Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has gained a large amount of press in recent years. It is currently estimated that more than four million children carry this diagnosis, which is up from less than one million in the 1990’s.

Even with these numbers and the amount of press given to the subject, most of us still have a limited understanding of the symptoms and possible treatments of this disorder. Hopefully, this article will shed some light on the subject.

The background of ADHD is quite interesting. A condition similar to ADHD was first described in The Lancet in 1902. From the 1940’s to 60’s the condition was identified with minimal brain damage or dysfunction. In the 1960’s it became hyperactivity or poor impulse control.

In 1980, it was listed as hyperkinetic child syndrome, which then evolved through hyperkinetic syndrome and hyperactive child syndrome, to attention deficit disorder, either with hyperactivity or without hyperactivity. By 1994, the official term was Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, with three subtypes.

The three subtypes are:

So, that is a brief history of the disorder. The more important and controversial aspect of ADHD, however, deals with diagnosis and treatment.

There are no straightforward or “hard” clinical tests used to diagnose ADHD. The diagnosis is based mostly on parent, teacher and patient reports of behavior. The symptoms are most often first recognized by the child’s teacher and/or parent. The behavioral features that define ADHD are short attention span, distractibility, impulsivity, and over-activity. The problem, as will be identified by any parent reading this article, is that many kids have a good number of these symptoms. The consideration, then, of tagging a child with a diagnosis of ADHD depends upon the severity of these symptoms and the relative degree of functional impairment in social settings.

The four major criteria of diagnosing ADHD are:

Many doctors do not consider these criteria before suggesting a diagnosis of ADHD and then prescribing drugs. Most rely only on reports of hyperactivity and poor performance at school.

My concerns with the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are with the number of children being prescribed an array of drugs including nonstimulants like Strattera® and psychostimulant medications like Ritalin®, Dexedrine®, Concerta®, and Adderall®. These powerful drugs are associated with a number of adverse effects. Why, then, are we letting our children take millions of these dangerous prescription drugs each year?

A partial answer to this question can be found by reading a few of the many pro-drug articles either in print or on the internet. These articles claim that many studies have been done showing these drugs to be safe and effective. I find it interesting that many times you see the terms “safe and effective” used in the same sentence when they have nothing to do with each other. Just because something is effective does not mean it is safe and vice versa. I agree that studies and clinical experience show these drugs to be effective in some. Safety is a whole different issue.

Stating that many studies show these drugs to be safe is one of those let’s play with the truth just short of lying statements. If your measure of safety is that most kids do not fall over dead or experience immediate life threatening symptoms, then the statement that studies have shown these drugs to be safe is more accurate. If your measure of safety includes any changes in your child away from their norm, the same statement becomes completely inaccurate.

The fact is that those who advocate the taking of prescriptions make light of the listed side-effects. A good example of this is an article I read which included a list of some of the potential side-effects associated with these drugs. They included sleep difficulties, stomachaches, headaches, appetite reduction, drowsiness, irritability, nervousness, excessive staring among others, nervous tics, hallucinations, and bizarre behavior. The author immediately downplayed this horrible list of side-effects by stating, “The list of possible side effects can be scary to parents considering the use of medication for their child, but it is important to emphasize that the vast majority of children with ADHD experience no adverse effects.”

The vast majority experience no adverse effects? This is simply not true. Period. It is true that the vast majority do not get nervous tics, hallucinations, or bizarre behavior. I consider anything out of your child’s ordinary as an adverse effect and I will tell you from clinical experience that the vast majority do experience symptoms.

The reason they water down the side effects issue is to make parents feel less guilty about taking the drug route. Less guilt and hiding from the truth equates into more use of prescriptions. This is the ugly truth.

Unfortunately, another reality is that many parents are extremely busy in their lives and do not want to take the time needed to implement other approaches to treating ADHD. Giving a child a pill is much easier on the parent. I realize that this statement may be taken the wrong way; especially by anyone giving their child a drug. Know that I am not saying that everyone giving their child one of these dangerous drugs is doing so for their own convenience. Most are not. If you are, however, you know it in your heart of hearts and I urge you to refortify and dedicate some time addressing other treatment options for your child.

Now, with that said, I have enough experience with ADHD to understand that some children may need prescription intervention to be able to function at all. Most of the millions on these prescriptions, however, do not. The problem is that many parents do not know where to turn for guidance in treating their child’s condition other than to go to their family doctor. If options other than drugs are not outlined and explained, the choice will be to try medication.

Why, are other choices not fully explained to parents? The answer to this question has a number of parts. First, doctors just simply do not have the time needed to spend with parents to explain the specifics of following a proper diet and proper supplementation. Every doctor I know is extremely busy in their practice and the system just does not allow for time to be spent with patients. On top of this, medical doctors are comfortable with medication. They do not have a comfort level with so-called alternative therapies. When you are in a rush, you practice within your comfort level.

