The potential of natural remedies for ADHD

[Debrasa]

I’m reading what seems to be a consensus amongst Functional Medicine doctors (Google reputable names such as Dr Hyman of the Cleveland Clinic, Dr Axe) who oppose medications. They highlight the importance of fixing micronutrient deficiencies and any gut ailments. I’d love to hear of those who committed to this path and their outcomes. New studies suggest strong support for this. Does it rest mate with anyone here?

[WanderingBard]

We've started Cod Liver Oil. No noticeable effects yet. A cup of tea each day noticeably helps but wears off after 3 hours.

[Redhatdiva in reply to WanderingBard]

Regular tea or de cafe?

[WanderingBard in reply to Redhatdiva]

Regular tea.

[Redhatdiva in reply to WanderingBard]

I'll try some today .

[WanderingBard in reply to Redhatdiva]

Good luck! I make his with milk and honey (he loves honey) and a straw to make it fun.

[Redhatdiva in reply to WanderingBard]

Sounds good.will do it like that.

[Redhatdiva in reply to WanderingBard]

I'm dti doing the tea a d she has days it helps calm her down but other days that she dti has her bad meltdowns.

[anirush]

We have tried vayarin, a natural omega-3 and fish oil prescription. Never felt that did much good

[tszklare]

We tried a strict diet—no processed, organic, etc along with essential oils and omega supplements as well as behavioral modifications. We did this for about 3 months Consistently with little to no change in behavior. Unfortunately now we are at a point that it is really affecting his performance in school so we decided to try medications. Best of luck to you...I wished the more natural approach worked for us.

[Chitchatter]

We tried a strict diet (no food dyes, organic, low sugar, limited dairy) a combo of magnesium (for asthma), probiotics and GABA to help calm him, essential oils to calm him at night (never really had sleep issues, but thought a calming night would make for a rested day the next day) and it didn't work. He was doing ok academically last year and poor socially. This year he's struggling socially and academically. We just started meds on Friday. I watched the YouTube video series by Dr. Russell Barkley. He seems convinced that meds are the only way. (I know you can find any side of an argument on the internet, but he was pretty compelling). Good Luck with your decision(s). It's not easy....

[Janemariekathryn]

The Dr has tried A form of Ritalin and next a form of Aderal for my son who in now 13. He didn’t like the way he felt. He explained it as being numb and loss of appetite It helped him academically a little bit. Right now we are trying to succeed without meds. I am trying all the natural ideas I can find. More protein and less processed foods, that’s a struggle , vitamins with omega 3 fish oil , fiber , vitamins D3 and B12. To help with sleep I had him take a bath with Epsom salt, baking soda and lavender. He said he enjoyed the bath and it did promote a better sleep. I think for each child it’s trial and error to find what works best. I really appreciate everyone’s input! I don’t feel so alone and alienated myself anymore.

[dmk24]

My son saw a specialist who did s toning blood work. She analyzed it and found he had high histamine levels (he has allergies which makes sense) but this makes him tired. He also needed more b12 and calcium magnesium which helped with focus and a multi vitamin and more iron and protein in his diet. She said it can take 3/6 months to really see results. He said he felt it helped but taking 6-8 pills morning and night was a lot. We cut down on a few although he did say he thought he should take one we had gotten rid of so he thinks it helps (which might be half the battle). She was a medical doctor but had been trained to work on finding a better way to help people feel better naturally with less meds.

[cnp06 in reply to dmk24]

Hi do you know what type of specialist she is? I would like to see if I can find one in my area that would possibly do a blood test like that.

[Janemariekathryn in reply to dmk24]

Thank you for providing this information . I live in North Jersey so it’s helpful to me. I understand that medication is often needed but proper nutrition is too. At the moment my son is getting by without medication .

[Debrasa]

If also like yo know that doctors specialty. Did you feel you could eliminate meds in this case? I get help from Functional Medicine doctors but need an affordable (ideally who takes insurance) pediatric nutritionist and psychologist in the DC area. Suggestions?

