Posted on 09/30/2012 11:37:29 AM PDT by goodwithagun
I'm interested in how your child's ADHD diagnosis came about and how it affects your lives. I'm particularly interested in those using non-medical approaches to ADHD treatment such as vitamin/mineral supplementation and diet.
Nephew was very, very badly off. On ritalin. He’d vandalize anything he got close to.
Parents dropped the medication and went to diet. It just melted away. He’s grown now, and a journalist.
Parents dropped the medication and went to diet. It just melted away. He’s grown now, and a journalist.
...yes, diet is huge. Check with nutricianist and get the kid checked for food/additive allergies, and stay away from processed/prepared food and there will likely be a huge difference. Only do meds like Ritalin(speed) as a very last, given up hope, resort. Especially bad for boys.
ymmv
He has never been “on sugar” as it tends to make him vomit. In fact, we don’t even give him fruit juice. We have a fairly healthy lifestyle. I nursed him for the first year so he never had formula, we eat no HFCS or trans fats, and we avoid soy. I cook most of our food from scratch, using ingredients from our garden. He is constantly busy with various activities and does not watch TV. He does play Angry Birds on the potty. From my research there are several underlying causes of ADHD, and the drugs simply mask the symptoms. That is why I’m interested in FReepers who have taken the alternate approach.
My son was told he had ADHD. I let his mother put him on Ritalin and was the proud father of a zombie. After 6 months I told her the experiment was off. I took him off, and treated him like any young boy, made sure we were active in his life at and away from school. No diet, no weird vitamins, just love. He is now a 21 year old and an EMT studying to be a paramedic.
I would have been diagnosed with ADHD as a boy as well. Instead I managed to graduate summa cum laude, have a great military career and graduated from college with honors. To me, ADHD is nothing more than part of making little boys be something they are not.
I can only tell you what my brother did with his son.
They did not give him meds on weekends, holidays or summers.
They kept him busy.
Used his talents in an active way.
When he was in high school, he asked he not go to high school in the US and went to Columbia with a missionary family built homes, farmed and studied independently.
He asked not to take the meds any longer, they agreed together.
That was the highest academic year he had.
He is a healthy happy married adult with four kids.
He is still really busy.
Being busy and full of energy is not an illness.
Unfortunately, I think schools don’t want to deal with busy active children (especially boys) so quickly go for sedating them after convincing parents there is a problem with active and busy.
My son was diagnosed almost 20 years ago.
The meds then were particularly awful.
I did the research, and reduced refined sugar to almost nothing, and got rid of caffeine all together.
But, I think the big difference came by adding quality omega-3 to the multi vit+min that he was on.
Try omegabrite.com. Their kid suppliments are wonderful. They take at least a month to six weeks to fully kick in, but it made a big difference.
BTW, my son was never on any meds and did just fine.
This beyond my son being a rambunctious boy, and regardless of his diagnosis I will not put him on drugs. That is why I’m interested in those who’ve tried diets and supplementation.
By the way, ADHD has nothing to do with intelligence level.
http://www.parenting-child-development.com/lyme-disease.html
Lyme disease and ADHD have the same symptoms. Check with the Western Blot test from Igenex lab in California. The only problem is so many doctors are ignorant about tick illnesses. You have to be proactive and request this test. Lyme disease is the number one vector borne disease in the US, and I’m shocked at the lack of medical knowledge about this disease.
I know that, What I am saying is that the drugs made him a zombie and almost no learning that year at school. Since is a bright boy he bounced back.
Again, love and active in his life making sure he is not bored. You don’t need to go looking for vitamin and supplement answers when there is none. And yes, its not just rambunctious, mine seemed to like fire.
I’ve researched omega 3’s and vitamins. It seems that those with ADHD are very deficient in omega 3’s, vitamin B, magnesium, and calcium. The vitamin B’s they tend to burn through quickly. I’ve also researched probiotics and enzymes. There seems a correlation there as well.
Two of my three children were diagnosed, one with mild ADD and the younger with ADHD. We were urged to put the younger on meds.
We did not.
We did keep both in a small private school through elementary, working closely with teachers on setting boundaries and teaching venues for appropriate behavior. For example, it’s fine to talk to yourself and run in circles at recess, not so much in math class. This comes naturally to the child with normal attention, but not to one with ADD.
Puncturing the daydeams of the one with ADD was a real challenge. Sometimes took all evening just to get simple assignments done, because his mind wandered even when he wanted to finish and go play.
Behavior management worked, but it was, in itself, a lot of work. They have always been square pegs in round holes, but they learned to adapt. Sometimes teachers didn’t like them, but other teachers urged me to keep them off meds to preserve their creativity.
Today both are grown, both have graduate engineering degrees and are successful professionals. They are not your stereotypical tech types, still have wandering and creative minds, and I love them dearly.
You are completely correct. When mothers stayed home with their children there was no adhd.
“ADHD is a made up disease to peddle drugs to children and make them easy to control. Take your kid off all sugar and keep them busy.”
Actual medical research shows that those diagnosed have severely depleted levels of omega 3’s, B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium. All of these have therapeutic effects on ADHD symptoms, and many parents swear that taking care of the vitamin/mineral deficiencies eliminated the ADHD. The medical field does not like this approach because it makes them irrelevant. I recently had my vitamin and mineral levels checked and found I was very low in some areas. Since I’ve increased my supplements in those areas I feel like a new woman.
Vitamin B deficiency does not cause a fascination with fire. I am just glad his twin sister was a tattletale!
Son was diagnosed at 8. I think the reason for it is an overload of stimuli in the classroom. When we were kids, there was an alphabet, a number line and a chalkboard. Today the halls are adorned with all sorts of pictures and other stuff the kids create.
Needless to say, my kid is now 17, been on Straterra for years and is doing great. Straight A student, businessman and pillar of the community.
Some take to meds, some take to diet, some take to a shot to the chops with a “pay attention!”
My son doesn’t eat sugar (or HFCS, soy, and trans fats) and we keep him busy with plenty of physical activity. In fact, he doesn’t watch TV. Any other suggestions since you’re such an expert? For his constant, uncontrollable vocal activity should I tape his mouth shut?
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