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Natural Alternatives for ADD
Copyright 1997 by Mary Conley, MNH
Herbgrow30@aol.com
All Rights Reserved
My son, now age 16, has suffered with ADD all his life. In second grade he
was diagnosed as borderline, but classroom performance has always been a
problem. His symptoms included:
inability to keep attention span for longer than 20 minutes at a time;
irritability at being asked to do tasks that involved complex thinking;
fatigue at the end of the school day;
irritability at being asked to do homework and prepare for tests;
poor reading skills, vocabulary skills, and low self esteem
a feeling of not being as good as others in his class;
calling himself "a dummy" or being in "the dumb class"
I have found three treatment phases to be of utmost value: Diet; phytomeds
(nutraceuticals); and Crimson Columbine Flower Essence.
Diet - We found that there were certain foods that triggered the above
symptoms. If he ate anything containing: red dye and other artificial
colorings and flavorings; sugar (especially chocolate); preservatives and
chemical additives; and caffeine he would be bouncing off the walls with
scattered thinking within the hour. So we switched to natural foods with
plenty of fresh vegetables (grown on our farm), fresh fruits organically
grown, nuts and grains, juices and fresh water. At times his nutritional
supplements included liquid calcium and magnesium (for calming); a B complex
supplement (for anxiety and headaches); choline (to improve memory and
attention); and herb teas with chamomile, hawthorne (if his blood pressure
arose as it can with ADD), and hyssop. To sleep before a test he would use
the herb valerian or from the Bach Flower Remedies the Rescue Remedy or
Larch. For exam performance anxiety a low dose (30x) of the homeopathic
gelseum semivirens would help him the morning before the exam.
Phytomedicinals - we found that these concentrated plant substances had a
good benefit. I worked through a company called Mannatech (and it is an MLM
company but I loved their products). I admired the fact that they make their
research readily available to the public and could answer my questions. I
found that active saccharides are only one of 8 known "essential saccharides"
necessary for proper cell communication. Because of the changes in our food
industry most of us only get one or two of these saccharides in our daily
diets. When we are deficient in the others there is improper communication
between cells, neural pathways don't work properly and oxygen does not
circulate properly. Ambritose contained all 8 saccharides so he started on 3
caps per day along with the Phyt-Aloe and made a marked improvement. It was
slow and can take up to three months, but he is progressing.
Flower Essences - lastly through my participation in the Athena List I found
the use of flower essences (Crimson Columbine) to be the most helpful.
Athena is moderated by Dr. Eileen Nauman who is a homeopath, teacher and
lecturer, and author of several books among them "poisons That Heal." She is
conducting research into this essence for it's assistance in ADD. Her
information can be downloaded from visiting:
http://athena@medicinegarden.com/ and going to the flower essence section (no
commercial interest).
My son is in his 11th week of her study and has had remarkable progress in
his self esteem, ability to take and remember notes, homework preparation and
delivery, and the ability not only to get his thoughts verbalized but written
down as well. The essences are safe and were a godsend.
There are natural alternatives for ADD but I wish to stress that each of us
is different. It is only through research, wise consumption of products out
there on the market, and close contact with professionals in the holistic and
natural fields that barriers can be broken down and healing allowed to occur.
_______________
Mary Conley holds a Master of Science Degree in Natural Health and Nutrition.
She is also an herbalist growing her own culinary and medicinal herbs;
making her own remedies; and teaching locally.
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