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ADHD and nutrition: finding an alternative treatment that works
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affectes 3-7% of children in the United States. Interestingly, ADHD is more common in non-hispanic, English speaking kids, who have health insurance. With the exception of males, income has no significance on who gets ADHD and who does not.
Many parents are concerned about the longterm effects of ADHD drugs like Ritalin and are looking for alternative healthcare options. Direct medical costs for each ADHD individual is estimated at $1,574 per child leading parents of ADHD children to spend almost double for healthcare than what families without ADHD children spend. When food agencies are allowing health claims on sugary cereals like Fruit Loops, parents of ADHD kids are desperate for answers on not only what they can do for their children but who they can trust.
Debate on ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis of ADHD has increased substantially over the past decade. This has led to debate as to whether the condition is really increasing or whether just the diagnosis is increasing. When big players like the pharmaceutical industry are involved, the public is becoming increasingly weary.
Parents do not care about what criteria is necessary for a diagnosis or what spectrum their kids behavior lies. If their kids are becoming increasingly out of control and are having trouble in school, Parents simply want options beyond putting their kids in separate classes and giving them drugs.
Parents care about their kids' grades on report cards, their kids' ability to interact with other children, and the greater health outlook for their child. Parents may even begin to doubt their own parenting skills - particularly when health professionals increasingly point the finger at them for their child's behavioral problems.
While parents are no completely void of blame, there are a variety of possibilities that have been proposed to cause ADHD. Similar to the question of whether the chicken and the egg came first, it is difficult to link cause and effect when it comes to the issue of behavioral disorders like ADHD.
Contemporary Understanding of ADHD
The most accepted causes of ADHD include:
- Brain injury
- Environmental exposures (e.g., lead)
- Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy
- Premature delivery
- Low birth weight
These are the more obvious triggers that put a child at high risk for behavioral disorders but are not to be underestimated. Americans are exposed to more chemicals from their environment than ever before. This has led to serious concerns regarding the safety of the food and water supply.
Despite these known triggers, parents are still left with little to act on when they begin noticing behavioral problems in their children. Proper prenatal care is essential for both the mother and father of a child prior to conception and for the woman during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but these are non-issues for parents already dealing with a child with diagnosed or suspected ADHD.
Proposed Triggers of Childhood ADHD
Some less accepted theories that have been proposed include:
- Direct and indirect effects of vaccines and vaccine preservatives containing metals like mercury and aluminum
- Food sensitivities to common allergens like wheat, dairy, soy and eggs
- Food chemicals, colorings and preservatives commonly found in products often consumed by children
- Impaired detoxification mechanisms in the body
- High consumption of sugar-laden foods and beverages
- Nervous system imbalance from physical, biochemical and emotional stress
- Sedentary hours playing video games and watching television.
- Socioeconomic causes: overworked parents, lack of access and affordability to fruits and vegetables, and affordability of daycare services.
These theories are highly debated because of the long latency between a potential trigger and possible symptoms, because of corporate and industrial stakeholders involved and because many research studies depend on subjective responses of reported behavior by parents. Looking at the expanded list of potential triggers associated with ADHD, parents are now given plenty of ways to become proactive in their child's care. If the health professionals are not going to stand up for our kids, the parents are left without a choice but to look elsewhere.
Alternative ADHD Treatment
Some therapies that have shown promise both anecdotally and in some research reports include:
- Feingold Diet (http://www.feingold.org): removes all synthetic chemicals, colorings and preservatives from a child's diet.
- Chiropractic care: Restoring balance in the nervous system and removing physical stresses on the body
- Accupunture
- Behavioral counseling
- Exercise: Kids are meant to run around and play. They are not meant to be sitting hours a day playing video games and watching television while drinking soda, and consuming inflammatory, sugar-laden snacks.
- Anti-allergenic diet: Aside from more obvious allergies that cause severe swelling and anaphylaxis, there are delayed food sensitivities that can show up 3-4 days after consuming a specific food item. These delayed reactions can cause alterations in skin, hair, mood and even joint pain. Triggering foods can be identified by through an elimination diet or blood test..
It is important to find a health professional with more advanced training in nutrition. Chiropractors receive more nutrition education than medical doctors, but are less versed in research. Look for chiropractors or medical doctors alike who have advanced degrees and certifications.
Talk with other parents on professionals they trust and ask for the results, ask for credentials and ask other parents what approaches have helped their own children.
Understanding ADHD Treatment
There is no single program that will improve the behavior for your child. Unfortunately an alternative approach to ADHD is a bit of trial and error for parents and health professionals alike. Complex problems require complex and multifaceted solutions. Pharmaceutical therapy offers limited help at the expense of potentially serious short-term and long-term side effects. Alternative approaches require changes in the parents' lifestyles as much as it requires changes for the child. Parents are not willing to wait for the research in order to try therapies that seem to work for some but not for others.
These are all approaches that will improve the health of anyone regardless of whether a person has a diagnosis of ADHD or not. The more parents are willing to challenge the current system, the closer we will be able to find a workable solution. I welcome you to comment or e-mail me at BuffaloNutrition@gmail.com to discuss what has worked and what hasn't worked for you and your child.
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