Understanding Neurodevelopment Disorders and Treatments

 

 

The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. It makes trillions of connections which is developed through the interplay among social and environmental factors. With that said, many people today suffer from some kind of neurodevelopment disorder.

 

What is a neurodevelopmental disorder?
A neurodevelopmental disorder is a condition that involves neurological damage and appears early in a child’s development. Most such disorders appear before a child starts elementary school. They typically impair a person’s ability to speak, learn, socialize and control themselves. They often last throughout a person’s life time. Examples of neurodevelopmental disorders include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disabilities. There is no known cure for these conditions.

 

Are there any treatments?
Yes, there are treatments. The types vary depending on the kind of neurodevelopmental disorder involved and the deficits it causes.

 

1) Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) is used by speech-language pathologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists. NDT is used to treat conditions like stroke, head injury and cerebral palsy that impair movement or coordination.

The therapist encourages the patient to make certain movements and has them repeat the movements until they can perform them easily. The idea is to build up the repertoire of motions a patient can easily perform.

 

2) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a widely used therapy for autism that attempts to discourage undesirable behaviors like rocking or head-banging. The main idea behind ABA is that people are more likely to repeat behaviors that rewarded rather than behaviors that are discouraged or ignored.

In ABA, the therapist works with the patient one-on-one for 20 to 40 hours a week. ABA is likely to be concerned with the patient’s social development, their academic abilities or communication skills.

 

3) Medications have helped many people with neurodevelopmental disorders. Stimulants, for example, help people with ADHD. Two types in particular, amphetamines and methylphenidates, have helped people with ADHD improve their self-control, attention span, social behavior, and fine motor control. Some of these drugs are quick-acting and last only four to six hours, while others take longer to have an effect, but can last for up to 12 hours.

 

4) Sensory integration activities help patients make sense of the world around them. Many people with neurodevelopmental disorders are either too sensitive to the world around them and thus become quickly overwhelmed even by such a task as climbing stairs, while others have difficulty noticing and responding to sensory signals. Various types of physical therapy can help patients either improve their awareness of the world around them or learn to screen out stimuli.

 

Informational Credit:

Information for this article was provided by Courtagen Life Sciences.

 

Categories: ADHD, autism, behavior, Brain, Brain Activity, health, health care, medical care, neurodevelopment

Warning: The Environment Could Give Your Child ADHD

The majority of the research to date seems to indicate that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is hereditary, but a new body of research is coming to light which appears to suggest that environmental factors could play a part, too.  Exposure to these risk factors during childhood could damage the wellness and wellbeing of certain individuals, who then are at increased risk of going on to develop ADHD in later life.

 

It is difficult to understand the factors that may contribute to ADHD, particularly as there is no accurate test to diagnose patients with this disorder. It may be, however, that following a healthy diet and lifestyle and avoiding certain toxins in the environment can help to reduce the symptoms of ADHD for children who are (or are thought to be) affected by the condition.

 

Toxins during pregnancy may be a risk factor for children later developing ADHD. Pregnant women who are exposed, or expose their baby, to toxins such as tobacco, illicit drugs and alcohol may reduce the ability of vital nerve cells called neurons to function effectively. These produce neurotransmitters in the baby’s brain, and a reduction in these can increase the risk of the baby developing ADHD. Alongside a healthy diet, pregnant women should be careful not to expose their children to unhealthy environmental factors whilst still in the womb.

 

Processed food may also have a lot to answer for when it comes to ADHD. Children who eat a healthy, wholesome diet are much less likely to be hyperactive than those who eat an unhealthy, highly-processed diet. Health professionals have debated the link between diet and ADHD for a long time, and the FDA recently stepped in to look at this theory. They will be looking at whether Yellow No. 5 in particular (a food dye) can cause ADHD, as this has been banned in Britain and in other European countries already.

