Stimulant medication may be the most widely-used treatment for ADHD, but more and more parents are looking into natural ADHD treatments after learning about the debilitating side effects of these drugs.  Still, the transition from ADHD medications to natural treatments isn’t always easy. A lot of lifestyle adjustments have to be made, and it takes weeks for any positive changes to appear.   For this reason, parents prefer the quick fix of medication over drug-free treatments, especially if the symptoms are severe. But if there was a way to beat your child’s symptoms without medication and its side effects, wouldn’t you take it?  Here are the most popular ways to beat ADHD without medication.

Create a routine

Did you know that many ADHD symptoms can be avoided with a good routine?  For instance, lack of sleep normally makes adults cranky and fatigued during the day, but this brings about hyperactive behavior in children. To make sure your child gets at least 8 hours of sleep each night, establish a regular bedtime and waking time.  Having a regular dinner time also helps; the closer dinner is to bedtime, the harder it will be for your child to fall asleep because the body is too busy digesting.

Eliminate “bad” foods

Artificial flavoring, coloring, and preservatives can trigger ADHD because of the chemicals they contain.  Parents observe that eliminating foods with artificial additives have done much to improve their child’s behavior. Start by using 100% fruit juice instead of juice boxes, juice mixes, and soft drinks, which are artificially colored and flavored.  Avoid all brightly-colored foods, as these are definitely full of food dyes. As much as possible, cook from scratch and avoid bottled sauces, which contain artificial preservatives.

Exercise and sports

ADHD kids – especially the hyperactive ones – need a physical outlet for all their pent-up energy. Studies show that thirty minutes of exercise and physical activity is just as effective at reducing symptoms as medication. Enroll your class in an after-school sport, or buy equipment like a trampoline or a skateboard.  Unstructured activity like jumping and skating is just as beneficial as participating in organized sports.  

Provide supplements

Many case of ADHD are caused by a lack of nutrients in a child’s diet.  Even with a healthy, balanced diet, your child might not be getting the nutrients he or she needs.  With the advice of a health care professional, supplement your child’s meals with an omega-3 fish oil capsule, multivitamin, or amino acids.

Photo credit

Dealing with ADHD symptoms can be frustrating, especially on days when your child seems to be out of control.  In the UnRitalin Solution’s Resource page, we’ve shown you how various nutritional supplements and diets deal with the causes of ADHD and reduce the intensity of symptoms.  However, figuring out what supplements to give to your child and which brands bring the results you desire can be difficult to determine.  In this blog post, I’ll be explaining concepts you can use to decide what vitamins, herbs, and other supplements your child needs to recover from ADHD naturally.

Before anything else: know what you need to treat

The right supplements depend on the possible causes of your child’s ADHD symptoms. For instance, if your child has the classic biological cause of ADHD, products like omega-3 fish oil and pycnogenol will boost neurological function and minimize inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. On the other hand, if your child has a specific nutritional deficiency, you’ll want to replenish these missing nutrients with vitamins and minerals. In other words, consult your child’s doctor and find out the causes of your child’s symptoms before buying supplements. Otherwise, the products you end up getting may not bring the help your child needs.

Determining quality: purity, bio-availability, absorption rate

There are literally hundreds of brands who provide the supplements your child needs for ADHD. Three concepts will help you determine which brands are worth buying from – purity, bio-availability, and absorption rate.

Purity

Purity is the amount of the active ingredient in the supplement without additional ingredients that cause no reactions to the body. These ingredients include fillers that make the capsule look bigger, the gelatin of the capsule, artificial colorings, and artificial flavors. Quality supplements should contain no fillers, flavoring, preservatives, coloring, wheat, dairy, salt, yeast, and corn. Look for these ingredients in the label and put the bottle back on the shelf if you spot any of them.

Bio-availability

Bio-availability is the percentage of the nutrient that can be absorbed by the body and used by the cells.  Many popular brand-name vitamins actually have low bio-availability because they are made from petroleum by-products. If these claims are true, it means that people may be spending on vitamins that leave the body without being absorbed.