[dmk24]

Here is the description: Pediatric Integrative Medicine

Integrative pediatrics is based on combining traditional pediatrics with holistic practices, such as nutritional medicine. Many children suffer from medical challenges that are partially caused by food allergies and gastrointestinal imbalances. As a result, children can present with both physical and neurobehavioral symptoms. Integrative pediatrics combines all modalities to address the root cause of a condition. Once we know the cause of a problem, we can put a program into place that treats symptoms and supports overall long-term growth and health for your child.

Her name is Annette Rosetti-Cartaxo at the Chambers Center for Well Being in Morristown, NJ. She really was amazing. The cost was out of pocket and then we were able to be reimbursed for most of it. All the blood work was covered because we had reached our deductible already. My son still takes some of the supplements, but he also still takes his regular medicine as well. He is doing okay, but we still have off days. He does say that the supplements help him.

[MVinSeattle]

I am so thankful to have found this community! Our son who will be 12 soon, has ADHD combined type. We have tried nearly every remedy under the sun. There is very much research and science proving now that our gut health directly affects our mental health, brain function and immune system support. It was a functional medicine Dr who pointed us towards probiotics and gut health. It was our naturopath who lined out the blood work to see what other nutrients our son was lacking (zinc, magnesium, b vitamins). He currently takes a probiotic at night and gentle cleanse capsule which has magnesium in it. He no longer suffers from leg cramps (obvious sign of low magnesium) or fatigue during the day. We found a chewable multivitamin that has the methylated forms of B vitamins along with a probiotic in it. When he was just taking methylated drops of B 12 and folate, it drove up his histamine levels so much that it seemed like he all of a sudden developed seasonal allergies. Though we were hoping to add the B vitamins to help with his focus issues, sometimes methylated B vitamins can drive up histamine levels and/or affect other pathways.. Who knew? We stopped the drops and his “allergies” went away. But feeding his gut health with a quality probiotic has really helped boost his immune system (he rarely get sick anymore) and I believe is helping his focus as well.

So these things have really been helping because ultimately we want to be addressing his overall health. As far as focus at school though, we also started him on medication last spring. We were at a very desperate spot and tired of seeing him suffering trying to get through each day at school. He now does homework independently and can stay in his chair at school all day. This has improved his view of school and his ability to perform. So we are doing a two-pronged approach to his ADHD. We are seeing the benefits of nourishing the gut biome and also benefiting from medication for the time being. We hope that perhaps on the other side of puberty, that medication will no longer be needed.

[Marebear129]

My son(15) is borderline ADD. He had testing done but the neuropsychologist suggested that his depression/anxiety were the reason for his lack of effort in class/homework. She suggested working to improve his mood/ executive functioning skills. She did not recommend anti-depressants though due to the side effects and that his brain is still developing. His depression was more situational/environmental= girlfriends/peers. I have started him on a daily multi-vitamin for teens...specifically important for ADD/ADHD/Anxiety/Mood...Vit. D. He also takes a probiotic (culturelle) for gut health as well as Omega 3 (Nordic naturals). I did a lot of my own research and also talked to his pediatrician about it. I did buy CBD oil from our local health food store and he did not want to take it. So, I decided to try it for anxiety. I did notice it helped me feel less stressed. I also have recently incorporated daily yoga, essential oils in the diffuser everyday after school, and I myself have started going to a chiropractor. I have heard wonderful things about chiropractic care for ADHD. All the side effects from pharmaceutical drugs frighten me. Trying holistic alternatives, I feel, is a worth a try. I may end up taking my son with me to the chiropractor to see if it helps him as well. Good luck to all!

[Marebear129 in reply to Marebear129]

Also...I forgot...we use Vitafusion Melatonin gummy vitamins for sleep. They definitely work for both of us. I take two and am asleep in 30 minutes and sleep through the night. Same for him.

[Cjkchamp]

My son has been in broad spectrum mincronutrients for several months. We previously tried multiple supplements, but didn’t have success with them like with the Hardy Nutritionals. There is also another company called True Hope. Definitely recommend working with your psychiatrist and trying them!!

[Icaretoo in reply to Cjkchamp]

Broad spectrum micronutrients, are they vitamins?

[Cjkchamp]

Yes. We continue to use the Hardy Nutritionals DEN, and they are still working well. A lot of success for our son.