If you have a child who’s ADHD, this can be quite a challenge, especially if you know about the drawbacks and risks of the medications that are most commonly prescribed for this disorder. Because of this, you as a parent may be looking at different ADHD holistic treatment options.
It’s true that some children seem to do well with prescription drugs, but the FDA has expressed concern about these medications’ safety. Therefore, you may want to consider trying a holistic and natural approach to treating your child’s condition before you resort to drugs. When it comes to addressing ADHD without drugs, changes in diet and the use of natural remedies like homeopathic medicine or herbal supplementation may also help.
ADHD and diet considerations
Natural health providers are increasingly becoming aware that sensitivities to food or outright food allergies can often exacerbate symptoms in children, if not cause them in the first place. What’s been noticed is that foods that may cause a child to have an allergic reaction are not well digested; in turn, this can cause a never-ending cycle where foods’ important nutrients don’t get absorbed.
Instead, what seems to happen is that the food particles remain undigested and circulate throughout the body; in turn, this activates the immune system, and the immune system “attacks” the food substances as though they were foreign invaders like bacteria. This is known as an autoimmune response and may in fact be at least partly responsible for some ADHD symptoms like poor impulse control, hyperactivity, lack of focus, or agitation.
In many cases, simply removing foods that seem to be triggers for these symptoms can reduce symptoms. The link between allergenic foods and ADHD symptoms has not been proven conclusively, but it certainly can’t hurt to try this method to see if your child’s symptoms improve.
Besides identifying and removing food allergens from your child’s diet, you may also want to make sure your child’s diet is healthy and balanced and contains the proper mix of vegetables, proteins, and complex carbohydrates. Paying particular attention to your child’s diet may indeed prove helpful in controlling your child’s symptoms.
Homeopathic and herbal ADHD treatments
Herbal and homeopathic remedies can also be a great complement to any changes you make to your child’s diet.
These natural remedies have been shown to be safe and effective at controlling symptoms, long before modern pharmaceutical drugs took precedence. Clinical research has also shown these remedies to be very effective.
If your child has hyperactivity and difficulty in focusing attention, the herbs German chamomile, gotu kola, rooibos and skullcap, as well as gingko biloba, may be an effective ADHD holistic treatment.
These herbs support the healthy functioning a child’s nervous system and brain, and some have also found homeopathic treatment to be successful along with the use of these herbs.
In treating ADHD without drugs, be aware that natural remedies often don’t work quickly, and can take a few weeks to fully provide the benefits they’re going to. So stay with the treatments you’ve chosen until you know whether or not they’re going to work.
In addition, consulting with a natural healthcare provider may give you other solutions as well. He or she can also answer any questions you have about different ADHD holistic treatment options.