TIPS ON ADD/ADHD

Tip #1
You would think that ADHD kids get enough exercise just in their regular jitter jam. There is good evidence that oriental martial arts training has a substantially positive effect on these children.
Subject: walks as good as meds
DURHAM, N.C. - A brisk 30-minute walk or jog around the track three times a week may be just as effective in relieving the symptoms of major depression as the standard treatment of anti-depressant medications, according to the results of a Duke University Medical Center study.

Tip #2
When newborn preterm infants were given 15 minutes three times a day of gentle touch and passive movement they had 50% greater weight gain; were more active and responsive; were discharged from the hospital 6 days earlier; had improved growth as well as better physical and mental abilities 8-12 months after birth; and the cost saving per infant was $3,000 (Field et al, 1986).

There is excellent reason to believe that ADHD children benefit from increased physical interaction, touching, petting, caressing, rubbing, massaging, and roughhouse play with daddy or other appropriate adults. TOUCH your child!

Tip #3
Salads Shouldn't Be Fat-Free The fat-free salad dressing that you thought was making your salad healthier may actually prevent you from getting the most out of your vegetables. Spinach, tomatoes, and carrots - basically all dark green, red, orange, and yellow vegetables - are rich in cancer-fighting nutrients. Studies have found that people who eat 3-5 servings of these veggies a day have lower rates of breast, colon, bladder, and prostate cancer. But many of the antioxidants that give these vegetables their nutritional punch are best absorbed by the body when there's a little bit of fat. The mono- unsaturated fats found in olive and canola oil are best. This advice is particularly true for ADHD kids.

Tip #4
Avoid Bruising Do you bruise easily? You might not be getting enough vitamin C. Bruises are usually caused by blows which cause blood to escape. Some folk bruise even without an injury. This may be because of a lack of Vitamin C. Individuals who take 1200 mg of Vitamin C a day generally live a whole year longer than identical folk who don't take fairly large doses of Vitamin C. Its a good idea to supplement your child's diet with Vitamin C. ADD/ADHD children use up more Vitamin C than other children and need "super nutrition".

Tip #5
DORIS RAPP, M.D., one of the pioneers of work in Food Allergy, speaking out of her 40 years experience, states that 66% of ADHD kids are allergic to foods. She invites us not to forget pollen, mold and chemicals; but milk, wheat and corn are the most common triggers for ADHD. Dr. Rapp says that symptoms can be controlled in one to three days.

Tip #6
Want to increase your endurance and boost energy? Take your zinc. In a recent study, USDA researchers found that a group of men who were put on a low zinc diet got tired more quickly while exercising than they did when they were put on a high zinc diet. Moreover, when they were low on zinc, their levels of a blood enzyme that protects against muscle soreness were 10% to 12% lower. Good sources of zinc are wheat germ, wheat bran, whole grains, seafood, poultry, and meat. Although there are no set standards, if you take zinc in a multivitamin or as a supplement, you should limit your intake to no more than 25 milligrams per day. The USDA Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of zinc is 15 mg per day in supplement form. Zinc also inhibits stretch marks in body builders and adolescent rapid growth and pregnancy. In the human male it is zinc which makes for strong libido and sexual competence. Zinc calms the hyperactive child! Think Zinc!

Tip #7
ATTENTION DEFICIT DRUG WITHDRAWN IN CANADA NEW YORK, Sep 23 (Rueters Health) -- Cylert (pemoline), a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults, is being withdrawn in Canada due to possibility of serious liver complications, according to Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - news). If your child is on Cylert, Adderal, amphetamine or Ritalin you ought to be finding a biofeedback practitioner and make your child free of cocaine and all its relatives.

Tip #8
IT'S TRUE -- YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! Dr Koop and Quackwatch, both, insist that diet makes no difference to hyperactivity. In my opinion, both are wrong. The relatively few children who are hypersensitive to dyes and food chemicals (and this is any child who is allergic to aspirin or sulfa drugs) do respond to the Feingold diet. Moreover, too many mothers tell us that sugar is a horror. Would you trust a million mothers or twenty psychologists? Junk food has too many good reasons to avoid it. So don't let your child have junk food and feed him as if he's diabetic. -- Dr. Von.

Tip #9
DR. JOHN TAYLOR says OUR CHILDREN are what our children eat! Author of more than 20 books and TV programs on ADD, Dr. Taylor advises that parents feed children a wholesome balanced diet, avoid fast foods, look for allergies, and be sensitive about chemical additives. Dr. Taylor also says "of all the tools for ADHD, neurofeedback has the greastest amount of research backing it." (Dr Taylor's Book, "Answers...).