ADHD - TO DRUG OR NOT TO DRUG?

Do you have a high-energy child? Does your son or daughter have a hard time sitting still? Do you often get reports from school that your child is disruptive in class?If so, you probably wonder if your child has ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with ADHD often find it difficult to pay attention in class, and they have problems following instructions and completing tasks. You can usually spot them because they will be the “wiggle worms” fidgeting around in class, blurting out answers and interrupting their classmates. They tend to flit from one activity to another, much like someone changing a radio station.If you’re a parent to a child with this much boundless energy, you’re often exacerbated by their behavior. The things that you love most about your child are probably the same things that frustrate you the most. The energy and spirit of these children are their most endearing qualities, although they can be overwhelming at times.In the past, “spirited” children were considered a blessing and a challenge. Our grandparents would advise us to cut down on the sugar intake of these children and make sure they got plenty of rest, in order to reduce some of their hyperactivity.These days, most parents are turning to drugs like Ritalin and Adderall to get the same results. Unfortunately, these stimulants come with several undesirable side effects such as loss of appetite, insomnia, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain and headaches. In some cases, nervous tics similar to Tourette’s Syndrome have been reported.I have a daughter who possesses that same boundless energy and hyperactivity prevalent in children diagnosed with ADHD. I have not had her diagnosed professionally as of yet, and I don’t plan to. When she started kindergarten at 5 years old, the excitement of starting school was soon overshadowed by disappointment. As her mother, I knew that Taylor would pose a challenge to her teacher. I’ve always thought of her as a butterfly, flitting from activity to another. She’s very much a busybody, lending her opinion and her “two cents” to any activity taking place around her. She’s often chastised for interrupting conversations, blurting out things at inappropriate times and she’s probably the loudest child I’ve ever known. When she was a baby before she could even talk, she started out singing. If Taylor was in the room, you knew it.Needless to say, kindergarten was not a fun place for her. Shortly after school started, she was getting notes home – at least 3 a week – telling her father and I about how she disrupted class, or would not stay in her seat, or was always concerning herself with what her neighbors in class were doing.We attended several meetings with her teacher and principal about how best to deal with Taylor’s disruptive behavior. While not overtly telling us to medicate her, the teacher and principal subtly suggested that we may want to look into getting her tested for ADHD. Her father and I were staunchly opposed to any form of school-mandated testing and subsequent branding of our child. We decided to look into other methods of dealing with such an energetic and hyperactive child.We decided to approach the situation from an old-school standpoint. The first thing we did was tons of research on the internet on how to deal with children diagnosed with ADHD. We found lots of information on how to reduce her sugar intake and then monitor the results thereafter. We also looked into herbal remedies for children with ADHD. We found several herbs that were all-natural and purported to reduce the energy level of hyperactive children. We found studies that reported dramatic results in children diagnosed with ADHD when they were taking herbs that were essentially fish oil. Studies were done indicating that children diagnosed with ADHD were extremely lacking in the vitamins found in fish. These vitamins can also be found in Super EPA/Omega-3 Formula, a vitamin that we included in Taylor’s diet, and later to all of our diets. These vitamins also improve cardiovascular function and healthy cholesterol metabolism. They contain a balanced blend of the Omega-3 fatty acids: 720mg EPA & 480mg DHA, both naturally found in fish oils. With the combination of these fish oil tablets and the reduction of sugar in Taylor’s diet, we witnessed the most dramatic results.Prior to this new diet, Taylor slept fitfully and usually didn’t go a full night without waking. Subsequent to the fish oil tablets and the reduction of her sugar intake, she started sleeping all night long and even slept longer than usual. The notes from school came less and less. She just seemed more relaxed overall. And, obviously, her self-esteem improved. Now, a year later, she is the best student in class – makes consistent A’s in every subject, and her behavior has improved greatly. Her teacher reports that she has slight problems calling out in class, occasionally. But with nowhere near the frequency that existed before.Her father and I believe that the improvement in Taylor’s behavior is a result of these fish oil tablets and the sugar reduction, in addition to plain old maturity on her part. But we’re really glad that we didn’t consider medicating her. Chances are if we had, she’d still be on Ritalin or Adderall. And she would have been considered a behavior problem, a label that tends to follow a child all through their school years.