Natural ADHD Remedies

Updated on April 28, 2011
N.B. asks from Allen, TX
7 answers

Has anyone had any luck with natural, homeopathic ADHD supplements or remedies? If so, which ones, and did your child experience any side effects?

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Please talk over treatment with a specialist. There are no natural "remedies" for ADHD with any science showing they work for this condition. Omega 3s have shown promise with attention, but they tend to be used in conjunction with ADHD medication.

Join CHADD and read ADDitude magazine to keep up on the latest research.

There are a lot of scams and strategies that will waste both your time and money. This is a brain disorder and not something any food, vitamin or detoxing will correct. You need to talk to medical specialists for the best advice, not the misinformed general public or minimum wage clerks at health food stores selling unregulated products.

Be careful with using caffeine as a substitute for medication. It's a good temporary fix until you can meet with a specialist, but caffeine is addictive (unlike the real ADHD medications). The last thing you want is to deal with caffeine withdrawl problems (and I speak from going through this myself after giving up coffee ... it's NOT fun).

And don't be afraid one bit of ADHD medications. They can be tremendously helpful, with life-changing benefits. We've seen it first-hand with our own son.

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K.H.

answers from Dallas on

I would absolutely look into a more natural remedy for any condition. You are very fortunate being in Allen, TX as you have three awesome resources near you: Healthy Kids pediatrics in Frisco who uses a combination holistic and traditional medicine, Chalmer's Wellness in Frisco who can provide supplements and guidance on treating you and your family in a natural way, and BrainWorx's in Plano. They are doing some awesome work on treating the condition you mentioned in a way like no other facility!!!

In response to Riley J's comment - there are more ways to treat conditions like ADHD in a natural manner that doesn't necessarily include taking some form of medicine. You may be interested in checking out how Brainworx is doing this! Also there are other outside influences that can attribute to why someone suffers from things like ADHD, coltis, migraines, etc. What is causing it for one person may not be the same for another. If you have someone suffering with this it would be beneficial for you to look into the work the doctors are doing that i mentioned above!
K.

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V.C.

answers from Dallas on

Omegas, DHA, B complex and valerian have helped many. I can direct you to the safest, guaranteed supplements if your are interested. The additives in cheap vitamins can make it worse.
Changing the foods a child eats can make a huge impact. No fast, junk or processed foods. Lots of fresh raw fruits and vegetable, greens smoothies etc. Some recommend a complete raw foods regime. Check out Lily's testimony at lilyfresh.net.

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T.K.

answers from Dallas on

Dont send me hate mail. My childs dr told me to give her spark or mountain dew or a shot of an energy drink of some kind. Ok, so, I know that's not exactly homeopathic, but it works. She was 13 and had trouble focusing, completing assignments, keeping up with her things. I did not feel it warranted a prescription. No offense to those who have chosen that path, but in my case I didn't feel it was warranted. So, the dr said due to the "paradoxical affect" things that speed us up, slow kids down. Things that slow us down, speed them up. That's why grownups steal thier kids adhd meds and snort it! He recommended Spark in the mnorning and if nothing else was available, Mountain Dew at lunch, just to keep her focused. My SIL says she noticed the same thing with her 7 yr old boy. When he's really bouncing off the walls and on the verge of getting in serious trouble for it, she will give him a cup of an energy drink and it calms him right down. No script necessary.

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J.S.

answers from Hartford on

Just remember that "homeopathic" doesn't always mean "better." They don't always work and they're not always healthy for you. The label of homeopathic can be very misleading.

My 8 year old has Autism which encompasses several disorders including ADD, but at present she's not medicated specifically for ADD. She takes Lamictal for Seizure Disorder which is also used sometimes for people with Bipolar II disorder. Lamictal is also used in people with Autism specifically that have Seizure Disorder and ADD, as it's known to help with some behaviors.

Anyway, my point here is not to tout the wonders of Lamictal, but to relate about having a young child on a serious medication. Because of her other disorders I also have to consider putting her on something for anxiety and depression soon (which will also treat some other issues as well including the ADD). It's a heart-wrenching decision because we have always treated her symptoms with removing toxins from her diet and been hesitant about medications. Absolutely agonizing. She's my little girl and I don't want to have to put her on an SSRI plus an anticonvulsant when she's still so young. But for her health I may very well have to go outside of my comfort zone.

However, something that did help us immensely was removing High Fructose Corn Syrup from her diet. We also have removed Red 40 and as much of the other chemical food dyes as possible. Those are toxins that the liver can't process and metabolize until the body expels them, much like when someone drinks alcohol and they get drunk. Children with ADD/ADHD and disorders like Autism and other behavioral disorders often have problems with these additives.

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C.M.

answers from Chicago on

Your best bet is to go to a homeopathic doctor. The treatment for your child's ADHD will depend on the cause, and there can be MANY causes.

Most frequently I've heard success with detox and diet changes, but you have to know what to detox (heavy metals? bacteria?) and what to eliminate from the diet. I have heard cases where diet alone has gotten rid of the symptoms and other cases where it did no good. My ADHD was eliminated totally by removing certain foods.

ADHD is a SYMPTOM. I get upset when people treat it like a disease. You find the cause (detox, diet, deficiencies) and the ADHD will disappear. The hard part is finding the cause, and too many doctors will treat the symptom with drugs without even trying to find the cause.

Having ADHD symptoms myself, I sympathize with young children. They really can't help how they are acting. When their bodies have the deficiency or the allergy or the toxins the body just reacts. Personally I benefited from a good detox, removing the offending food, and handling my candida issue. I did this through diet changes. However, that may not be your child's issue.

I absolutely believe that if you search hard enough and are willing to look for the cause, you will find a way to get rid of the ADHD symptoms. Just be willing to try many things and do your OWN research in conjunction with a homeopathic doctor. Muscle testing may help pinpoint any deficiencies or allergies in a non-painful way for your child.

Good luck!

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B.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

There has been a lot of research that shows promise for Omega 3 supplements, but you have to make sure you have the most concentrated one available. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1crLDJmaFzY&feature=ch... and shoot me a message if you want more info on it. I know of a lot of people that have had great results from this product.
Hope this helps!

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