Is an ADHD natural treatment better than the conventional treatment options when it comes to remedying Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in adults and children? There is no single answer to this question unfortunately.
The drugs usually prescribed to treat the symptoms and behaviors of ADHD, such as Ritalin and Adderall, will prove to be beneficial for some children while others will show no improvements at all.
The mental health professional will try the medications in varying dosages in order to find one that agrees with the child and produces the desired results.
When the stimulant drugs fail to work as planned non-stimulant drugs will then be sampled and the same process of trial and error will commence.
The most recently approved non-stimulant medication for the treatment of ADHD is Strattera.
Although this is a non-stimulant the side-effects can be just as alarming and dangerous as those that can occur with stimulant drugs.
Again, if the non-stimulant drugs prove ineffective other drugs such as Clonidine will be prescribed and sometimes in conjunction with a stimulant medication.
Clonidine was originally developed to treat hypertension in adults but ever since the mid-1970s it has been used to treat ADHD in kids.
Studies have shown that very often the benefits provided by drugs like Clonidine are very restricted and limited.
Using these medications to treat ADHD in kids is controversial but so are the other routinely prescribed medications that we have looked at.
The reasons for this are numerous and certainly should not be dismissed without careful consideration.
As the parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD you have a responsibility to arm yourself with all the necessary information pertaining to the disorder and its treatment so that you make the best choices and decisions for your child.
An ADHD natural treatment option is very often considered by medical professionals to be unsuitable.
The parent who chooses to investigate natural treatments and holistic approaches is oftentimes made to feel as though they are buying into unreliable data and misinformation.
However one needs only to research the issue to discover that many studies have been conducted involving homeopathic and placebo treatments and that very favorable results have been determined.
Of course it is important to realize that some children show no improvement whether a holistic approach is used or a placebo is used.
On the other hand more children responded favorably and showed noticeable improvement when given homeopathic remedies than those who were give placebos.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that this childhood mental disorder is the most studied and researched, more and more children are being diagnosed with ADHD.
Sadly we are no closer to understanding what causes the disorder than we were decades ago for the most part.
Nowadays we have brain imaging scans that have shown a distinct difference in the frontal lobes of the child with ADHD but as to what causes these differences, aside from a genetic link, we have no idea.
As far as an ADHD natural treatment is concerned there are certain foods that benefit the child with ADHD and certain foods that are best avoided.
For instance those with ADHD should have a high protein diet because this is known to prevent surges in the amount of sugar in their blood.
If the surges occur it is known to cause hyperactive behavior and is therefore best avoided.
Fatty acids are also an important part of the ADHD diet plan because they are crucial for the brain.
Omega 3 and Omega 6 are examples of fatty acids but unfortunately the body is not able to produce these and therefore they need to be obtained via the diet.
Although Westerners tend to consume a diet high in Omega 6 fatty acids they lack Omega 3.
There are many childhood behavioral problems and learning problems associated with a deficiency of Omega 3.
You can obtain these fatty acids from salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna as well as through flax oil and flax seeds.