Something Natural to Treat ADD

I know that this is going to sound silly, but MORE SLEEP can help many kids. Many symtoms of ADD and ADHD are symptoms of sleep deprivation and more sleep can really cut down on them. We all focus better when we're well rested.

If he isn't already falling asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed and waking up happy on his own in the morning, start adjusting bed time until he is.

HTH,
T.

I agree with omega 3s. And try regular chiropractic care too, my kids have been adjusted since day one it's very safe, and i've seen many kids with physical ailments or behavioral issues benefit from it. Good luck!

There is no "good for you" response for choosing a treatment route for a medical condition, so I don't understand those responses. "Natural" isn't always best, particularly when treating this condition. ADHD is a very serious medical condition and I would recommend you talk this over with your child's psychiatrist instead of strangers (esp. those without first-hand experience or a medical degree). There are a lot of "natural" scams out there that do absolutely nothing but waste your money. They are not regulated, too, so you don't always know quite what you're getting (unlike the real medications, which are regulated and monitored when in use).

Read through ADDitude magazine for factual information about treating this condition and dealing with it on a daily basis. Also join CHADD so you can connect with parents dealing with ADHD.

You need to read the book "Magnificent mind at any Age" by Dr. Daniel Amen. He is the only dr. in my mind that has a clue about ADD. He also has a website. He talks about diets and supplements as well as medications but to always try the supplements first. It's very fascinating because he actually scans the brain. There are 6 types of ADD/ADHD. Read the book and figure out if that's what your child has. Best of luck.

I am an adult with severe ADD. I just got the diagnosis last year. My doctor explained that compare your brain to a filing cabinet, a normal person would observe and take in info and file it accordingly, but an individual with ADD can't file it appropriately. Its like they took all the files and just threw it into the draw. I have been on medicine for this now and it helps tremendously. I feel like I am more focused and can organize my thoughts to action more effectively. If your son is having problems now it will only get worse in middle and high school, when getting good grades counts. Helping him help himself is the best thing you can do. I would try the medicine for a trial period of a few months and let your son tell you how he feels. He probably doesn't enjoy being non attentive and unorganized. He may feel more in control of his thoughts and emotions.

Good for you for resisting meds. They have so many side effects. My friends have used Reliv International's kids' product - it has the DHA and omega 3s in the right proportion so you aren't playing kitchen chemist on your own. I would be very careful about mixing & matching vitamins - you want one entire absorbable (liquid) product that is balanced. Reliv gives you phenomenal customer care and support, their FDA inspection took 2 hours instead of the usual 2 days because the FDA couldn't find one single thing to criticize or correct, and the company feeds 45,000 children a day just through the charitable foundation (not counting all the regular customers). They have top notch testing by independent labs, have conducted many clinical trials, and have received 6 US patents with 2 more pending. These patents are on the entire formula, not just a single ingredient like most companies. You can't get a patent unless your product is safe, effective and one-of-a-kind.

Moreover, you child will probably not get sick any more, or much less than before. We use their adult products and have had extraordinary results that we never had on any other supplements, whether store-bought, from a health food outlet, or from a chiropractor.

The only caution I would say about asking your doctor about it is that 95% of doctors have had no nutritional training. However, the AMA recommended in 2002 that every needs to supplement because our food doesn't have what we need. So they recommend supplements but don't train physicians in this area. So I would ask the doctor if anything will harm the child, not whether it will help.

I would be happy to help you and have you work with other parents who have solved this problem. One friend is a long-time kindergarten teacher whose son got great results with his ADD - and she deals with these kinds of kids every day. She and her husband had also done Shaklee but didn't get the results. Another friend's child had 60 food allergies and tremendous rages -- those are all gone. A third friend has a child who had severe peanut and egg allergies - now they are virtually gone and soon will be completely erased. The allergist is amazed but thrilled.

I'd be happy to help - email me directly and I'll give you my phone number. A brief chat will help you get more answers.

Look at what your son is eating, first off, to see what he is eating. Processed foods are bad for all kids but especially for kids who have attentional issues. Sugar, food coloring, preservatives and pesticides are known to exacerbate ADHD and ADD symptoms.

There are definitely supplements that you can give your child to help him with his ADD symptoms but they are not quick fixes but, because they actually balance your son's system, not just mask up the symptoms, they are definitely well worth the wait. The thing about supplments though, is that they are not all created equal. The ones that don't have a lot of fillers are more expensive than the ones that you will find at your local grocery store. We usually buy our supplements from Whole Foods Market and I haven't had any problems with brands like Nordic Naturals (for Omega 3 fish oils -- great for calming the nervous system), Solaray and Country Life.

Here are two books that I have found very informative on the issue of how diet and nutritional supplementation help children with ADHD and the like:

The Autism & ADHD Diet by Barrie Silberberg

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies by Dr. Kenneth Bock

Hope this helps.

