ADHD - Medication Vs. Therapy

I recommend taking him to an allergist to see if he has any food allergies. A relative of a friend was thought to be bipolar. It turns out she's allergic to dairy and wheat. After coming off those foods, she's a completely different person. If anything else comes to mind, I'll pass it on to you. I hate medication and avoid it when I can... so I know where you're coming from.

K.,

There is a doctor in Tucson,AZ who specializes in integrative medicine and did a fellowship under Andrew Weil. His website is www.doctornewmark.com. I would encourage you to look at his website and maybe email him or set up an appointment.

L.

Mother of Brett, ADHD since age 3 yrs. Brett has an IEP with school and we are providing accommodations in school to facilitate a positive and productive education. Trial of meds early on unsuccessful. We take one day at a time.

L. Kandell, MS, RD, IBCLC
Registered Dietitian/Pediatric Specialist
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
AFFILIATED NUTRITION CONSULTANTS, LLC
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
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Hello, K.,

I strongly applaud your questioning and open heart for the BEST answer for your son. Please consider going to the site: wwww.drmercola.com

On it you will find tens of thousands of articles (you can do a search for ADHD) with very wise answers on a multitude of subjects regarding getting clear answers for health and happiness.

(Your heart is right to question!!! Your son is NOT deficient in drugs!)

God bless you, dear sister! And your son.

You CAN get through this. And be happier, healthier, AND wiser, too.

:-)
K.

I just turned 39 years old and have recently had some assocciates in my church men's group refer to ME as ADD! They spun it off as a common knowledge thing. The deal is, when I was a kid no one knew what it was - we were just spunky. In response to this, I have spoken with other folks labeled with Adult ADD, and done a bit of research.

Supposedly, some very great people in our history had the "affliction". Franklin, Einstien, Edison, Kennedy.... all of which used their brains differently to bring great change and success to their communities. I have a diverse portfolio and the drive to succeed at work, in print, and in our home rum business. I would hate to think what I'd be if medication dulled me down.

Sure there may be some cases that are extreme... but it concerns me that drug companies advertise on prime time TV. It concerns me that something we didn't talk about in the 70's is a common drugable concern in the new millenium. I say try this.... throw out the video games, get lots of fun but educational books, and make sure you have the discovery networks on you tv... save the fast-paced, never satisfied media for after the kid's bedtime. Most of all - figure out if they just need more of you.

Hey K.!
We have a friend whos child was diagnosed with ADHD and instead of meds they chose a food therapy. They followed the diet for people who have Celiac Disease. I know it was pretty harsh at first but it has ended up making him a wonderful child. Apparently some doctors think there is a connection between gluten and ADD. It might not hurt to check it out!

http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=14

Great Luck!
A.

.K.,
I have been looking into the effects massage has on kids with ADHD and ADD, it is still somewhat a mystery but has lasting effects for calming the nervous system and is shown to lengthen short attention spans. look up the Touch Institute of Florida they have done some research on it.

One example of how it works: I was giving a massage to a nine year old girl that just a couple of months ago went onto meds, her mom thought a massage was a nice treat for her, the girl's father kept peeking his head into the room and asked if she was asleep, she wasn't. That very very active child just laid there and didn't move a muscle for an entire hour, then for the hour following she just sat quietly and read.
Give massage a try.

Hi K.,
First I want to say I'm not a professional, I am a graduate student specializing in child psychology. So the advice I'm giving you comes from what I learn in classes and see as an intern. First of all, ADHD has nothing to do with diet or processed sugars- thats a myth and a very dangerous one. There are TONS of alternatives for treating ADHD floating around out there- everything from changing the lighting in your child's environment to behavior therapy. People don't ike to medicate their kids- understandably so. However, if you feel that your son has been diagnosed correctly then a combination of medication and behavior therapy has the most empirical support as a "treatment". I've said this before on these message boards- medicating psychological disorders is not an exact science and sometimes the dosages and kinds have to be modified several times before you find the one that is the best fit. However, this is what I know; for a kid who has ADHD medication can be like sitting in a dark room and then having the lights suddenly turned on. The reason that we use medication to treat ADHD is because it has nothing to do with how much sugar you eat or whether you were held enough as a baby. There is a nerotrasmitter difficientcy in the brain that causes the executive functions of the frontal lobe to funcion improperly.This is not generally something that can be helped without meds- it is kind of like telling someone who is bipolar to just stop having mood swings. If you are concerned about medicating your son, talk to a child psychiatrist and get an opinion on non-medicated alternatives from people who really know what they're talking about. Good luck with this, I know it is very hard on both you and your son. He's very lucky to have a mom who wants to be on top of things!
J.

