Getting Help......HOW?????
nwmom:
If you've found a way to cure ADHD I would love to hear it and share it with my son's doctors. It's my understanding that ADHD can be treated, not cured.....just like any other biochem disorder.
I totally agree that proper nutrition helps all of us, ADHD or not.....but, from my research there have been thousands of studies consistently proving that proper levels of medication work..........natural remedies can be a hit or miss.
I am not sure what kind of school he is in right now, or what the school system is like in the UK, but I know at least for me here in the US, smaller class sizes can definitely be helpful. Also teachers that try to make learning more "hands on" ie through games, demonstrations, field trips etc might be a better choice than the more traditional approach of boring drills at the blackboard. Also, if you haven't already, you should make sure that he can have special accomadations for testing situations, for example, gettting to take the test in a separate room, or extended time. That can definitely make things less stressful I think. Does he have any kind of learning disability? If so you might consider a tutor for after school to help with homework...also as far as homework is concerned, a good approach is to break it up into small chunks so that he can take frequent breaks. For example, work for fifteen- twenty minutes at a time followed by a short break. Well I hope this helps. Good luck and hope you can find some help... [QUOTE=a's mom]nwmom:
If you've found a way to cure ADHD I would love to
hear it and share it with my son's doctors. It's my
understanding that ADHD can be treated, not
cured.....just like any other biochem disorder.
I totally agree that proper nutrition helps all of us,
ADHD or not.....but, from my research there have
been thousands of studies consistently proving that
proper levels of medication work..........natural
remedies can be a hit or miss.
Medication might work, but there are generally side
effects from taking them, and who knows about the
possible long term consequences of having a child
on drugs, especially when their brains and organs
are still developing. Here are some interesting
websites I've found on ADD / ADHD and alternative
therapies that work. It may take longer to go the
natural alternative route, but you're affecting the
underlying root causes of the problem and the
body's biochemistry is being rebalanced versus just
covering up the symptoms with drugs. Hope you find
these of some use:
Here's a site with articles on the correlation between
biochemistry and ADD / behavior disorders. These
articles focus on alternative natural treatment
options.
www.hriptc.org/research_studies.html
This website discusses alternative therapies for
children with ADHD. There's a section entitled
'Nutritional and Dietary Treatments for ADHD'. If you
can muddle through all the technical research, you
might be able to glean some useful info.
www.healing-arts.org/children/
Here's another interesting website with articles and
research on ADD/ADHD and alternative therapies.
There's a research article in here that shows food
supplement treatment may be just as effective as
Ritalin in improving attention and self control in
children with AD/HD :
www.alternativementalhealth.com/articleindex.htm
Here's a website that explains pyroluria and the
connection to ADD:
www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C372380.html#H5
Here's a website for Wilson's thyroid syndrome
which has some of the same symptoms as ADD:
www.wilsonssyndrome.com
Also worth reading is The Mood Cure by Julia Ross
which gives you lots of information on biochemical
rebalancing through nutritional supplementation and
diet. It's also a great resource book and does all the
detective work in finding all the possible underlying
reasons your biochemistry could be off balance.
[QUOTE=joanne rogers] My son (11) was recently
diagnosed with A.D.H.D.
I seem to of hit a brick wall trying to get the help he
needs educationally!!
He is in his first year of high school and is becoming
increasingly unhappy,unsettled and frustrated with
homework,school and his teachers!!!
This ultimately effects our homelife creating a
fraught,stressful&charged atmosphere!!
I have found the info available seems to be from the
U.S.A.?I would be grateful for any ideas to help my
son get the help he needs for his particular
needs.[/QUOTE]
JoAnne,
I just came upon this information that you might find
useful since it's a London based treatment center if
you want to consider an alternative therapy to drugs.
They treat ADHD as well as other mental health
disorders.
"The Brain Bio Centre is an outpatient clinical
treatment centre, specialising in the 'optimum
nutrition' approach to mental health problems. The
centre offers a comprehensive assessment of
biochemical imbalances that can contribute to
mental health problems, and advice to correct these
imbalances as a means to restore health. The Brain
Bio Centre is the clinical division of the Mental Health
Project. The Clinic is located at the Institute for
Optimum Nutrition, an independent not-for-profit
educational charity, founded by Patrick Holford in
1984".
Here's the website which has more information on
this place including the phone number:
www.mentalhealthproject.com/bbc.asp
You might also want to check out this website:
"The Hyperactive Children's Support Group is a UK-
based charity organisation that offers support and
information to parents and professionals who wish
to pursue a drug-free approach to treating ADHD".
www.mentalhealthproject.com/azadhd.asp
Good luck!
