New Here

[franksmom]

Hi, I'm new to this board, I haven't jumped in to say hi for a few days because I have been trying to catch up as much as possible on the past posts.

I have a 10 yo son (5th grade)who was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2nd grade (2 1/2 yrs.ago). He was on meds for 2 years and when I finally couldnt bear to see him suffer any longer I stopped them.

Now we are trying new approaches. He takes Flax seed oil, DHA,. I am searching for a good multi-vitamin that doesnt contain junk, because we are also trying to avoid dyes and HFCS- we have diminished his overall intake of sugar (but not completely).
He loved carbs so we try very hard to increase protein and decrease carbs...but overall his list of favorite foods is very short! It gets difficult.
He takes allergy meds- which dont help much with the hyperactivity but we sort of have no choice at this point.
We also started seeing a therapist to help work on some behavior issues.
Overall Im happy with things compared to the way they were when he took meds...BUT...I am scared to death because school is starting on Monday and with that comes a whole new set of issues. (as Im sure you all know)
We were using a combination of herbs for calming effects but I dont see a tremendous improvement.
I recently bought some childrens valerian to try but after the first dose my son came down with a stomach bug (vomiting-for two days) and has been off everything for 3 days. Now I want to start up again before Monday but Im afraid his stomach might still be delicate!
I am open to all your suggestions .The info that Ive read so far has been very helpful. Im excited to be here- this seems to be a super group of very knowledgable people.

Has anyone used Valerian?....I am looking for help thru
his school day.
Susan

[rosyred45]

Hi Susan and welcome home.

While I can't say that I can help with your Valerian issues, i can say that this site has been a lifesaver for me.

Are you by chance follow the Feingold progam? That itself has worked wonders at my house. I have eliminated artificials and preservatives and by golly I have a son ;D

I personally have not seen the need for the med route, he is more hyper, and I can deal with the hyper, but not hte obnixious that he was with the natrual drink thing.

Let us know and Welcome home!
Kaiti

[franksmom]

Thanks for the welcome Kaiti,
We are not doing the Feingold Diet per say...Most of what I make is from scratch and his food choices are limited. I do eliminate the dyes/preservatives and as much "sugar" as possible.
What did you mean in your post about the natural drink thing?

"I personally have not seen the need for the med route, he is more hyper, and I can deal with the hyper, but not hte obnixious that he was with the natrual drink thing."

I'm very glad to be here and I hope to learn a lot.
Susan

[catatonic]

Susan,
Welcome. This is a wonderful place to find help and support from people who truly understand what you are going through.

On Valerian...I give this to my (non-ADHD) 15-year-old when he's having trouble relaxing and it helps him fall asleep very quickly. However, my Challenge Boy, who is also 10 years old and in the 5th grade, has an opposite effect from it. It does nothing to calm him, in fact it seems to get him jacked up. I avoid it with him.

The MOST effective thing we've done is the Feingold diet. It's been like a miracle in our lives. A child I can like and enjoy again.

In terms of vitamins, etc., the most important ones to give children with ADHD are definitely Omega-3 essential fatty acids and magnesium. If you look at the medical research on the subject, you'll find that 480mg daily of DHA is something of a threshold dose. You want to give at least that much. Newer research seems to indicate that AT LEAST that much EPA is needed as well. (We use the Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega, which provides 500mg DHA and 700mg EPA daily.)

Also, tests on ADHD children reveal that upwards of 90% of them may be magnesium deficient. The brain simply cannot function adequately without enough magnesium, which serves as the neuronal gatekeeper, opening and closing the channels through which neurotransmitters pass. It's extremely important to provide magnesium supplementation, and for my son this has a very noticeable calming effect and is about the only thing I've observed to impact his attentiveness (as opposed to his hyperactivity). For a therapeutic dose, multiply your son's body weight times 6, and this is how many mg's you should be giving each day. My 85 pound son, for example, would require 510mg. When looking for a good magnesium, just make sure you do NOT use magnesium oxide. It's not bioavailable. Anything else will do better. Magnesium, even good magnesium, is not expensive.

For multi-vitamins, there are a number of very good choices out there, but it can be overwhelming to weed through all those choices. You might want to start by taking a look at Kirkman Labs ( www.kirkmanlabs.com ) since they offer well-balanced multi-vitamins that do not contain artificial additives. Whatever multi-vitamin you select, make sure that it includes a full complement of trace minerals as well.

For a calm morning at school, try starting your boy off with a high protein breakfast that includes lecithin. Lecithin supports formation of the neurotransmitter choline and provides essential brain phospholipids. My son functions more calmly at school when he has lecithin in the morning.

Unfortunately, the nutritional route does not achieve rapid results in the way medication does. It can take up to 12 weeks to correct an essential fatty acid deficiency (although we saw very noticeable results by 6 weeks). Magnesium deficiency can require as much time to rectify.

I hope you'll keep checking back here and asking any questions you may have. This is a really supportive group of people here who will try to help you as much as possible.

[franksmom]

Thank you catatonic for the great welcome and all the terrific info,
I tried Mag twice with my son and I noticed it made him weird. The first time was at the end of the school year and I stopped it- then I tried during the summer and again it happen. Any idea why? I have heard others say this too.

I checked out the kirkman website and I think I might go with that.

Do you give your son 1 Ultimate Omega capsule a day?

Tell me more about lecithin? How do you buy it -what is it found in and how do you serve it?

