ADHD - A letter to a mother

This a letter I have recently written to a mother in need with her 3 year old son diagnosed with ADHD:

Dear Mother

I first want to wish you and your son all the best.  I wrote down and looked up my notes on the topic and made a list of things that WILL help.  Much of what I will share came from and can correlate with a power point you can find on an open website - http://box.net/standardprocess

I would recommend that you look and read the power point yourself and to have it to keep it as a reference for you and for your son. There are some major areas of concern when it comes to ADHD, They are Neurological imbalance, Nutritional deficiency, and Allergic reactions.

Allergies: 
I think the first thing to do is to find any allergies your son may have.  These are things that are harming your son that need to be eliminated.

1. Sugar - an average child eats 150 lbs of sugar every year.  We need to eliminate our sugar intake.  This includes regular table sugar, corn sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour.  This includes more than just candy.  This includes cereals, juices, milk, ketchup, and dressings.  Even if it claims to be healthy, it can be loaded with sugar. It is important to read the labels and ingredients.  These sugars are refined which makes it difficult for our body to digest, is a valuable food source for bacteria and other infections, and destroys our nerve cells.

2. Food additives - companies have found ways to make food taste better and look better, unfortunately at the expense of our health. These are thins like nitrates, MSG, food dyes, and artificial sweeteners. YES, artificial sweeteners like splenda or nutrasweet.  These are things that are are sweet but claim to be diet or sugar free. Many people try to eliminate sugar by eating these sugar free foods - yet it is more harmful.  Artificial sweeteners have another name - NEUROTOXIN - because that is what they do.  They destroy our brain cells, and should be avoided.

3. Other allergies - You can get an allergy test done.  The most common childhood allergies are egg, peanut, and milk.  Dairy is often a big allergy for children. Dairy is also associated with many gut dysfunctions.  Find any other allergies that may be present and avoid them for the next little while

4. Metal Toxicities - certain heavy metals can have an effect on the brain and nervous system.  You can order a heavy metal toxicity test to see if there may be a problem.  This is best done by a hair analysis.  I have heard that Garlic is the best thing to take to rid of metals in the body.

Nutritional Support
Now that we've eliminated the issues - we now need to replace the body with proper nutrition.  Most of this should come from the foods we eat, but there are certain supplements that have a great effect on ADHD.  Add fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet.  The power point has a list of some good foods to include on your diet, but here are a few key points.

1. Drink water or no sugar added juices
2. Eat at least one fresh fruit or vegetable at every meal.
3. Most fats should be good fats - avocados, Omega-3's from fish or tuna or supplements, coconut oil, olive oil.
4. No sugar, dairy, or cereal in the morning - This is a major problem we face in our society.  We inject our kids with sugar every morning and send them off to school where they are forced to sit and listen for hours. It is important to start our mornings off right.  Oatmeal is a good breakfast sweetened with raw honey and cinnamon, or even a smoothie is a good morning meal. It also makes a good treat.  Make smoothies with fresh fruit without adding sugar.  Bananas are a good fruit to sweeten things up naturally or berries.
5. During this time - no processed foods - no foods from packages or no food from restaurants.  Fresh whole foods are so vital for proper nutrition.

Here are a few extra supplemental things to add for best support - (much of these can be found and purchased at Standard Process)

1. Bacopa Complex - Relief of nervous tension and stress, improves mental function and concentration, improves memory and learning,  - very important
2. OPC Synergy - I don't know its exact effects, but helps the Bacopa
3. DHA (Omega -3) - Improves brain function
4 Probiotics - Our gut has billions of bacteria in it - most of which are good for us.  Probiotics are the good bacteria.  Infections and allergies occur when there are very little good bacteria that allows the bad bacteria to grow.  If we include more good bacteria, it will suppress the bad creating a greater balance in our gut
5 A child's multi-vitamin - just another way to make sure your son is getting enough nutrition.

Neurological Imbalance -
This isn't so much treating the cause, but rather providing the best potential possible.  The website recommends doing the nutrition for 100 days or for 3 months. I would try it for the first month, and note any improvements.  After the first month and seeing the improvements - then I would begin including the brain balancing exercises.

1. Go see a Chiropractor - I know I am a chiropractic student, but it is vital to see a chiropractor to help the nervous system function properly and provide the best brain functioning support.  Like I said - 90% of our brain function depends on our joint motion.  A chiropractor adjusts the body to helps the joints move properly.  He can also adjust in a way to balance the brain.

2. Exercise - Get him involved in a committed activity where he is moving and exercising.  Again, motion is good for brain health.  I would strongly suggest to take away and hide the X-Box and to limit TV.  I know he may not like it, but you have to do it.

3. Brain Balancing exercises - There may be certain exercises that you or the chiropractor can do that can help balance the body and thus help balance the brain. This can be as simple as balancing on one leg or other exercises that focus on balance.

I know this may seem like a lot, but I know if you do everything possible for the first month - you will see a great improvement.  He may not like it, and it may get very frustrating at first.  We all get that way when we cleanse our bodies of toxins, but once the body adapts and is filled with the good things - there are great moments ahead.  I am here for any support and for any questions.  I am excited and anxious to hear the progress. Keep me informed.