TREATING ADHD WITH MORE THAN JUST PILLS
Start with food, not pharmacies.
Daydreaming, fidgeting, interrupting, talking too much, having trouble taking turns, forgetting things — this is childhood.
But where is the line between being an energetic child and struggling with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? It’s difficult to pinpoint, but it’s often when kids start school that parents and teachers first recognize that there’s too much energy, too much distraction, and/or too much unfocused attention.
So what can you do if you think your child has ADHD? First and foremost, recognize that, in the words of Dr. James Greenblatt, “ADHD is a performance disorder, not a skills disorder.” That’s an important distinction.
Consider what a car needs to perform well: gas in the tank, a tuned-up engine, and air in the tires, among other things. If any of those are lacking, it doesn’t matter what the car is technically capable of. It simply won’t run like it should.
The brain in similar. If we don’t get enough nutrients, or we’re over-exposed to toxins, or our neurochemistry is out of balance, our brains simply don’t work well. It’s like pouring laundry detergent in the gas tank of a Porsche!
Research shows that in adult brains, low cellular energy leads to dementia, Parkinsons, and multiple sclerosis. This is even more problematic for kids because their brains, which are still developing, require twice as much energy.
We now know that the day-to-day environment has become increasingly toxic. The foods we feed our children are lacking nutrients. Our bodies and brains are battered with the stress of modern life. ADHD diagnoses have skyrocketed.
Sometimes medication is the answer — or at least part of the answer. But my first choice is to focus on natural ways to increase the energy a child’s brain requires to grow, develop, and work. Pharmacology, if necessary, comes later.