Absorption rate

One possible reason why vitamins and supplements don’t work on some children is because of their inability to absorb nutrients.  People absorb nutrients differently, and there two factors that affect this absorption rate. The first is the amount of gut flora and good bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract, which play a critical role in bringing nutrients to the body. Many things such as antibiotic can destroy the gut flora balance and affect their digestive function. You can read more about it in our article on leaky gut syndrome. Another factor that affects the function of the gastro-intestinal tract is the presence of partially-digested gluten and casein, which coats the intestine walls and lowers the absorption rate.  This can be easily remedied by eating less processed food and more high-fiber food.

Expensive supplements versus cheap supplements

It’s difficult for the average consumer to determine which brands have the highest purity and bio-availability.  As a general rule, products available from health food stores and reputable multi-level marketing companies will have the best purity and bio-availability. However, they will also be more expensive.  Commercial vitamins that you can find at supermarkets are going to be cheaper, but they’ll also have the lowest quality.

These aren’t hard and fast rules and there are always exceptions to the norm. Do your research on a particular brand before deciding to buy them – check unbiased reviews, consumer reports, and product comparisons.

Another approach that will help you save in the long run is to first try a quality supplement, and note any changes in your child’s behavior by using a diary. Once you’ve seen the positive results you’ve been aiming for, you can replace the expensive brand with a trusted commercial brand.  If it seems less effective, you can switch back to the original quality brand.  But if your child does not experience good results with the quality brand, it’s likely that an inferior brand won’t make any difference, and your child may need a different supplement entirely.

As a parent of a child with ADHD, you’ve probably noticed something I observe among my patients: kids with ADHD don’t do well in the winter.  As fall turns to winter and a blanket of snow covers the streets, kids with ADHD tend to:

• Become more hyperactive or impulsive as they grow increasingly restless. In the winter, they have fewer opportunities to burn excess energy or do activities they enjoy outside of school or at home.
• Become more argumentative and oppositional due to the inability to use their regular coping skills, such as outdoor activities or sports, to help them vent their feelings and burn off excess energy.
• Become more distracted and inattentive, resulting in difficulties doing homework or completing errands and chores.
• Experience more disciplinary or legal trouble as their frustration, restlessness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity increases.

Does this sound like your child?

Like everyone else, children with ADHD develop habits, skills, or behaviors that enable them to cope with their feelings, highs, lows, and the obstacles caused by their symptoms. Perhaps you’ve helped your child develop some of these healthy habits.  While the average child can easily cope with the changes caused by the seasons, most of those with ADHD do not handle change well.  They overreact to these disruptions because they perceive a threat underneath the change. Because of their symptoms, their reactions to change tend to involve the behaviors described above.

What can you do to help your ADHD child cope with the winter blues?

• Keep the house as well-lit and cheerful as possible. In the daytime, draw back the curtains and bring in as much natural light as you can. At night, use lamps or light up the room with a string of Christmas lights. Dark, dreary environments can aggravate ADHD symptoms or trigger seasonal affective disorder.
• Enroll your child in a gym or a winter camp. These programs will provide your child with enough activities to keep him or her occupied, happy, and fit.
• Turn a spare bedroom or garage into a homemade gym for days when your child has no choice but to stay indoors.  You don’t have to buy state-of-the-art exercise equipment for this; your homemade gym have a hula hoop, exercise balls, a tension band, a trampoline if there’s enough space, or a television with a Wii sports console.
• Spend some quality time with your child. Ask about how your child’s day went and what he or she is feeling.  Make it a real bonding session by sharing similar stories from your childhood.

Most children with ADHD will show significant improvements with these interventions but if your child’s symptoms continue to persist, check with your health care provider immediately.  Kids and teens with ADHD are more likely to experience depression during the cold winter months.

It’s difficult to quantify what the most effective ADHD treatment is. Because a child experiences more problems than hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention, it’s not uncommon for parents to use more than one method to treat ADHD.   But which of these treatments have the most impact?  According to a new survey from Consumer Reports, stimulants are the most effective ADHD treatment for kids, but parents still think it’s not enough.  In fact, the survey notes that kids who tried alternative treatments besides medication did better than kids who were on medication only. As for the most effective non-medical treatment for ADHD, it turns out that sending children to a school better equipped to deal with ADHD made all the difference.