Hey K.!
Have you ever heard of the book: "Bad Attitude: Reverse your child's rudeness in 1 week-- with food"? It is by Audrey Ricker (Ph.D.) and Brian Cabin (M.D., M.D.H.). Brian Cabin is a pediatrician, general practitioner, and nutrition instructor, and is board-certified in homeopathy. He is also a clinical lecturer in the dept. of medicine at the U of A.
After reading this book, I started noticing how my children act after eating certain types of food. And now that I help take care of my nephew (who also has ADHD) I can see a trend with his behavior and what he eats.
I would suggest buying the book or trying to get in touch with Dr. Cabin. And keep an eye on what your son eats. Try cutting out (as much as possible) sugar, preservatives (found in most foods), and dyes. I noticed that when my family started eating mostly organic foods, my children became calmer and they actually didn't "crave" sugary treats. Good luck with your son. I know how hard it is.

--P. B.

OH! You can find the book on Amazon.com.... I think I paid like $3 total after shipping.

Please, please, please seek alternative treatments. This country is so drugged up with medications that in the long run we simply don't know the effects. The idea that a medication could give a child heart problems is downright scary!

Doctors are so quick to label kids with ADHD or other things. I don't know the alternatives but I bet if you searched the Internet or went to a homeopathic MD you could find some valuable information.

It's interesting how many parents refer to the gluten and casein free diet (that's no wheat, no dairy). It does wonders for autistic children, and there's even a book by Diane Kennedy called "The ADHD Autism connection."

Try the diet. But if you really want to heal your son, go see Dr. Cindy Schneider from CARE. Center for Autism Research and Education. She also deals with ADHD issues. She's an MD located at 3rd street and Osborn ###-###-####.

There are soooooo many things you can do without pumping your child full of chemicals. And if the "natural" remedies don't work, then go ahead and try the drugs. But try the diet for at least 3 months first.

I am a former public defender; I've seen the effects of ADHD drugs on many of my young clients. It's worth exploring other options.

I've heard many stories of homeopathic treatments working wonders. You can search for local practitioners on homeopathic.org.
Good luck!
P.

K.,
This info may already repeat some other responses, if so sorry!! I belong to a support group for foster and adoptive parents and many of our kids struggle with different types of behavioral issues including depression, RAD, and ADHD. You get the idea, lol.
The one thing that is a more natural alternative that seems to help is increasing children's amino acid intake (for some reason some kids have a deficit with this). Increasing Omega-3 seems to be helpful and you can buy it flavored in an orange pudding (I think its called Coromega) but the same needed fatty acids can be found in flaxseed oil and other things. Fish oil contains this but there are alot of TASTIER alternatives out there:)
The other thing is that my daughter takes a mild antidepressant which is also used for ADHD which is something that studies are looking into as well. For what its worth~~Good luck!!

Hi K.,
There is so much controversy of ADHD. Did you know that a lot of physicians in this country don't believe in such a thing? Also, there is no such thing in other developed countries. I have read some things about why it is such a issue in this country. It has to do with our diet. Way too much processed and sugar. I have read somes cases where they changed the child's diet and behavior also changed. Just something to look into as an alternative to medicine. Believe me, I think meds. are great. However, there is just so much side affects for a little person. Also he may have to be on it for the rest of his life with increasing doses. Just check out the internet and see what alternative meds. are saying. Good luck.

K.,

Sadly, SO many children and adults are misdiagnosed to have ADHD and ADD. I have a friend who personally knows 5 different families who's children were diagnosed with both and on the "appropriate" drugs for years when the parents had enough and knew there had to be another way. So, they changed their children's diets and gave them proper supplements with Omega 3s and other things (I know of a TERRIFIC one, and if you want to know, ask me) and sure enough, their children are acting better, behaving better, concentrating, etc. and all without the "help" of drugs. I find it VERY interesting how so many people are diagnosed with something these days. You'd be amazed how much of it has to do with improper diet, as most of us don't get proper/adequate nutrition anymore with the processed and prepared foods readily available. And even if people think they are eating well, chances are they aren't doing as well as they think.
I was just at a seminar this past weekend with a doctor from The Better Life Institute who taught us some amazing and empowering facts.
Let me know if you're interested in getting more info.