Categories: ADHD, Children, developing adhd, diet, environment, environmental factors, factors, healthy diet, Pregnant Women, risk, toxins

How to Fix Your Relationship Issues When One of You Has ADD

ADD/ADHD isn’t just a health concern; it interferes with relationship wellness. If one or both of you have ADD/ADHD, misunderstandings, frustrations, and resentments can impact your wellbeing as individuals and as a team, especially if you’ve never received a proper diagnosis or treatment for the condition. Hope is on the horizon, however, as you can turn these problems around and build a healthier, happier partnership. All you need to do is learn about the role ADHD plays in your relationship and how both of you can respond to challenges and communicate with each other in more positive and productive ways.

 

If you’re the one who has ADD/ADHD, it can feel like, no matter what you do, nothing seems to please your partner. You don’t feel respected as an adult, and you’re constantly being criticized, nagged, and micromanaged, which can make you avoid your partner altogether or just say whatever they need to hear in order to get them off your back. When your partner can’t seem to relax or stop trying to control every aspect of your life, you can even wonder what happened to the person you fell in love with.

 

On the other side of the coin, if your partner is the one with ADD/ADHD, it’s all too common to feel lonely, unappreciated and ignored. You feel like the only responsible party in the relationship, and you’re sick and tired of having to shoulder the burden alone. You don’t think you can rely on your partner, as he or she always seems to flake out on promises and forget things. Therefore, you have to take care of everything on your own, or else constantly issue reminders and demands. Sometimes it feels as if your significant other just doesn’t care – about you or the relationship.

 

When you put these points of view together, it’s easy to see how ADD/ADHD – and how each of you responds to it – can contribute to a destructive cycle in the relationship. The more the ADHD partner feels judged and misunderstood, the more they will get defensive and pull away. This causes the non-ADHD partner to feel more alone in their responsibility, and so he or she complains, nags, and becomes increasingly resentful. This makes the person with ADD/ADHD even more withdrawn and, in the end, nobody is happy. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

 

Walking a mile in your partner’s shoes is the best thing you can do to turn your relationship around. If you’ve been together for a long time, you may think you know your partner pretty well already, and understand where he or she is coming from, but the reason you’re having the same fights again and again is that it’s all too easy to misinterpret your partner actions and intentions. Even if you’ve heard it all before, this doesn’t mean that you’ve actually taken in what your partner is saying – especially in the heat of an argument when it’s hard to maintain objectivity and perspective.

 

When you’re not already in the throws of an argument, and you’re not already upset, find a time to sit down and talk with your partner. Ask your partner to describe how he or she feels and simply listen. Don’t try to interrupt, or explain or defend yourself while your partner is still speaking – let them get it all out. Then, repeat back the points you’ve gleaned from what your partner has said and ask if you’ve understood it all correctly. It may help to write these down. After this, it’s time for your partner to listen to you with fresh ears and an open mind.

Categories: ADD, add adhd, ADHD, adhd partner, feel, nbsp, partner, relationship, Relationship Problems

ADD All Grown Up: The Six Common Symptoms Adults Face

In adults, attention deficit disorder (ADD) often looks quite different than it does in children—and its symptoms are unique for each individual. This can make ADD and ADHD quite difficult to diagnose, so it can be years before your realise your wellness – or that of a loved one – is even affected by the health concerns. Identifying areas in which you experience difficulty can help you start to work on strategies for dealing with them. So which common ADD/ADHD symptoms should you look out for?

 

1. Trouble concentrating and staying focused: If your wellbeing is impacted by ADD or ADHD, you may find you have problems with staying focused and attending to daily, mundane tasks, albeit, to a certain degree, don’t we all? Those with ADD/ADHD are often easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds, quickly bounce from one activity to another, or become bored quickly. You can overlook these kinds of symptoms because they’re not that disruptive to daily life, but they can be every bit as troublesome.