I've heard of many people using fish oils and it helped. Nordic Natural Omega 3-6-9 juniors works well for us. It's a small jell filled and it's chewable although not good tasting. My son spits out the shell after he sucks out the juice ;(
Also, taking dyes in food especially red and yellow, out of the diet help. This has been a very hard task for us. It's hard to say you can't eat that now, and get everyone that watches him to follow suite. But min. has helped with his attitude and his allergies!
I have not tried it b/c I'm a huge fan of bleach, but I have heard many positive things about going all natural with cleaning products. I have read and heard personal testimonies from friends about this. Many people went from major allergy issues to none just by changing cleaning products to all natural, they also found new energy and better behavior. Personally not sold on the idea yet but hey it may be worth a try.

speaking as an adult who suffered through severe adhd as a child, there are NO natural remedies for it. meds are the only that helped me. people can say it's nutrition, or you need to take omegas, or anything, but seriously...if that were true, we'd be CURED. so, i know you don't want to, but it may be of better benefit to use meds to help rather than put him through useless (not to mention money wasting) "supplements".

my husband's mother controlled his brother with diet. No processed sugars, no junk food, etc. By doing this, she was able to help him enough that he didnt need to go on medication. Of course, this was 30 years ago, so there are probably vitamins and things you could add to it to help even more.

We used cod liver oil (pill form) for our now-teen son when he was in middle school. He does not have an official ADD diagnosis, but had difficulty focusing, completing tasks, etc. We found the cod liver oil helped a LOT. The cod liver oil pills are soft gels (like Vitamin E pills) and easy to swallow. The name is icky but I believe they helped; they can't hurt. It's been a while but I think we gave him one pill with dinner each night.

Also, be sure to limit his refined sugar (esp. at breakfast) and make sure he is getting enough sleep. Cutting sugar is hard, esp. with that age group, but it *really* makes a difference.

Pre-teens have a lot going on developmentally that can distract them too. It is a tough age. Good luck!

Has your son been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or is it just concentration problems. I understand not wanting to medicate without cause, but please consider if your child is truly ADD/ADHD they may need medication. It's not drugging a kid. I have ADD and without meds my life is painfully difficult and miserable. Medication can be essential. People often assume because it isn't a physical ailment it's just a matter of trying harder or taking some vitamins. If you genuinely have brain chemistry that is missing specific chemicals you can not get better any more than a diabetic child could just will away the need for insulin.
I'm not trying to criticize you and I applaud you being so careful with your child and not wanting to over medicate or give unneeded medicine, but I just wanted to offer the thought that if he is genuinely suffering from a psychiatric disorder he may need medication.
Good luck and hang in there

We detoxed our home and my daughter's ADHD diagnosis was removed. Since then I have her taking an absorbable multivitamin. I believe that if the body is getting the nutrition it actually needs then the body, including the brain, does exactly what it is supposed to do. If I continued to see that particular behavior I would have added an Omega 3 for concentration. The old wives tale that fish is brain food is actually true. Omegas are primarily found in fish.

The vitamin she takes is guaranteed to absorb and also has a 90 day guarantee on it so if you don't get the results you are looking for you simply return the empty bottles and get your money back. I personally don't know anyone who has ever sent it back. If you're interested in detoxing, I can tell you what I did as well. It was simple and inexpensive for me. Let me know!

M.

good for you for resisting the trend to drug kids into submission! start with his diet. i firmly believe that too much sugar, processed foods, chemicals and toxins are responsible for 90% of today's ADD issues.
khairete
S.

Diet and environmental toxins can make a big difference. Clean out your home and start using "green" products instead of chemicals, look into diets and supplements that can help, and make sure you don't give him anything with chemical dyes, many kids have a bigger reaction to the dyes in candy than to the sugar!

Dear M2B2g,

Believe it or not, your doctor may know of some natural supplements that may work. Many doctors are moving toward wholistic and homeopathic solutions. I would start with the doctor so that your son doesn't have any negative reactions to anything that a non-doctor would suggest. We don't know if your son has any allergies (food or med wise) and we don't know what the side affects might be. Even with natural supplements etc. there could be some problems. So I will be cautious and ask the doctor first. If anyone has a suggestion on this site, I would take that suggestion to the doctor as well and see what he/she thinks because we don't know your child's medical history. Also, you may try eliminating sugar from his diet. Sugar drives my son wild!(smile).I hope this helps.

God Bless,

I think that both of my older kids have some ADD, just like your son.
My kids can not sit still and focus on their school work as well. OR anything else for that matter.

I can't wait to hear what the other mama's out there have to say about this one, because I too would love to find something natural to treat ADD.

I wish you the best with your son and take care.