Can Adhd Be Treated Without Drugs
ADHD and ADD can be successfully treated without drugs however, that does not mean that a patient should stop taking ADHD medications unless theyve been advised to do so by a Physician.
ADHD medications have shown to be temporarily effective for some individuals, and although they may carry a significant number of unwanted side effects, failing to take medications as prescribed is not advisable.
At the Drake Institute, our non-drug ADHD and ADD treatment protocols can help reduce, or in some cases, eliminate the need for ADHD medications, as our treatment process addresses the root of the problem and can offer long-term symptom relief.
Why Cant I Stay Focused
The frontal region of the brain generates energy/neural activity so you can concentrate for as long as you need to complete a task.
Where ADHD and ADD are present, the frontal region of the brain is typically under-activated , which makes sustained concentration more difficult.
If you or your child has focusing problems, the frontal area of the brain may not be generating enough energy to sustain concentration on routine, mundane tasks, including academic tasks.
In a smaller percentage of our patients, weve also seen focusing problems resulting from the frontal lobe being overstimulated with too many fast brainwaves , which can also cause dysregulation of the frontal lobe, resulting in focusing problems and anxiety.
While adults and children with the problems outlined above can exhibit problems focusing on routine and mundane tasks, they may find that stimulating activities can sometimes hold their attention for hours, even without the frontal region of the brain functioning normally.
Unfortunately, most mundane tasks are not so stimulating, making it extraordinarily difficult for afflicted individuals to effectively sustain concentration.
As a result, ADHD and ADD patients can be significantly disadvantaged in school and work, even though they may be very intelligent.
Adhd & Add In Children
Children with only the inattentive symptoms of ADHD, previously diagnosed with ADD, are less likely to be diagnosed and helped as early as children who are hyperactive and impulsive.
The inattentive type ADHD child is typically well behaved and does not disrupt the classroom. Frustrations with the child failing to complete homework on their own may be the only visible concern until the child reaches third grade when he/she is expected to work more independently, or in middle school when the ADD child can become overwhelmed with trying to remain organized and keeping up with multiple teachers and classes.
Kids with ADD have to deal with much more significant challenges when attempting to complete non-preferred tasks, which may include the majority of their academic tasks.
This difficulty makes them far more likely to experience feelings of being overwhelmed and inadequate when faced with tasks that other kids their age would not have trouble completing.
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Essential Oil Remedies For Adhd
Essential oils are concentrates of aromatic compounds found in plants.
They generally are not taken internally, but instead are inhaled or applied topically.
The essential oils of vetiver and cedarwood have been found to reduce ADHD symptoms by altering brainwave patterns.
Lavender, one of the most versatile essential oils, has not been shown to help ADHD directly, but it can help improve relaxation and sleep.
Rosemary essential oil can help focus and memory and allow mental tasks to be performed faster and more accurately.
Other essential oils that may be useful for ADHD include bergamot, eucalyptus, frankincense, lemon, and ylang ylang.
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Michelle Simon Phd Nd
President & CEO
As president and CEO of INM, Dr. Simon brings her passion for working with organizations dedicated to improving the quality and delivery of healthcare. This desire stems from her years of practice as a licensed naturopathic physician. In addition to holding a Naturopathic Doctorate from Bastyr University she also holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She has served on boards for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians , the Naturopathic Physicians Research Institute , and several advisory boards. Dr. Simon served nine years on the Washington State Health Technology Clinical Committee, as Ambassador to the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine and was recognized as 2018 AANP Physician of the Year. Dr. Simon shares with her husband a passion for adventure travel, preferably by boat or motorcycle. She also enjoys teaching a womens off-road motorcycling class.
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Drake Institute’s Innovative Adhd & Add Treatment Without Medication
The Drake Institute is a world-class ADHD treatment center founded in 1980. We are a pioneer in treating ADHD without medication, and we’ve helped thousands of patients reduce their ADHD symptoms.
In fact, in most cases, our ADHD and ADD treatment options do not require stimulants or pharmaceutical drugs of any kind, instead relying on the safe and clinically effective technologies of Biofeedback, Neurofeedback, and Neuromodulation Therapy.
Utilizing the latest developments in qEEG brain mapping, neurofeedback, and neurostimulation technology, our non-drug ADHD & ADD treatment protocols enable patients to receive much-needed therapeutic relief from their ADHD and ADD symptoms faster than ever before without the use of traditional pharmaceutical drugs.
In addition, our neurofeedback treatment process can produce long-term improvement for our patients, unlike the temporary improvement offered by drug-based treatment.
As a medical clinic integrating the fields of medicine, neuropsychology, neurosciences, computer science and family and child therapy, we could prescribe medication for children with ADHD, but because of our dedication to clinical effectiveness and patient safety, we have developed an exceptional non-drug ADHD treatment regimen that delivers optimal results without the risks of drugs.
Does Scientific Research Support This Diet
Yes, FAUS collects the research on food additives and their effects on behavior, learning and health. You can access it here.