 

2. Hyper-focus  This may seem a little bit strange considering the symptom we’ve just covered, but, on the other side of the coin, people with ADD/ADHD a tendency to become absorbed in tasks that are stimulating and rewarding. This paradoxical symptom is called hyper-focus and is actually a coping mechanism for distraction—a way of tuning out the chaos. You might get so engrossed in a book or TV programme, for example, that you completely lose track of time and what you’re supposed to be doing. When channelled into productive activities, hyper-focus can be a real asset, but it can also lead to work and relationship problems.

 

3. Dis-organisation and forgetfulness: Life seems chaotic and out of control to most people, but this is especially the case in ADD/ADHD. The challenge lies in staying organised, sorting out the relevant information for the task at hand, prioritising, keeping track of tasks and responsibilities, and managing your time. Common symptoms include chronic lateness, procrastination, trouble starting and finishing projects, losing or misplacing things often and frequent forgetting of appointments, commitments, and deadlines.

 

4. Impulsivity: The symptoms involved in this category boil down to the face that you struggle in inhibiting your behaviours, comments, and responses. You might blurt out comments or interrupt people often, rush through tasks without reading the instructions, say rude or inappropriate things, get addicted to things quite easily, struggle to sit still during a long meeting, and just generally have poor self-control. For better or for worse, you go headlong into situations and find yourself in potentially risky circumstances.

 

5. Emotional problems: When you have ADD/ADHD, managing your feelings – especially emotions like anger or frustration – can be difficult. It’s likely that you have a sense of underachievement, don’t deal well with frustration, are easily flustered and stressed out, exhibit irritability or mood swings, have trouble staying motivated, are hypersensitive to criticism, demonstrate a short, often explosive, temper and/or experience low self-esteem and sense of insecurity.

 

6. Hyperactivity or restlessness: This is the most well-known symptom of ADD/ADHD in kids and hyperactivity in adults with ADD/ADHD can often look the same. People might say you’re perpetually “on the go” as if driven by a motor, due to your high levels of energy. However, for most adults with ADD/ADHD, the symptoms of hyperactivity present themselves in more subtle and internal ways as they grow older. Still, you may have this problem if you show symptoms like feelings of inner restlessness and agitation, a tendency to take risks, getting bored easily, racing thoughts, trouble sitting still, constant fidgeting, a craving for excitement, excessive talking and doing a million things at once.

Categories: add adhd, ADHD, adults, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), common symptoms, easily, hyper focus, nbsp, staying, staying focused, Symptoms

Proactive Parenting: Knowing the Warning Signs of ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can affect the wellbeing of adults and children, but it becomes less of a health concern if you catch it early. This means that, as a parent, you need to know the warning signs and subtypes of ADHD so that you can become more proactive with helping your child to lead a normal life.

 

Predominantly Inattentive Type – You might hear this referred to as attention deficit disorder, or ADD, but now it’s known as predominately inattentive ADHD. As you can work out from the name, your child may have this type of ADHD if he or she finds it extremely difficult to pay attention, focus, finish tasks or follow instructions. Wellness experts believe that this type of ADHD often goes unnoticed in schools, because predominately inattentive children don’t disrupt the other students, so it’s important to be on the lookout with your own kids. This is especially the case with your daughters, as this is the most common form of ADHD among girls.

 

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type – If your child has this type of ADHD, he or she will shown hyperactive and impulsive behaviours. This means your child might fidget a lot, interrupt often, or find it difficult to take turns. While inattention may not affect your child’s wellbeing as drastically as with the predominately inattentive type, focusing on tasks may still be somewhat of an issue with this kind of ADHD.

 

Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive and Inattentive Type – Across all children, this is the most common type of ADHD. You might find your child displays a significant number of symptoms related to all three categories; impulsive behaviours, difficulties concentrating and extreme levels of activity and energy.

