Where do I start?

[Honeysmom]

I took Honey off of Adderall a few weeks ago. After his appt with the doc on Monday we decided that he would stay off all drugs until further evauls are done. In the meantime I would like to do research on natural alternatives, but do not know where to start. We have tried omega's, but he can't take a pill (awful gag reflex)and I have yet to find it in liquid form. I do really push the fish and tuna, but that only gets you so far. Not to mention it gets boring at supper.

What do you give your kids? What works and what was a waste of time? Also, how did you know it was safe? I want everyone to know in advance I view natural alternatives with the same caution I view perscription drugs. I am not going to give anything to my family without checking it out first.

I have seen alot about the Feingold diet and I am also curious about that.

Thanks...Becky

[ohmama]

The very basic things are:

1. Diet www.feingold.org

2. Omega 3 (nordic naturals makes a liquid in this, all their products are pharmaceutical grade) www.nordicnaturals.com

3. Vitamins/minerals

4. Exercise

5. Behavior techniques

Your best advice on what vitamins to use will come from Catatonic. Or you could read several books and try to put it all together yourself. Not advised unless you have a few years to spare.

Let us know what your questions are and I will try to be more specific with details and refrences for you to explore.

[dfp]

Also, you probably know this already but I'll mention it anyway.

I don't know how much tuna your son is eating, but be careful to limit it to no more than 2 times a month. (My son is very unhappy about this). But they have found that due to ocean pollution , tuna and other large fish have high levels of mercury in them. Those who should be especially cautious are young children and pregnant women. High levels of mercury have been associated with all the nasty symptoms our kiddoes are facing.

Here's a link I pulled up by going to Google. I have no idea whether it gives all the facts, but it's probably a start.

www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/1648


dfp

p.s. My sons take the Nordic Naturals Omega 3 liquid and it's fine. 1/2 tsp in their morning lemonade and they think it's fine. Both my boys have very strong gag reflexes so I'd know if there was a problem!

[Honeysmom]

dfp, thanks for the tuna warning. I did not know that. We get so much mixed info here. I live in Wisconsin and I swear they switch the fish rules everyday. First eat lots, then none for pregnant women, then lots for everyone, then back again!! It drives me nuts.

I am going to look for that liquid. I think that will be a good start.

As for the rest, I must continue my quest.....

[dfp]

Yeah, we get the same story in Massachusetts. We never know what's safe to eat. I was sorry about the tuna info though. It's hard enough to get my kids to eat, and when they actually like something to have to limit it. Sigh.

Good luck finding the omegas. I get mine at Whole Foods, but ohmama has said she gets it at www.vnfnutrition.com, and for better prices!

For us, Feingold has really made a difference. I was the ultimate skeptic-- I thought my son didn't react to anything, but having been on our version of the diet for 3 months I can tell you the difference is huge. Not with attention, but with rage, frustration, inflexible thinking, etc. This morning my son had a horrible rage and I couldn't imagine what had gotten into him. I was sure he had taken a horrible turn for the worse and was about to pick the phone and call the psych.... when I realized he went to the dentist yesterday and had a mouthfull of red-colored, strawberry-flavored whatever-it-is-they-give-to-kids. Ah HA. He got over the reaction in the morning and was a gem all day. I could not have said that 3 months ago.

So good luck. We're with you!

dfp

[catatonic]

Honeysmom -
A recent study conducted under the auspices of Harvard Med School and published in the Alternative Medicine Review compared a nutritionally based treatment protocol with Ritalin and found that on the 8 measures used, the nutritionally based treatment was more successful. I just got a copy of the full text article so will post some of the specific information once I've had a chance to figure out what the heck some of it means.

I highly recommend getting Laura Stevens' book "12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child", which you can order through her website at users.nlci.com/nutrition/ or may be able to find in your library. It's an excellent overview of non-medication approaches to treating ADHD, very readable, and also very specific.

To start with, a general vitamin supplement which includes trace minerals is the first step. Make sure that it contains zinc (15mg), copper (1mg) along with manganese and selenium in small quantities. If you select one with at least 100IU of Vitamin E, you will not need a separate Vitamin E supplement when you begin using Omega-3. If your son doesn't do pills, you can try a liquid like Child Life which, at 3 tsps daily, would provide adequate general nutrition at a cost of about $15 per month. You can take a look at it here:
www.herbaladvisor.com/shop/xq/asp/ptid.14780/qx/productDetail.htm

Since 95% of all children with ADHD are magnesium deficient to some degree, a magnesium supplement is also advisable. Chewable magnesium is widely available. Start at a low level, though, as the magnesium citrate it's made from is particularly bad about causing stomach side effects (cramping and diarrhea, usually mild, usually passes within a couple of days). Nutricology makes a magnesium chloride liquid that should be easier on the stomach, but at a cost of roughly $11 per month, it is much more costly than chewables. You can see it here:
www.herbaladvisor.com/shop/xq/asp/ptid.36946/qx/productDetail.htm

You don't say how much your son weighs, but he's pretty young, if I remember correctly, somewhere around 4 or 5? Normally, you'd figure a therapeutic dose of magnesium at 6mg per pound of body weight, but for a youngster, you need to start low and build up gradually. Liquid is nice for that because it's easy to adjust the dose. If you started him on 100mg and built up to 250mg slowly you'd avoid the possibility of giving him diarrhea.

