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ADHD/hyperactivity
Action Plan Children with ADHD may have three basic problems, they
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Depression children. This means that in a class of 30 children there will
Dyslexia/Dyspraxia be one or two children with ADHD. Boys seem more likely to Free Mental Health ENews
Schizophrenia have ADHD than girls. In the UK, between three and nine Click here to subscribe
Other Sources of Info boys are diagnosed with ADHD for every girl who's
diagnosed with it. But this may be because boys and girls Save to PDF
tend to have different symptoms of ADHD. Inattention is
more common among girls while hyperactivity is more
common among boys. And a boy who is hyperactive
(shouting, running about and getting into trouble) is more
noticeable than a girl who is inattentive (daydreaming,
forgetful and easily distracted). Find out about
nutrition for:
Several studies done in recent years estimate that between
30 percent and 70 percent of children with ADHD continue ADHD/hyperactivity
to exhibit symptoms in the adult years. Autism
Do you or your child have ADHD? Bipolar Disorder
It can be difficult to draw the line between the behaviour
Dementia/Alzheimer’s
of a child that is within the normal limits of high energy, and
abnormally active behaviour. Use the checklist below to Depression
assess your child, scoring 2 if a symptom is severe, 1 if
Dyslexia/Dyspraxia
moderate and 0 if not present. A score below 12 is normal.
If it’s higher, read on to discover workable nutritional Schizophrenia
strategies.
Hyperactivity Check
Is your child…
… overactive
… prone to leave projects unfinished
… fidgety
… wearing out toys, furniture, etc
… unable to sit still at meals
… uninterested in staying with games
… too talkative
… failing to follow directions
… clumsy
… fighting with other children
… unpredictable
… teasing
… unable to respond to discipline
… ‘getting into things’
… displaying speech problems
… having temper tantrums
… unable to listen to a story to the end
… defiant
… hard to get to bed
… irritable
… reckless
… unpopular with peers
… impatient
… lying
… accidentprone
… wetting the bed
… destructive
What causes ADHD/Hyperactivity?
Doctors aren't sure exactly what goes wrong in ADHD. But
they think that the behaviour problems are linked to the
way that the front part of the brain works. Studies suggest
that this part of the brain works more slowly in children
with ADHD than in other children. Children with ADHD may
have an imbalance in the neurotransmitters in the front part
of the brain. Some doctors believe they don't have enough
of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Children with ADHD
may also lack the neurotransmitter noradrenaline. Without
enough dopamine or noradrenaline, the front part of the
brain can't deal with and react to information in the way
that it should. This is why some drug treatments for ADHD
aim to increase the amount of dopamine or noradrenaline in
the brain.
Unfortunately, there are no tests that show whether the
front part of a child's brain is working normally. So doctors
have to rely on what children, parents and teachers say in
order to diagnose ADHD.
To make a diagnosis, doctors usually ask parents and
teachers about a child's behaviour. Your doctor will then
compare your child's behaviour to the symptoms of ADHD
put together by psychiatrists. These symptoms are listed in
a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders ( DSM ). The DSM says that to be
diagnosed with ADHD, your child must have six or more
symptoms of not paying attention (inattention) or six or
more symptoms of being overactive (hyperactivity) and
acting before thinking (impulsivity); these symptoms must
have started before your child was 7 years old; your child
must have been behaving like this for at least six months;
your child's behaviour must be causing problems in at least
two places, such as at home and at school. Your doctor
may also want to rule out other medical causes of your
child's symptoms
• Blood sugar problems
• Essential fat deficiencies
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Pyroluria and the need for vitamin B6 and zinc
• Food allergies
To find out more about these factors read on, or click on
our Action Plan to Overcome ADHD/hyperactivity
NUTRITION & ADHD/HYPERACTIVITY – WHAT WORKS
BALANCE BLOOD SUGAR
Dietary studies consistently reveal that hyperactive
children eat more sugar than other children1, and reducing
sugar has been found to halve disciplinary actions in young
offenders2. Other research has confirmed that the problem
is not sugar itself but the forms it comes in, the absence of
a wellbalanced diet overall, and abnormal glucose
metabolism. A study of 265 hyperactive children found that
more than threequarters of them displayed abnormal
glucose tolerance,3 – that is, their bodies were less able to
handle sugar intake and maintain balanced blood sugar
levels.
In any case, when a child is regularly snacking on refined
carbohydrates, sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks, juices and
little or no fibre to slow the glucose absorption, the levels
of glucose in their blood will seesaw continually and trigger
wild fluctuations in their levels of activity, concentration,
focus and behaviour. These, of course, are also the
symptoms of ADHD.
Side effects? If sugar consumption is high and it is
withdrawn suddenly, withdrawal symptoms such as
headaches and irritability may ensue. Better to make
gradual reductions to avoid this, without losing sight of the
eventual goal of a no sugar diet.
Contraindications with medication? Diabetes medication
should be closely monitored since dosages may need to be
lowered.
See action plan for our recommendations.
INCREASE YOUR OMEGA 3 FATS
Omega3s have a clearly calming effect on many children
with hyperactivity and ADHD. And many children with
ADHD/hyperactivity have visible symptoms of essential fat
deficiency such as excessive thirst, dry skin, eczema and
asthma.
