Gluten Free and ADD/ADHD

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Karen U on January 26, 2009 at 5:06pm

can't wait to read some replies to this discussion. my 8 year old has adhd and we recently stopped the medication he was on for ~2 yrs, just couldn't handle the side efffects any longer.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kara on February 25, 2009 at 6:00pm

Non of my children have problems with ADHD etc. As a childcare worker I have looked after an Autistic child who was on a gf/df & low sugar diet. This was recomended by a doctor. Unfortunately the childs mother did not feel the need to continue with the diet for more than a week or so. If I thought that it would of changed the mothers mind I would of got down on my knees & begged her to sick to the diet.
Although it may not work in every situation, in my experience gluten and dairy free diets can change an Autistic child into an almost nomal little person.
I just thought I would mention this out of interest :)

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen Fine on February 25, 2009 at 6:41pm

I know so many people who have autistic/aspergers/ADHD children who have seen tremendous results on the GFCF diet. My son is already gluten free, but I'm considering CF, also. He has celiac disease, but some ADHD "symptoms." I have found that the purified Omega-3s REALLY help considerably. I buy mine on line at www.pharmaomega.com, but I know they have purified Omega-3s elsewhere.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen Fine on February 25, 2009 at 6:48pm

Karen U -
Have you ever tried a Naturopath? There is also a book by Dr. Mark Hyman called, "The UltraMind Solution." I LOVE this book. He explains a lot of things about ADHD and how different nutritional supplements can change a life. I most highly recommend it. :-)

I just took my son to a Naturopath today and we talked about a lot of different kinds of mineral supplements and nutritionals. There are so many different ways food affects the body. Dr. Hyman's book has some great ADHD examples. I think he's actually a member of one of the other mom's groups here. Maybe you should ask him some questions.

Either way, I think it's great that you're looking into alternatives to the other meds. There are so many great alternatives out there. I hear swimming is good....that's what Michael Phelps attributed getting rid of his ADHD meds to. (the olympic swimmer) :-) Too bad we don't have a pool....
Karen U said:

can't wait to read some replies to this discussion. my 8 year old has adhd and we recently stopped the medication he was on for ~2 yrs, just couldn't handle the side efffects any longer.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen Fine on February 26, 2009 at 1:57pm

I just read a GREAT article about homeopathic remedies for conditions such as ADHD - which may not be ADHD. I just saw a naturopath that confirmed this, but I think it's really great reading and great "food for thought" so maybe more people can ditch drugs like ridalin and embrace fixing the body to fix the brain (that's a Dr. Mark Hyman-ism from UltraMind Wellness). :-)

http://www.nesh.com/main/nhc/ritalin.html This from the New England School of Homeopathy.

The quote about sulfer:
On the homeopathic side of things, Dr. Rothenberg says that practitioners look at the way the child experiences his or her ADHD, not just the ADHD itself. Homeopathic specialists look at the whole child – every aspect of the child’s life and well-being – before creating an appropriate prescription. For example, Dr. Rothenberg says, “If the child is combative, irritable, acting out, and not performing in school, a possible remedy is sulfur. If the child is sweet, sleepy, easygoing, but needs constant redirecting, a possible remedy is pulsatilla.” She says that in homeopathy, when the correct remedy is given, the whole child will be better. So, not only will his schoolwork improve, but also his sleep, his attention span, his senses, and so on.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen Fine on February 26, 2009 at 9:18pm

I just read a bunch of great stuff on the positive affects of sulphur. One of the mom docs on the Twitter Mom group "Nourishing Moms" posted even more great info on homeopathic sulphur and the ability to help your kids focus. Check out Nourishing Moms for more!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kim Bouldin on April 7, 2009 at 7:40am

Well, my son, now almost 13 and GF for almost 3 years was on the verge of being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD when I insisted that his Ped test him for Celiac Disease. I had asked previous, as I found out about 6 months earlier that I had Celiac/gluten sensitivity and knew it was genetic. The Ped had been hesitant b/c DS didn't have any "red flags". He was in the 75th% for weight & height, didn't have the classic diarrhea, only occasional constipation, but what kid doesn't have that? He was irritable and couldn't focus, grades were dropping, hence the eval for ADD/ADHD.

