Natural ADHD cures

[phillipeb]

So i have not taken medication for a very long time for my adhd mainly because i didn't like the effects of the meds as well as the fact that i have not had a job that required me to concentrate for very long.

 

I know inevitably the debate will range from there is no such thing to ADHD all the way to have you considered a raw diet, but that is not my question.

 

Do you know of anything that would be a good natural aid to alleviating some of the symptoms of adhd.

 

It became apparent today as i was written up for careless work even though i have been trying my hardest that i have ever tried that perhaps it is time i get re-assed. In alot of ways my ADHD has lessened over time as i have learned coping mechanisms and changed my diet and sleeping habits. But it is still something that is prevalent for me and a battle on a daily basis.

 

Thanks for the help guys. today is a shitty day really. and i just want straight up answers not debates.

[Guest]

Did this happen just once or is this something thats been plaguing you regularly??? I think all of us work our best but sometimes we all fall off a bit anyway. Outside of that I really think all you can do it keep trying to get more sleep and keep trying to focus more.

[phillipeb]

Did this happen just once or is this something thats been plaguing you regularly??? I think all of us work our best but sometimes we all fall off a bit anyway. Outside of that I really think all you can do it keep trying to get more sleep and keep trying to focus more.

 

I was diagnosed with ADHD when i was 18. i underwent psychological counceling, my family and teachers were interviewed and i had a brain scan done as well. All factors pointed towards a high level of ADHD. I eventually dropped out of college for personal as well as reasons having to do with ADHD.

 

I never took meds for it outside of college because i never had a job that required rigorous thought just action based tasks. In the last two years, every job that required concentration that lasted more than 15 minutes i have not done well with. But since i am naturally intelligent i have made steps to keep on moving forward so as to be in a constant state of training. This has worked until the new job where im required to stay in a department for 6 months and the training is only for less than a month.

 

In this job it is the attention to details that is killing me. Since day one of this new department i have been basically told each day that i have forgotten something or done something wrong. and i guess having three major fuck ups in one day was too much for them.

 

 

So no it is not a simple once in a while thing, its a constant i dont know where my keys are, i forgot to do this or bring this materials. most of the time at least for simple tasks i can organize and make lists and chew small amounts of the task before biting off the whole thing. in this possition and this job that is not the case.

 

I told them i woulds sign the writeup with the added knowledge that i am doing my best so a write up is unnecisary and perhaps we should rethink my position within the company based on skill level and ability to do work.

 

I wont take adhd medication because i cannot find any that dont have animal products in it.

[Guest]

Are you enjoying the job???

 

I tend to do similar things when I don't like what I'm doing(not saying thats you). I do my best but since I don't like certain things(most common case was a class I had to take but didn't want to) nothing ever seems to go right. I show up every day but just can't focus. Put me on a bike or in an art class and I'm 100% all the time.

[phillipeb]

Here is the thing, even in things i love like reading and art. i find myself distracted by outside stimuli. Like i said i dont want this to be a discussion about me having adhd or not but rather i want this to be about natural cures for adhd or its symptoms.

[Guest]

I wasn't debating anything...just saying things happen sometimes and things just don't go perfect. I do believe ADHD exists...I just think most people that are diagnosed just don't have it.

[phillipeb]

this is from my OP

 

I know inevitably the debate will range from there is no such thing to ADHD all the way to have you considered a raw diet, but that is not my question.

 

Do you know of anything that would be a good natural aid to alleviating some of the symptoms of adhd.

[Guest]

I said work on focusing more and trying to get more sleep. Those are natural...spirulina, and wheatgrass probably won't do a thing. Accepting problems is natural too and it takes a lot of stress away. I have an extreme sleep disorder and was involved in sleep studies for years at John's Hopkins. Accepting it makes it a lot easier to take. Its made my life harder than its needed to be for 15 years. But its part of me and I'm not gonna take any drugs to deal with it. I just try to get what rest I can and I avoid doing things I don't want to do. Some days I get 6 hours of sleep(even 2 days in a row sometimes)...I'm happy to get it but its rare and I don't expect that to happen often....its part of life.

