ADHD can be treated naturally

(pic thanks Matthew Henry)

ADHD is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is characterised by lack of focus, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Sometimes these symptoms can be excessive and continuous in the person’s life. They can have an effect on multiple aspects of your life and often impact your schoolwork, work, and relationships. ADHD can be difficult for the person who has it, as well as those around them. There are a few ways to help manage ADHD. If you are someone who has ADHD you may find that it is impacting your life in a negative way.

What causes ADHD?

Some common signs of ADHD can include a mix of problems, including having a hard time focussing, being hyperactive and impulsive. Other symptoms are misplacing items, risky behaviour, always running late, lack of listening inability to prioritize, relationship troubles, memory issues, nervous energy and being angry easily.

ADHD has many theories as to its source. Some believe it is a genetic, brain-based syndrome. They say it has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviours. The brain functions that it relates to are referred to as executive functioning skills. These include important functions like attention, concentration, memory, motivation and effort, learning from mistakes, impulsivity, hyperactivity, organisation, and social skills. Various contributing factors play a role in these challenges which could including chemical and structural differences in the brain. As to causes of ADHD there is a lot of contention. Some believe it is the result of childhood immunisations and there are many papers about this however the evidence is somewhat inconclusive. Others believe it is a disease our denatured society of bad choices of denatured foods, chemicals in our drinks and drinking water, chemicals and toxins in our diet, inflammation caused by sensitivities and allergies and the list goes on. Regardless of the cause or the diagnosis of whether you have ADHD or not it is disconcerting to have the above listed symptoms and these can be controlled naturally which is the point of this article.

Controlling ADHD

There are a few natural ways which you can manage ADHD. Start by seeing a naturopath or nutritionist to eliminate all the nasties you’re your diet. Here at Stressfree Management we test for sensitivities which are inflaming your system. We can also teach you how to focus and balance your energy and nervous system, introduce you to meditation and help you retrain your brain with meditation, hypnotherapy, NLP and music of certain Hz. Another is a technique called mindfulness-based interventions. This is when someone can help you to pay attention to the present moment without judgment. Another way is through neurofeedback which is a technique that trains your brain to use real-time feedback. This can help you to regulate your brain activity. Sometimes just spending time is nature can have great benefits.

Other mind and body practises that are beneficial are yoga and tai chi. These show promise when it comes to reducing hyperactivity and inattention. Research has shown that yoga may help balance your autonomic nervous system. This helps to promote a calmer state. Also, music can have a great benefit for managing your ADHD. Listening to and playing music has shown to have a positive effect on attention and behaviour. It can help to reduce inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms.

These natural techniques can work for both adults and children. Call us to find out how we can help YOU however it is important to not stop taking any medications if you are on medications as this can make you very ill. All this needs to be managed with a professional therapist in unison with your doctor. Contact us through our website on www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com for further info.

ADHD and the role of Vitamin D

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is quite common. Children with ADHD can be treated using medication but unfortunately the medication does not always do the work intended for it to do. These medications can also come with side effects and the safety of using these drugs long term is also a concern. There are studies however that are showing positive effects of Vitamin D on children with ADHD.

 

Vitamin D

There have been studies that show that a lack of vitamin D in children, while they are still growing mentally, can have a negative effect. This can leads to symptoms similar to what we call ADHD.

  

A blind parallel clinical trial that was conducted showed that in children aged between 6 and 13 who had been diagnosed with ADHD that vitamin D had a positive effect. Vitamin D increases the serum levels in children. The study was conducted by giving the children either 1000iu of vitamin D3 daily or a placebo.

 

Although these studies have shown positive results the Psychiatry industry still has been slow to embrace these nutritional and natural approaches to ADHD. The vitamin D supplements can improve some of the behavioural problems associated with ADHD and may also help to prevent the child’s behavioural issues or even worse symptoms. It could also possibly help to reduce impulsivity that comes with this disorder.

 

It is important practitioners consider the significant beneficial role of micro-nutrients such as vitamin D when finding a way to assist parents and children to control and improve ADHD symptoms through the action on the neuronal system. Also couple that with the role of genetics in the study of the causes for ADHD as well as undesirable lifestyle factors that may be contributing directly to the inattention and hyperactive symptoms.

 

What can we do to help reduce the symptoms of ADHD?

It is very important if your child has been diagnosed with ADHD to reduce the amount of time they spend in front of a screen, including television, IPad/Tablets, phones, computers and video gaming consoles as studies have shown that children with ADHD tend to spend two hours or more extra time in front of that screen than other children. This has an even more detrimental effect on their health. In exchange for the screen time let them play outside in the sunlight as the incidences of ADHD acting out is much lower in areas that have more sunny weather, so the sunlight can have a protective effect against the disease. The reason scientists think the sun has such a positive effect is because the sun rays increase serum levels of vitamin Dl. However, if your child receives plenty of sunlight but they are still found to be lacking in vitamin D there are absorption reasons for that and it may be necessary to introduce a D3 supplement of 1000iu per day. A supplement may be needed also if you live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of bright sunlight.

There are also many other supplements that will assist your child if they have an ADHD diagnosis. Also for ASD. This clinic specialises also in assisting you to promote natural healthy wellbeing in your child. Give a call or message us to see how we can help you.