The reason most doctors have a poor level of comfort with natural alternatives is that they have not spent the time needed to really study anything regarding ADHD. I say anything because if they really studied the effects of the medications they prescribed, most would be looking for alternatives if they truly cared about their patients. And, believe me, it takes a lot of time! Thus, most doctors have little to no expertise in the field of ADHD treatments.

Parents seek out the expert opinions of their doctors and most times get short changed. What they get is a biased opinion away from natural approaches and towards prescriptions. It would be refreshing to hear a doctor tell their patient that they know what drugs to give their children, but that they really have little expertise in supplying them with good information about alternative treatments. It would be equally refreshing to have them stop imparting a negative tone towards any options other than prescriptions.

This puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the parents. Do not just assume that the doctor’s word is gospel or that they really know of what they are talking. Ask them pointed questions to determine their level of knowledge. Simply ask them to go over the specifics of diet change and supplement benefits. If you get a brush-off, you know where their expertise stands and you know you will have to seek out additional counsel for your child’s sake.

In the next section I will outline some of the treatment options you can take to help your child’s condition. This section is not the complete guide to treating ADHD. It gives you a starting point in trying to figure out what may be a good road to take in helping your child. I encourage you to stop the madness of feeding your child dangerous non-stimulant and psychostimulant drugs simply because of their ease of use and because of biases that push their use.

I encourage you to first use nature and then consider drugs as a last resort!

Treating ADHD Naturally

The hardest part of implementing a natural approach to treating ADHD is determining where to start. I find that the more you study, the more you tend to get confused. My suggestion is to start with a two-part treatment plan. The first part is to assess your child’s diet and to make the necessary changes. The second is to consider some supplementation.

Changing your child’s diet is usually the hardest and most time consuming part of treatment. I am a father of four, so I fully understand how tough it is to get children to change their eating habits. Getting kids to eat fresh vegetables and fruits and to skip the Mac n’ Cheese, chips, or hot dogs is not easy. Let the war games begin!

So, where do you begin? Start with taking out all foods that contain any of the following on the right:

This will probably wipe out a good part of your food pantry. I will tell you that this is by far the easiest way to start and you will be amazed just how many foods your child eats that contain these poisons. You may also be amazed at how reducing the intake of these foods will improve your child’s behavior in a matter of weeks.

Now suppose you eliminate the above foods and there is no perceived benefit to your child’s behavior (although I guarantee there has been a benefit for their over-all health). The next step is to get rid of foods to which they may have potential allergies. This includes taking out foods that contain wheat (gluten) and dairy. I am not going to sugar coat this step. It is a tough thing to do. I can tell you, though, that I see the greatest results when these foods are taken completely out of your child’s diet. A good site to help you is The Gluten Free Kitchen.

I will not go into too much detail, but these foods can increase immune activity due to sensitivity reactions within the body. This increased immune activity includes the expression of certain inflammatory molecules that are increased within brain cells. The end result is a change in brain function which can be expressed symptomatically as changes in behavior. Taking away the food that causes this reaction can have a profound benefit over a period of weeks to months.

Notice that I have stated the time period of weeks to months. You may have to be very patient when following this treatment course. My warning is to not jump ship too early because of poor immediate results. Many patients, though, experience profound benefits rather quickly. Know that there is good reasoning behind the elimination of these foods and food additives. This knowledge will hopefully help you to keep on course.

The second part of treatment includes nutritional supplementation. Since ADHD is such a big problem, you will find product after product on the market that all claim to be the best option for treating this condition. This is the land of over-statements, exaggerations, and half-truths. Just know that there are NO miracle cure products. Try them if you must. But do not feel like you are missing out or cheating your child if you do not. Here are my suggestions for the best studied and most logical nutrients to use as supplements.

Fish oils are a must! They contain fatty acids that are very important for brain function. These include DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). There are many formulations of these oils on the market. Visit www.ZimmerNutrition.com and go to the on-line store category of Brain Function to get some suggestions. It is important to note that you have to get a high quality fish oil product. There are real concerns with rancidity, pesticide contamination, and possible heavy metal content with fish oils. Do not buy cheap store-brand fish oils. You may do more harm than good by using these products.

Another must is a good foundational multiple vitamin. Read The Vitamin Answer Book for further information. In addition to the above, there are a number of brain nutrients you can try that can have significant benefits. You will be able to find a number of products that combine these ingredients so your child will not have to take “meals of pills”. The table on the rightincludes suggested supplements to try.

I want to emphasis one more time that there are no magical supplements for ADHD. Implementing this two-phased program of diet changes and supplementation of nutrients can be very powerful in treating your child’s condition. Do not expect overnight results. However, I have had a number of parents tell me that they noticed a difference in a matter of weeks! Some even sooner. The goal is to help normalize brain function. Give nature a chance before resorting to the use of dangerous drugs.