alleged "alternatives" for ADHD

[Anonymous]

And still, here’s a question that remains:

do you have any links to complementary/alternative medicine?

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[BAM123]

As my last post indicated I only have been treated by the traditional medical system and traditional doctors for my entire life.

I have no link to complemnetay/alternative medicine and have never been treated for any condition in that manner.

That is a tragic thing what happened to your friend. And I can relate to trying a medication that had adverse effects as well.

I am at the front end oif the curve here trying to deal with the ADD – diagnosis – technically they told me that is what they thunk it is, so I don’t know what if any other conditions are attached to it. I have periods of being down but I don’t knoiw enough tyo say I would call it depression that is a tough row to to hoe.

Having never been on any kind of medication previously, I am concerned about long term side effects and am looking for alternatives to a life of medication.

I think testing for food intolerances and adjusting diet is fairly inocuous in the larger scheme of things when you comoare it to the sid effects of medication.

Best of luck with your journey

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[Patte Rosebank]

Um, an allergy, by definition, IS a hypersensitivity (which is another word for “intolerance”) to something. Generally, a mild hypersensitivity is called an “intolerance”, while a severe hypersensitivity is called an “allergy”. And you don’t get allergy-tested at a homeopath who uses test methods that have been discredited. You get allergy-tested by an allergist, who uses test methods that are proven to be effective.

I repeat, if there is NO way of quantifying or repeating the results, or comparing them amongst a large sample of the population, then the “alternative” procedure cannot be verified, and is thus, discredited.

I also repeat that the real danger in “alternative” therapies is that vulnerable patients are often convinced to abandon legitimate medical therapies in favour of the “alternatives”, and they pay for this decision with their lives. Because of this, it is not “innocuous”.

While it appears that ALCAT worked for you, the fact that it has not, and cannot, be scientifically proven, and the fact that it has been discredited and/or banned by regulators in many countries, means that it is highly irresponsible to promote it as an alternative to legitimate medical tests and therapies.

Those promoting and selling “alternative” therapies, always paint the dangers of medication. Medication is just one part of the treatment picture. You need a combination of medication, behavioural therapy, and exercise. Ruling out medication because you’ll be on it the rest of your life, is like ruling out eyeglasses in favour of vision exercises (as sold on infomercials in the 1990s, and subsequently completely discredited), or ruling out Metformin and insulin if you’re diabetic. While it is true that many medications do have side effects, if they are given under proper medical supervision, they are a very beneficial tool. Their results can be repeated and quantified, and have been tested in huge studies, involving thousands and thousands of people. They are proven to be effective. The difficulty is that medications for mental conditions are not one-size-fits-all, and require a trial-and-error process to find the right one(s) and right dosage(s) for each patient. This process can be very difficult, but when you find the right one(s), the results are life-changing—for the better.

One “alternative” therapy that is highly recommended, quantified, and proven effective, is exercise. It’s cheap, too, since all you need to do is put on your sneakers and go walkies. You’ll still need your medications, but you’ll feel so much better than if you didn’t exercise.

I do use some other “alternative” therapies: chiropractic care and massage. These have been proven effective, and are, therefore, covered by insurance plans. In fact, they were partially covered by OHIP until the cutbacks of a few years ago. For a procedure or therapy to be covered by health insurance (particularly government plans), it must be scientifically proven to be effective. And ALCAT has never been covered by insurance plans.

So, I repeat, it is highly irresponsible to choose and recommend it over legitimate medical tests and treatments, particularly when there is a danger that patients may abandon legitimate treatments in favour of it.

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[BAM123]

… my intention was not to suggest ALCAT as an altrnative to medication or other treatment. I do not and would not suggest anyone stop their current treatment or med – including myself – I am taking adderal XR.

I can not compete with yopur apparent knowledge on the subject, with along with Walt’s is impressive – again I was simply realying my own personal experience.