The 2007 British study by McCann et al impressed the American Academy of Pediatrics so much that the AAP published an article saying a trial of a preservative-free, food coloring-free diet is a reasonable intervention. An editorial in the British Medical Journal argued that removing dyes and preservatives should be a standard part of ADHD treatment.
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What Do We Know About Alternative Therapies
There is some scientific evidence on alternative therapies and most of it suggests that parents should be careful and well informed before they try these treatments. Many can cause side effects, and some can be dangerous. Talk to your doctor before trying any alternative therapy for your childs ADHD.
Heres what we do know about the many therapies that have been promoted as alternatives to drugs:
Food: A Core Natural Remedy For Adhd
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Hippocrates
Its unlikely youll overcome ADHD if you continue to eat foods that could be an underlying cause of your condition.
The wrong foods or food additives will sabotage your other efforts to overcome ADHD.
Unfortunately, the medical community has been largely resistant to recommending special diets for ADHD, even though theres a growing body of evidence that they can help.
Considering that the foods you eat are the building blocks for your brain and the neurotransmitters that control your thoughts and behaviors, examining your diet makes good sense.
There are three ways your diet can impact ADHD:
- You are eating foods that aggravate your symptoms.
- You are consuming additives that trigger ADHD.
- You are missing nutrients your brain needs to function well.
Lets look at what a diet for ADHD should look like, the worst dietary offenders to be avoided, and a simple solution for nutritional deficits.
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Adhd & Add In Boys Vs Girls
ADHD is diagnosed more frequently in boys than in girls. Girls with ADHD/ADD are less likely to be hyperactive than boys, and typically do not show the disruptive behaviors frequently exhibited by ADHD boys.
Consequently, girls may get diagnosed at a later age. In addition, girls with ADD or ADHD may not show significant inattentive symptoms until middle school or high school, and their symptoms can actually increase with puberty as their estrogen levels rise.
ADHD, including the Inattentive Presentation , is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Brain frontal lobe abnormalities have been found to be different in ADHD boys compared to those identified in ADHD girls.
These findings provide insight into understanding why ADD or ADHD often manifests differently in boys versus girls. Research has shown that ADD or ADHD boys have brain abnormalities in areas involved with inhibition , whereas girls are more likely to have brain abnormalities in areas involved in executive functioning.
Meditation And Massage Therapy
Meditation and massage therapy can help improve ADHD, when used in conjunction with a prescribed treatment plan. Mediation has been known to ease ADHD-related symptoms such as: inattention, mood swings, agitation, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This form of alternative treatment also improves cognitive function and reduces aversive behaviors. In addition, research suggests that massages were both more effective and more successful when they were combined with psychotherapy and prescription medications. A recent study on the relationship between ADHD and massage therapy found that massage therapy not only reduced oxidative stress in the body it also significantly decreased anxiety, agitation and fidgety behaviors in ADHD sufferers.
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Alternatives To Medication For Young Girls With Adhd
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a relatively common mental disorder that affects primarily children and can be carried into adulthood. This disorder is most commonly treated with prescribed medication and is effective for roughly 80% of people. However, like most medications, ADHD medications can come with some harsh side effects and are not effective for everyone. Additionally, ADHD can be quite difficult to diagnose, particularly in girls, because the symptoms dont always present themselves as the typical symptoms that boys face. If you have a daughter with ADHD and are looking for alternatives to medication you have come to the right place.
A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose Or Is It
The reason medications like Ritalin or Adderall are so popular is because they work. Medications are manufactured according to tightly controlled specifications, which makes them very predictable. A five mg tablet of methyphenidate will always be a five mg table of methylphenidate.
Many alternative treatments are not held to this same standard of quality. Research by Consumer Reports found that the amount of certain key ingredients in some herbal products can vary considerably from brand to brand. Other sources claim that doses are inconsistent from batch to batch, with variations occurring even among tablets or pills in the same bottle. The Federal Drug Administration has no control over these products. The consumer is left strictly at the mercy of the manufacturer.
Arnold cites European studies on St. Johns Wort for depression that found it more effective than placebo. Many people with ADHD and depression claim to have been helped by using the medication. Other studies, which are not cited by Arnold, appear to contradict these results. This uncertainty, combined with the lack of regulation and quality control, make some doctors hesitant about recommending the herbal antidepressant.
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My Child Has Been Diagnosed With Adhd Now What
When a child is diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder , parents often have concerns about which treatment is right for their child. ADHD can be managed with the right treatment. There are many treatment options, and what works best can depend on the individual child and family. To find the best options, it is recommended that parents work closely with others involved in their childs lifehealthcare providers, therapists, teachers, coaches, and other family members.
Types of treatment for ADHD include
- Behavior therapy, including training for parents and
Treatment recommendations for ADHD
For children with ADHD younger than 6 years of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parent training in behavior management as the first line of treatment, before medication is tried. For children 6 years of age and older, the recommendations include medication and behavior therapy together parent training in behavior management for children up to age 12 and other types of behavior therapy and training for adolescents. Schools can be part of the treatment as well. AAP recommendations also include adding behavioral classroom intervention and school supports. Learn more about how the school environment can be part of treatment.