Hi K.,
My sister in Denver has a 10 year old that has also been diagnosed with ADHD. Due to her concerns about medication, he sees a homeopathic doctor that has been VERY helpful. His grades are getting much better and the problems he had studying for spelling tests and other things that require memorization, are going away. If this is something that you're interested in, please let me know and I can get that info for you.
I know that she is very decently priced as well. My sister is a single mother of 2 boys, and waits tables, and she can fford it.
Please let me know!

Mare
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I havent seen this response yet but my son is ADD and is on Stratera. I hope to get him off in a year or two (he's 12) and has been on it for almost 3 years. One thing that I belive that has changed him more than the medication itself is Karate ! I can not tell you what a huge diffrence keeping him in that did! He wanted to quit a few months ago but I wont let him. He was so out of control I was looking at behavior camps to send him to last year but he has turned around and his grades went up. Its a huge difference !!

K., I have 2 boys, my 15 yr old has ADD, Bi-polar, ODD, and OCD, my 13 yr old has severe ADHD. I think we have tried every medication out there, we've experienced both horrible and fantastic results. They have a wonderful doctor, feel free to email me and I'll give you his contact information.
M.
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Hi K.,

I have to rush out, but wanted to get a quick response to you. I agree with the other responses. It is a long story about my son and he is 12 now. I am allergic to alot and so is my daughter. My son follows suit of course. I stopped certain foods and put him on natural alternatives. He was even diagnosed by a doctor. I never medicated him. People who see him say he is not ADDH. He gets A & B in school. If you want to email me and I can go over what I did, ____@____.com.

T. B

There is a lady named Dr. Clare Jones (in the phoenix area) who has done extensive research on ADHD. She has a website, I'm not sure of it, however I'm sure you could find her on the web search. She gives great strategies for working with children who have ADHD and advice on medication. Hope that helps.

My daughter is 7, she was tested and diagonsed with ADHD three years ago. While there is alot of conterversty over ADHD and how to treat it, every child is different. My daughter is on Medication,in combintion with Therapy, and diet and exercise. She does not like the way she feels without her meds simply beccause her mind can't slow down. I was dead set against meds, I was like the rest of the world it seems, that everyone finds meds as a fast fix. Then I talked to a women who just got diagonsed with Adult ADHD, said she had had it all her life and never knew. She could never get anything done, her mind just worked to fast she started meds and said her life competely turned around! You have to find what is right for your son, try the different meds and/or therapy. Maybe get a second opoinion. If the meds are not working for him maybe he is ADHD. My daughters testing took almost 6 months! there is no quick test no matter what the doc's say. it takes time and understanding and alot of work for the parent(s), doctors, and the teachers too.
Good luck
may peace and Love be with you

I am also a graduate student in psychology and I agree with Jennie that there is not much research support for diet changes or other homepathic remedies for treating ADHD. However, we know that research is guided by political and financial clout and not always be a sincere desire to help people. Cutting back on processed foods, dyes, sugars, and/or caffeine could not hurt your child because it is documented in research studies that diets high in the substances have negative health consequences. I would recommend that the reliance on alternative remedies be in conjunction with more traditional approaches.
I think that overall the issue is not the medication but the overdiagnosis of ADHD. There are alot of kids out there on meds who do not need it. I agree with Jennie that the evidence demonstrates that children with ADHD have a biological and neurological basis for the mental illness and this can be effectively treated with stimulant medication.
What I would ask is can you really trust the diagnosis...or are your sons problems so severe that they warrant treatment with medication. This is akin popping an aspirin for every little ache and pain.
I have worked with kids with very severe ADHD and other comorbid diagnoses. I have found from my personal experience that structure the environment and giving the kids tools to manage their symptoms has really worked. If indeed your son really has ADHD, there is a good chance he will have to deal with it for the rest of his life. He needs to learn how to cope with inattention, blurting out things, carrying on one-sided conversations, or whatever symptoms he has. Medication does not make all that go away. You need to have strong communication with his school, adovocate for him to get his needs met. He needs to know how to make and keep friends (sometimes a problem for kids with ADHD0. He needs to learn to manage his inattention...frequent breaks, limit distractions, use a planner to organize things, keep a several baskets of school supplies around, or whatever creative ideas anyone can come up with.
S.

Cranial Sacral Adjustments are rumored to help. I had a friend with a Grandson who had adhd and after talking to many people I was told that the cranial sacral adjustments would help. I have a 13 week old daughter and I have had her adjusted about 4 times now. I really is amazing what these simple adjustments can do. Email me if you have any questions. Good Luck!