I excercise 3 to 5 days a week – I imagine it does some good. I seem to do fine during the day – but in the evening is where I get into trouble with poor decisons about food – and alcohol and the nutrition program really heloed me to control cravings for both – again by accident or on purpose – I don’t know. The evening between 7:00 and 11:00 for me is the danger zone and I could potentially undo an entire day of being ‘good”

I am also newly diagnosed over the last six months and it is tough to wrap my head around the proper med etc – and I will continue to research alternatives other bthan medication – although I have no plans to stop my medication.

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[Anonymous]

To illustrate the dangers from the “alternative” side, a friend undergoing chemo for breast cancer was told by her “nutritionist” that if she would not go “the natural route,” i.e. quit the chemo, the nutritionist’s remedies would not help her. My friend was continually pressured by so many of her other friends who each had their miracle cure. But thank goodness she stuck with the chemo – which worked.

Some “alternative” therapies like acupuncture have long histories and some actual double-blind studies supporting their use. Most do not. And what fascinates me is the number of “alternative” advocates who claim that “big pharma” and “allopathic” doctors are just out to make big money. Please look at every website or infomercial which is critical of “the medical establishment.” I have yet to find one for which the purpose is anything but – to make big money! Every single one is selling something, either a service or a product, usually both. Yes, doctors do make money. But as a coworker put it so aptly yesterday, we here in our aviation safety company hope to make money too. However, that does not lessen our concern for aviation safety!

One does not need to be a doctor to critique “alternative medicine.” One only needs basic critical thinking skills – particularly in the analysis of language. The term “food intolerance” has already been critiqued – it’s simply not a scientific term. “Allergy” is. What does it mean for one’s system to be “inflamed?” Yes, “inflammation” is a medical term – with a very specific meaning and usually, a specific physical location.

@BAM123, there is no reason to stop doing something that works for you unless it is dangerous; if it’s not dangerous to your health or your pocketbook, and you don’t withhold or discourage other treatments for someone else in favor of your remedy, who cares what we say? Go for what works!

But anyone considering “alternative” treatment should still watch for the following words: supports xyz function; strengthens; enhances; protects; calms; etc. etc. None of these has any precise medical meaning. If you want to try something backed by such a claim, then ask HOW the treatment does whatever it does, by what precise physical mechanism? The more conditions a treatment is advertised as helping, the more skeptical you should be – and notice that most such conditions tend to be 1) chronic, 2) conditions for which causes are still TBD, e.g. fibromyalgia, and 3) conditions which likely have strong psychosomatic components. To put it more bluntly, there aren’t ads out there for the magic herbal remedy for a broken leg.

As for ADHD, I have frequently seen healthy diet, regular sleep, and regular exercise mentioned by allopathic (non-alternative) medicine as *critical* to the success of treatment. Surely that applies to any condition!

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[Saffron]

jireland, great points. I would also add that most conditions targeted by alt-med practitioners are either self-limiting or prone to irregular periods of abatement or remission.

Ear infections in children, for example, last on average two to three days and resolve on their own. Homeopaths love to “treat” this condition. They tell clients it may take two to three days to work, then take credit for its resolution.

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[BAM123]

RE: Your Post:: @BAM123, there is no reason to stop doing something that works for you unless it is dangerous; if it’s not dangerous to your health or your pocketbook, and you don’t withhold or discourage other treatments for someone else in favor of your remedy, who cares what we say? Go for what works!

I agree 100%.

I would be interested in anyone who has had SUCCESS with an alyternative treatment – be it meditation, martial arts, nutriion. Or a success story of somone who got off of or reduced medication.

I am on adderal xr which reduces my symptoms but I am concerend about High Blood Pressure with long twerm use. So anyone with some good news about alternativers, love to hear from you.

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[Anonymous]

Hi Bam,

I’m currently approaching my AD/HD with alternative solutions. My experience with the medical community has not been good & I have suffered many years while I waited for the doctors to figure things out. Since I started looking into & actually trying the alternatives, I started to resolve some of my issues. Since I am just starting my alternative treatments for AD/HD, I have no result to talk about so I will talk about past experience with other things.

