ADD

[Guest guest]

I am the mother of a wonderful 2nd grade boy. I feel that nowadays medicine is

over prescribed. I have a very smart, caring, well behaved son, however he is

definitely all boy. His teacher this year is a little stricter & much older

than in previous years, and she is frustrated with how he needs " prodding to

focus " (in her words). I have a feeling someone is going to mention " ADD " or

something similar soon. Are there any natural remedies, foods, etc. that you

can recomend for a child to have better focus?

 

Thanks!

 

... Danielle

 

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctr

Alt Delete' and start all over?

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Maybe rescue remedy? I use that for myself, my kids, and all my animals if

there's something stressful coming up. It's calming, not a drug, and it's so

safe I can even use it on my pet mice. You can find it in pretty much any health

food store. Lavender oil is also good for calming all of us down, and again,

safe enough that I can even use it for my mice. Just put a little behind his

ears or on his temples and I'm sure he'll chill out a bit. As for actual focus,

ginkgo biloba is supposed to help with that, in addition to improving memory and

helping with tinnitus. Cool stuff, though I believe it's also a mild aphrodesiac

so don't give it to him after he turns 13!

 

Danielle <daniellej wrote: I am the

mother of a wonderful 2nd grade boy. I feel that nowadays medicine is over

prescribed. I have a very smart, caring, well behaved son, however he is

definitely all boy. His teacher this year is a little stricter & much older

than in previous years, and she is frustrated with how he needs " prodding to

focus " (in her words). I have a feeling someone is going to mention " ADD " or

something similar soon. Are there any natural remedies, foods, etc. that you

can recomend for a child to have better focus?

 

Thanks!

 

... Danielle

 

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press

'Ctr Alt Delete' and start all over?

 

[Guest guest]

Danielle asked:

 

<I have a very smart, caring, well behaved son,

however he is definitely all boy. His teacher this

year is a little stricter & much older than in

previous years, and she is frustrated with how he

needs " prodding to focus " (in her words)..<snip>..Are

there any natural remedies, foods, etc. that you can

recomend for a child to have better focus?>>

 

My first recommendation would be to make sure that he

gets as much physical activity as possible whenever he

isn't in school. The notion that a 7 or 8 year old

(boy or girl) can sit quietly for hours concentrating

on schoolwork without recess or gym is ridiculous.

And yet, any kid who starts getting fidgety in that

scenario is labeled ADD. Also, make sure he's getting

at least 10 hours sleep a night. It seems

counter-intuitive, but someone who is sleepy is more

likely to act agitated, and is certainly much less

able to focus.

 

From a diet POV, apples are actually a better

wake-me-up in the morning than even caffeine, so maybe

give him applesauce as part of his breakfast. (Not

that I think you've been feeding him coffee up until

now!)

 

Liz

[Guest guest]

While not vegetarian, the Feingold people have great resources for foods to

avoid for ADD/ADHD, autism, etc. As a start, eliminate processed sugar (no one

should ever eat high fructose corn syrup), artificial colors and flavors, MSG,

etc.; our rule is we don't eat anything with ingredients we can't pronounce.

 

My daughter, while also bright and caring, does have a tendency to lose focus.

Adding flaxseed oil supplements absolutely has helped (it did take several weeks

to kick in). Also, make sure he is getting enought sleep; if you have to wake

him up on school days, try slowing making bed times earlier (five minutes every

couple of days) until he is waking up on his own; sleep is often overlooked as a

contributor to behavior issues.

 

Robin

 

Danielle <daniellej wrote:

I am the mother of a wonderful 2nd grade boy. I feel that nowadays

medicine is over prescribed. I have a very smart, caring, well behaved son,

however he is definitely all boy. His teacher this year is a little stricter &

much older than in previous years, and she is frustrated with how he needs

" prodding to focus " (in her words). I have a feeling someone is going to mention

" ADD " or something similar soon. Are there any natural remedies, foods, etc.

that you can recomend for a child to have better focus?

 

Thanks!

 

.... Danielle

 

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctr

Alt Delete' and start all over?