As far as the Feingold diet- I see how everyone loves it but- I also notice there a many things that I read people feeding their kids that I wouldnt feed mine. For example all the cold cuts...what about the nitrates?
I try to avoid them. Without spending all the money on the diet first- I would like to understand more about what they are avoiding. Which foods and which additives. What are the main things that you DONT feed your kids?

Thanks so much for all your help

[Linda]

Hi Susan and welcome...I am not well versed in this area...but there are several who are...so post away and I know someone can and will help you.

[rosyred45]

Hi Susan, we tried a "natural powdered" drink, It was supposed to work wonders on the hyperactivity levels. I think it was made my herbalife. a a friend of ours is a salesman, so my mom got it for Mikey.

It didn't really help with the hyperness, and it made him mean, argumentative, bullheaded, basically he was in a me world and if he was told no for anything he'd cry or argue or whatever to try to get his way.....NOT PRETTY.

As far as not feeding Mikey: Salycitates trigger Mikey if he is in certain situations, like having to listen, pay attention, interact with other. So there goes, grapes, apples, oranges, peppers....all of thsoe make Mikey the meanest whiniest child you could imagine.

And BTW, I haven't enrolled on the Feingold website, but that limits me to how much specifics I have available to me, but so far with just the basics, we are doing pretty good.

Take care
Kaiti

[catatonic]

Susan,
You can find a lot of good information about the Feingold diet on the website (http://www.feingold.org ). Basically, the things you have to avoid on the diet are artificial colors, artificial flavors (including vanillin), and the preservatives BHA, BHT and TBHQ. During Stage 1 (the first 6 weeks) you also eliminate foods that are high in natural salicylates: apples, grapes, oranges, peaches, berries, tomatoes, almonds. Once you've completed Stage 1, you test these natural salicylates one at a time to see if they cause a negative behavioral reaction. (For kids like my son, all of them do.) If they don't cause a problem, you can use them again. The artificials and preservatives are NEVER used again. You get rid of them for life.

Because so many people have trouble with nitrites, sulfites, MSG, and corn syrup, the Feingold food list (which you only get by joining the FAUS) also notes which products contain these things. That way you can avoid them if you want to. We avoid all of them. Not everyone needs to. MANY people find that corn syrup is a huge problem for them. With my son, eliminating corn syrup also eliminated temper tantrums. Boom, just like that. Sure he still is easily frustrated, but he doesn't deal with that frustration by screaming, banging his head against the wall or kicking holes in the door. We took out the corn syrup and the tantrums simply stopped. Lots of people have similar experiences. Corn syrup is evil in this house!

Check a used book store or one of the used book websites like half.com or bookfinder.com for cheap copies of Dr. Feingold's books, or Dr. Doris Rapp's book "Is This Your Child". You'll get a lot of good information for under $10. Dr. Rapp also has a website at www.drrapp.com/howtohelp.html but it doesn't have a whole lot of info...better to read her book.

I tried a home version of the Feingold diet for 3 months before paying to join the association. We had good results on our own, but too many "mystery reactions". Having the support of the association's product research made the difference. There are LOTS of hidden additives in our foods that are not required to be listed on the ingredient panel. These cause problems for those who are sensitive to the additives.

On the magnesium, I don't have any idea why it would cause weird behavior unless perhaps you bought a compound that he is sensitive to. The chewables often contain artificial flavors, flavors that contain a lot of highly concentrated natural salicylates (as in grape or peach or strawberry flavoring), or the sweeteners dextrose or maltodextrin which have a terrible effect on anyone unable to tolerate corn syrup. Also certain compounds like the ascorbate may have corn derivatives that will also bother someone corn syrup sensitive. Another possibility is that it was a "mixed" supplement, with other vitamins added to the magnesium. (B vitamins would be my prime suspect here.) Do you recall what type of magnesium you used? You may simply need to select a less reactive compound.

On Ultimate Omega, I give my son 2 capsules per day, for a total of 500mg DHA and 700mg EPA.

Lecithin is available in bulk form as granules or in concentrated capsule form. I prefer the bulk granules, since you need to take a LOT of the capsules to get enough and it's easier for me to get the bulk into my son as opposed to swallowing more pills. What I usually do is make a breakfast shake in the morning. I just put into the blender a carton of vanilla yogurt, a banana, and a cup of pineapple juice; add a scoop of lecithin (about 2 Tbsp) and -- if you like -- a scoop of protein powder. Not too much protein powder, though, or your shake will be very chalky. It's fast and easy and combined with a waffle spread with peanut butter makes a decent school day breakfast.

[franksmom]

Oh Goodness..thank you so much. You have all given me so much info- now I need to sit and digest it and then use it.
Thanks again. I'll get back to you once Ive fully researched and digested! Hugs...

[catatonic]

You're welcome...probably too much info. Unfortunately, I get going on this subject and I don't seem to be able to shut up. It's like a compulsion I have...to bore people to sleep. I think they have a CD recording of me reading my own posts out loud, and it is outselling both the white noise and classical lullabies CD's aimed at promoting sleep.

[AustinsMom]

Wouldn't work as a sleep aid for me....I'd be taking notes.

[kppy3]

nope, not a bit boring. more like a lifeline to those searching for another way to help their kids....

share the wealth!! if you have helpful info, pass it on. that's what i try to do too. glad to be at a place that has this philosophy as well!

kppy

[LaurieL]

Hey- Catatonic, Just had to agree lots of note taking on my end also on your posts. Your challenge boy and mine are the same age and grade so I can relate. I have really liked your ideas on food since I can't get mine to gain weight. Have also added vitamins that you suggested. Still using meds but hopefully with all these things incorporated it will be an easier school year. Thanks for your insight.