Lipid deficiency--question for Catatonic

[AustinsMom]

After looking at the link on lipids, I can definitely say Austin has the signs of a lipid deficiency. As I said, we are currently on 400 mg Neuromin DHA, and 1000 mg evening primrose, in addition to the vitamins. Do you thnk this is enough, or what amount/type of fatty acids would you think could help with this? We've been on this regimen since late August. We saw good improvement at first, then got caught up in that nasty Strattera crisis. So now we are trying to get back to basics, no meds, continuing supplements, doing the FG diet. Just wanted your opinion on the lipid issue. THANKS

[catatonic]

I'm constantly surprised at how stubborn some nutritional deficiencies can be, despite good supplementation. Maybe some kind of problem metabolizing nutrients leads to the deficiency in the first place and makes it even harder to correct? It can certainly be frustrating.

Your essential fatty acid supplements seem adequate, although I have a few suggestions. Are you including at least 100 IU of Vitamin E each day? (Some experts say at least 200 IU.) Without the Vitamin E, the fatty acids will not be metabolized appropriately.

Have you experimented with a different type of Omega-3 supplement? I know that my son simply does not do well on the more highly concentrated forms like the Neuromin or the DHA-250. I'm not sure why, but speculate that he needs the higher quantity of EPA (a DHA precursor) found in the cruder fish oil casules. I give my son a fairly large dose of fish oil daily, and have found that it's necessary to do so to keep up the beneficial effects. I use product called Omega-3 which provides 120mg DHA and 180mg EPA per capsule. He takes 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. Yes, that's a lot of Omega-3, but it seems to be the only way it works for him. I begin seeing behavior problems within about a week if I use a Neuromin type supplement.

A second possibility is the amount of Evening Primrose Oil you're using. It seems a little high. If you provide too much Omega-6 (which is what the evening primrose is) and not enough Omega-3, then the brain will substitute Omega-6 where it needs fatty acids. Omega-6 simply does not function the same way in the brain that Omega-3 does, so you want to keep the two types in proper balance.

The ideal ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 would be 1:1, however anything that is below 1:4 (that's one part Omega-3 to 4 parts Omega-6) has highly beneficial health affects in addition to impacting ADHD. (Reduction of heart disease, breast cancer and colon cancer, for example.) Because our diets are so overwhelmingly rich in Omega-6 already, there is little need to supplement it. A typical American diet has a ratio of about 1:16, which is FAR too much Omega-6. Safflower oil, corn oil (or corn), soybean, eggs and meats are all common Omega-6 sources and we consume lots of those things.

You could easily eliminate the evening primrose completely, or cut the dose in half. You probably don't need it. Best of luck to you.

BTW - having used both meds and natural methods, how would you compare the two of them?

[AustinsMom]

Thank you Cat. I really appreciate and value your input. I'll be happy to nix some of the primrose oil...my son thinks he takes too much stuff anyway. Thanks heavens he can take 3 or 4 capsules at a time--it helps prevent a mutiny. We initially tried a fish oil, but Austin complained about the fish burps, so I specifically looked for something without that side effect. Do you know of any that don't have that effect?

Also, I've been wanting to add lecithin--what form do you use? I bought a globby oil that seems to have a mind and life of it;s own. It actually sticks to the spoon even through the dishwasher. Is lecithin considered a fatty acid?

As to your question regarding meds vs. natural....it's definitely been a process for us. I'm an OT and my husband is a psychologist, and we struggled, struggled, struggled with the issue of medicaiton. But Austin has a learning disability, and we found that school was such a struggle for him. It's hard enouth to learn with a learning disability, but if you have attention problems and absolutely no interest in school, its almost impossible. We had already waited a year for him to start school and done tons of remediation, but kindergarten was just not working for him. So after talking to every expert we knew, we tried meds, with the idea that it had to make a significant impact, or we were not going to use it. Well, it made a HUGE difference. And we repeated the CPT and found his impulsivity and attention were drastically improved on the Adderall. We had side effects, switched to Metadate. Had more side effects, switched to Strattera and you know the rest. Now, with all we are doing, we are managing as well as with meds I think.

Now that we are off, I can see in hindsight that many of the things we were dealing with were med side effects. So it appears the meds were causing as many problems as they were solving. To be fair, he is struggling some in school. Is that school getting harder or less attention, I don't know. But we feel this is the path for us and we are constantly searching for things to help. So I just look back and consider that we made the best decision we could at the time, and have no regrets, but intend to go forward with a different philosophy. So we are getting a formal LD diagnoses and obtaining some accomodations at school for the LD, and trying every natural remedy under the sun, looking for the combination that works for us. Thanks for all of your help.

[catatonic]

I appreciate your comparison of meds and diet/supplements. I look around at the other ADHD children that my son attends school with and I don't know that the ones taking medication do any better than my boy does without. I think attentiveness is the hardest aspect to impact, and I believe that my son would be better able to pay attention were he on medication. On the other hand, his behavior at home is so incredibly improved that I really don't feel medication could do any better. In fact, I think medication would not be as beneficial in terms of home life. Sooooo, I'll keep searching for that missing puzzle piece that will finally help him turn the corner attention-wise.

On the Omega-3...have you considered using flax oil instead of fish oil? It doesn't taste bad and can be eaten by the teaspoon full or stirred into his salad dressing, etc. On the other hand, flax oil is made up of short-chain fatty acids that the body must convert to DHA and EPA long-chains. If it can't do this adequately (and maybe it can't or there wouldn't be a fatty acid deficiency in the first place) then you won't get as good results on the flax as with the fish. Still, it is an option, and for many people the flax works just fine.

On lecithin...the type I buy is in yellow granules (not fine like sugar, but more like the size of that tiny little orzo pasta). It is called, remarkably enough "Lecithin Granules". It doesn't taste bad and you can sprinkle 2Tbsp over a plate of nachos or breakfast cereal, or stir it into juice, or include it in a breakfast shake. It's also not particularly expensive. I buy a great big 2-lb. plastic jar of it and give a 2Tbsp coffee scoop of it each day. (Usually in a breakfast shake, that way I can make enough that my older boys and even the 2-year-old if she's feeling cooperative get some decent nutrition in them.)

[eaccae]

Well - DS is on medication and it has worked out very well for us and luckily with very little side effects. The FG diet just won't work for us because most of the things on the list - spinach, herbs, tomatoes, nuts, apples, basically most of the fruits and vegetables would give him nothing to eat. He is a picky eater on the reverse in that he will ONLY eat these vegetables and fruits, etc. And I don't know how to cook without all the herbs - I can't live without them. And he takes such pleasure from these foods - especially the spinach, apples and tomatoes. (I commend all of you that are able to do this diet). That being said - even with the medication - although it is DRASTICALLY improved - the focus thing is STILL an issue. So Cat, your child wouldn't necessarily focus better on meds. What you are doing is working so well. I am still reading this board constantly hoping that the focus issue will be tackled!