Also, when there is a time limit on say, when he needs to get dressed in the morning, use the clock on the wall and let him know it needs to be done by the time the hand gets to a certain spot. The understanding of what 5 mins is compared to visually seeing it is easier for kids to understand.
As for supplements, Omega-3's are essential for everyone from womb to tomb! I still remember my neurology professor saying that "If you want your kid to be smart, give them Omega-3's!" He needs at least 2000mg of fish oil per day. Nordic Naturals or Carlson's are good brands to buy from the store (Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, Sprouts), but don't get the Costco super-sized bottle. Omega-3's become rancid very quickly and need to be kept in a dark, cool place at all times. I prefer to give my patients a professional product (through doctors) that has been throughly tested for freshness, potency and purified to ensure no metal toxicity. I'm not a big fan, however, of herbal remedies. They act like drugs and should be considered as such. If I ever put a patient on herbs its for no longer than 30-60 days depending on the circumstance.
The products I recommend are from Standard Process. You can find a doctor that sells them in their practice and research yourself at www.standardprocess.com. If you would like to talk more about your son and his nutritional needs, just email me directly as there may be some underlying issues that can be handled effectively in different ways. My office is in Plano, but you may be able to find someone closer to you in McKinney. Hope this helps ease your mind. God Bless.

The diet is always important to look at when dealing with these issues. An anti-inflammatory diet would be extremely helpful. Not that it is easy, but taking out gluten, sugar, caffeine and possibly even dairy should help improve things tremendously. Also, look at any food allergies he may currently have. If you have not been on Dr. Mercola's website you may find it useful in finding natural approaches to many health conditions. www.mercola.com. You can do searches, and receive his on-line newsletter.

Best of luck to you.

I agree with everyone who says "get him tested first." Self labeling can cause its own problems. However, that said- food allergies run in my family and cause the same/similar "results." And not just food (ie. eggs, gluten, soy, corn, etc.) but additives as well (ie. Red 40, Yellow 5 & 6, sodium benzoate, etc.) While having a medical test is one way to determine certain allergies it is possible to do it with an "elimination diet." Some say it is more accurate! I saw a specialist and did an elimination diet. I will say from my own experience, when I am exposed to my allergens I always show ADD or ADHD symptoms (depending on what I eat). I only wish it hadn't taken me until college to figure it out! Good luck helping your son, that you are trying to help him is a sign of a loving and caring mother.

THink about taking him to a doctor of Natropath. They have lots of natural treatments.

I have a friend whose son is ADHD, she is very health conscious and studied long before doing anything. The thing she found that worked the best on helping his concentration was quite simple. She makes sure he has protein for breakfast in the form of meat. Bacon, sausage or even a ham sandwich. He is now in high school and doing very well. Good luck, it is hard to know what to do that will be best for your child.

I don't have a child with ADHD, but when I was looking into natural remedies for it, when I thought my son might have it, I read over and over again to avoid red food dyes that are found in many foods. It's hard to avoid them! It's in practially any food that's red or pink or orange - like strawberry yogurt, koolaid, popsicles, Apple Jacks, etc! But it couldn't hurt to eliminate it and see if it helps. Good luck with your search!

Personally I would stay away from any natural remedies for ADHD. They are not regulated and their haven't been studies about the long term effects. I would at least go through the process of getting a proper diagnosis so that you know exactly what you are dealing with. Maybe it isn't ADHD maybe it is. If it is the choice is yours to medicate or not. If he is ADHD, I have heard fish oil helps, it's not an herbal remedy, just a supplement.

You described my 8 year old to a T!!!!!!!!! We started giving him Omega 3 fish oil about a year ago. I give him 4 pills a day. Two in the am and two in pm. It seems to help. Not like meds will but it also does not take away from his personality. I would also stay away from red and blue food coloring as much as possible. We also limit the amount of sugar he gets. And try to give him proteins when he has sugar to help counteract it.

Good luck and God bless!!!!

Dr. Deborah Bain of Healthy Kids Pediatrics specializes in natural remedies for ADHD. She "cured" her own son of the symptoms by changing his diet. She will be able to help you. Good luck!

http://healthykidspediatrics.com/

Dr. Bock's book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics:Autism, Asthma, ADHD and Allergies by Dr. Kenneth Bock may be helpful to you. Dr. Cavazos treatments would be in line with this sort of treatment as well. Brain Balance in Plano also evaluates and has a therapy program for ADHD.

If you are in the North Texas area, try taking him to the University of North Texas Brain Lab. They've had a lot of success with detox and identifying external sources of ADHD-like behavior. At 8, your son is really too young to be truly diagnosed because his frontal lobe will not be fully developed until he is 9. You might also look into food allergies and enzyme therapy.

The one I know about it attached to the Children's Miracle Network. I have heard many wonderful testimonies of it helping, but it makes no claims to. I will be glad to give you the link if you write. If it doesn't help, you get your money back, so there is no risk. ____@____.com A.

Kudos to you for exploring this route! Medication is going to just treat the symptoms, not the causes. Trying a gluten-free diet is a great non-invasive way to see if your son's symptoms lessen. Gluten isn't essential to our diet - so it isn't as if you will be depriving your son. I am on a gluten-free diet and there are many products available now that you can buy.

