Question about supplements

[eaccae]

My cousin's son - turned 5 last week - was just diagnosed with ADHD. She figures that they will probably just repeat kindergarten and so there is no rush for medications etc. and his teacher is great so the is doing fine so far wih the self esteem issue. Because she she doesn't feel a huge rush etc. she is probably going to try supplments and see how that goes.

What are the main supplements she should be looking into? Omega 3, magnesium (6mg per pound of body weight), what else? And is there a place she can go to find out what the best dosages are etc.?

Oh yes - and where was that article on the Harvard study - I wanted her to read that as well.

[catatonic]

It's very hard to find all the information you need in a single source. One of the best I've found is Laura Stevens' book "12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child". It makes a good starting point for further reading. I'd also recommend "Excitotoxins" by Russell Blaylock, particularly the Conclusion section towards the back, which contains very specific nutrient recommendations.

You can find the Harvard study at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12946241&dopt=Abstract

This is only an abstract of the study, a very brief summary. To get the entire article, you have to contact the Alternative Medicine Review at www.thorne.com/index.html and they will charge you a whopping $20 for a reprint.

FYI, the list of supplements we use (in addition to the wonderful Feingold Diet) is as follows:
A multi-vitamin which contains trace minerals and 100 IU of vitamin E
A B-complex vitamin called a balanced B-50
600mg of Magnesium (my son weighs 90 pounds, so his target dose is 540mg, and that's as close as I can get)
Omega-3 fish oil, 4 capsules daily, which provide a total of 480mg DHA and 720mg EPA. (There are smaller, more concentrated versions available, but my son does not do well on these. Your child might do fine on them.)
One 500mg capsule of Evening Primrose Oil which contains 50mg GLA.
1 - 2 Tbsp daily of lecithin, a rich source of phospholipids which comprise 25% of our brains, and which are required for construction of the neurotransmitter choline.
2 Tbsp daily of soy protein powder, to provide a wide spectrum of amino acids

Finally, I hesitate to recommend single amino acids because their use can be so touchy and you can end up doing more harm than good. However, we have begun seeing really outstanding results with the use of DMAE (250mg daily). Here is an excerpt from "Excitotoxins" about DMAE:

"In one large study involving behavioral problems in children, it was found that DMAE supplementation reduced hyperactivity, increased attantion span, and reduced irritability in 76% of girls and 66% of boys. It may offer a better alternative than Ritalin in cases of attention deficit disorder."

DMAE stimulates the brain's production of choline. Studies show it also improves memory and improves mood. Because of the research Dr. Blaylock cites, and because we are seeing even further improvement by adding the DMAE, I'd recommend including it in your fistfull of supplements.

Vitamins can be expensive. Before purchasing them at your local health food store, you might want to look on-line. I use www.herbaladvisor.com and they are super CHEAP and carry pretty much everything you might need.

[loveforeric]

:)Catatonic;
Good Afternoon, Hope all is well you and yours. I have a Quick Question. About a month ago you helped me get started with a natural alternative to Meds. All is good, except that Eric will not take the Magnesium for me. The other supplements I have been able to do do in smaller portions. What ways can the magnesium be given? Can I put in something for him in the morning.? Thanks, Have a peaceful day,
Christina

[catatonic]

Christina -
How is Eric doing on the supplements? Have you seen any results yet or is it still too soon?

On the magnesium, you can buy it in a powdered form that you can stir into a drink. Orange juice, maybe, to cover any flavor? I haven't tried this type, so I don't know if it tends to be hard on the stomach or not, although, they claim it is not.

You can find powdered magnesium at www.herbaladvisor.com/shop/xq/asp/ptid.33342/qx/productDetail.htm The cost is a little over $3 and you would need to use 1/4 tsp daily to provide 400mg of magnesium. This is small enough that you probably wouldn't notice it in a glass of juice. The $3 bottle ought to last you about 2 months, if I've converted teasthingys to ounces correctly.

This is a powdered magnesium oxide. If you don't go with this particular type, do make sure to avoid the magnesium citrate, which even in a cast-iron gut like mine will cause loose bowels. The magnesium ascorbate probably isn't ideal either, since it's main goal is to provide Vitamin C and the magnesium is only incidental. You'd have to give at least a teasthingy (more like 1 1/2) of the ascorbate to provide enough magnesium.

While there are chewable magnesium tablets available, I would use these with caution. They tend to be the worst culprits in causing diarrhea.

Let me know how Eric is progressing.

Cat

P.S. I forgot to mention...if finding a new kind of magnesium sounds like too much work...have you tried cash? I got my son to take his vitamins originally by offering him a dollar if he got them down within 3 minutes. It worked and I quit paying him after about a week.