 

Adult ADHD – While this can be a form of any of the above subcategories of ADHD, it’s important to give it a special mention. Adults with ADHD usually have had the disorder throughout their childhood, but it often goes unnoticed until a friend or co-worker observed problems at work or in your relationship. Even though you can be diagnosed with any of the above subtypes of ADHD, the symptoms may be different as there are differences between adults and children in terms of maturity, physicality and experience.

Categories: ADHD, Adult ADHD, attention deficit, hyperactive impulsive, impulsive behaviours, inattentive type, nbsp predominantly, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type

Could Your Stroppy Child Have a Behavioural Disorder?

Categories: ADHD, behaviour, behavioural disorder, Child, Conduct Disorder, Disorder, frequent, nbsp, Oppositional Defiant Disorder

How To Deal With Your ADHD Child Being Bullied By Others

Bullying is a serious issue affecting the mental/emotional health of many children all over the country. Bullying is defined as aggressive, repeated behaviour from one child, directed at another, and falls into three categories: verbal bullying (name calling, threatening), physical bullying and relational social bullying (excluding someone, leaving someone out deliberately etc.).

 

There are many different ways that people can be bullied, and many different reasons for the bullying. There are also many different ‘reasons’ why children get picked on by bullies, but whatever these reasons, the end result is the same: damage to their emotional wellness and wellbeing.

 

Children who have ADHD are often targets of bullying because of their impulsive behaviour and lack of social skills. Studies have shown that children with ADHD are more likely to be victims of bullying than those without the disorder, and are also at risk of becoming bullies themselves.

 

Your child may be being bullied if you notice that their behaviour has changed, such as them eating less or more, and if they seem more sad and anxious than before. They may also have physical injuries or lose personal items, and they may seem to be ill more often than before. Low grades and a lack of interest in social situations are also classic signs.

 

The best thing you can do if you suspect your child has become a victim of bullying is to speak to them about the situation. Hopefully, your child will open up to you about what has been occurring, but if they are reluctant to talk about it (which is common in children with and without ADHD) then contact their teacher or school counsellor and speak to them in confidence. Ask them to address the problem, and if you feel that after a period of time it has not been appropriately dealt with, contact the police. Your child may also need lots of support and perhaps some counselling to help them deal with their experience.

Categories: ADHD, bullying, Child, Children, nbsp

Why are Rates of ADHD So Low in Minority Children?

Minority children have lower rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but why? Is the disorder simply rare for this group of people, or do disparities that exist in healthcare mean that minority children’s wellbeing is at risk to under-diagnosis? According to a new study, published in Paediatrics, minority children are less likely to be diagnosed with the condition, which further places their wellness at risk as they end up missing out on good treatment options that could change how their mental health develops.

According to study lead researcher Paul Morgan, from the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, ‘We’re seeing that the disparities occur as early as kindergarten and then remain and continue until the end of eighth grade. It’s a consistent pattern of what we’re interpreting as comparative under-diagnosis for minority populations.’ This finding is based on data from more than 17,000 children across the United States from kindergarten (or reception) and up to the eighth grade (or the age of 13).

For the study, the researchers regularly asked parents if their children had been diagnosed with ADHD, examining other factors that affect behaviour, such as attention and access to healthcare. White children were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as Hispanic and Asian children, while African American children were two-thirds less likely to be diagnosed than their Caucasian counterparts. The results of the study also showed that minority children often do not get treated even after a diagnosis, but the researchers are unsure as to why there were these huge disparities.

Morgan explained, ‘What that suggests in our study is that there are children who are likely deserving of a diagnosis, but who aren’t receiving a diagnosis, which raises the question of a lack of treatment.’ Dr. Tanya Froehlich, a paediatrician from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, who was not a part of the study, commented, ‘We know that people with ADHD have higher rates of failing a grade in school, lower academic achievement, lower achievement in their jobs, higher rates of incarceration, higher rates of substance abuse, more problems with relationships, and higher rates of depression and anxiety.’

Categories: ADHD, Minority Children, Research

Can Diet Changes Reduce the Impact of ADHD on Your Family?