[phillipeb]

I said work on focusing more and trying to get more sleep. Those are natural...spirulina, and wheatgrass probably won't do a thing. Accepting problems is natural too and it takes a lot of stress away. I have an extreme sleep disorder and was involved in sleep studies for years at John's Hopkins. Accepting it makes it a lot easier to take. Its made my life harder than its needed to be for 15 years. But its part of me and I'm not gonna take any drugs to deal with it. I just try to get what rest I can and I avoid doing things I don't want to do. Some days I get 6 hours of sleep(even 2 days in a row sometimes)...I'm happy to get it but its rare and I don't expect that to happen often....its part of life.

 

With the sleep issue i am getting 8 hours most night but routinely 7-8. I will work on this getting a full 8 hours.

[Guest]

One thing to think of is getting more than that if possible. Some people really need much more than 8. I know my brother always needed 10 in order to perform up to speed in college(in class and when playing hockey). 8 isn't enough for everyone...its just what people say you should shoot for. I feel great with 6 and nearly never get it. I'd love to get 6 every day and I probably don't need 8. Some people are completely worthless if they only get 7hours. Its like food...some people don't need a lot of calories to gain weight...others need to practically starve themselves to lose anything.

[joninvegaz]

if you are looking for herbs, lemon balm, passion flower, oatstraw, reishi mushroom, gotu kola, and peppermint are supposed to be effective. also, most of the prescriptions are stimulants, so look into coffee, mate`, and what not. i'll admit i'm partial to this store since i work for them off and on, but they had a newsletter about natural adhd/add treatments in april so it should be on the site soon: http://www.chakra4herbs.com/articles.asp?id=135

[Laura]

Preface: I am in no way qualified to give medical advice and know very little about ADHD.

 

That said, I have read that taking 5g of creatine daily has been shown to significantly improve working memory in vegetarians and vegans.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/08/030813070944.htm

 

Might be worth trying if you're not arlready doing so. I'd read up on it, though, to make sure it's safe to take that dose consistently. I know that most people cycle on and off of it when taking it for bodybuilding purposes.

 

Also, how organized are you at work? ie do you make to-do lists, check things off as you go, keep your workspace organized, etc? I ask because these things don't come naturally to me (at all; I'm a total scatterbrain, lol), BUT when I make myself stay organized I find I'm much more efficient at work.

 

I wish I could be more help.

 

I miss DV !

[veggieprincess]

Here were a couple of good links for diet related advice:

 

http://www.oneaddplace.com/adhd-diet.php

 

http://dailystrength.org/c/ADHD-ADD/forum/2234-trying-natural-diet-adhd

 

http://www.feingold.org/pg-program.html

 

(Sorry if some of these are geared toward kids, but that seems to be the most readily available advice out there)

 

 

I'll see what else I can find... but my advice would be to try one of them for 2 months and if you did id 100% and feel no different, I would try to go for the medical approach if it is affecting the quality of your life.

 

There are some natural methods that work for people and some that don't, but when diet and homeopathic remedies don't work, that's when perhaps you should turn toward medication... especially if its effecting your job, livelihood etc... but maybe as a last resort after you've tried a couple other things

[Octopussoir]

hey buddy if its you just getting things then have a yellow-pad with you at work with duties that are assigned to you. Write them down as soon as they are given so you have it right there.

 

I cant go back to college until I get mine under control. I mean Id be in a class full of 200 people and If I spied some hot girls man... I would not pay attention. My mind would wander. Try taking away distractions like tv,radio,games, etc. Sometimes it is hard to say read something for a while and comprehend with ADD.

 

When sitting still for a period of time does your leg start to tap and shake? You have to consciously stop it if it does(mine used to). For example, Id be in class and Id have like 30min left until I could get to the gym and My legs would start to shake up and down, hands would shake, I would feel real edgy just waiting for the time to roll. Mostly, look up ways to train your mind and habits differently. Might just be mental rather than physical bro.

[beforewisdom]

*Vigorous*, ...almost...anaerboic cardio like raquet ball or basketball has been shown clinically to provide temporary improvement.

[phillipeb]

joninvegaz: thank you for the list of herbal remedies i am going to look into them tomorrow and see perhaps if one might be right for me.

 

 

Laura: thank you as well for the creatine information. I will also do a bit of research into this. Organization is definetly an issue, i do function better when organized but still it is an issue of getting organized. Its a matter of how one processes.

