Has anyone had success with alternative treatments for ADD?

Question

My son has an attention problem, particularly when it comes to school and homework. His teachers tell me it sometimes takes him 5 minutes for him to get in his seat and prepared for class (he's in 7th grade). Very unorganized, fidgets with things, etc., etc. I know when I do homework with him at night (2 hours worth plenty of nights) we have to make absolutely certain there are no distractions. This has become a real problem in some of his classes this year. I have spoken to my family doctor about having him tested for ADD, but my husband is totally against it. Does anyone know of alternative methods to try. I have researched sites that talk about fish oil supplements and others that suggest giving caffeine. Anyone heard of these? Any others?

Answer 1

yes I have...I would listen to your husband.

This is a difficult problem to identify, since the boundary between normal energetic behavior and abnormal activity is a subjective.
Studies have indicated that food additives in particular, especially some coloring and preservatives, can trigger off hyperactivity as well as other reactions;many of these additives have been steadily removed from foods as consumers, it'll be worth to exploring a diet without such additives to see if this makes a difference. Changes in behavior may take 3-4 weeks to be noticeable, although strong reactions to additives can be eased within a day or so. Children naturally seem to have boundless energy and it can be difficult to spot the first signs of hyperactivity
Naturopathy is another choice; natural remedies has worked for me such as Rescue Remedy, and even Feng Shui. My children would never take naps or sit down, but removing additives such as food coloring and artificial ingredients I noticed a big change tremendously; yeah, they might get a little hyper sometimes, but that's because they have swapped food with other kids at school; I would ask them if they have had a cookie or share some piece of highly artificially, full of sugar food items at school; and that's what has turned out to be. Trust me I can tell the difference!..I recommend you start changing your child's diet and start buying natural and organic foods, a little expensive but is the health of your child we are talking about. And please, do some investigation what's behind retalin. It sadden me how many parents don't realize the danger their child is at stake.

Answer 2

High protein diets tend to help, but it really depends on how sever the problem is. Explain to your husband that just because your son is diagnosed with ADD does not mean that he has to go on any kind of medication. Being diagnosed just means that there is a chance that they school will pay for extra funding for your child, and in this day and age that couldn't hurt.
Caffeine may also help. What ADD is is basically the child's brain is falling asleep, which is why ADD medications like Ritalin are stimulants. So in theory caffeine may help a little bit.
I would also suggest that you allow your child to fidget with something small while he is doing his homework and such, the small object will keep his movements small, and just because he is fidgeting doesn't mean that he is not listening.
Also some kids with ADD don't actually have ADD some of them actually have a food allergy. Things like Red dye, and other artificial flavours can trigger it. Try eliminating all that kind of stuff for a few days (this mean making EVERYTHING from scratch) and see if that makes any kind of difference.

Answer 3

I just was diagnosed with ADD at 30 years old. It kind of made me look back on all the problems that could have been avoided if my folks accepted that it is a real medical problem and gotten me the proper treatment and medication. I now take Lamictal, which helps tremendously, but has some nasty side effects. My doctor and I plan to slowly switch over to Adderall, which has a good reputation. With the right medication and a very supportive husband, I am slowly starting enjoying a quality of life I never thought possible for a "busy" person like me.
Please talk with your husband get your son to the doctor. A lot of folks don't like medicating children, but every child deserves the chance to be the best he can be in all areas of his life. For his self esteem and his future. Good luck to your family.

Answer 4

Yes, my sister has two sons with ADD and does not believe in over medicating children, which I agree. She has changed their diets and kept a close eye on everything they eat. With a 7th grader it may be harder but you might try this with your son. Monitor what he eats and elimate junk food and red meat. There ae some resources on the internet you may want to do a search to find out exactly what is good and bad for this type of behaviour. Good luck. Another tip - when my daughter was in high school there were alot of kids who "faked" this behaviour to get prescriptions and then in turn sold them. It's a pretty demanding drug amongst junior high and high school kids.
You can email me if you would like anymore info.
Lynne

Answer 5

He so totally sounds like my 8 yr old. Why does hubby not want him tested? It's not like you'll be labled bad parents. My girlfriends daughter has very slight ADD and one of her teachers at school suggested a lightly weighted lap pad for her. It's basically like two place mats sewn together with maybe a Pound of sand or dried peas or beans in between. She's not sure exactly why it works, but it seems to trigger something in the girls brain that helps her settle and concentrate. Now the down side, is that her daughter is only in 1st grade and I doubt at school you could get your son to use something like that. But maybe at home? Good Luck.

Answer 6

I have a ten year old son that has mild ADD. We have tried this and I believe that it works pretty well Natural herbs from Native Remides. You can check them out on line and find the one that would be good for your son. I also firmly am doing everything I can not to medicate my son, especially now that several of the drugs that are being used to treat ADD have resulted in children's death and heart problems. Good luck.

Answer 7

I would suggest ruling out food allergies, especially soy, milk and gluten. My daughter has Celiacs, which is a gluten intolerance. When she eats gluten her behavior can resemble ADHD. At the same time have him evaluated for ADD. I would not recommend doing anything without the supervision of your doctor. Many supplements have impurities, such as mercury in fish oils, so you have to be very careful. Also, to much of a certain vitamins, such as E, can cause toxicity. Good luck.

Answer 8

Try Tunguska Blast from Cyberwize. It is a liquid supplement that helps promote mental clarity and focus. It is all natural, tastes good, and many physicians, naturopaths, and alternative physicians recommend it.
www.4397048.cyberwize.com. There is a video on the web site and information about the ingredients and endorsements. You can also contact me for additional info. I've had great success with mental focus for myself and my wife.

Answer 9

I just emailed another answer user about this very same subject!Everyone who puts down the medication for ADHD does not know what they are talking about!My son who is now 14,was diagnosed with ADHD/Bi-polar at the age of 4 but they were unable to start him on medication until he was 6.He has been on all of them,finally about 3 yrs.ago his Peed. put him on Aderall XR & Tenex.they have have done wonders for him!If youd like you can email me & I can give you more details.

Answer 10

our son was the same. He now takes fish oil tablets daily and his concentration is much better. He took 3000mg daily for the first 12 wks and then we adjusted the dose to about 2000mg. It can be expensve but just buy them when they are offer.