Many parents have tried nutritional methods, such as taking sugar out of the child's diet, before they seek medical attention. A small body of research has suggested that some children may benefit from nutritional treatments, but there are no well-established methods that have consistently shown to be helpful to most children with ADD/ADHD.
Monitoring a child's diet gets more difficult as a child gets older and more independent, making the research difficult. Also, delaying the use of proven, effective treatments, while trying things with unknown effects may be harmful to children.
[The ADD/ADHD information above is based on source material from the National Institute on Mental Health entitled "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Questions and s," published in March 2000.]
An appropriate diet, when combined with supplements, such as Omega 3 fatty acids, and a structured lifestyle, with a system of rewards, and punishments, such as removal of privileges, helps a great deal.
An increased incidence of abuse of cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth, and other amphetamines has been reported among users of Ritalin, and other amphetamine related medications, which may well predispose them to later abuse street drugs, with all the adverse consequence it entails.
Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of Mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or if it is synthetic, avoid it.
Eliminate, or minimize sugar use, replacing with xylitol, or stevia which you can get from the health food stores. Avoid artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, and monosodium glutamate.
Minimize highly processed grains, and use of alcohol .
Suggested books for reference:
1. "The A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. Diet! A Comprehensive Look at Contributing Factors and Natural Treatments for Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity" by Rachel Bell,
2. "Ritalin Is Not The : A Drug-Free, Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD" by David B. Stein.
3. "HOW TO BEAT HYPERACTIVITY WITHOUT DRUGS Reversing ADD and ADHD in 20 days" Michael Sichel & Greta Sichel. 2001. Bookbound Publishing.
adhd can not be treated and pills or patches can help to calm you down but not cure the adhd!
ADHD and ADD
There are such natural adhd treatments available. One of those remedies include changing up the diet accordingly so that you receive the nutrients needed to amp up the brain, specific diet would need to be consulted with a doctor.
Several different diets can minimize the symptoms of ADHD. These include a gluten free diet and low sugar diet. You can learn more about diets for ADHD here: http://www.adhdawareness.com/control-ADHD-with-diet.html.
Children with ADHD should be following a specific diet that has a lot fish and omega 3 fatty acids in it. It helps the receptors in the brain do what they are supposed to do better. newideas.net/adhd/adhd-diet
http://www.adhdchildparenting.com/adhd-child-diet-therapy.php offers some advice for diets for ADHD patients. http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-diets also offers some great help when it comes to a diet for ADHD patients. It is also advised to check with your doctor about some diet ideas for those dealing with ADHD.
There have been some links between ADHD and nutrition. Some studies have indicated that a poor diet can worsen ADHD symptoms and a good diet can improve them.
If your son has ADHD that only thing that could really be adding to his hyper activity is sugar and caffeine. It is recommended to remove these from a child's diet who has ADHD.
A carbohydrate/protein-balanced diet��_ is a good option for a child with ADHD. You can find more information on that here www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/nutritional.htm
The ADHD diet consists of eliminating dairy, all junk food including juices and NutraSweet. You can read more at http://www.addatoz.com/adhd-and-diet.shtml.
Diets and/or food restriction have not been shown to be beneficial in treatment of ADHD.
When diagnosing patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), doctors often turn to medication as the first course of action for treatment. However, diet can play a huge part in ADHD symptoms, and changing one's diet may ease or alleviate many symptoms entirely. When considering a change in diet to treat ADHD, the most important thing to do is to eliminate simple carbohydrates, such as sugars, processed wheat, white rice and peeled potatoes, and to replace them with complex carbohydrates, particularly healthy proteins and whole grains. This can ease the frequent spikes in blood sugar which exacerbate many ADHD symptoms.