ADHD: Change in Diet Helps More Than Drugs

A new study published in the Lancet, shows that a restrictive diet helps children with ADHD more than drugs.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands, writes in The Lancet that the disorder is triggered in many cases by external factors — and those can be treated through changes to one’s environment.

In an interview with NPR, she explains further:

“ADHD, it’s just a couple of symptoms — it’s not a disease,”According to Pelsser, 64 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD are actually experiencing a hypersensitivity to food. Researchers determined that by starting kids on a very elaborate diet, then restricting it over a few weeks’ time.

“In all children, we should start with diet research,” she says. If a child’s behavior doesn’t change, then drugs may still be necessary. “But now we are giving them all drugs, and I think that’s a huge mistake,” she says.

The diet consisted of a limited number of hypo-allergenic foods, like rice, turkey, lamb, a range of vegetables (lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beet), pears and water. So basically- no dairy, red meats, processed foods (grains/sugars), and replacing sugary drinks, fruit juices and milk with pure water. This was done for 5 weeks, at which point they begin to re-introduce some foods slowly to determine if behavior changes with certain foods.

The best approach to ADHD is a combination of dietary changes, chiropractic care, and supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids (krill oil). Drugs are a temporary solution to mask the symptoms these children are experiencing. Chiropractic care does not “treat” ADHD, but what it does is address the underlying cause which is, in part, an overactive nervous system leading to symptoms like hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness, as well as behavioral, social, or emotional difficulties. These symptoms are greatly improved when your nervous system is functioning at an optimal level – naturally – without the dangerous side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Healthier kids are naturally more happy and attentive.  Pass this information on and help the many families who want their children to be healthy and drug-free.