Consumer Reports spoke to 934 parents of children with ADHD and asked them about various topics, from the impact of ADHD medications to the effects of alternative treatments like behavior therapy and diets.  It was discovered that 84% of parents medicated their children at some point, and that 67% of them reported that the stimulants were helpful.  What’s surprising is that not all of the parents were satisfied with the effects of medication, even those who reported that they reduced hyperactivity and inattention.  Only 52% of parents believed that if they could do it all over again, they would medicate their children, whereas 44% also wished there was another way to treat ADHD.  It’s likely that these findings were due to the various side effects of stimulants, which were reported by 84% of parents.

As for treatments beyond medication, 45% of parents discovered that switching their kids to a school that can handle ADHD helped their children “a lot.” Hiring a tutor also worked for the 37% of parents who did so, as did providing a structured schedule of activities.

Diet and nutrition is another approach some families had success with. 17% of families found that adding multivitamins and supplements helped “a lot”, while fish oil supplements got very satisfied marks from 12% of families that tried them.  It looks like these parents might have found validation from the recent study that demonstrates the impact of Western diet on ADHD.  Fast food and junk food not only contain high concentrations of sodium, fat, and refined sugar; they drain the body’s nutrient stores when they get converted into energy.

Although there is no single ADHD treatment that is universally effective, natural remedies and alternative treatments are always worth looking into.  Medication will make it easier for a child to behave and learn because he or she is not as distracted, but popping a pill everyday is like applying band-aid to a wound. It won’t make the disorder get any worse, but it won’t treat the root of the problem either.  At the end of the day, ADHD is a complex condition that requires various treatment methods if you want your child to overcome the disorder for good.  As to what these treatment methods are, it depends on the possible causes of the disorder, what your child needs, and what your overall treatment goals are.

As for narrowing down these treatments, Consumer Reports suggests that parents keep all copies of test results, psychological records, and other medical records related to their child’s ADHD.  It also helps to make a list of every professional who treated your child, the treatment strategies you have tried, and your child’s responses to each. That way, you’ll have an easier time figuring out the next step when you seek a new professional for your child.

We have a lot of articles that explore the relationship between nutrient deficiencies and ADHD.  Often, these nutrient deficiencies and the ADHD symptoms they cause are the secondary effects of a larger underlying problem like leaky gut syndrome.   One of the hottest vitamin supplements at the moment is vitamin D, and many say that it can bring benefits to those with ADHD. Although it’s not as widely studied as zinc or magnesium supplementation, the speculative discussion on this nutrient suggest ways where vitamin D can help someone with ADHD.

Boosts glutathione production

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are vulnerable to free radical damage and oxidation in the body, and it’s possible that a deficient in antioxidants like glutathione can aggravate this deficiency.  Antioxidants protect nutrients from oxidation and keep them biologically available until the cells use them up for their various needs. Vitamin D boosts the body’s glutathione production by regulating an enzyme that regulates the recycling of glutathione in the body.

Improves glucose transport

The brain needs glucose in order to function well, and some research suggests that vitamin D plays a role in glucose transport to the brain and glucose metabolism.  Although more studies need to examine this role, vitamin D’s activities on glucose are certainly an important potential benefit for someone with ADHD.

Better fine motor control

Some children with ADHD have problems with fine motor activities like writing, cutting shapes, or zipping zippers.  It is suggested that a deficiency in vitamin D can exacerbate this problem. Conversely, supplementation with vitamin D has been found to improve fine motor coordination, especially if taken with conventional therapies.

Lengthens attention span

Vitamin D also improves the function of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase, which is used to produce a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.  Acetylcholine is known to maintain attention, which most individuals with ADHD have difficulties with.  Maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D seems to boost low levels of this important neurotransmitter.

