ADHD is everywhere. Our schools are brimming with it, pharmaceutical bank accounts are overflowing from it, and while we generally think of rambunctious kids, even adults are starting to succumb to it in greater numbers.
About 10% of kids are thought to have ADHD. It seems to affect boys more with three times as many boys diagnosed as girls. 3 to 5% of teens are diagnosed with ADHD, or about 2 million throughout the country. 4.4 percent of adults are thought to have ADHD, but only about 20% of those adults take medications for it. The ADHD medication market is worth almost $2billion (children and adults combined). The U.S. fills 3 million ADHD drug prescriptions every month. The U.S. writes more than 5 times more ADHD prescriptions than any other country in the world. This is so shocking that the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board has TWICE publicly expressed concern and suspicion to U.S. officials about this issue.
Let’s get into the condition itself.
Hyperactivity disorders come in two main groups:
- Group 1: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Group 2: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
These are both a neurological and behavior-based disorders that are often associated with impulsiveness, excessive energy, difficulty concentrating (or as some would say – symptoms of normal life!). Most individuals with ADHD, or ADD, have a hard time focusing on a single task and sitting still – and if this was the only diagnostic criteria then technically we all would have ADHD/ADD (note the ADHD is associated with larger, more disruptive outbursts).
Most of the research directed to discovering the cause of ADD/ADHD has been linked to the foods an individual consumes and the status of their nerve system (hyperactive nerve system = hyperactivity).
Refined white sugar, food colorings, artificial ingredients/sweeteners and various food additives (preservatives, flavoring agents) have all been linked to causation and aggravation.
Some individuals also believe the rise in ADHD/ADD diagnosis has been due to the American school systems lack of interest in meeting children at their individual learning needs or forcing all children to fit into a specific learning method that is not “one size fits all.”
Steve Jobs or Elon Musk were both labeled as “round pegs in a square hole world” and given the ADHD/ADD label when they were growing up. Perhaps it was their ability to think outside of the box, to dream big dreams? Either way, don’t let a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD hold you back! If anything, I am “hyperactive.” The trick is using it to the energy advantage vs letting it be a label of condemnation.
If you are struggling to “calm yourself down” here are a few tricks I have picked up along the way:
- Non toxic, Unprocessed Real Food: Big Food is famous for adding all kinds of “neurostimulants/neurotoxins” to the “food” most people eat. Artificial sweeteners, preservatives and colorings should be avoided at all costs. Instead, simply eat real food, i.e., food that grows on a plant vs coming from within a plant (a 4 walled building with a smoke stack if you’re looking for a visual).
- Vitamin B Rich Foods: The University of Maryland recently found that Vitamin B6 is needed for the brain to make serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine (which are the feel good, stability hormones). In fact, one recent study showed that B6 was MORE effective than Ritalin in improving behavior in those with ADHD/ADD. B vitamin rich foods include wild salmon, grass fed meats, spinach, asparagus and turnip greens.
- Skipping Breakfast: Its a well known fact that sugar comes with a “high” of energy, then a crash. One of the best thing you can do for ADHD/ADD is to skip breakfast as an adult (or significantly change morning meals for children). Adults: giving your liver additional time to “burn” sugars is always a good thing, and the liver holds as much as 16 hours of sugar in its reserve, so unless you skipped dinner the night before, intermittent fasting is the best way to go to keep your sugars down. Children: avoid sugar-laden cereals, yogurts and bagels/toast/pop-tarts for breakfast. Instead, opt for pasture-raised eggs sautéed in coconut oil or grass fed butter, avocado and chia seed non-dairy puddings (it’s what my kids eat for breakfast).
- Yes to Poultry: Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps to create other proteins and also plays an important role in serotonin, which is not only the “feel good hormone” but one that is involved in sleep, emotional moods and overall well being. According to the University of Michigan Health System, low levels of tryptophan are seen in those with ADHD/ADD diagnosis. Supplementation or simply the addition of free range dark turkey meat (same thing with chicken thighs) has been shows to help.
There are also neurological and microbiome-related reasons for ADD and ADHD. These will no doubt be topics for subsequent articles. However, even if we as a society focused on cleaning up our diet, we could see those ADHD med numbers drop like crazy (along with solutions to so many other health problems we face). So pay attention to what you and your kids eat. It could mean the difference between a medication-free childhood and a lifetime of prescriptions.