When Dylan Jerrell’s doctor suggested the five-year-old take medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), his mother, Jacqueline Fellows, had her reservations. Instead, the health writer in McKinney, Texas, decided to see if her son’s wellbeing might improve with the Feingold diet, which eliminates artificial colours and flavours and some preservatives.

According to Fellows, ‘I started the Feingold diet on a Saturday, the weekend after he’d been in the principal’s office every day, and he’s only been back to the principal’s office once, and that was when (someone) fed him a hot dog. It was amazing. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s the most powerful tool that I have for him.’ Many parents extol the benefits of restrictive diets for children whose wellness is affected by ADHD, and research is just beginning to catch up.

A landmark British study, published in The Lancet in 2007, found that artificial food colours and preservatives increase hyperactivity in children. As a result, the European Union made it a requirement that foods containing any of six specific food colours bore warning labels. Since then, a 2012 meta-analysis of 34 studies, which appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has found that artificial food colours had a small but significant effect on ADHD symptoms.

Study co-author Joel Nigg, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, explained that when patients followed broader elimination diets – excluding not just artificial colours and preservatives, but other suspected triggers such as eggs – the effect was about one-third to one-sixth the effect of medication. ‘The take-away is, it’s not a waste of time,’ Nigg commented. ‘It has a chance of working – a less than 50-50 chance, but it’s a chance. It’s going to take some effort, so (if you want to try it) get a good nutritionist to advise you and talk to your child and give it a couple of months of effort.’

Fellows detailed that her son ‘didn’t go from “wild man” to calm,’ with the new diet. ‘He was just able to really listen and comprehend what you said. He could learn. Before he would get really agitated if he couldn’t do it the first time or you asked him to do something he really didn’t want to do. When he started doing Feingold, he was a reasonable child to parent. He was an easier child to parent.’ Nigg added, ‘I think it is possible that, for some kids, you would get a dramatic effect, and probably for a lot of kids, you’ll get some effect.’

Categories: Additives, ADHD, Feingold Diet

Are Doctors Too Quick to Diagnose Mental Health Problems?

It seems like mental health problems are on the rise, as is our need for medications – or is it? According to James Davies, author of Cracked and a psychological therapist who has worked for the NHS and the mental health charity Mind, this rise in mental illness is down to the pursuit of medical status.

Davies interviewed Sarah Jones, a mother of two and a care worker in West London, about her seven-year-old son Dominic. ‘Dominic is a lovely boy, but last year he started getting agitated and aggressive. He was doing badly at school and then he got into a fight,’ she says, adding that her son was diagnosed with ADHD after a 25-minute doctor’s assessment. ‘Dominic is on pills. He seems less distracted sometimes, but he also doesn’t seem himself either. It feels as if a part of his spirit has gone.’

In the past ten years, ADHD diagnoses have risen so sharply that roughly 5% of children in Europe are thought to have it, and an estimated 15% of children fall under the criteria of a diagnosable mental disorder. This figure was more like one in 100 in the Fifties, so why has child mental wellness taken such a turn for the worse? Davies argues that much of the profession’s claimed knowledge about diagnosing mental illness is scientifically baseless, as scientifically objective tests don’t exist in psychiatry.

According to Dr Robert Spitzer, the Columbia University psychiatrist, who was in charge of compiling the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which sets the trend for modern psychiatric practice,  ‘There are only a handful of mental disorders in the DSM known to have a clear biological cause. These are known as the organic disorders [such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s]. These are few and far between.’

Renee Garfinkel, a psychologist who participated in two committees that helped to compile the DSM-III, commented ‘On one occasion there was a discussion about whether a particular behaviour should be classed as a symptom of a particular disorder. To my astonishment, one committee member piped up: “Oh no, no, we can’t include that behaviour as a symptom, because I do that.” So it was decided that behaviour would not be included because, presumably, if someone on the committee does it, it must be normal.’