 

veggieprincess: thanks for the nutritional information. I will also look into these diets to see what i can incorporate. My adhd definitely got tons better when i switched to a vegan diet. The issue with normal medications is that there are animal products in all of them that i could find except one generic type. Also i have hostorically avoided medications because of the testing on animals. I took an antibiotic after two years of a mouth infection only after doing research on it to make sure they are not doing current animal testing and all ingredients are vegan.

 

octo:

Thanks for the commiseration. Every morning at work we have a meeting and we go over the tasks for the day. i have taken to writing down verbatom my tasks and what i am expected to do that day to great effect. The sticky pad is a wonderful idea as i do well when i have a list.

 

the issue comes from the small details. I was really bummed today because i thought i was giving 100 percent and doing so well only to get called into my managers office for a right up. it was not that i had forgotten the duties it is that i did not do all the work or forgot parts of the work. My job relies on paying attention to detail as well as doing processes. something i have not been good at most of my life. so i am trying my best to meet these objectives. and in reality i took control of the situation, i was eerily calm usually in those situations i would shake and get bad anxiety but i realized something, i tried my best, and it was not good enough. But the main factor was me trying my best. I did not feel the need to defend myself until the worry of loosing a job sunk in later. and only then to my friends. I mentioned to my boss that i would be willing to sign the write up but it is in essence a tactic in order to force better work from me and since i felt i am doing my best that perhaps we should revisit the situation in a month and see how or if i have progressed, and then at that time re-evaluate how or if i fit in at the company.

 

quit honestly if i am doing my best and it is not good enough then i do not need to be there. So while i am going to try some techniques to better my concentration i am also going to be smart and start looking for another job one in which the adhd would not be a hinderance. perhaps something outdoors who knows.

 

The manager said she really likes me and she thinks i can do it because she knows i am really smart. but it is not a matter of personality it is a matter of skill. I for one do not like signing little peices of threatening paper that may or may not effect my future, i prefere to be secure in the knowledge that i am doing a good job and my job is secure. so we may have to part ways. either way we shall see.

[veggieprincess]

oh... and I hope it goes without saying that those weren't just Vegan diet plans I sent you, so if you opened up one of the diets and it had dairy, I was assuming you'd have to modify it to a Vegan diet... I didn't think about that til after... I can quickly find a substitute in my head but maybe not everyone does that... just didn't want you to think I was trying to force animal or dairy down your throat

[hilary wright]

candle gazing with attention to breath can both quiet and focus the mind . . .

[phillipeb]

beforwisdom:

 

i think that me riding my bike to work will help. I have poor circulation so perhaps this is effecting my brain. Might get some ginko to increase blood flow to the brain and bikeride to work to increase my focus. i know that i feel clear of mind but im unsure if that would make me work better. only one way to find out.

 

 

Hilary:

 

I can do that technique at home but at work visualization is not really available as a technique to use.

 

Veggieprincess: I substitute with the quickest of ease, so no worries. I know you are gun ho about veganism just like me so i would not fault you for pointing me to a primer on eating for adhd. everything in life can be modified for personal preference and ease of use.

[flanders77]

I know a boy (8 years) who was diagnosed adhs some years ago.

As you most likely know diet (especially refined carbs but also other things) may play a role in this.

What made the biggest difference for this boy was stop watching TV. He used to sit about 2-3 hours pay day in front of the box since he was 2 or 3. A while ago his parents noticed that his symptoms minimized when they did not let him watch TV.

[phillipeb]

i dont watch television except on rare occasions.

[veggieprincess]

P.G.,

 

I may have some really insightful info on this for you soon. 2 of my clients had kids with DVD and they were raving about this European women who is absolutely doing majic with ADD suferers. I am going to ask her for info next time I see them.

 

Its not pills, diet or anything.. They are techniques people are using to overcome all of the A.D.D. symptoms. Apparantly the U.S. drug companies don't want us to have this info and they know that it works ...gee.. go figure

 

(P.G. is my new name for you... see if you can figure out what it stands for... hee, hee, hee... clue. something you called yourself

[beforewisdom]

I remember reading some about some researchers working in a lab found measurable improvements in concentration and calmness when people were forced to do exercises to improve cooridination, balance etc.

[phillipeb]

thanks VeggiePrincess, I really appreciate the info!

 

I am tempted to think that PG stand for dr phil good!

im the one you call make you phil good, dr phil good.

 

signed-

psuedo gay