edbson,
Great info. We have my daughter taking fish oil high DHA. We actually started this before she was dx because she seemed to slways be dragging. It did work on her mood (took abt 4 wks) and also seemed to help with her ability to get up in the morning. In any case would you please post the links that you mentioned?
Link to Purdue article on Omega-3 deficiency and ADHD: http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9606.Burgess.html
I have a seven year old with innattentive add. He's on 36mgs of concerta and has counseling once a week. Someone has suggested Omega3 fatty acids and Chiropratic manipulations. Has anyone ever tried this?
Be very careful with the fish oils...they are for mood, and when I gave them to my son along with his stimulant, he developed acid reflux which in children often presents with frequent vomiting. apparently acid reflux and stomach issues can be a problem with the fish oils according to many studies I have since seen and many adults telling me that they had stomach problems when they tried them....It took me over a month to figure out the cause. When I stopped the fish oils, the vomiting and acid reflux stopped. It has been over 2 weeks now since he had either the fish oil or the vomiting. Some have said that I cannot say if the oil helped him or not, since he did not keep it down well enough, but all I know is his mood didn't change while on them, and I did everything right.....bought expensive , pure fish oil from a reputable company, gave them to him with food.....
As for the chiropractic manipulations....I have no experience with them.....
Not sure about Chiropractic, I am terrified of chiropractors. But here is what I know about omega's, my dd has been using them for 3 years with excellent results.
There are three types of Omegas. All are essential fatty acids, but they have their first double-valence bond in different spots, which is why they have different numbers. Omega-9 has its first double bond on the 9th carbon, Omega-6th on the 6th carbon, Omega-3 on the 3rd. Your body needs all of these in varying amounts, and some are more available from foods than others:
1.) Omega-9 : Found in practically all naturally occuring fats. You really shouldn't ever need to buy an Omega-9 supplement. Particularly rich sources are avocados, almonds, olive oil, macadamia nuts.
2.) Omega-6 : These are your fatty acids with "names" like LA, GLA, DGLA. It's readily available in meat, eggs, dairy, corn oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, soy bean oil. This is generally quite plentiful in diet as well and you shouldn't need to supplement to assure an extremely adequate intake. HOWEVER...research indicates that essential fatty acid supplementation is more successful when you are consuming approximately 50mg GLA along with your Omega-3. You can get that 50mg GLA quite easily by taking a small Evening Primrose Oil capsule each day. As long as it is preserved with Vitamin E (or "mixed tocopherols"), which virtually all of them are, then it is Feingold safe. Many people don't bother with this and their Omega-3 supplementation doesn't seem harmed at all.
3.) Omega 3 : This is increasingly difficult to take in sufficient quantities through diet alone. It's found most abundantly in fish, also in flax and walnut oil. There is a large -- and growing -- body of research on the link between Omega-3 deficiency and ADHD, between maternal Omega-3 deficiency during pregnancy and ADHD, between Omega-3 deficiency and declining neurological health in general, Omega-3 deficiency and cardiac disease...you get the picture!
Link to Purdue article on Omega-3 deficiency and ADHD: http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9606.Burgess.html
Unless you plan to dine exclusively on Alaskan salmon and ostrich fed on flax grass, you'd better plan on purchasing Omega-3 in supplement form. That means deciding which type of formulation is best for you. Basically, you have two main choices -- high EPA or high DHA. DHA is the ultimate goal of the Omegas, the longest of the long-chain fatty acids, the one your body will work to build from all the others. EPA is the second longest and doesn't require much conversion by your body.
Nutritional research seems to have established 480mg DHA daily as a threshold number for effective treatment. Whatever supplement you choose, make sure you are providing at least 480mg of DHA.
If you want your Omega-3 in a small, concentrated capsule, buy a high-DHA formulation like DHA-250. These have the advantage of being smaller sized, which might be important depending on how well your kids swallow pills. Very young children (under age 5) ought to take high-DHA Omega-3.
I prefer high-EPA for a couple of reasons. Newer research seems to show that high-EPA formulas are more effective in treating ADHD. Not sure why. I can post links to specific studies if anyone is interested. Most important (to me), the high-EPA is what works for my dd. DHA only formulations don't seem to do much for him. So I stick with what works.
Finally, keep in mind that an Omega-3 deficiency takes approximately 12 weeks to correct if you are faithful with the supplements. You may begin to see behavioral improvement within a couple of weeks or not until close to the full 12 weeks have passed. It was about 6 weeks here.
It's important to take a Vitamin E capsule along with your Omega-3. Not only does the Vitamin E aid with Omega-3 metabolism, its antioxidant function helps protect against free-radical damage as the oil is broken down. Some experts recommend a 100IU capsule with each dose of Omega-3, others recommend 200IU. We use the 100IU capsules. (They're very cute and tiny.)
Dr. Jacqueline Stordy's book "The LCP Solution" is an excellent source of information on Omega-3 supplementation. It's comprehensive and readable and scientific without overwhelming you with technical material.