Information on Nutritional Supplements for ADHD from the "ADD ADHD Information Library"

Nutritional Supplements for ADHD

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Doug, We have done a lot of experimenting with our youngest son, who is now 9. He is pretty hyper and even with Ritalin, sometimes hard to control. I started using diet restrictions (no milk, food coloring, etc.) to see what we could do. It was impossible to implement - we couldn't find enough for him to eat. We then tried various Shaklee supplements, drink mixes, etc. It did not seem to make a difference. Several years ago, a potential client called me (at the time, I was doing Internet consulting) to design a web site for them. In talking about their product and doing research about the parent company (Reliv), I ran across an article by a psychiatrist who had used this with a number of his patients, with good success rates. We tried it with our son (telling no one at school about this). Within 3 weeks, his teacher called me and asked what in the world we were doing. She could see a huge difference and said even other teachers were asking her what had changed. We give him a "shake" each morning which has 1 scoop of their Innergize product and 1 scoop of their meal replacement product - Ultrim, mixed in a blender with juice and ice. It really seems to help. We had hoped to be able to eventually get him off of the RItalin, but we certainly have not made enough progress for that next step. I do believe this has helped us keep from increasing the dosages. Happy to discuss further and I am certainly anxious to hear what has worked for others! -

 

Dear Doug, I have recently been looking into the relationship between essential fatty acids and ADHD. Here are some of the references I found:

Stevens, L. Essential fatty acid metabolism in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995:62: 761-8.

Stevens, L. Omega-3 fatty acids in boys with behavior, learning and health problems. Physiology and Behavior, 1996 9: 915-920.

Mitchell, E. A. Clinical characteristic and serum essential fatty acids in hyperactive children. Clin Pediatr. 1987 26: 406-411. Hope this is helpful. CE --------------------------------------------------------------------

ADHD Research Researchers at the University of Purdue in West Lafayette , Indiana found that boys with low blood levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids have a greater tendency toward behavior , learning and health problems consistent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Previous studies have indicated that symptoms associated with a deficiency in fatty acids are exhibited to a greater extent in kids with ADHD, including thirst, frequent urination and dry skin and hair. But the Purdue researchers pinpointed omega-3's as the fatty acids that may be associated with the unique behavior problems in ADHD children . Omega-3 is one of two fatty acids that must be obtained from foods because the body cannot synthesize them. Researchers tested levels of omega-3 and omega-6, the other fatty acid , in 96 boys , ages 6 to 12 , including 53 with ADHD. About 40 percent of the ADHD boys had a greater frequency of symptoms indicative of essential fatty-acid deficiency. Lead researcher John Burgess said boys with lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids scored higher in the frequency of many behavioral problems. Children with lower omega-6 levels had significantly more colds and health-related problems than those with higher levels, but they did not exhibit more behavioral problems. The researchers said their work is aimed at finding nutritional treatments for ADHD children, rather than relying on Ritalin and other drugs. The study was published in a recent edition of Physiology and Behavior. --------------------

 

I would also be interested in whatever results you get from your study. One of my family members is in the process of beginning the use of Attend vitamins produced by VAXA. It is too early to draw any conclusions, but I am under the impression that there have been some positive results. Please keep me informed of your feedback, and I will do the same. Thank you. -

 

Dear Doug, After reading the information about`Attend` on the internet, how would I go about obtaining Attend in Great Britain, could you please supply further information regarding this. With Ref to information on Diet, I will hopefully be able to provide this within the next week or so. Regards Dave ------------------

Buy Attend Here Dave...

 

I have tried just about everything for two severe Adhd sons- removing chocolate, red and blue dies and caffeine has been the only successful intervention of a dietary nature I have found any success with.......... Supplements, vitamins and herbs, nothing worked! I feel it should be illegal to market any of these supposed replacements for behavior modification and medications without FDA testing and approval. The money that has been spent by parents like me, the emotional toll that is taken- should be paid back 100 times by so called do-gooders with sure fire methods for adhd! My two cents .......... AK M --------------

 

Check out the books written by Dr.Doris Rapp "Is This Your Child", it contains information about nutritional supplements and diets which are related to avoid allergy causing substances and foods. Dr. Feingold also has a book out containing diet information to control behavior. Hope this helps. Becky -- -------------------------

 

I have recently explored two diets that are alternative treatments to ritalin. One is New Vision's essential minerals and enzymes and natural juices, etc. The other is the Cell Tech Super Blue Algae diet. I have individuals to contact if you are interested. We are still evaluating wheter to try these alternative methods. I would love to know what your studies and research have discovered. Thank you for your newsletter and timely information regarding Biofeedback. My son is currently undergoing the biofeedback treatment (completer 21 sessions) and is feeling very positive about it. He is a 17 year old with a gifted aptitude and struggles with organizational, social and self management skills. Keep your information coming. Thank you. Beverly Rohman

 

 

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