Relieves SAD

The strongest relationship between vitamin D and psychological health has to do with depressive symptoms in those afflicted with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Since sunlight is required to produce vitamin D, it’s not surprising for many individuals with ADHD to experience SAD during dark winter months.  Vitamin D can be a useful supplement if your child is prone to experiencing SAD, anxiety, or depression.

Although the effect of vitamin D is not as pronounced as other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, it has some neurological effects that can potentially benefit someone with ADHD.  But since these benefits are quite limited, it might not be enough to use vitamin D supplements as a standalone treatment.  However, giving your child a multivitamin with vitamin D may not be a bad idea, especially if you get very little sunlight during some parts of the year.

Most pediatricians and psychiatrists diagnose ADHD based on a series of criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).  According to the DSM-IV, there are three types of ADHD: inattentive type, hyperactive-impulsive type, and combined type.  But did you know that there are more than three types of ADHD?

Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen has handled hundreds of children and adults with ADHD and developed a special brain imaging technique called the SPECT test to help him find the cause of the condition.  His work on SPECT imaging made him realize the full complexity of the disorder.  Over the years, he noticed that there are six distinct SPECT patterns in his ADHD patients, and that each requires a specialized treatment. Based on these observations, Dr. Amen came up with the six types of ADHD.

Type 1: Classic ADHD

Classic ADHD describes the hyperactive-impulsive type with a little inattention.  This is usually treated with omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids like L-tyrosine, and multiple vitamins.

Type 2: Inattentive ADHD

Inattentive ADHD is similar to the DSM-IV’s Inattentive Type – low energy, low motivation, always daydreaming, etc.  This type is common in girls and is often diagnosed later in life.  Like Classic ADHD, Inattentive ADHD can be treated with omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamins.

Type 3: Overfocused ADHD

A child with Overfocused ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms as well as oppositional behavior, argumentative tendency, cognitive inflexibility, a need for sameness, or negative behavior. This type of ADHD is common in families with obsessive-compulsive tendencies or addiction problems.  This can be treated with the amino acid L-tryptophan, St. John’s Wort, omega-3 fish oils, and vitamins.

Type 4: Temporal Lobe ADHD

A child with Temporal Lobe ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms as well as headaches, periods of anxiety, a short fuse, memory problems, dark thoughts, and difficulties learning to read.  This type is common in families with a history of mood disorders and learning disorders. Treatment includes GABA for irritability, vitamins, and omega-3 fish oils. Sometimes, anti-seizure medication is given.

Type 5: Limbic ADHD

A child with Limbic ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms and low self-esteem, mild depression, poor social skills, irritability, insomnia, and poor appetite. Treatment includes omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, St. John’s Wort, and vitamins.

Type 6: Ring of Fire ADHD

A child with Ring of Fire ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms as well as angry outbursts, extreme mood swings, excessive talking, fast thoughts, inflexibility, and sensitivity to light and sound.  This ADHD type was called “Ring of Fire” because of the ring of overactivity seen in brain scans of affected children.  Treatment includes vitamins, omega-3 fats, and amino acids.

While these six ADHD categories make it easier to identify appropriate treatments, try not to get too focused on what type of ADHD your child has. At the very core of it all, ADHD and its co-morbid disorders are caused by the same underlying problem – a functional disconnection syndrome. This means that the regions of the brain aren’t communicating with each other as well as they should. What’s important is finding the type of treatments that will best rehabilitate your child’s brain and address his or her unique constellation of symptoms.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Dr. Amen’s work, you can visit his website at amenclinics.com.

