Posted on 03/19/2006 4:49:53 PM PST by Coleus
The *health food* community has been criticized for years for the many things they recommend for treating different conditions and I never cease to be amazed at how often they have been proved right in the long run. I think scientists and researchers need to give some *non-scientific* thinking a little more consideration.
I recall quite some time ago that I had heard that children with epilepsy did well controlling seizures on an extremely high fat diet. These kids would have cream on their cereal instead of milk, for example. I don't know where I saw that but remember it because it was so out of the ordinary. Perhaps the mechanism is the same for hyperactivity.
ping
I found a couple things to avoid through personal experience. My son goes ballistic whenever he gets artificial vanilla flavoring. Since he didn't have it often when he was a kid, whenever he did have it the effects were so dramatic that it wasn't hard to pinpoint. A close friend had a son who was sensitive to Red 40. He was a really nice kid; until he ate it. Then it was Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and he didn't get just hyper, he got mean.
Keeping a food diary will help but it's hard. If you decide to eliminate all artifical foods, it will take about a week for it to clear out of their system so that you can see a difference and then test by reintroducing the foods one at a time to see what could be the culprit. You wouldn't want to test something that contains two artificial ingredients because there's no way of knowing which one ingredient it is. Also, some things work synergistically; the combined effect is worse that each alone, they enhance each others effect. Like artificial color and flavor together, which is usually the case.
Hyperactivity is also considered a food allergy rection. You can google that and come up with some sites.
If this interests you, then definitely check out Dr. Sears's website. He is the biochemist that invented the Zone diet and one of the main components of that is fish oil. His fish oil is very pure (molecularly distilled) but is somewhat expensive. I have been using it and the zone diet for 2 years. It has really helped my cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Come to think of it, I've never seen a hyper Eskimo kid.
Just give the kids a tuna fish sandwich to eat at lunch.
I've got a friend who's got a child with ADD or ADHD (I don't remember which). There's a difference between a kid who's just a normal, hyper kid, one that's a terror, and one who has this conditition. I used to think that it was all BS, until I met this family. I've never seen anything like this. His son is unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few moments at a time. And it's not due to a lack of physical activity, or a diet high in sugar or carbs. Both of his parents are professional physical trainers, and they see to it that he eats a well balanced diet, and gets plenty of exercise. Even while playing, he can't seem to concentrate on anything. He's a terrible handful for them, and his grades are really poor. They've never put him on any drugs, and just try to work with him. I've relayed this article to them.
Mark
How many poor fish were murdered for this study?!
The Japanese have been using Omega 3's during pregnancy for years......
Carlsons brand and Nordic Naturals brand are supposed to be the two best kinds.
My daughter has brain damage, and a severe speech impediment due to the damage. We heard that the fish oils could help, so we decided it was an easy thing to try.
She had a surge in her speech afterward.
It could be the reason, but we can't prove it.
bump for publicity
P.S. I take 1000 mg of mixed omega 3 fish oil complex daily, distilled,and tested by independent labs for heavy metals for purity. I take it ward off MI and stroke >>
consumer labs tested over 40 brands and none contained mercury. I don't think you have to worry.
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/omega3.asp
Old news....not proven...not a panacea...but worth a shot...especially in regions that dont get much sunlight during winter...
Cut back in summer if you get outside alot.
I would suggest Carlson Labs...
-imo
Carlsons has a nice lemon flavored version that is tolerable.
My son, who just turned two, loves the Carlson's Lemon-flavored Fish Oil. We give it to him from a dropper and he asks for more. He would probably take as much as we would give him.
If you want a cereal with high Omega-3...look at Golden Flax offered by Naturally Preferred (distributed by Inter-American Products, Inc of Cincinnati, Ohio 45202). It is delicious and provides 1000mg of Omega-3 fatty acids per serving (3/4 cup). It also has lots of other good qualities..like 6 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of protein per serving.
But, would a kid like it? That's what I was wondering.
Something to the tune of, Golden Flax-Crispies (instead of Rice Crispies) or something? ;o)
The Japanese have been using Omega 3's during pregnancy for years......
Perhaps American mom's-to-be should/could/might already take a hint from them.
I wonder if the kids in Japan have the problem of ADHD? My first guess would be no (or not much) since their schooling is pretty demanding at a young age.
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