An old Disney cartoon illustrated how the human brain works by showing a plant foreman in someone’s head proficiently routing all his messages and coordinating all his assembly line processes. A good way to explain Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD would be to see that same plant foreman unable to keep all the messages coordinated properly because in the brain of a person with ADHD, the “executive functioning,” or foreman, just can’t keep everything straight. Prescription medication has been the traditional ADHD treatment, though recently, many physicians and psychiatrists are turning to holistic treatment options to help minimize, hopefully at some point eliminate the reliance on drugs in both children and adults.
ADHD is the label we give to a neurobiological condition. A final and definitive answer as to its actual cause or causes is yet to be agreed upon, but it is often inherited; is more widespread in boys than girls and affected individuals exhibit some or all of these actions:
• Poor attention span
• Extreme distractibility
• Hyper-activity
• Procrastination
• Poor organizational skills
• Forgetfulness
• Inability to complete tasks
• Poor social skills (thought to be due to a lack of awareness of how others are reacting)
It is estimated that 7% – 9% of our school kids have this disorder, and 4.7% of adults. Adolescents who are no treated are more likely to engage in substance abuse as a form of self-medication. Adult ADHD sufferers have higher rates of drug use as well, and very likely were not diagnosed or treated earlier. By their adult years, the habit of self-medicating with drugs is more developed.
Although boys are twice as likely to have ADHD, girls are more likely to become substance abusers. Somewhat surprisingly, their drug of choice is carbohydrates, which temporarily elevates their Serotonin levels. This results in a soothing effect and is more socially acceptable than street drugs. However, excessive carb intake can result in excessive weight.
It is not unusual for those diagnosed with ADHD to have poor self-esteem and suffer with clinical depression. As well, low blood sugar and allergies affects as many as 75% of all afflicted children. When put on food elimination diets (eliminating trigger foods, including refined food, soy, milk products, chocolate, wheat, oranges and eggs and then adding them back one at a time to help determine what helps or retards symptoms), 62% of the research subjects demonstrated a reduction of symptoms.
Treating those with substance abuse or eating disorders who also have ADHD is hard for the same reason school or work is difficult – poor concentration. Getting to an AA meeting or counseling session presents challenges, as does trying to sit still for long intervals.
Since the long term effects of the potent stimulants and anti-depressants used in ADHD treatment are as yet not known, more natural treatment solutions are being put into practice. Along with elimination diets, vegetable-based supplements are being used to help controll neurotransmitters important to executive functioning, such as dopamine and norepinephrene, which also boost circulation to the brain. More protein in the diet is thought to stimulate alertness inducing neurotransmitters. Exercise appears to have a relaxing effect on youngsters with ADHD particularly. This should not be entirely unexpected, since bottled up energy does produce hyperactivity, fidgeting, inability to concentrate, etc, even in full grown adults with no other symptoms of ADHD. There’s nothing like a few laps around a track to calm down hyper-fidgety children and adults.
It is hoped that more natural treatments will be found to be helpful to decrease the symptoms. Making sure that these children and adults get the proper nutrition, avoiding foods that prove to be allergens, and proper exercise seems to be working out with some successes. It seems naturopathic trends in ADHD therapy really do provide food for thought!