Is lifelong dependency on a stimulant really the best treatment for ADHD?
After all these years, the medical field's understanding of Attention Deficit Disorder (with or without hyperactivity) is still stuck with a dopamine hypothesis and stimulant medication treatment. As usual, medicine's answer to an illness is a medication that creates further dependency rather than freedom and healing for the patient.
As a holistic psychiatrist, I view ADHD differently. My hypothesis and perspective lead me to natural interventions that effectively help kids resolve their symptoms without needing more prescriptions.
Read on for a brief summary of my insights!
A Holistic Perspective on ADHD and How to Treat It
Resolving distractibility and hyperactivity naturally
Tina's (11 years old) mother was frustrated by her daughter's behavior: tantrums, inattention, boredom, and restlessness. All the symptoms that would easily fit the diagnosis of ADHD. At school, Tina performed well, getting A's in her classes. Her teacher thought of her as a model student. But when she came home, doing homework would frequently end up being a nightmare, filled with arguments and tears. Tina would talk and sing excessively and her quick temper made her siblings slink away to give her space.
When her mother shared her frustrations and worries about Tina with me, I suggested that we begin with some basics: a general vitamin and mineral supplement (Spectrum-Mate capsules from New Beginnings), a probiotic (Perque Digesta Guard Forte 10 by Perque), and some liver support (Livco by Mediherb). Her behavior improved and her acne resolved. Tina was thrilled about her glowing, flawless skin, and her mother was happy with her improved demeanor.
However, the biggest improvements began (within a week of starting supplements) when Tina started taking Liposomal Catalyst (for mitochondrial support, by DesBio) and dopamine homeopathic drops (DesBio). Tina became much more stress-resilient and able to sit and focus for hours on her homework.
Supplements that didn't make much of a difference for Tina were: Tranquility drops (energy of lithium by Energy Tools), Magnolia Stress Aid (decreases stress), and No-Fenol (digestive aid by New Beginnings).
Tina's mother was so happy with Tina's improved attention and mood that she shared her approach with her sister-in-law whose 8-year-old son struggled with obsessive symptoms and severe attention problems. Within three weeks, this simple group of supplements also helped him with focus and attention. He came home reporting to his mother that he chose to sit in the front row of the class and was able to focus.
Before you start every child with ADHD on these supplements, I wanted to share the story of Greg (8 years old), who struggled with ADHD as well. I also started him on some general supplements, and he improved. But when school started, the additional stress soon led to significant difficulties with focus and attention again.
Energy testing showed that he had a lot of functional difficulties arising from various viral infections and candida. So, I added some immune support: Liposomal Vitamin C, Smart Silver Solution, Lymph Drainage (all from DesBio), and Curcuma NF-kB (Gaia Herbs). I wanted to strengthen his immune system, decrease inflammation, and get rid of the die-off from dead viruses. His mother reported that just two days after treating underlying viral infections and decreasing his inflammation his behavior significantly improved. He was less aggressive and agitated. He also avoided any problems with a Herxheimer reaction (die-off reaction).
Now that you have some empirical examples of how ADHD can heal from the use of helpful supplements, perhaps you may be more curious about my understanding of ADHD and why these supplements work.
My holistic understanding of ADHD is that this condition is a reflection of underlying stressors that change a patient's attention from that of a scholar to that of a soldier. These stressors heighten the sympathetic nervous system's functioning with its "fight or flight" response and cause the patient to have a 360-degree attention span, trigger-like responses, and the need to move (e.g. from danger). It's not that the child is inattentive; it's that the child's attention is hypersensitized to everything. S/he is in soldier mode.
If the child was in a war zone, having ADHD is actually a good coping strategy, but it's a poor fit in a classroom setting.
What is stressing the child? It could be anything really. Infections. Improper diet due to being a picky eater. Poor G. I. function that leads to being a picky eater. Inflammation from food sensitivities or toxins. Emotional traumas. Anything that can cause the sympathetic system to be constantly overstimulated and eventually become overwhelmed and exhausted, creating a "tired but wired" state of mind.
If you research the supplements that I give to these children, you will see that I'm trying to support their ability to heal, giving their bodies the tools they need to shift from an over-stressed system to a system that can function under normal stressful situations. The attention span, with support, can then shift to the scholar mode, and the parasympathetic nervous system with its "rest and digest" functions will allow the child to sit still and enjoy a meal, or read a book, in peace.