Magnesium really is critical. Take a look at some of the research at www.mgwater.com for more info.

Omega-3 is the final of the "big three" that you need to start off. OhMama is extremely knowledgeable about the various types of Omega-3 out there and which brands are purest and where to find them. Research has demonstrated that 480mg DHA is a threshhold dose, so you want to give that much.

Those are the most important start-up supplements. Keep in mind that supplements work very differently from medications in that you will rarely see immediate results. A fatty acid deficiency, for example, can take 3 months to correct. Magnesium deficiency can take far longer. Generally, you will notice real improvement within 6 weeks. Once that happens, and once you're established on a supplement routine, you may want to add other things. B-vitamins, for example, can have dramatic effects. But those 6 weeks give you the time to gather more information and plan further adjustments based on your child's risk factors. Lots of courses of antibiotics as a risk factor, for example, may lead you to decide you ought to use acidopholus for a while.

On the Feingold diet, it has been a miracle for my son. Simply putting him on Feingold eliminated bedwetting, sleep problems, 75% of the oppositional behavior, and once corn syrup was removed as well, temper tantrums have become a thing of the past except for rare exceptions. It really is worth checking into. Membership is $70 for a year and I think it's the best investment I've made on my boy's behalf.

You asked what was a waste of time, so I'll tell you I've found most of the ADHD remedies sold are a joke. They're expensive and rarely have sufficient quantities of the nutrients you need and because they are a "one size fits all" they'll also often contain things you don't need or that may actually make your child worse. Avoid them and select your own supplements. There are a few exceptions, of course, but just be sure you examine any combo-type natural "cure" with a great deal of caution.

[Honeysmom]

Thank you all so much. Catatonic, I do not know how you do it, but you are a wealth of information. I am definately going to have to do some more checking and reading before I start anything to make sure I have covered all of my bases, but I have a few weeks before he can start on anything. The doctors want to see him without any type of therapy, natural or perscription, for the next round of evauls they are doing. That is not until feb 3rd so I have time to start on my new obsession.

BTW, Honey is 4 and weight 41.2 pounds. Finally, he is gaining again!!! ;D

Thanks again, Becky

[ohmama]

Bump up for Rosie.

[rosyred45]

Thanks Mama,
I agree with Honeysmom here, I don't know how you do it, but thanks for the information. I know what I will be doing today.....


Kaiti

[Jorgy]

Info: The suppliments I have put the whole family on is something my husband has started marketing because he likes what it has done for him. Now I am not selling anything here but Becky mentioned her son won't take pills. This stuff is all in the powdered form and is mixed with water. My kids like it. It tastes like "pop". If you guts want you can check it out at www.doranj.unfranchise.com again I am NOT selling anything but just want to put this out there for anyone interested. Does it work well read my post here about Jake's progress. I am still monitering it. Sue

[aimee30]

This is kind of silly but I'm curious to know about how much it costs for all the supplements per month? I'm not knocking it. My DD isn't on meds and isn't even diagnosed yet. I am considering trying alternatives to meds and just wonder about cost. I don't mind spending the money if it's something that may help her.

Just curious as to costs associated with this.

Thanks!

[aimee30]

As I was trying to go to sleep I thought of another question and had to get back up and post it.

My DD goes to her dad's every other weekend. I know he wouldn't give her the supplements or follow the feingold diet. How would this affect the improvements I would be expecting to see? Would this even be feasible?

Thanks again!

[Jorgy]

aimee, What we are using costs about guessing a $100 for a 90 day supply. We do get it at cost. I am certainly not the expert around here, I think catatonic and ohmama are the experts but from what I have figured out is that if you can get the body into a well balanced state with all the toxins removed from it, it will function at it's best. So if you miss a weekend it would not be the end of the world. I let Jake miss his suppliments this morning because he was rather resistant. Instead I gave it to him when he got home from school and at bedtime. Tomorrow he will be back on schedule. See if ohmama and catatonic know more. Sue

[aimee30]

Thanks Sue!

Hopefully Catatonic or Ohmama can give me a little more insight as to the weekend thing.

[rosyred45]

Personally speaking, when my kids spend the night or weekend away, (my parents or his parents,) they both give Mikey stuff he shouldn't have, Of couse my mom has learned through experience not to. HMMMMM wonder why?

Anyhow, it usually takes Mikey about 2-3 days to detox, he still is not sitting still, but he's not crawling our of his skin. After about a week is when we see our "Mikey" back. It's not that he is BAD, he's just a pain in the a**.

Whining, crying at the drop of a hat, gotten kinda nasty here recently. But then again his sister has been antagonizing too.

Hope this helps a little