Natural/holistic ways to treat adhd?

We will be getting our children tested for adhd soon. We are pretty sure that the two boys at least have it. We are very unsure of the medications they have out there currently. They (like any of the stuff you see on tv) seem to all have very unpleasant side effects. Does anyone know of/have tried a natural approach to treating this? I know there are different things you can do..I don't mean those..I mean a natural supplement or something that you could give the child. We are just starting our search for this approach and I would greatly appreciate any feedback on this matter...even drugs that you have tried and have worked for your child w/out severe side affects. Thank you.

Kelly	ADHD is really hard to deal with. My dad has it and he has fits a lot but the best thing I do is to ignore him until he's calm and then talk to him. Otherwise, he won't listen to me. He also told me he felt weird as a child(to this day he denies anything's wrong with him) and told me that medication often made him depressed. Maybe you should consider no meds at all. Be really supportive too, because this is a hard thing to overcome.

mr mojo risin	look into acupuncture and homeopathics and stuff like that of course diet especially corn syrup and refined sugar maybe even organic therapy and depending on how bad it is nothing at all

God Bless America!~	dont give them medications, it only makes t hings worse...trust me...

praying for hope	i have the best answer hands down there is a product called attention drops that works miracles. My friends little boy was unbelievalbly out of controle had sever add and adhd they started him on attention drops and he is a different kid (for the better) he is not drugged its an all natural Oregano product call the power hour at 877-817-9829 you will not be dissapointed it will be the best thing you can do for your child

oldtimekid2	The obvious statement of "limit sugar, caffeine, and stimulants" doesn't apply for all cases, but try some Fish Oil (in the appropriate children's doses, of course). It's been shown to greatly help brain health, even in the areas that can help with ADD and ADHD. Good luck!

dophilemup	ADD and ADHD seem to be related to excess acidity in a child's body. Limiting the diet to wholistic foods which are not sugary, and not loaded with carbohydrates is probably a good start. Next, consider the old-fashioned remedy of giving the child a Gentle, Ivory soap enema. Gentle administration of a soapy enema need not be painful or prohibited for any reason. But, as you renormalize the child's body alkallinity, you may see self-modification of the child's behavior. Good luck.

doctorz53147	I think that Alpha Lipoic Acid helps to eliminate toxic metals from the body which can be a contributing factor in adhd. Alpha Lipoic Acid is widely available and should be easy to find. Also read food labels to make sure toxic metals such as aluminum etc. are not going into them. If it says sodioaluminumphosphate or something like that, that means that it has aluminum in it. Keep their sugar intake low and their nutrient intake high. Find out what they are allergic to and keep them away from those things. Then there is the developmental aspect of the child's mind. I think that a large part of the problems with children's minds today is that children's minds are simply not developing normally because of a lack of use. A large part of this lack of use is because of sitting in front of the television set for hours everyday. Children need lots of mental stimulation of a variety of types in order for their minds to develop normally. And do not forget that plenty of exercise is necessary not only for their body but also for their brain. Television is too powerful for children to resist so do not make them have to. Either lock it up for special occasions or get rid of it. Then provide them with plenty of things to do that require them to use their mind or body or both. You might be shocked at how much these things will do for your kids.

Gadfly	While there maybe options to treat ADHD in alternative treatment, the first action should be taken on the children's diet. There are plenty of evidences prove that children's ADHD or ADD has a great deal to do with excessive sugar intakes, we are talking about processed, refined sugar, such as candy bars, softdrinks and other sweets. Try to eliminate these from the daily diet, in the meantime add the healthy diet that contains nutrients necessary for the development of their physical and mental ability. You can read abou this information on the net extensively as well. Put in search word " proper diet for ADHD", you will see a lot of input on this. Seeing a naturepath and have he/she do a muscle testing to see what nutrients are missing in the children would be the next step. ADHD can have a broad range, if their symptoms are not severe, I suggest you choose the diet and nutritional approach first.

FuzzyMath	There are lots of treatment options that can be tried in addition to medication: Less processed foods with additives like high fructose corn syrup and gluten in the diet, (!!!big one), Supplements can help - Omega-3 fatty acids like those found in fish oil and flax Seed Oil, behavioral training, (IEP), even exercise helps. Teaching your child about the problem and helping him to recognize symtoms may help. Some people have reported success with bio-feedback type training. A lot of parents have success with a mult-faceted approch that does not just rely on some "magic pill". I understand your concern about side-effects - the good news is that some of these other approches can help children get by with less medicine. Remember too, symtoms often abate as the child gets older.