So, DS gets tested and his blood work was astronomical...Ped was shocked & admitted it to me. We confirmed via endoscopy & biopsy. Funny thing is now if he gets glutened, he gets severe diarrhea, and he never did before.

So, then Ped wants to medicate DS for the ADHD/ADD. I suggested that we give him a whole grading period on the GF diet to see if he improves before we jump & put him on meds, as I had read that the diet could help with the symptoms like irritablilty & focus. Well, guess what, what an amazing difference. Grades went up, attitude changed. Within 24 hours the kid was holding doors for me and I thought that maybe aliens had switched out my child. Seriously. The kid had been oblivious. He said that the constant "cramp" he had in his side was gone. I had never heard about that. So, we were able to avoid the meds. Now, he isn't all sunshine & roses, don't get me wrong, he is your typical almost 13 year old middle school boy, complete with all the fun stuff. ;) LOL! But, he is much improved from the pre-GF diet, that is for sure.

Kim

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joan Spear on April 8, 2009 at 12:53pm

We cleaned up our diet but didn't go gluten free- it was too long ago. But we were, and still are, macrobiotic no dairy, sugar and chemicalized foods. We added in filtered water, magnetic sleep system, insoles and necklace. Happy to tell you about it. Grounded him and shifted him completely. He is now grown up- on the Dean's list at Art College with a scholarship. Diet, healthy home and lifestyle is crucial for these children.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen Fine on April 8, 2009 at 12:59pm

Joan,
I'd love to hear more about it. Sounds like a Nikken approach! :-) My mom swears by the filtered water, magnetic sleep system, insoles etc. We've tried the insoles and water. I'd love to hear about the routine you set up, too. There have been a lot of studies about the Nikken systems helping out. It's always great to hear personal testimonials!
Cutting out sugar is such a key step that seems obvious, but then, not. :-)
We just added homeopathic sulfur (as I said before) and it seems to help a lot. He doesn't have an ADHD diagnosis, and I'm not sure that's what it is. All I know is he's much more focused on the Omegas and sulfur. He's been GF for five years, so I'm sure that helps...especially because he eats so little pre-packaged foods!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brenda Boyle on August 14, 2009 at 11:31am

I am seriously looking to begin this diet for my son (15 with adhd) how do you begin!!!!!!

Kim Bouldin said:

Well, my son, now almost 13 and GF for almost 3 years was on the verge of being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD when I insisted that his Ped test him for Celiac Disease. I had asked previous, as I found out about 6 months earlier that I had Celiac/gluten sensitivity and knew it was genetic. The Ped had been hesitant b/c DS didn't have any "red flags". He was in the 75th% for weight & height, didn't have the classic diarrhea, only occasional constipation, but what kid doesn't have that? He was irritable and couldn't focus, grades were dropping, hence the eval for ADD/ADHD.

So, DS gets tested and his blood work was astronomical...Ped was shocked & admitted it to me. We confirmed via endoscopy & biopsy. Funny thing is now if he gets glutened, he gets severe diarrhea, and he never did before.

So, then Ped wants to medicate DS for the ADHD/ADD. I suggested that we give him a whole grading period on the GF diet to see if he improves before we jump & put him on meds, as I had read that the diet could help with the symptoms like irritablilty & focus. Well, guess what, what an amazing difference. Grades went up, attitude changed. Within 24 hours the kid was holding doors for me and I thought that maybe aliens had switched out my child. Seriously. The kid had been oblivious. He said that the constant "cramp" he had in his side was gone. I had never heard about that. So, we were able to avoid the meds. Now, he isn't all sunshine & roses, don't get me wrong, he is your typical almost 13 year old middle school boy, complete with all the fun stuff. ;) LOL! But, he is much improved from the pre-GF diet, that is for sure.

Kim

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jean on August 19, 2009 at 9:16am

Hi Karen
My son is GF (7+ months) and has ADHD. We were able to lower his ADHD meds dose but we're staying the course with the lower dose for now. We were able to eliminate multiple drugs for my son after going GF and it's incredible!

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This