How To Work With An Integrative Provider
There are many kinds of integrative providers, with different training backgrounds and attitudes about treating ADHD. A good integrative provider will understand conventional mental health and wont sell only one approach. They should be willing to work collaboratively with you and your other clinicians.
I recommend beginning your search for integrative providers with these national organizations.
Talk with the provider before making an appointment to understand their approach and to see if they are a good fit for your needs. Many of the providers found here have knowledge of integrative approaches, and are willing to collaborate with other integrative clinicians on a holistic treatment plan.
Keep in mind that medication is a very helpful tool to support the brain processing differences due to ADHD. It is important to collaborate with your doctor to find the most effective medication and dosage for you. There may be times when more medication is needed, and times when it can be decreased or eliminated. We know that the level of impairment that comes with ADHD can fluctuate over a lifespan. The change can happen because ones environment changes, if lifestyle habits are optimized, or if treatment tools are used successfully.
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What Causes Adhd & Add
Most commonly, ADHD and ADD symptoms are caused by dysregulation in the frontal region of the brain .
People suffering from this disorder may be unable to sustain focus for an extended period of time on non-preferred tasks such as homework or classwork, even though they may be fully capable of concentrating on preferred tasks like video games or computer games for hours on end.
Even excellent parenting cannot normalize an ADHD childs frontal lobe dysregulation. No matter how much effort the child puts forth, they may not be able to fix the problem either, as simply trying harder wont correct the dysregulation in their brain.
On the surface, while it may appear that the child is willfully lazy or unmotivated, the reality is that they simply do not have the fully-developed and adequately functioning neurobiological capacities to be able to succeed with age-appropriate demands.
What Are The Chances This Will Help Me Or My Child
We cannot predict if the diet will help, but most of the people who use it say they have benefited, and in many cases the improvement is dramatic. Organizations like ours do not form, let alone continue for decades, unless the volunteers see that their work is successful.
Above is a graph of studies in which the researchers put the children on some version of a Feingold-type diet. You can see the percentage that they said had improved. What they did with these children was then challenge those who had improved with some food dye to see if it made them worse. Depending on how big a challenge they used, they got various results.
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What Happens If Adhd Is Left Untreated
Left untreated, ADHD and ADD can be a disruptive force for children, adolescents, and adults.
Indeed, ADHD and ADD can lead to late or incomplete homework assignments, poor performance at work, bullying, and even depression.
If you or someone you know is suffering from the symptoms of ADHD, its important to seek medical help ASAP.
Can Going To The Chiropractor Help With Adhd
Some chiropractors believe that chiropractic medicine can treat ADHD. But no research has been done to see if it works. Many ADHD doctors do not support it.
One theory is that an imbalance in muscle tone causes an imbalance in brain activity. According to this theory, when chiropractors adjust the ADHD patient’s spine, balance is restored in the brain. The children are also exposed to different light and sound frequencies.
Applied kinesiology, or neural organization technique, is another theory some chiropractors use with people who have ADHD. It’s based on the thought that the bones of the skull can become misaligned, causing unequal pressure on different parts of the brain. They say this causes the brain to work improperly.
To treat it, the chiropractor does adjustments that put the skull bones back to their proper position. But most doctors believe the bones of the skull do not move, so they cannot be misaligned.
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Alternative Treatments For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is a behaviour problem. Children with ADHD:
- Have problems paying attention.
- Have problems finishing their work.
- Are impulsive and may act without thinking.
- Are easily distracted.
These are known as the core symptoms of ADHD. They are different for each child. These symptoms usually lead to other problems in school, with relationships and with self-esteem.
Treating ADHD can involve:
- Strategies to change your childs behaviour.
- Educational programs to help your child in school.
The most common drugs used to treat ADHD are called stimulants. The Canadian Paediatric Society has a handout on how these drugs work. Its available at www.caringforkids.cps.ca/behaviour/ADHD.htm.
What Is Adderall And Why Is It Dangerous
Adderall is the brand name for a potent Schedule II controlled substance that shares a remarkable amount of similarities with methamphetamine. Unfortunately, most Adderall users are unaware of this frightening fact and never associate the two.
A common and dangerous misconception is that Adderall is safe since its an FDA approved medication, legally prescribed to children by licensed physicians. Just like candy, right? Hardly.
When taken as suggested by a doctor, Adderall, and similar drugs like Vyvanse and Ritalin can help reduce ADHD symptoms. But these drugs still have substantial health risks. Adderall itself contains both amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. This attribute makes it chemically addictive and potentially detrimental to your CNS with long-term use.
Adderall works by stimulating several neurotransmitters in your brain to unnaturally high levels. The neurotransmitters in question include dopamine, epinephrine , serotonin, and norepinephrine. The sudden rush of feel good chemicals can provide alertness and enhanced energy and motivation for an entire day.
Sounds good on paper, but the constant flood of reward signals can leave you wanting more. Tolerance development ensues. The need to take more of the drug to feel the same effects can quickly lead to addiction and dependency. Excessive Adderall consumption can deteriorate your central nervous system causing permanent and irreversible damage to your cognitive performance.
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