Photo credit

In our Article Library, you’ll find several discussions on various nutritional interventions for ADHD. Although vitamin C is known more for its immune-boosting and antioxidant properties, some studies suggest that it may play an important role in managing hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Before you get excited and start buying vitamin C supplements, take note that vitamin C works more as a secondary treatment that boosts the efficacy of supplements and dietary methods; in other words, it should not be used as a single, stand-alone treatment. Although some of its speculative benefits still need to be confirmed by further studies, it seems like maintaining or increasing vitamin C levels can reduce ADHD symptoms in five ways:

Protects omega-3 fatty acids from oxidation

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements containing DHA and EPA are known to improve brain function among individuals with ADHD. However, one of the main problems of supplementing with fatty acids is that they are prone to oxidation after the slightest exposure to sun, air, or light. Oxidation basically means that the fatty acids break down, go rancid, and no longer contain their nutritional benefits. A natural antioxidant can prevent this problem, but vitamin C is actually not the best choice where fatty acids are concerned. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means it has limited effects on a less water soluble substance like omega-3 fats. However, it does boost the levels of other important antioxidants like glutathione and vitamin E, which are better equipped to protect omega-3 fats from oxidation. It’s also important to note that vitamins C and E work very well as an anti-oxidant team.

Neuroprotective properties

Did you know that the brain’s nerve endings have the second highest concentration of vitamin C in the body? (The first is the adrenal glands.) New research shows that vitamin C performs a strong protective role in the brain, especially when used with vitamin D. It protects against a specific type of oxidative damage called ischemia, which causes reduced blood supply to the brain. This is important to children with ADHD because ischemia is actually one of the lesser known causes of ADHD, especially during a child’s early years. Ischemia can interfere with the dopamine receptors in the brain, causing symptoms like poor attention span and slow reaction time.

Neutralizes the effects of lead

Current research shows that ADHD-like behaviors and symptoms may be connected to increased lead levels. Vitamin C can reduce lead’s negative effects on memory and learning, especially when used together with zinc, methionine, taurine, and glycene.

Improves absorption of minerals

Deficiencies in zinc, iron, and magnesium are just some of the nutrition-related triggers of ADHD. Researchers hypothesize that vitamin C’s ability to fight off the effects of lead has to do with the way it increases iron absorption, especially if iron is deficient. Take note that vitamin C can possibly work as a pro-oxidant if found at low levels in the body; in higher levels, it has an anti-oxidant effect.

Regulate blood sugar levels

Some research suggests that children with ADHD have low glucose metabolism in certain regions, especially those that control attention and movement. This effect seems to be more pronounced among girls and women. Although vitamin C’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels is more theoretical at this point, some diabetics already use vitamin C to help treat their condition.

Kids with ADHD can be very difficult to buy presents for. Like many parents, you are probably at a loss as to what to get for your ADHD child this holiday season. If you buy an expensive toy, there’s a high chance that they’ll accidentally break it or lose interest in it after a few days. But if you get them something too simple, they may not even glance at it, leaving the present to gather dust at the back of a closet.

Before you head out to go Christmas shopping for your ADHD child, take the time to know your child and what hobbies or topics is he or she interested in. Children with ADHD may be fickle and easily bored, but they only behave this way when faced with tasks or subjects that do not interest them. But give them a present related to their real interests, and you’ll find that your child is actually capable of sitting still and staying quiet for hours – and using your present until it naturally falls apart. Here are some gift suggestions that might help you decide what to get your kids this Christmas.

Books

Your child probably has a variety of interests, but he or she might be especially fond of one specific subject. Get your child a book on this subject. Non-fiction books on insects, pirates, magic, and other topics that interests kids can be easily found at any bookstore. Many kids with ADHD are also avid readers and have certain books they enjoy reading, whether it’s comic books, teen romances, or horror stories. Find out what your child enjoys reading about then find a fiction book that follows this theme.

Arts & Crafts

Kids with ADHD are known for their original thinking and creativity. Encourage this part of your child’s personality by giving them art supplies. You can easily find paints, clay, paper, and markers at office supply stores and craft stores. Make sure you check toy stores for toys that promote creativity; for instance, Crayola has a play set that allows kids to make their own crayons. Consider giving the art supplies along with a book that details simple projects they can do with their materials.

Toys with wheels

By this, I mean a bicycle, a pair of Rollerblades, or a skateboard. Movement addresses the hyperactive component, and toys like these will give your child a chance to release some of this extra energy. Did you know that riding a bike or skating counts as exercise too? And that exercise is the cheapest, natural way to manage ADHD?

