ADHD-Drug Free?

crybaby2384

My son is 6 years old. They say he is ADHD. I do not want to put him on any medications. I am working with his diet. I have him on a dye free and HFCS free diet. Has anyone had success with an ADHD child by just altering diet? Any tips on other ways to deal with it?

Lizzy622

ADHD is often an elimination diagnosis and many times it is not correct. These are the cases that can be "cured" through diet. Many food and dye sensitivities mimic ADHD symptoms. Tomatoes are another culprit to watch. Really a tough one if you child LOVES ketchup.

crybaby2384

My son LOVES his sauces especially ketchup. I have never tried to cut out tomatoes. I haven't heard that could help. I might have to try that.

Lizzy622

My mother-in-law wondered why my son always misbehaved when he was at her house. (His trigger was MSG) I had told her not to give him certain foods but she never listened to me. Hoping you find his trigger foods.

PS He was "cured" when they moved further away and he didn't eat at their house any more.

Meerataila

Not sure about sugar, but you might find this interesting:

http://adc.bmj.com/content/89/6/506.short

Title:

The effects of a double blind, placebo controlled, artificial food colourings and benzoate preservative challenge on hyperactivity in a general population sample of preschool children

Abstract
Aims: To determine whether artificial food colourings and a preservative in the diet of 3 year old children in the general population influence hyperactive behaviour.

Methods: A sample of 1873 children were screened in their fourth year for the presence of hyperactivity at baseline (HA), of whom 1246 had skin prick tests to identify atopy (AT). Children were selected to form the following groups: HA/AT, not-HA/AT, HA/not-AT, and not-HA/not-AT (n = 277). After baseline assessment, children were subjected to a diet eliminating artificial colourings and benzoate preservatives for one week; in the subsequent three week within subject double blind crossover study they received, in random order, periods of dietary challenge with a drink containing artificial colourings (20 mg daily) and sodium benzoate (45 mg daily) (active period), or a placebo mixture, supplementary to their diet. Behaviour was assessed by a tester blind to dietary status and by parents’ ratings.

Results: There were significant reductions in hyperactive behaviour during the withdrawal phase. Furthermore, there were significantly greater increases in hyperactive behaviour during the active than the placebo period based on parental reports. These effects were not influenced by the presence or absence of hyperactivity, nor by the presence or absence of atopy. There were no significant differences detected based on objective testing in the clinic.

Conclusions: There is a general adverse effect of artificial food colouring and benzoate preservatives on the behaviour of 3 year old children which is detectable by parents but not by a simple clinic assessment. Subgroups are not made more vulnerable to this effect by their prior levels of hyperactivity or by atopy.

bzitske

I have several friends with children for whom fish oil reduced their ADHD symptoms enough so no medication was required.

Good luck!

neandermagnon

ADHD (as in the actual condition, not in children whose symptoms mimic it due to a lack of free play or whatever) is not caused by anything in the diet or cured by the removal of it. That said, it is an overdiagnosed condition, and some kids diagnosed with it don't actually have it and are very likely to be helped by having more free play and a healthier diet. There is some evidence that certain artificial additives can cause hyperactivity in some kids (and can make it worse in ADHD kids)

But if it's actual ADHD, as in the neurological condition, then you can't cure that, it's how the child's brain is wired up. Stimulant drugs like ritalin help some kids because they improve blood flow around the brain, which helps the affected centres of the brain to work better. (all this can be seen on brain scans) Whether that's the best treatment for any ADHD kid really is something that should be taken on a case by case basis, because the potential benefits need to be weighed against the side effects and there are other ways to help some ADHD kids. More exercise/physical activity/free play tends to help because it improves blood flow to the brain. But again, these things don't rewire a child's brain. They just help make the issues less bad.

stephgas

ADHD (as in the actual condition, not in children whose symptoms mimic it due to a lack of free play or whatever) is not caused by anything in the diet or cured by the removal of it. That said, it is an overdiagnosed condition, and some kids diagnosed with it don't actually have it and are very likely to be helped by having more free play and a healthier diet. There is some evidence that certain artificial additives can cause hyperactivity in some kids (and can make it worse in ADHD kids)

But if it's actual ADHD, as in the neurological condition, then you can't cure that, it's how the child's brain is wired up. Stimulant drugs like ritalin help some kids because they improve blood flow around the brain, which helps the affected centres of the brain to work better. (all this can be seen on brain scans) Whether that's the best treatment for any ADHD kid really is something that should be taken on a case by case basis, because the potential benefits need to be weighed against the side effects and there are other ways to help some ADHD kids. More exercise/physical activity/free play tends to help because it improves blood flow to the brain. But again, these things don't rewire a child's brain. They just help make the issues less bad.

all of this. i believe free play and diet are major culprits in the overdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD. if your son is sensitive/allergic to certain additives, it's possible those reactions could mimic or exacerbate ADHD symptoms. it's not easy to convince a kid to participate in an elimination diet - good luck.