My 8 year old nephew has the same issues and I'm trying to convince my sister to try natural methods. She also does not want to medicate her bright son.

Try a Gluten Free diet. It is proven to help children with ADHD and even children with autism.

PLEASE explore the food allergies and also having him evaluated by an optometrist who specializes in vision therapy. We had our daughter on meds for four years, her pre-school years through kindergarten. After vision therapy, her focus and concentration corrected most of her ADHD. At age 9, she was tested for allergies and we found she was highly allergic to certain foods. She was a different child following these discoveries. Oh, and we found out after many years that she has absolutely no recall of the years she was on the meds. They are drugs, after all.

Ive heard of chiropractic care helping, specifically adjustments to the atlas but the rest can't hurt either! This is because the spinal cord houses the nervous system, which controls all bodily (and mind) functions. If a vertebra is out of alignment, it can impinge on the attached nerves, causing interference of the brains signals and messages.

Dr. Block in Hurst on Norwood is amazing. I would call her. She started this trend years ago. She has some amazing books you could pick up and read.

I am also a mother that is concerned about her own child. Although my son is not diagnosed, we have done the connors checklist at the school, and I do plan on taking it to the DR. I went to GNC and found a product called Attentive Child. It seems to have some positive affect on my son. By the way, I did research before giving it to him. There is also Focus Facor For Kids. I plan on researching that one as well. I would prefer to not put him on medication as well, but think it would be helpful to to see if he is diagnosed or not. Here where I live they cannot force me to put him on medication, but it would get him extra help at school. The best person I have found to talk to is the school's counselor. I found discussing with her about my son helped very much. The counselor is not just there for the kids, they are also there for the parents.

M.,

It does sound like your son has some focus issues. I know that this can be very disruptive to a teacher's class and they can require you to place him on medication. It is good that you are being proactive for your son. If he does have ADHD then his body is out of balance and he is deficient of some vital nutrients. I am attaching a link to a call that I know you will find very informative. This call has a pediatrition and an ENT Dr on it discussing health issues and one of the issues is ADHD.

Yes, the "natural" or supplement world is unregulated and it is very important for you to do some research. Not all companies are created equal. Omega products "Fish Oils" are a prime example. There are pollutants in lots of our fish these days and are passed on through many products. Shaklee has a cold process where they extract these pollutants. They also test the end product to verify that it contains no pollutants "Chemicals" before they release the batch. If you would like to know more about all the testing that Shaklee does on their products I would be happy to share that with you.

Let me know if you have any problem hearing this call because I can always burn it onto a CD and send it to you. http://bit.ly/c7JoW3

Send me an email if you would like to discuss this further. It is always important to have as good a diet as possible. Make sure he is eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

Also check into food intolerances. My 8-year-old was antsy also but she also would say things like "she wished she was never born" (big drama and often depressive statements). Turns out she had a couple of food intolerances. Once those were gone, she was able to focus. She is still high energy so we make sure she is doing gymnastics or martial arts.

I had Dr Larry Davis in Plano check her out after 2 sets of labwork basically said she was fine. She had other things going on- eczema, fevers, and more. The best part is no needles are I involved. I've also seen ads for Dagnan Chiropractic that sounds like they do similar testing. (applied kinesiology and NAET might help you if you want to Google info)

M., I had my daughter on kids nutritional supplement with Omega3 and other brain food for growing children, she was very healthy and smart and growing. My friend's son was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and struggled with school and behavior, got him to take same supplement all his issues are gone and he is enjoying school and friends.

Let me know if you would like more details.

A.

Check out Brainworx in Plano with Dr. Cavazos, but he's expensive and not covered by insurance.

Hi M.,

I have a lot of experience with this (with my own son), and have found the natural path to be effective. However, every kid's make up is different so it could be futile to give him the typical stuff like Omega 3 etc... until you truly know that is what his body needs. We visited Dr. Homero Cavozos ###-###-#### to have a series of tests done for our son. From simple urine and stool collection various test can be run to tell a lot about what is happening inside his body. We could not believe the results. We found out that our son had over 16 food allergies and was lacking in several critical nutrients, as well as having bad bacteria running rampant in his gut! We would never have known this without the tests. The doctor created a supplement plan for us and we have now also been following a very tailored diet for 3 months. I can see the difference in my child, and it is wonderful. I highly recommend having these test done so you can target the exact supplements your son's body needs. Feel free to message me if you want to talk further.

Good luck!

"NRG" tea (which is a powder that you can put in jello) or tablets from Herbalife. I used to sell herbalife, and this has got to be one of the best products they have. One of the other ladies who sold it had a daughter with ADHD. She gave her NRG and it worked like magic.

No "zoning out", medicated kids! This is a natural substance that will pick you UP if you are DOWN, or bring you down to a "normal" level if you are too "up".

I would love to help him. We do nutrition response testing. Only putting him on products that tests on his body and only products that he needs. They will reverse the behaviors that you are seeing. Call our office. My staff can answer any questions you have. ###-###-#### or you can look at my website. Dagnanchiropractic.com