 

 

[Guest guest]

Danielle,

 

Here is some information from on the Ask Dr. Sears and from the Dr. Weil website

that

may be helpful. I think the Dr. Weil article is especially informative:

 

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400011

 

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040400.asp

 

I know that I have said this before, but even if a person is getting short-chain

omega-3

fatty acids from plant sources such as flax or walnut, there is the possibility

they may still

have a deficiency of the long chain omega-3s (DHA) due to the body's diminished

capacity

to convert the short-chain to the long-chain forms. This ability can vary from

person to

person. This is why fish oil is often recommended for kids who exhibit ADHD

symptoms.

Luckily, there are a few vegan algae-derived DHA supplements available now.

(Algae is

where the fish get it in the first place.)Dr. Fuhrman's DHA purity is great for

kids because it

comes in liquid form. Just do a google search for vegan DHA if you are

interested in trying

such a supplement. An option would also be to ask your physician to test your

childs

plasma levels of omega-3s, but if it were me, I would just skip the traumatic

blood test

and give the DHA supplement a try. Here's the link to the one I really like

(scroll down):

 

http://drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx

 

Hope this is of some help!

Karen

[Guest guest]

I don't know if this would be helpful, but it could be at least worth a look

from the library/bookstore:

" Is This Your Child?: Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in

Children and Adults " by Doris Rapp, MD

It helps identify common foods, chemicals or common allergic substances,

environgmental factors, etc that could cause problem behaviours (some

mimic/share similar behaviours as ADD, Tourettes, Hyperactivity, aggression,

complaing children, crankiness, etc).

We have noticed our son getting out of control if he has something with

Calcium Propionate in it (it's a preservative) thanks to this book, and also

from a search I did that had something about a link between allergies to

milk and sensitivities to this chemical (even though it is not made from

milk).

And I'm quite inclined to think he's also hypoglycemic - from what I read in

this book. Following the advice in there has really helped us identify and

resolve some problems we came across. Now, when he spirals out of control,

it's usually that he needs a snack.

 

If nothing else it is an interesting read, could give you something to try

in the mean time.

 

Good luck. My nephew was diagnosed with ADD and his mom refused drugs for

along itme, and I suspected diet all along, but I think she eventually gave

in after many years and escallting issues with him. He has always been a

bright child but sometimes he just would get extremely out of control. He's

doing much better now (off and on), but I suspect his diet is still junky.

 

Missie

 

 

On 2/13/07, Danielle <daniellej wrote:

>

> I am the mother of a wonderful 2nd grade boy. I feel that nowadays

> medicine is over prescribed. I have a very smart, caring, well behaved son,

> however he is definitely all boy. His teacher this year is a little stricter

> & much older than in previous years, and she is frustrated with how he needs

> " prodding to focus " (in her words). I have a feeling someone is going to

> mention " ADD " or something similar soon. Are there any natural remedies,

> foods, etc. that you can recomend for a child to have better focus?

>

> Thanks!

>

> ... Danielle

>

> Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply

> press 'Ctr Alt Delete' and start all over?

>

>

[Guest guest]

It was mentioned on another vegan list that I'm on

that Silk soymilk now has a version with DHA. I've

taken DHA while pregnant and they make me gag. I

can't stand them, but put up with it during pregnancy.

I don't usually drink Silk, but I could see it would

be an easier thing for kids, especially, to stomach.

 

Linda

--- " k.beauford " <karen wrote:

 

> Danielle,

>

> Here is some information from on the Ask Dr. Sears

> and from the Dr. Weil website that

> may be helpful. I think the Dr. Weil article is

> especially informative:

>

> http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400011

>

> http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040400.asp

>

> I know that I have said this before, but even if a

> person is getting short-chain omega-3

> fatty acids from plant sources such as flax or

> walnut, there is the possibility they may still

> have a deficiency of the long chain omega-3s (DHA)

> due to the body's diminished capacity

> to convert the short-chain to the long-chain forms.