See action plan for our recommendations.
INCREASE VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Although it is unlikely, on the basis of the studies to date,
that ADHD is purely a deficiency disease, most children with
this diagnosis are deficient in certain key nutrients, and do
respond very well.
Zinc and magnesium are the most commonly deficient
nutrients in people with ADHD. In fact, symptoms of
deficiency in these minerals are very similar to the
symptoms of ADHD. Low levels of magnesium, for instance,
can cause excessive fidgeting, anxious restlessness,
insomnia, coordination problems and learning difficulties (if
accompanied by a normal IQ).
Polish researchers studying 116 children with ADHD for their
levels of magnesium found that 95 per cent of them were
deficient in it – a much higher percentage than that among
healthy children. The team also noted a correlation
between levels of magnesium and severity of symptoms.
Supplementing 200mg of magnesium for six months
significantly reduced hyperactivity in the children with
ADHD, but behaviour in the control group, who received no
magnesium, worsened10.
Dr Neil Ward of the University of Surrey has come up with a
finding that could explain the link between ADHD and such
deficiencies. In a study of 530 hyperactive children, Ward
found that compared to children without ADHD, a
significantly higher percentage of children with the
condition had had several courses of antibiotics in early
childhood11. Further investigations revealed that children
who had had three or more such courses before the age of
three tested for significantly lower levels of zinc, calcium,
chromium and selenium 12. This is probably because
antibiotics have a disruptive effect on beneficial gut flora
and consequently on overall digestive health, impairing
absorption.
Side effects? None reported
Contraindications with medication? None reported
See action plan for our recommendations.
AVOID ALLERGY FOODS
Of all the avenues so far explored, the link between
hyperactivity and food sensitivity is the most established
and worthy of pursuit in any child showing signs of ADHD.
Food allergies can be of two types: Type 1 in the classical,
severe and immediate allergy most commonly associated
with peanuts and shellfish. This allergy involves an antibody
called IgE and most people discover if they have this type
of allergy early in life since the reaction is so immediate and
severe. The second type, which we will call Type 2 involves
the IgG antibody which works in quite a different way.
Symptoms of these allergies can be many and varied and
may take many hours to appear. These allergies often go
undetected for this reason.
Contraindications with medication? None reported
See action plan for our recommendations.
References :
1. R. J. Prinz et al., 'Dietary correlates of hyperactive
behaviour in children, J Consulting Clin Psychol, Vol 48,
1980, pp. 76069
2. S. J. Schoenthaler et al., ‘The effect of randomised
vitaminmineral supplementation on violent and nonviolent
antisocial behaviour among incarcerated juveniles’, J Nut
Env Med, 1997
3. L. Langseth and J. Dowd, 'Glucose tolerance and
hyperkinesis', Fd Cosmet Toxicol, Vol 16, 1978, p.129
4. I. Colquhon and S. Bunday, ‘A lack of essential fats as a
possible cause of hyperactivity in children’, Medical
Hypotheses, Vol 7, 1981, pp. 6739
5. L. J. Stevens et al., ‘Essential fat metabolism in boys
with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder’, Am J Clin
Nutr, Vol 65, 1995, pp. 7618
6. J. R. Burgess, ADHD: observational and interventional
studies, NIH workshop on omega3 EFAs in psychiatric
disorder, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland,
1998
7. A. J. Richardson et al., Treatment with highly
unsaturated fatty acids can reduce ADHD symptoms in
children with specific learning difficulties: a randomised
controlled trial, paper given at British Dyslexia Association
International Conference, University of York, April 2001
8. A. Richardson and B. Puri, ‘A randomized doubleblind,
placebocontrolled study of the effects of supplementation
with highly unsaturated fatty acids on ADHDrelated
symptoms in children with specific learning difficulties’, Prog
Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, Vol 26(2), 2002, pp.
2339
9. A. Richardson and B. Puri, ‘A randomized doubleblind,
placebocontrolled study of the effects of supplementation
with highly unsaturated fatty acids on ADHD, Prog
Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 2002
10. B. StarobratHermelin and T. Kozielec, ‘The effects of
magnesium physiological supplementation on hyperactivity
in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD): Positive response to magnesium oral loading test’,
Magnes Res, Vol 10(2), 1997, pp. 14956
11. N. I. Ward, ‘Assessment of clinical factors in relation to
child hyperactivity’, J Nutr Environ Med, Vol 7, 1997, pp.
333342
12. N. I. Ward, ‘Hyperactivity and a previous history of
antibiotic usage’, Nutrition Practitioner, Vol 3(3), 2001, p.
12
13. B. O ’Reilly, Hyperactive Children’s Support Group
Conference, London, June 2001
14. M. D. Boris and F. S. Mandel, ‘Foods and additives are
common causes of the attention deficit hyperactive
disorder in children’ Ann Allergy, Vol. 72 (1994), pp. 462
468
15. R. J. Theil, ‘Nutrition based interventions for ADD and
ADHD’, Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, April 2000,
pp. 935
16. A. R. Swain et al., ‘Salicylates, oligoantigenic diet and
behaviour’, Lancet, Vol. 2(8445), 1985, pp. 412
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