Are Doctors Too Quick to Diagnose Mental Health Problems?

Categories: ADHD, DSM, Over-Diagnosing

How Does ADHD Affect Your Life if You’re an Adult?

Wellness experts used to believe that it was common for children to outgrow ADHD. Unfortunately, a growing amount of evidence in this area implies that this is less of a common outcome that scientists previously thought. ADHD affects adults’ wellness too, often causing them to experience difficulty with time management, organisational skills, goal setting and professional achievement. As an added complication, the mental health condition also impairs your personal life; impacting your self-esteem, self-worth, drive, sense of wellbeing and personal relationships with friends, family and significant others.

If you had ADHD as a child, the chances are that your symptoms were noticeable before you turned seven. The condition is usually diagnosed between the ages of three and seven, as parents notice red flag signs of ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. The first symptom means that you’re easily distracted and unable to follow directions or finish tasks. You probably didn’t like to sit still as a child and made careless mistakes as children with ADHA are often forgetful, lose things and have difficulty organising daily tasks.

Classic hyperactivity symptoms of children with ADHD include constantly squirming, fidgeting, or bouncing while sitting, while the symptom of impulsiveness means you used to relentlessly run and climb on everything, interrupt others, have difficult waiting for your turn and blurted out recklessly. So how does being an adult with ADHD compare to the symptoms that children experience?

If you are an adult with ADHD, you are more likely to experience low-self esteem, excessive procrastination and depression. Sufferers also tend to have lower incomes as well as higher rates of accidents, unplanned pregnancies and substance abuse than those without ADHD. The symptoms often present themselves in the form of chronic lateness, forgetfulness, poor organisational skills and employment problems. Other signs of the condition can even tear apart your personal and professional life, such as blaming, not taking self-responsibility for your actions and anger issues. Therefore, if you think that you may have adult ADHD, it’s important that you look online for more information, and consult your doctor for help and advice on getting your personal life in order.

How Does ADHD Affect Your Life if You’re an Adult?

Categories: ADHD, adults, Personal Life

Allergy Myths Busted: Hypoallergenic Dogs, Mould and ADHD

When your child’s wellness is affected with allergies, you can hear some confusing and crazy theories about everything from hypoallergenic dogs to ADHD. But are these theories fact or fiction? Guard your child’s wellbeing against the confusion, and be in-the-know about allergy myths.

Firstly, if your child with allergies is a dog lover, you may be tempted to get a hypoallergenic dog. However, the sad fact of the matter is that there really is no such thing. At some point, the myth arose that certain short-haired breeds were hypoallergenic because they had hair, not fur. Others have perpetrated the notion that you can become sensitised and therefore not allergic to your own pet, even if you still have symptoms when you’re around other dogs.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that either of these theories is true. People react to dogs because of proteins which all dogs have, albeit possibly in varying amounts. Your child may become tolerant to these proteins and have no more symptoms, but this will be the case with all dogs – not special hypoallergenic ones or your own pet specifically. Analysis has shown that some breeds of dog incur a slightly more allergenic response than others, but this isn’t significant.

Another common myth that has done the rounds is toxic mould. About 10 years ago, some Ohio babies died from pulmonary haemorrhage, which is quite rare. Doctors at the time thought that the infants’ deaths were due to so-called toxic mould found in their homes, but this was subsequently refuted. Toxic mould is a misnomer as term. Yes, black mould could cause your child to have an allergenic or asthmatic response, but your child would have to either ingest the mould or directly inhale it on a 24-7 basis in order to experience toxic effects.

Finally, there is currently no evidence linking allergies to autism or ADHD, no matter what other worried parents might say. Anecdotal reports of food reactions, such as “but it makes him so…” have fuelled this myth, but when there is absolutely no scientific basis for the assertion and no correlation with your child’s allergies. Parents could be looking for a reason why a difficult diagnosis may have occurred, but a lot of the “science” they turn to, such as Andrew Wakefield’s controversial paper on the vaccine-autism connection, has actually been fabricated.

