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Are there any natural alternatives for treating symptoms of ADHD?
I have never really taken prescription medication, and I am searching for a natural alternative that would give me the same effect as taking Adderall or Concerta. Are there any commonly recognized and accepted natural alternatives?
asked May 08, 2011 at 01:45PM in General Medicine
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answered May 09, 2011 at 08:31AMThere are not very good "alternatives." Some that have been tried, like ephedra, have been removed from the market because their side-effects were more difficult than the prescription medications. There is nothing magical about a chemical coming from a plant that makes it safer and easier to use.
I generally recommend trying the prescription treatments first. Then you will have a baseline with which to compare the effects of natural alternatives. The prescriptions will generally be much more satisfactory.
Many people have an aversion to even doing this trial. But it is pretty low risk. Trying it for a few weeks is not going to make you addicted or destroy your brain. It will just give you the opportunity to know what your options are.-
Thanks Lew.Eriq H Powers commented May 14, 2011 at 07:06PM
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answered May 18, 2011 at 01:39PMEriq,
Looking at your picture, I'm guessing that you can't (or prefer not to sleep on your back). If this is so, by definition, you can't sleep effectively due to narrowed jaws and upper breathing passageways. There are a lot of strong opinions about ADHD, but here's a simple explanation: Because of your inability to breathe properly at night, you can't get deep, restorative sleep, which causes a generalized state of stress of anxiety in your body. This is why stimulants such as Concerta or Ritalin help -- they help to wake you up.
There are a lot of proposed natural or herbal remedies for ADHD, but nothing will help to prevent you from stopping breathing at night. Anatomically, you have a smaller than normal mouth, which crowds your tongue and upper airway. Then when you add supine sleep (gravity) and deep sleep (due to muscle relaxation), you'll keep waking up to light sleep every time years of go into deep sleep. This can also cause a vacuum effect in your throat which suctions up stomach juices into your throat, which causes more inflammation and swelling, causing more obstruction. You're trying to compensate by avoiding back sleeping, but it's not good enough.
Before taking any pill (prescription or natural), try to improve your sleep-breathing efficiency by:
1. don't eat anything within 3-4 hours of bed (water is OK)
2. same with alcohol, since it relaxes your muscles
3. make sure to over-optimize your nasal breathing
4. sleep 7-8 hours regularly
5. avoid classic migraine triggers (pressure changes, sleep deprivation, red wine, aged cheeses, chocolates and MSG).
It's also important to do all the other recommended activities like eating healthy, exercise and take part in relaxing activities like yoga, tai chi, or meditation.
If this is not good enough and you fit the description that I describe, see an ENT doctor to examine your upper airway. You can stop breathing 20-30 times per hour and not have obstructive sleep apnea on a sleep study. If your mother or father snores heavily, even more reason to check for this situation. Good luck.
http://doctorstevenpark.com -
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answered May 23, 2011 at 12:13AMThere seems a good alternative, but now with medication. I've seen my wife treating various ADHD patients with what we call kinesiology. This, in my view, is acturally a type of bodily oriented psychotherapy. By testing muscular activity in response to various questions, disbalances in the nervous system are detected and corrected. I've seen several cases of her becoming medication free and functioning far better than before.
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The content on or accessible through Medpedia.com is for informational purposes only. Medpedia is not a substitute for professional advice or expert medical services from a qualified health professional.
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