> This ability can vary from person to

> person. This is why fish oil is often recommended

> for kids who exhibit ADHD symptoms.

> Luckily, there are a few vegan algae-derived DHA

> supplements available now. (Algae is

> where the fish get it in the first place.)Dr.

> Fuhrman's DHA purity is great for kids because it

> comes in liquid form. Just do a google search for

> vegan DHA if you are interested in trying

> such a supplement. An option would also be to ask

> your physician to test your childs

> plasma levels of omega-3s, but if it were me, I

> would just skip the traumatic blood test

> and give the DHA supplement a try. Here's the link

> to the one I really like (scroll down):

>

> http://drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx

>

> Hope this is of some help!

> Karen

>

>

 

 

Linda

http://triballife.net/ A Marketplace for a Better World

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Linda,

 

That is awesome! Thanks for the info! I haven't seen that on the shelves yet

where I live...

I'll definitely keep an eye out for it. I see it is algae-derived DHA, too.

(It makes sense, as

algae-derived DHA is what is in the infant formulas that have DHA.) You know, I

have

actually seen on the supermarket shelves bread enriched w/ EPA and DHA. Out of

curiosity, I checked the lable only to find that there was FISH OIL in the

bread! Nasty!

 

Here is a link about the soymilk for anyone interested:

http://omega3.silksoymilkplus.com/SilkPlusFAQ.aspx

 

Thanks again,

Karen

 

 

 

, Linda Evans <veganlinda wrote:

>

> It was mentioned on another vegan list that I'm on

> that Silk soymilk now has a version with DHA. I've

> taken DHA while pregnant and they make me gag. I

> can't stand them, but put up with it during pregnancy.

> I don't usually drink Silk, but I could see it would

> be an easier thing for kids, especially, to stomach.

>

> Linda

> --- " k.beauford " <karen wrote:

>

> > Danielle,

> >

> > Here is some information from on the Ask Dr. Sears

> > and from the Dr. Weil website that

> > may be helpful. I think the Dr. Weil article is

> > especially informative:

> >

> > http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400011

> >

> > http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040400.asp

> >

> > I know that I have said this before, but even if a

> > person is getting short-chain omega-3

> > fatty acids from plant sources such as flax or

> > walnut, there is the possibility they may still

> > have a deficiency of the long chain omega-3s (DHA)

> > due to the body's diminished capacity

> > to convert the short-chain to the long-chain forms.

> > This ability can vary from person to

> > person. This is why fish oil is often recommended

> > for kids who exhibit ADHD symptoms.

> > Luckily, there are a few vegan algae-derived DHA

> > supplements available now. (Algae is

> > where the fish get it in the first place.)Dr.

> > Fuhrman's DHA purity is great for kids because it

> > comes in liquid form. Just do a google search for

> > vegan DHA if you are interested in trying

> > such a supplement. An option would also be to ask

> > your physician to test your childs

> > plasma levels of omega-3s, but if it were me, I

> > would just skip the traumatic blood test

> > and give the DHA supplement a try. Here's the link

> > to the one I really like (scroll down):

> >

> > http://drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx

> >

> > Hope this is of some help!

> > Karen

> >

> >

>

>

> Linda

> http://triballife.net/ A Marketplace for a Better World

>

>

>

>

>

______________________________\

____

> Need Mail bonding?

> Go to the Mail Q & A for great tips from Answers users.

> http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396546091

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for all of your help, I really do appreciate it. I guess I

should have given you a little more background on my son:

My son does not get much sugar at all, although I may give him processed foods

too often.

He is very active in sports- tackle football, basketball, cross country, golf &

baseball. I keep him busy to use up his energy, but he does get an average of 9

hours of sleep per night. He wakes up on his own about half the time.

 

I buy Silk soy milk fortified for kids, but will look for the Plus with DHA

(although I don't think I have seen it). I am going to try apple slices for

breakfast, and try finding a vegan, kid approved DHA supplement at my local

Chamberlains health food store.

 

Any additional comments welcome, Thanks so much!

 

... Danielle (proud mom of 8 year old vegetarian son)