Migraine headaches:

I suffered for over 25 years with intense headaches for about a quarter of the time. 4 years ago I was cured at the Ontario Migraine Clinic using acupuncture & breathing excercises. My mother went with me for these treatments & had the same result & others who we talked to taking the treatment had the same result.

Lactose intolerance:

Another long term problem for me that the doctors had no clue about. Imagine cramps similar to kidney stones every time you drink something with milk or lactose. Adding the Lactase enzyme every time I eat prevents the effects that milk has on my system. Yes, a homeopathic made this suggestion.

My research on neurofeedback suggests that many people have tried & succeeded with it. A good read on the subject is A symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins. Biofeedback has a very long history & many who have tried it claim that it works for many problems including ADHD, Autism & even cronic pain. Most of the negative comments that I found were from people who never even looked at a machine. The testimonials that I have seen suggest that it does work. I asked myself why don’t these people who have success post on sites like this? Maybe because the only ones on these sites are the ones who are still looking for their cure. I know that I no longer surf migraine sites because I have no need for it. I left my testimonial that it worked for me & I am done. A person who was cured of ADHD would most likely not bother with these forums.

The basic theory is that the brain emits electronic signals & that ADHD brains operate at lower frequencies in certain areas of the brain. When you are hooked up, you can monitor certain areas & the frequency changes based on what you think about. So far I have been hooked up once & I could clearly see how the frequency changes depending on what I was thinking about & I was able to see that the area we were monitoring was operating at 8-12 HTZ. By sustaining my frequency in the higher range, closer to 15 HTZ, it will train my brain to operate at this level for longer periods of time & the brain is supposed to build new neuropathways.

Nutrition is another approach that many people have taken. The basic concept is that there are certain “building blocks” missing from our diet & that by feeding ourselves all of the proper vitamins & minerals, our brain will have everything it needs to build new neuropathways & produce the necessary chemicals.

I have taken a combined approach & added all of the proper nutrients to my diet but I don’t believe that diet alone will fix things. I am adding the biofeedback so that my brain operates at those frequencies in the areas where I want to build new neuropathways.

I’m doing many other things as well including exercise, meditation & coaching, drinking lots of water.

I can tell you now that I feel better & I have tons of energy. My mood has improved. I’m sleeping better & I don’t feel tired after I wake up even though I am sleeping less hours.

So thats what I can tell you on the nutritional side. It has not improved my memory or fixed my focus issues. I have only had 1 session of the biofeedback so I will report back after 10 or 20 sessions to update you on that. 5 sessions of biofeedback is not enough.

One other thing that I will utilize in my testing is my will. It has been said that the success in biofeedback can be explained by the plecebo effect. If it is my will (or plecebo effect) that achieves the result that I am looking for, then bring on the plecebo effect. My brain is preparing to overcome it’s difficulties & it will build new neuropathways. Everything that I am doing will help to achieve that & I will succeed. Whether you think you can, or you think that you cannot, you are right.

I am a human guinea pig. Yes, there is a chance that I will not improve my memory from all of this. I will report my results either way. I do know that by doing nothing, no improvement will come. What do I have to lose? A few bucks maybe & some time but as far as I am concerned, the potential benefits far outweigh the risks & if it does work, I will have an improved memory. Ive spent thousands on computer memory so why not mine?

Oh, & if biofeedback doesn’t work, I’ll try ILS. Maybe I’ll do both.

I’ll update my progress in an ADHD month.

thx

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[BAM123]

Thanks Dude look forward to your posts on your experience. I am currently taking meds and plan on as long as they are helpful and safe but am also looking for alternatives. As it is I take meds 4 to 5 days a week – adderal – and I generally will either skip a day or sometimes take a day or to off becasue I am concerned with HBP – I do usually feel after 3 days that I see a marked negative diffrenc in comncentration – but if I am away at the ebach for a couple of days, i don’t feel I need a high level of focus and it gives my sytem a break.