Allergy Myths Busted: Hypoallergenic Dogs, Mould and ADHD

Categories: ADHD, allergy myths, Child, Dogs, Hypoallergenic, hypoallergenic dogs, mould, toxic, toxic mould

The ADHD Diet Question – Just Eat Right!

Prevention is better than cure they say. This is so true as to what to give your kids to eat. Expectant mothers have to watch their health and lifestyle too. The facts are that the worse the diet, the more likely it is that pregnant mothers will have complications at birth such as neural tube defects (NTDs) which lead to brain defects including ADHD. The children themselves, if they are on a diet of red meat, soda pop and processed foods are more at risk in developing learning disorders and ADHD.

 

We know that a poor diet does not in itself cause ADHD but making good food choices will actually help to lessen symptoms and make ADHD more manageable.  It should be just one element in a comprehensive program which will also include physical activities and basic parenting skills.

 

Look at the statistics

 

There are all sorts of alarming statistics which are related to ADHD and what we eat and drink. Consider the following:-

 

• ADHD children and adults are liable to be obese – they are plagued by problems connected with impulsivity and this is a big problem when faced with food choices


• Pregnant mothers who are overweight are much more likely to have children who will go on to develop ADHD or other NTDs . About 66% of expectant mothers in the USA are overweight!


• Obesity itself in both children and adults will have a knock on effect with depression and anxiety gaining ground as co-morbid disorders


• One of the effects of ADHD meds is that there is an increase in anxiety levels among the children, yet nobody talks about this.

 

It is a matter of life and death

 

Whether we have ADHD or not, it just makes good sense to make sure that we eating right. We are going to avoid obesity, diabetes and heart disease for a start. Then there are a whole range of diseases which are linked to obesity.

 

Reading the very sad and tender book called ‘Big Brother’, the author Lionel Shriver describes how she fought alongside her brother to help him get his weight down. There was a tragic sequel as her brother died of an obesity related illness.

 

Making the right food choices

 

So, we need to implement a few changes without going to the extremes of having a gluten free or casein free diet although there are some people who actually thrive when they do that. However, these extreme diets are not really necessary in the majority of cases. As I said, let us keep this simple.

 

1. Add in protein in the form of eggs, cheese or meat at breakfast time. The extra protein here helps to avoid sugar crashes later in the day and helps to prevent mood swings,. We know that protein is a key element in keeping the brain transmitters in tip top condition.

 

I know some ADHD parents and kids have found that their focus level and impulse control are much improved when they remember to have that vital protein at breakfast time. It is well worth the effort.

 

2. Ramp up on fruit and vegetables in whatever form you like. The USDA are recommending that 50% of what is on our plate should be fruit or vegetables. The other two quarters should be some form of protein and carbohydrates.  We can use smoothies or put vegetable toppings on pizza and so on.


3. Getting kids involved in the shopping and the preparation of vegetables is a great way of making the whole operation much more appetizing for them.


4. Go for nuts and fruit as snacks


5. Add in fish when you can – that is a whole lot healthier than red meat for example. Great favourites are trout, salmon and mackerel. These contain Omega 3 fatty acids and that helps brain function.


6. Use whole grains as much as possible.


7. Vegetables can be transformed into smoothies or put into tarts and quiches. You can even try making sweet potatoes into a puree, adding in some orange juice and yogurt and even freezing them so that are like vegetable lollipops.


8. Try portion control. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping in mind visual clues. One fruit serving could be a small apple which is the size of a tennis ball while one vegetable serving could be a pepper which is the same size of a baseball and so on.

 

Diet can really help with ADHD

Getting your food choices right will be an enormous advantage. It will not cure ADHD but will help to keep it under control. One dietician remarked that when her ADHD daughter has the right mix of proteins and carbohydrates her behavior is much more stable and manageable.