A big thankyou for the many replies,ideas,answers&practical help that I have received.This website has been an absolute godsend ,a couple of weeks ago I felt like I was going MAD I have put into action many of the suggestions and we are taking each day as it comes....At least we know we are not alone...THANKYOU ALL ONCE AGAIN Spirit...(Previously Joanne Rogers)Many different measures might help a bit but the bottom line is that medication, properly given and carefully monitored is by far the most effective treatment. My son has blossomed on it and educationally gradually improved. He is much happier in himself. There is 50 years experience of stimulant mediaction use and there appear to be no long term side effects.
Irish Star:
You statement of medication and research is exactly right. There have been hundreds of thousands of studies done (double blind, medication and placebos....etc.) that have proven that if you want consistent, beneficial results....medication, by far, provides better results than any natural remedy.
Medication is not a cure, and it causes its own complications.
Here's a report that provides many frank details about the sorts of effects psychotropic medications have on children. This report was prepared for public school personnel in California, USA, but the medications it discussions are available worldwide.
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/psymeds/med1.pdf
Kate:
There is no "cure" for ADHD.
A's mom-
That's the conundrum, isn't it?
Kate:
ADHD is not like a broken arm....it can't be fixed.
ADHD is like diabetes......controlled, not cured.
A's mom-
I don't agree with either the diabetes or the eyeglasses analogies that get pulled out from time to time to express the reality of adhd.
Give me a blood test, or the DRD4 gene proof and then explain to me whether, why and how it adds up to a hill of beans and then also provide a reason why I should (or require my child to) ingest psychotropic substances ....
;-)
Kate:
Per my medical doctor, they are 5-7 years out of having a blood test to check the levels of serotonin......a leading cause for ADHD symptoms to appear.
My son (11) was recently diagnosed with A.D.H.D.
I seem to of hit a brick wall trying to get the help he needs educationally!!
He is in his first year of high school and is becoming increasingly unhappy,unsettled and frustrated with homework,school and his teachers!!!
This ultimately effects our homelife creating a fraught,stressful&charged atmosphere!!
I have found the info available seems to be from the U.S.A.?I would be grateful for any ideas to help my son get the help he needs for his particular needs.
we to are agonising over meds for our nine year old son. he has already been on two different kinds and taken off but seems to be getting worse, his grades are dropping he cant concentrate not to mention sit still, we have changed his diet but that hasnt helped we work very hard with him we talk to him . we dont know what to do we are having a consult with his dr. teusday but were not sure if meds are the way to go he really dosent want to go back on them and we dont want to put him on them so here we are. dose anyone have some advice?
[QUOTE=laura]we to are agonising over
meds for our nine year old son. he has already been
on two different kinds and taken off but seems to be
getting worse, his grades are dropping he cant
concentrate not to mention sit still, we have changed
his diet but that hasnt helped we work very hard with
him we talk to him . we dont know what to do we are
having a consult with his dr. teusday but were not
sure if meds are the way to go he really dosent want
to go back on them and we dont want to put him on
them so here we are. dose anyone have some
advice?
You might want to read my post in the Parents of
ADHD Children section under the heading 'how to
improve ADHD symptoms' , and in this section under
'Research on biochemistry and ADD'. This latter
post has many websites with intriguing research
and articles on alternative therapies for ADD. I think
it's compelling that your child doesn't want to go back
on his meds. Only he really knows how it makes
him feel, and obviously it's not that good and it's wise
parents who listen to that and really hear it. [QUOTE=a's mom]
Kate:
Per my medical doctor, they are 5-7 years out of
having a blood test to check the levels of
serotonin......a leading cause for ADHD symptoms to
appear.
[/QUOTE]
There are already tests that can be used to measure
neurotransmitter levels (serotonin, dopamine, etc)
using urine samples. These tests will probably be
more accurate than blood work for these types of
chemicals.
Current research suggests that ADD is a dopamine
related condition, not serotonin. Serotinon is related
to depression. Most medical doctors are woefully
ignorant about biochemical imbalance disorders.
Psychiatrists would know more about these kinds of
disorders, but even they don't often know the latest in
alternative therapies for disorders like ADD (this is
based on my experience). It is a rare psych who is
willing, or interested, in looking beyond the
viewpoints of the medical establishment when it
comes to treating these conditions.We are agonising over the decision to try medication for our son(11).He started high school in September 2003 and we have noticed a steady decline in his behaviours....The school have finally pulled their finger out and are giving him realistic strategies to help him with his school day(AT LEAST THAT'S ONE BATTLE WON!!)We have until March yo see how things go??We are scouring the internet and everything to gain information so that we can make an informed decision.What does concern me is that in years to come there will be some hideous stories about the drugs that are given to our children now and there awful effects that will come to light in the future I.E Growtjh hormones,beef and infected blood to name but a few.....Who knows what's best??It's a hard decision to make.....Spirit..(Formelly Joanne Rogers)
[QUOTE=joanne rogers]My son (11) was recently diagnosed with A.D.H.D.