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[BAM123]

P S – I thought I saw a video in which “Mr. Rick” – indicated that he does not take medication and I was just wondering if that is the case – what methods or treatment he uses to control his system

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[Patte Rosebank]

Rick does take medication: Concerta. And he uses other strategies with it.

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[BAM123]

Thanks for the clarification

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[Anonymous]

Walt wrote regarding ‘sham’ treatments: “Neurofeedback, a course of therapy that has been shown to be of little use for ADHD.”

Have you taken a look at the PlayAttention system? There have been two studies released in the past year as to its effectiveness at building attention-based cognitive skills and reducing impulsivity. Plus, the feedback (pardon the pun) from users has been predominantly thumbs-up as to results. Their interface set-up is referred to as ‘Edufeedback’, but essentially it’s computer driven, interactive Neuro-biological Feedback.

“Neurofeedback” has been demonstrated in studies to have a neuroplastic effect, but it takes months of use.

T. Lavon Lawrence

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[Anonymous]

Hi all

Am reading “Spark..The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain’ by John J. Ratey, MD.

It makes for some interesting reading and thoughts.

I have struggled on my own for years with the dietary issue. I definitely have some foods that I can’t go near.

Have not visited any homeopaths, doctors etc…just figured things out through trial and error and believe me, diet DOES

affect some people.

Just because it doesn’t affect YOU doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for some.

Allergy/shmallergy/sensitivity/whatever…..look, if something isn’t working for you..get rid of it. Don’t nitpick over words.

Don’t tell someone what works for them is wrong, if it works for them, then great! If it doesn, then time to try something else.

Caffiene seems to be a main poison of mine and yes, I’ve had the negative effects when I didn’t know it was in what I was ingesting.

I believe in investigating every avenue, starting with the ones that are the most proven and effective, then working down the list if those aren’t doing it for you.

Everything isn’t black and white…all humans are different. Why would anyone assume all ADHD folks are the same?

Isn’t that prejudice?

ps

And pulling the ‘cancer’ card is low…my sister did all the traditional things to battle it and still died.

Have you watched anyone go through radiation on their brain and chemo?

It’s not pretty and it didn’t work.

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[Anonymous]

To highlight your point about every ‘body’ being different – and that what may not work for some works for others – I’ve read of studies indicating that caffeine actually HELPS some ADHD sufferers, which didn’t particularly surprise me because I seem to be able to focus better after a cup or two of coffee. After three or four, I’m ready to go out and breakdance, so it’s a matter of balance.

I’ve got plenty of ADHD clients for whom I’ve had to do much customization of mental training to find their cognitive ‘sweet spot’, so to speak, while other ADHD clients easily adapt to standard mental training with little individual customization. Some clients can’t do certain intellectually oriented brain training exercises, and are limited to intuitive, meditative ‘relaxation’ and mindfulness techniques that help them concentrate and control their attention and impulsive urges; on the other hand, some are much more captivated by doing visual mental gymnastics that challenge their visual working memory. As long as they get the practice at operating their own brain functions in a way that makes them better at doing so, that’s what matters.

And you’re right – makes no sense for people to blindly attack what some self-serving organizations like to label as ‘alternative’ treatments; nor is it particularly intelligent to robotically pronounce with pious authority that merely because ‘studies’ have not been done that one or another alternative is ‘quackery’. People don’t seem to understand how much money gets spent to support one approach over another. When drug giants stop funding studies that make their products look good, one will likely see a heavier emphasis on testing the veracity of ‘alternatives’.

Now that companies like PlayAttention are backed by studies, the rampant attacks on neurofeedback are starting to die down.

It’s a sorry game of ‘who’s got the money and influence to get a researchers to sign off’, and the camps shift allegiances in a heartbeat if there’s a chance money or recognition is to be obtained.

What’s witchcraft today may be touted as ‘scientific discovery’ tomorrow.

T. Lavon Lawrence

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