Musical instrument

If your child shows interest in a particular instrument, why not give the opportunity to learn this instrument? Music lessons are great for kids with ADHD because they address the creative component, attention component, and behavior component all at the same time.

Fidget toys

You can actually reduce hyperactivity by giving your child fidget toys – tiny toys that provide sensory input or engage your child’s attention during “quiet” events. Fidget toys allow kids with ADHD to attend to an interesting activity without excessive movement or talking. Try giving your child a bag with fidget toys and carry this with you to family gatherings to control your child’s behavior. Examples of fidget toys include small manipulative toys, textured toys, a squeezable toy, or a handheld video game that can be muted.

In the UnRitalin Solution, we place a lot of importance on diet and proper nutrition as a key to overcoming ADHD. Research shows that artificial additives and certain other food substances can aggravate the trademark symptoms of ADHD, including inattention and hyperactive behavior. These foods cause adverse reactions that impact the brain wave patterns in specific areas of the brain, which in turn triggers the ADHD-like symptoms.

Although very few researchers have looked into the actual mechanisms by which food allergies affect ADHD symptoms, a small study done in 1997 was able to document the phenomenon well. Researchers from Australia’s Institute for Child Health Research investigated the changes in brainwave patterns when participants with ADHD ate foods they were allergic too. The results are very telling and support the theory that an intolerance to certain foods are responsible for ADHD-like behaviors.

Before moving on to the study’s main points, it might help to have a brief discussion on how ADHD is traditionally diagnosed. Since the three hallmark symptoms of ADHD are also symptoms of other disorders, simply checking them off a list is not enough. One other widely-used diagnostic tool is called the Conner’s Rating Scale. This numerical scale is usually filled up by parents or teachers to provide an objective measure of the ADHD symptoms. The higher the numerical score, the more intense the ADHD symptom is. Using a certain cut-off point, the clinician can determine if a child qualifies for ADHD. Aside from that, the symptoms should have been present for over six months in at least two different environments. Although other professionals use different tests to make the diagnosis, the Conner’s Rating Scale plays an important role in screening ADHD from other behavioral disorders.

In the Australian study, twelve children with known mild to moderate food allergies had their brain wave activation patterns mapped by a Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG). You might want to read our article on the QEEG test to understand the differences in the ADHD mind’s brain wave patterns. The QEEG scan was done twice – once after five days of consuming the allergenic food, and once after two weeks of avoiding these foods. In addition, the children were made to take the Conner’s Rating Scale twice – once after eating the allergenic foods, another after the two week period of avoiding the allergenic foods.

Below is a table of the children’s Conner scores. In the version of the scale used by the study, the cut-off score for ADHD is 15.

As you can see, ten of the participants had scores above the threshold for ADHD once allergenic foods were introduced to their diets. It seems that consuming foods that provoke allergies is enough to cause ADHD-like symptoms when they weren’t there before. The researchers also noted that the most common allergenic foods among the children were wheat, milk, food colorings, and beet sugar.

Aside from that, the QEEG scans showed the changes in sixteen different brain regions after eating the allergenic foods and after avoiding the allergenic foods. To help you understand the results, below is a table of the brain wave types and activity levels.

Of all the brain waves, the researchers noted that the beta-1brainwave was most affected by the food allergies. The frequency changes were highly concentrated in the temporal and right frontal regions of the brain – the brain regions most associated with ADHD.

Although the population of the study is very small, the findings pose interesting questions as to how many cases of ADHD are actually caused by food intolerances and can be treated with the right ADHD diet. Of course, food allergies are just one potential cause of ADHD, but studies like this one lend credibility to the effectiveness of eliminating gluten, casein, and food additives from a diet.

Source

Flavay Plus for Healthy Immune and Nervous Systems

Research shows that the brain and the immune system have a direct influence upon each other’s functions. One way to achieve better neurotransmitter production is to consume vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can support this connection. Flavay is a powerful nutritional supplement that provides support for both the immune system and nervous system. As an immune system booster, it recycles the activity of vitamins E and C, providing the body with more ammunition against infection and antioxidant protection against free radicals. As food for the brain, Flavay Plus contains phosphatidyl serine, a group of fatty acids and amino acids from soy lecithin that is a proven therapeutic agent against memory disorders. In a clinical trial where 26 children with ADHD took 300mg of phosphatidyl serine daily, 25 of them had improved learning capacity and behavior without any side effects. Other published double-blind studies show that this nutrient can treat depression naturally.