I know another family who, when they relax the above dietary guidelines, their behavior and focus gets out of control. So, the bottom line is – just eat right!

 

Robert Locke MBE is an award winning author and has written extensively on ADHD and related child health problems. You can visit this page on http://www.natural-adhd-cure.com ADHD natural treatment to find out more.

 

Categories: ADHD, breakfast time, diet, eating right, expectant mothers, food choices, nbsp, pregnant mothers, question, red meat

Learn and Educate: Life after Your ADHD Diagnosis

An ADHD diagnosis can be an overwhelming blow to your emotional wellbeing. On the one hand, there are positive feelings that come out of finally explaining certain behaviours, and there’s comfort in knowing that many of your bad habits are just the result of a different neurological arrangement of brain tissue – it’s just biology! Adjusting to your treatment plan, on the other hand, can be stressful.

The key to maintaining emotional wellness after an ADHD diagnosis is to go slowly, and find what makes you feel comfortable as you adjust to your new definition of normal. Start by taking a few days to think over your diagnosis. Consider all of your questions for your doctor, write them down, and head back in to create a treatment plan. This tends to involve some or all of the following: a healthy diet, exercise, good sleep habits, meditation, coaching and medication. Ask your doctor to explain why he recommends certain factors, and be honest if you disagree. It’s fine to be interested in a second opinion or a doctor with more experience of Adult ADHD.

Next, arm yourself with information. When you have ADHD, you have rights you should know about, like the fact that you are protected against job discrimination by federal law. There is a wealth of resources and helpful tips online, whether you prefer reading articles, watching videos, or interacting in a support group or an ADHD coach. Any resource can give you a broad selection of advice on treatment plans, changing bad habits, modifying negative behavioural issues, minimising the secondary ADHD symptoms in your life, and more.

When it comes to sharing your diagnosis, it is a delicate situation and deserves special attention. In general, it’s a good idea to reveal your ADHD diagnosis to family members and close friends, as the changes you make to your habits and routines will impact their lives as well, so they deserve an opportunity to know what’s going on.

Plus, your loved ones will want to support you in any way they can, so sharing the information you have learned about ADHD with them can help them move past any outdated stereotypes they might have in their minds and give them the tools they’ll need to cheer you on. You’re under no legal obligation to reveal your ADHD diagnosis at work, and it might be best to simply dive in to your treatment plan privately and let your job performance naturally improve and speak for itself.

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Learn and Educate: Life after Your ADHD Diagnosis

Categories: ADHD, Advice, Education

The Painful Dilemma of ADHD Treatment for Children

In recent years, children have become increasingly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - a condition that can be harrowing both for the children who experience it and the parents or guardians who care for them. In the US, millions of children now take medications for ADHD daily and the figures are likely to increase.

As with other complex conditions, there is a difference in opinion relating to onset and how the condition should be treated. Some experts believe that the increase of the condition has been caused by a range of dietary and lifestyle factors, whereas others feel that diagnosis procedures have been improved in a manner that helps to identify the condition more efficiently.  However, regardless of this difference in opinion, one consensual concern is that there is presently no known cure for the condition. Whilst drugs do exist to target specific symptoms of the condition, they can often result in side-effects that can make using the treatments counter-productive, and can be a disturbing experience for both carers and those in care.

Of course, if you are a parent or guardian with an ADHD patient in your care, you will almost certainly want what’s best for them and seek out a remedy for the condition. This is likely to be made more difficult, due to the claims of pharmaceutical companies - who assert that ADHD treatments have no adverse side-effects and can be taken without significant risk.

The dilemma is intensified by research that has recently revealed that ADHD treatments can often be highly addictive, and for some, should be placed in the same category as other highly addictive medications such as morphine, opium and methadone. Therefore, if a child in your care is suffering from ADHD, it may be worth trying to seek out alternative and natural remedies for the condition.

Categories: ADHD, Children, treatment