If you are looking for a natural treatment for ADHD the first thing to realize is that you are not alone is being curious about alternative treatments.
If you have a child that has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD your medical professional with whom you have been consulting more than likely prescribed a stimulant drug or drugs to manage the symptoms and characteristics of the disorder.
Of course, assuming your child does not experience any of the many side-effects, they might have become more docile, settled down in the classroom, and become more compliant for the time being.
While your child might have benefited in these ways it is important to understand that it does not automatically follow that they will now achieve better grades or perform better academically.
We have already alluded to the side-effects, but did you know that over the long-term these side-effects can be very harmful? What their long-term results will be is still unknown even though such a significantly large portion of the population has been medicated with them.
This is why so many people are choosing to consider a natural treatment for ADHD rather than settling for the conventional stimulant and non-stimulant drugs that are so routinely prescribed.
The issue of using a natural approach to treating ADHD in both children and adults is one that has received a lot of attention.
This is primarily due to the fact that so many negative side-effects result from the usual ADHD medications that get prescribed when a child is diagnosed with this disorder.
Whether the drug is Ritalin, Adderall or a non-stimulant like Strattera there are a selection of symptoms that range in severity and include: * The jitters * Tics (Existing tics are worsened) * Stomach pains * Headaches * Nausea * Insomnia * Zoning out * Paranoia * Mood swings * Kidney and liver problems * Heart complications * Anxiety * Depression * And even suicidal thoughts and tendencies It really is no wonder that there are parents and even a growing number of experts who are questioning the validity of using ADHD medications to treat ADHD, especially in children.
In the United States almost every child that is taken for an evaluation and is assessed using the DSM-IV manual ends up being diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder.
They are classified as falling into one of the following subtypes of the disorder: 1.
Predominantly inattentive type 2.
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type 3.
Predominantly combined inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive type Once the diagnosis has been made and the child is determined to be ADHD they are routinely prescribed a stimulant medication such as Ritalin.
Depending upon the child's reaction to the drug and the effect it has on their symptoms, the dosage will be adjusted.
If it proves to be unsuitable another stimulant drug will be tried with the whole process of dosage adjustment occurring.
Assuming all the stimulants prove unsuitable the attention will turn to non-stimulant drugs like Strattera and the process will be repeated.
In some instance a drug such as Clonidine will be used in conjunction with the ADHD medication.
This drug was originally developed to treat hypertension in adults but was found to be useful in controlling ADHD symptoms in kids.
Nowadays it is not prescribed as often as it was in the past, however.
Of course ADHD does not only affect children in the United States.
Children in Europe suspected of being ADHD are evaluated using different diagnostic criteria than those put forth in the DSM-IV.
In Europe children evaluated with their list of diagnostic criteria are less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD in any of its sub-categories.
Even when a child is diagnosed with ADHD it is very uncommon for them to be placed on stimulant medications other than as a last resort.
Usually treatment commences by equipping the parents with techniques and tips that they can use in handling their ADHD and which oftentimes turns out to be all that is needed for the child to benefit.
This is known as home intervention and parental training and is an interesting alternative natural treatment for ADHD.
The ADHD diets also fall in the category of natural treatment.
There are a number of ADHD diets available these days and all show what the child or adult with ADHD should not eat and what they should eat on a daily basis.