Phosphatidyl serine has another positive effect child with ADHD. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders report that children with ADHD are likely to have abnormal rhythms in the stress hormone cortisol. Studies show that this nutrient can calm down exaggerated stress in young people by normalizing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal’s stress-induced activation of the brain. In other words, phosphadtidyl serine regularizes brain activity, allowing the child to concentrate on tasks without jumping from thought to thought.

Finally, Flavay Plus contains other vitamins and minerals known to benefit children with ADHD, such as gingko biloba, zinc, magnesium, B-vitamins, and selenium. A bottle of Flavay Plus costs USD 78 ( 120 capsules per bottle). Available at flavay.com.

BrightSpark for Improved Behavior

BrightSpark is a homeopathic remedy especially formulated to handle hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility in children. The positive effects of BrightSpark on concentration and behavior are due to four carefully-selected herbs:

• Hyocyamus is known to calm down restless, over-excitable, and disruptive behavior in children. This herb is also known to provide relief to involuntary twitching, fidgeting, or grunting.
• Arsen iod can bring out balance during temper outbursts and suppresses annoyances during frustrating situations. It is often recommended for children who are prone to sudden outbursts or who are particularly impatient and excitable.
• Verta alb promotes emotional stability and calm nerves. Ideal for inattentive children who tend to feel anxious.
• Tuberculinum is an homeopathic herb for allergy-related symptoms, but it can also be used to soothe destructive anger and irritability.

BrightSpark comes in a chewable tablet form and is available for USD 43 per bottle (125 tablets per bottle). Available at nativeremedies.com.

Vaxa Memorin for Better Brain Function

Children and adults with ADHD have problems with working memory, the aspect of short-term memory that deals with processing and retrieving information to accomplish certain tasks. Vaxa Memorin can provide the brain with the essential nutrients needed for better memory, concentration, and attention. This herbal supplement contains amino acids that aid L-Tyrosine and L-Phenylalanine, the precursors of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Vaxa Memorin also contains GABA, a non-protein amino acid that functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, protecting brain activity from getting over-excited while enhancing alertness and focus. Finally, this supplement contains gingko biloba for protection against free radical damage, lipid oxidation, and better memory function. Vaxa Memorin costs USD 27 per bottle (60 capsules per bottle) and should be taken at the start of the day for best results. Available at vaxa.com.

Vaxa Extress for Stress Relief

This herbal preparation can also counter-act the effects of the stress hormone cortisol. Vaxa Extress contains a combination of helpful amino acids that are the precursors to norepinephrine and dopamine. These amino acids also have another positive effect on the body: when the body is under stress, it breaks down proteins at a much faster rate. Vaxa Extress contains the amino acids that can regulate protein metabolism, preventing the needless breakdown of proteins and the unnecessary utilization of other amino acids in the body. As the body prevents these nutrients from breaking down, the child experiences the positive psychological effect of reduced stress and anxiety. Vaxa Extress costs USD 29 per bottle (60 capsules per bottle). Available at vaxa.com.

Digestin for Healthy Digestion

Digestin is the only herbal supplement in this group that does not deal with the symptoms of ADHD directly, but its effects on the digestive system can eliminate problems caused by intolerances to gluten, casein, and other allergens. This formula contains marshmallow root, peppermint leaf, gentian root, papaya leaf, and papain, which stimulates natural digestive secretions and clears up digestive complaints. Peppermint leaf, in particular, cleanses the gastro-intestinal tract of toxins and undigested particles. Digestin also complements dysfunctional pancreas, influences the muscular tone of digestive organs, and allows wastes to be removed quickly. Digestin costs $27 per bottle (60 capsules per bottle). Available at vaxa.com.