How Treating ADHD Without Drugs Is Easy If You Try

Since Luc Montaignier (Nobel Prize winner and discoverer of the AIDS virus) came out and recommended a more open approach to homeopathy just last year, many experts and specialists are willing to give another look at this type of therapy for ADHD.

Other people seem to have forgotten that homeopathy played a crucial role in saving thousands of lives when there were epidemics of cholera and typhoid raging in the last century.

For example, over 10,000 died in the 1854 cholera epidemic in London. But those who were treated with homeopathic medicine had a very low death rate of 9% while those treated with allopathic medicine had a death rate of 60%!

The World Health Organization would like to see closer integration of homeopathy with traditional western type allopathic medicine.
In Europe, homeopathy is amazingly popular. We know that up to 40% of Dutch GPs use it in their practice while the number hovers around 20% in Germany.

In the UK, there are no less than five homeopathic hospitals and one of the great enthusiasts of this type of medicine is Queen Elizabeth II who is hale and hearty to prove it. Still in the UK, we learn that over 66% of pharmacies sell homeopathic remedies. There is a much closer integration of complementary therapies wth allopathic medicine in that country and I think that personally is the way to go. Homeopathy can only be an answer for some of our ailments, though.

The great advantage of homeopathic remedies for ADHD is that there is no chance of :-

* drug addiction or substance abuse as a result of taking these therapies
* your child's appetite and sleep will NOT be affected in any way
* there will be no negative effects on the child's development or physical growth
* there is no risk of your child being asked to sell his medicine as with Adderall for example.
* there are no side effects at all.
* there are no health risk such as cardiac events for those children with cardiac history or psychotic episodes and so on.

Apart from the puzzlement that such a diluted solution could possibly have an effect on your child's ADHD symptoms, we need to think a little outside the box. Homeopathy does not treat symptoms like western medicine. It is a balancing agent and can restore harmony between the mind and body. Once the medicine starts to work for ADHD, you will notice that the following changes will probably occur :-

* children become calmer especially if hyperactivity has been an issue at home and at school.
* kids are able to focus better and pay attention for a longer time.
* impulsivity is reduced
* chidren become more sociable
* children are in a better mood generally
* those irritating spasms and twitching are reduced as well.

Diet is always neglected but it is an important element in any comprehensive type of treatment plan and especially one which is treating ADHD without drugs. It fits in perfectly with a homeopathic regime.

We can start by eliminating as many of the processed foods as we can. Did you know that a child's brain needs nutrients to work properly and this was never as important as in the case of ADHD. We know now that lots of snacks and processed foods actually contain hydrogenated oil which have this terrible tendency to make the membranes of the brain quite rigid so the neural pathways and their elasticity are highly compromised. That means that the child's acting and planning capacity plus his behavior can all be affected negatively.

In practical terms this means that the RIGHT elements are needed to keep the neuron pathways in tip top condition. These are responsible for sending the right messages to the right destination in a nanosecond. With ADHD children, these areas of the brain are not really firing properly and it is rather like a poor mobile phone signal.

Now with the right nutrients, we can help these neural connections to work better. Here are the right nutrients to make that happen.
* essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 which are found in fish, such as salmon, sardines,. halibut, flaxseeds and walnuts.
* zinc is needed and can be found in legumes and dark meat
* calcium can help to produce more neurotransmitters and the best source is from healthy vegetables such as broccoli and spinach. That is a healthier alternative than adding more and more dairy products to your child's diet.
* make sure that proteins are served at breakfast as this will stop a sugar spike in the morning It can also keep the child calmer for longer.

Most dieticians say that there must be an element of protein such as chicken, cheese, or yogurt built into the breakfast plan.

The answer is a resounding yes in that the more green time spent doing physical activities, the milder ADHD symptoms become when kids get back home. A study done at the University of Illinois on 400 children found that there was a definite improvement in symptoms in those children who regularly played outside and had green time built into their daily routine. The kids with more severe ADHD symptoms were those who played inside. This study was published in the Journal called Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being

Photo credit: vdz from morguefile.com

In treating ADHD without drugs, a key element is the use of parenting techniques which take as their base, the concept of applying ADHD behavior therapy . This works and all the medical authorities are recommending it now. It is a perfect match when your child is taking homeopathic medicine too as he is not suffering from any side effects, unlike the psychostimulants so that he can give you his full attention and he is also behaving more like a normal child. He will have none of the sleep and appetite problems associated with the amphetamine like drugs.

As we have seen, it is perfectly feasible to go for the treating ADHD without drugs. Why not discover more? It's a whole new world!