Could Your Child's Diet Contribute To ADD/ADHD?

Important Links ADHD and Ritalin | Candida | Food Allergy

Nothing is more frustrating than the inability to help your child when he/she struggles academically and socially from Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADD/ADHD). Trying to find answers can be overwhelming. And the drug, Ritalin, is often prescribed as the best alternative.

As objections rise to medicating millions of children worldwide, researchers are now presenting a clear correlation between a child's nutrition and ADHD symptoms. We design unique individual nutritional programs that are leading the way toward the use of safe and natural dietary changes to combat ADHD.

Relieve ADHD Symptoms, Improve Your Child's Life

Without proper assessment or a comprehensive strategy, ADHD negatively affects your child's capacity to learn and interact, and can turn your home into a battleground. Problems at school and poor academic performance are often dismissed under the cover of social or academic maladjustment.

But ADHD is a serious disorder that left untreated, can diminish self-esteem and create problems later in life. Children with ADHD usually have symptoms of inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity, such as:

Symptoms of inattention...

1. Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes.
2. Has difficulty sustaining attention.
3. Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
4. Does not follow through on instructions.
5. Has difficulty organizing tasks and activities.
6. Reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort.
7. Often loses things e.g. toys, assignments, books, pencils.
8. Easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
9. Is often forgetful.

Symptoms of hyperactivity...

1. Often fidgets or squirms in seat.
2. Often leaves seat when he/she should not.
3. Often runs about or climbs excessively.
4. Has difficulty playing quietly, talking excessively.
5. Is often "on the go."

Symptoms of impulsivity...

1. Often blurts out answers before questions have been completed.
2. Has difficulty awaiting turn.
3. Often interrupts or intrudes.

If your child has quite a number of these symptoms there is a possibility that he/she has ADHD. Of course, it goes without saying that only qualified medical specialists can make the official diagnosis.

Your Child Deserves a Unique Nutritional Program

ADHD symptoms affect children in many different ways and can be caused by a variety of nutritional imbalances. But the treatment for ADHD remains controversial and rather limited to Ritalin.

Only now are professionals starting to realize the important role of nutrition in the treatment of ADHD. For example, recent research has proven that ADHD symptoms can be triggered by, among others:

Take a Cooperative Approach To Managing ADHD

Many parents say that their child does not need a diet because he/she is on Ritalin. Others say that they do not want their child on Ritalin and prefer a suitable diet. The best strategy includes what is best for the child and many see remarkable results using a combination of the two.

Children currently on Ritalin may only benefit from a nutritional assessment. An either/or policy should not exist. Both should work in concert. A nutritional consultant should be included as an integral part of the team that assesses and evaluates ADHD children and their progress. Implementing our targeted nutritional recommendations can result in:

Meet Our Staff Doctor — Dr. Brian McDonogh

Dr. Brian McDonogh is a medical practitioner and a specialist in Nutritional Medicine. He has two medical degrees (MBChB and BMedSci) from Pretoria, South Africa, as well as a masters degree in Nutritional Medicine (MScNutrMed) from the University of Surrey in Guildford, United Kingdom, where he attained a distinction for his dissertation on the role of nutrition in the causes and treatment of ADHD.