I'm still struggling with giving Noah that little ADD pill. There are just so many scary side effects... the "what if's" really weigh heavily on my mind. Some of the things we are trying now seem to be helping a little. Not as well as Ritalin but we're seeing an improvement. Noah takes Omega oils 2 times a day. (still) and he is taking the Juice plus more regularly. Then I added mangosteen juice to his diet... ( think xango juice) I told Noah the juice can help people with concentration much like the "pill" does. He drank it down no problem. After a few days on the mangosteen juice I thought I'd test it out lol. I am a skeptic so it shocked me he actually started his worksheet in math, got about halfway done... then took a break for dinner. Once he finished eating he got up and started working on his worksheet again! I didnt even remind him to. I dont know if it's the placebo effect, or that the juice is really working. I'll have to test it out over a few more days to see if it really is helping with Noahs attention, or if it was a fluke day lol. I am not totally going to say I wont use Ritalin, because if it's needed then it's needed. For right now I'm going to try more "natural" alternatives if at all possible. Oh and I stole someones "store" idea... He earns points to buy things in "mom's store" some are big items (like battleship) and some are small like cheesy dollar items gathered from here and there. He really likes this. He sees whats in the store and oooh and ahhs then he figures out what he needs to do to "earn" the points to get the items he's interested in. Just thought I'd post an update.
Sure hope the juice works for Noah. I have a friend who has had to try several things for her very ADHD son (who also has Asperger's). He's 6 and it's been a struggle because they've worked for awhile and then just stopped. Seems to be doing well now. Helps to have the Aspy diagnosis too (this was done just before Christmas I think...once he got started in Kindy).
I hope it keeps working for him. It breaks my heart seeing him struggle with both ADD and SID. I pray we find something that works for him, thats safe and hopefully more of a dietary change than a medication.
Hi I'm not an expert on all this ADD nutritional stuff, but maybe some other sources of Omega 3's would be good too. Walnuts, almonds, flax seed and salmon are some. I am also not an expert on SID, but I have read quite a few articles because I thought my 7 1/2 y.o. son had similar symptoms. Is Noah seeing an occupational therapist that specializes (is certified) in sensory issues? Do you have a sensory diet (exercises/activities) that he follows at home? Have you read either of these? _Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World: Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child_ by Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons http://www.sengifted.org/articles_social/Cronin_AsychnronousDevelopmentandSIIntervention.shtml (if you scroll down toward the bottom of the article it gives some SID calming/alerting activities) I hope that helps you in some way. I wish you and Noah all the best!
He gets the omegas from the neorologist. He was in OT last yr. It didnt seem to help him at all. I was talking to my dh and I think were going to talk to the school and see about OT and speech for him again. The last time he was in Ot we were paying out of pocket and it was just too much for her to "play" with Noah. The things she was doing were things I was already doing at home with him. I havent read those books but I'll look into them in a bit. I use alot of omega rich foods when cooking. For instance.. today I made banana nut bread with walnut oil instead of "regular" oil. Thanks for the ideas, and suggestions.
just out of curiousity... Have you tried any other dietary eliminations from his diet? I have a friend who's son's ADD (and SID...fort hat matter) are GREATLY improved on a gluten free/casein free diet. She's more lax about the casein now...but gluten free is a MUST and says it makes a world of difference. She also avoids food dyes and additives as a "just in case" measure. Only a thought to add to what you're already doing!
Wow, Jackie that is great news, I hope you found what works for you and your family. That would be great.
I am a true believer that we can find natural alternatives. I am not against conventional meds but if there is a way to test out the natural ways I say go for it. We can't trust man more than God with the ingredients to our health! LOL. I hope the juice and/or supplements, help him. In the long run it would be better if you were able to find a natural solution. I commend you for trying so hard to find another way. If you do need to use Ritalin please dont' feel you have failed. You are a success for just trying something different. I pray you continued success for your son.
I am glad to hear the juice is working. It always amazes me how diet affects everything about our bodies and minds. DS has SID and we had eliminate anything with orange dye. If he even had a small sip of Orange Crush (or the like) he was off the charts. I do find that on the days he is super wound up and edgy if I give him about a few swallows of coffee (leaded) it seems to tone things down. What you typed about the oils and juice is very interesting and I will be mentioning it to DD's neurologist next month. Good Luck!!
I have very strong feeling about medication for children. I am happy to hear you are taking a natural approach. I would like to offer this link for you to look at. This diet worked wonders for my DS in his younger years. http://www.feingold.org/ It amazing the effect preservatives, dyes, and other food additives have on behavior in all people, but especially in children. I want to wish you much luck and offer my support. It is a difficult road, but it sounds like you are on the right track.
Now if this is stupid, I really apologize. I have heard that MSG causes problems with ADD. Now, MSG is in so many things. Maybe the diet link Timkelmom porvided will address that...I don't know...but maybe a diet without chemicals will help. Oh wait... my brain just caught up with my thoughts....I barely read Timkelmom's post...I thought about MSG and came back to post so I didn't really read anything. Seems she does mention additives and chemicals.
I forgot to mention we are also on the feingold diet as well. Avoiding additives, colors and preservatives is key. I tossed 7 trash bags full of "crap" from our pantry about 2 months ago. It's been a tough road, we ate a lot of junk. lol
I forgot to say the colors that bother all of my kids are yellow and red. I'm allergic to MSG, and artificial sweetners so we have always tried to avoid those.
I haven't checked out the link that timkelmom posted but plan to tonight. I was wondering, though, if it would help with seizure control. DD was on the Ketogenic diet and the Low Glycemic diet (for her Epilepsy) and did have great results. However the Keto is not good for long term use and both diets in the end just stopped working. If I cleaned out the pantry I am sure I would be more than shocked to see all the crap we eat as well. As I mentioned earlier the link between food and our minds and bodies amazes me and fascinates me as well. I have thought for several years about changing our (the kids and I) diets and going more natural but don't even know where to start.
It's so hard to purge all the bad stuff. Plus we all have stuff in our homes we don't even know is bad for us. Reading labels is a pain sometimes and who know what 1/2 of that stuff is? My goal became if I can read it, then it is probably OK. Kids can and should have healthy (and even sometimes not so healthy) snacks in moderation. I also try to live by the rule that if it came from the earth it is probably OK for us. MSG is an additive that causes reactions in a lot of people, even those who may not be allergic. It causes sometimes severe reactions in those with behavioral, developmental, and attentions disorders. Additives, in general, are not good for us, but oh so practical. I would love to scream at the person who came up with high fructose corn syrup! The good new for all of us is that there are companies out there who have realized that not all Americans want to go with the flow and have developed better choices for all of us. The bad news is that it is expensive to eat well. Dyes and additive affect all kids to a degree, but kids with "issues" are affected much more significantly. Give a room full of kids red Jello or red Kool Aid and you can actually watch the transformation. Jacqlyn, keep up the good work. I know it will get better and easier. I know it is much easier to turn to the meds., but this is so much better for your son, IMHO.
Oh, I wanted to add that for Omega my kids take some vitamins that we got Sam's Club or Costco (not sure which). They are made by Lil Critters, they are Omega-3 Gummy Fish. It says Brain Booster on the bottle, but Omega vitamins are good for other things as well. http://www.gummybearvitamins.com/products/ That is the web site, although I don't see the ones I have there.