I seem to of hit a brick wall trying to get the help he needs educationally!!
He is in his first year of high school and is becoming increasingly unhappy,unsettled and frustrated with homework,school and his teachers!!!
This ultimately effects our homelife creating a fraught,stressful&charged atmosphere!!
I have found the info available seems to be from the U.S.A.?I would be grateful for any ideas to help my son get the help he needs for his particular needs.[/QUOTE] have the school do an I.E.P. on him and that should get him the help
he needs in schoo
i am in scotland and my son was seen by an educational psychologist who recommended an IEP.BASICALLY HE HAS A TEACHER JUST FOR HIMSELF,but he is in nursery,i don't know how it works for academy.
i don't medicate my son as he is only 4 but when he starts scholl,if he can't integrate or concentrate in his lessons.then we will consider the meds.
academy is important,i am taking concerta and my life has dramatiquelly changed for the better,my only side effect is lose of appetite which should be watched in a child.
is he seeing a child psychologist?
Joanne, My son was also "ADHD" but what worked best was "Orthomolecular Medicine." It is also known as "mega-vitamin" or "mega-nutrient" medicine. Abram Hoffer, M.D. is considered the 'father' of orthomolecular medicine and has written several books on how to treat mental disorders by finding out the biochemical causes and treating them, instead of just drugging people. Dr. Hoffer has found that hyperactivity is caused by a vitamin B-3 deficiency. David Horrobin, the famous Scottish orthomolecular researcher, found that hyperactivity is caused by a deficiency of series 1 prostaglandins. Fish oil provides these PG1 prostaglandins and, as it turns out, vitamin B-3 also elevates one's level of PG1's. (Other prostaglandins are inflammatory so you don't want to increase them - you just want to increase the series 1 prostaglandins.) Dr. Horrobin found that the ratio of fatty acids in the fish oil should be in a ratio of 3 parts EPA to 1 part DHA. Kirunal is a brand of fish oil that has this ratio, although there are probably others. We used B-3 for my hyperactive son and it works great but a person needs to be on it for a good 6 months and he must have some B Complex with it every day, such as a B-50 or a B-100. Since vitamin B-3 comes in different forms, it's best to use the "niacinamide" form for children. Dr. Hoffer has you start with about 500 mg of B3 and work up to 3,000 mg a day. That's 1,000 mg with each meal. Along with that he prescribes 2,000 to 3,000 mg of Vitamin C, 250 mg B-6 (don't take it in the evening as it can rev you up and you won't be able to sleep), and zinc. Does your son have any white spots on his fingernails? This is a sign of either too much copper in his body or not enough zinc. Either way, he needs zinc. Dr. Hoffer prescribes 50 mg a day of zinc until the bottle is gone (or the white spots are gone) and then you just reduce the zinc to about 15 - 25 mg a day. Manganese is usually prescribed along with the zinc because zinc is known to deplete manganese. If your child has any loose or painful joints, manganese is especially useful. But you have to be careful with manganese so you don't give him too much. 15 mg a day would be a good, small amount. If you really want to get your child healthy, take him to a naturopathic doc for a hair analysis first. It will tell you the level of minerals in his body as well as if he has any toxic metals like lead, arsenic, etc. Then you can give him the minerals he needs in the right amounts according to his hair analysis. There are other causes of hyperactivity, such as cerebral allergies, pyroluria, etc. I wrote all about these disorders in my book but people get mad if I mention the title in this forum so you can write to me if you want to know the title. But it gives step-by-step instructions on how to find the real, underlying BIOCHEMICAL causes of ADHD. Dr. Hoffer's book on ADHD is "Healing Children's Attention and Behavior Disorders," available from probably any book store. My so-called "ADHD" son is 24 now and doing very well. Look into orthomolecular medicine - I've never known anyone who was not thrilled with how well it works. WE DECICED TO MOVE CLOSER TO FAMILYWE CHANGED SCHOOLS AND OUR SON'S BEHAVIOUR HAS CHANGED,IT HAS ALSO IMPROVED WITH AGE,HE IS NOW 14.
HE TAKES 2 TABS ON SCHOOLDAYS AND NONE AT THE WEEKEND WHICH IS GREAT.
WE'RE HOPING AS HE BECOMES OLDER HE CAN CONTROL HIS IMPULSES XX
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