Bin There	A lot of ADHD symptoms will go away if you stop the sugar intake. Soda pop has 11 teaspoons per 12oz can. Take away the sugar for a week and watch the results. If they get irritable and cranky they may already be addicted to sugar. There was no such thing as ADHD 50 years ago when it was a treat to get some sugar maybe once a week. That includes; cookies, cake, pies,candy bars or just candy in general. That was when I grew up.

saraphin88	You should search diets for ADHD. They ay even have books on amazon. They do provide several resources on the web for food to give a child with adhd rather than depend soley on the medication. However, in a severe case I would suggest medication and therapy until they finish school. My husband and I are both ADHD...he credits meds and therapy for his success. But there are many resources. Maybe even talk to a nutritionist.

sapphire_630	You have to eliminate sugar and preservatives. Omega fatty acid is important. Read Brain Allergies by Philpott and The Crazymakers by Carol Simontacchi You can also try bright sparks http://www.nativeremedies.com/products/brightspark-hyperactivity-in-children.html OR GNC also sells something called angels (it has a blue label) the company that makes it also makes mineral rich.

I <3 MnM's	It may not be adhd? my son was always busy, hyperactive, could not concentrate, was very hard to handle sometimes. and i had noticed that it got worse after certain foods/medications. i did some research n started keeping a food diary, n wrote down when he got worse. he also suffered from "night terrors"- lasting up to 1hr 20 mins. i found he was allergic to 160b (a yellow food colouring), preservative 220 (found in some breads) n some shower gells, creams etc, and nurofin (colouring). i know it sounds a bit "out there" but i put him on a diet only using preservative free breads, foods without colouring, different medications (for fevers etc) and the night terrors have stopped (at one stage he was getting them every 2nd/3rd day for about 6 months)! n behaviour and concentration is much better. I have talked to his school teacher about the probs he has with food and they make sure he does not swap lunches, get given lollies etc. n for parties i make up a bunch of cupcakes with white icing n chopped lollies (coloured with beetroot juice, veg dyes, available in shops) on top (as opposed to coloured icing, coloured lollies) for him when there is a birthday party at the school. I can now tell if he has anything that reacts with him from his behaviour. your sons may not have an intollerance to foods ect at all, but its worth checking out as some medications for adhd can make things worse. i am not a hippi, i just found the "hype" with going natural was a path i could try. n it worked. check out this website www.fedupwithfoodalergies.info for more info. best of luck with finding out what is wrong.

Fujoshi	ADHD can only be treated without drugs if it is VERY minor... Then you can control it by behavioral therapy. THERE IS NO HERB OR MAGIC CRYSTAL THAT WILL FIX YOUR KID'S IF THEY HAVE ADHD! Herbs are just unrefined MEDICATION! Just because it comes from a leaf doesn't make it any better or worse then a medication... The herb pushers just are not legally forced to tell you about the negative side effects. PLEASE remember that! PLEASE don't write off medication... There is no magic pill but if their ADD/ADHD is effecting their schooling, it is better to try medication then to let their schooling suffer. If they had diabeties... Would you refuse them insolin because you want to try a more "Natural" treatment? ADHD is REAL... It is over diagnosed... But it is, for lack of a better discription, a mental illness... It is the hesitency to try medication that is holding millions of people back from having relief from their symptoms... MEDICATION ISN'T EVIL. It is designed to HELP!! EVERYTHING has side effects... If you eat too much Celery it will act like an MOI Medication because IT CONTAINS THE SAME CHEMICALS as the medication... It is ALL relitive... Just listen to your doctor and don't deny your kids the chance at helping their issues because you have been scared into thinking that "Big Pharm" is out to get you. p.s. There have been studies done that show that sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children. IT IS A MYTH. Find a show on Discovery called "The truth about food" and they show you that it is all in the minds of the PARENTS... They took a kindergarden class and got parental permission to do a study on sugar and hyper activity. One day they let them eat nothing but candy, cake, and cookies. The next they fed them veggies, fruits, and healthy carbs. The day the fed the kids sugar, they did quiet activities... They read stories and finger painted... The day they fed the kids veggies, they had clowns and bouncy toys and excitement. The day they fed the kids sugar, the parents were convinced they ate the veggies because they were so calm and relaxed... The day they ate the veggies the parents were 100% sure that it was the sugar day because the kids were bouncing off the walls! IT ISN'T THE FOOD... IT IS THE ACTIVITY AND HOW YOU TREAT THEM. Don't let your kids overdose on sugar... But don't put the blame on the food if you are already feeding them a healthy diet.