There are many good reasons for wanting to try to treat ADHD
naturally before starting medication.
Medications can be expensive and can have really difficult side effects
in some people. Plus, many medicines
don’t work all day and yet, life doesn’t stop when your medicine stops working,
so sometimes you need something to fall back on when your medication is out of
your bloodstream.
That being said, not all natural treatments for ADHD are
equally likely to be safe or effective.
Natural treatments are often not tightly regulated by the FDA,
especially with regard to their effectiveness for ADHD. The treatments in this article are the ones
which are well studied, or which have proven benefits (possibly outside of
ADHD), and which have little risk.
Parent training. There are many parent training programs out
there. You should look for
something specifically designed for ADHD, or if your child also has ODD, for a
program that addresses ODD in addition to ADHD. Parent training will not change your child’s
school performance, but it will help you to stop unwanted behaviors and
motivate needed behaviors at home.
CBT in adults. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been used as
a treatment for adult and adolescent ADHD.
A caveat is that you need to find a therapist you work well with.
Typically
it is used to treat symptoms that persist despite medication but it can be
used without as well.
Dye free diet. The only aspect of the Feingold diet for
ADHD that has survived the test of multiple independent research studies is dye
restriction in preschoolers with symptoms of ADHD. Since artificial dyes aren’t a necessary part
of the human diet, cutting them out poses no hazard. Artificial dyes are found
in processed foods, so they are easy to identify and eliminate (just read the
label).
Fish oil. While it sounds like it could be just an old
wives tale, a lot of clinical research has been done that demonstrates that omega
3 fatty acids (found abundantly in fish oil) can help with ADHD symptoms. The details around dosing and what else may
be needed are a little loose right now, but fish oil has no dangerous side
effects, so it is worth trying.
Healthy diet. Two studies (one in the
US and one in Korea)
have shown that a diet that is low in junk food, processed and fried foods, and
high in fruits and vegetables, fish, and whole grains is associated with a
lower prevalence of ADHD. This does
not mean a healthy diet can necessarily cure or prevent ADHD, but if it doesn’t
it’s still a pretty health dietary pattern for other reasons, and worth looking
into.
Sleep. While sleeping will not cure your ADHD,
not getting enough sleep will make things worse. There are several nonmedicinal ways to treat
sleep problems, many
of which are effective in patients with ADHD.
Exercise. Exercise not only helps get the wiggles
out. It also directs blood flow to the
brain, helping with focus. And it can be
a way to relax that doesn’t involve a screen.
Exercise also helps with excess weight and has few negative side
effects, although sedentary adults should consult with a doctor before starting
a strenuous program.
There are many other nondrug treatments which have been
suggested for ADHD. The next article in the series examines treatments which may be worth trying if medications have
failed.
References:
"ADHD: Clinical Practice Guideline for the
Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder in Children and Adolescents." Pediatrics 128.5 (2011): 1007-022. Web.
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