Herbal Medicine & Chinese Herbs. Overview: Parents and professionals faced with the challenging task of treating ADD and ADHD in children commonly face an unfortunate situation in which behavior problems at home and/or school have placed yet another pressure to opt for medication as the primary treatment. And yet, the benefits of medication come with built- in risks from misdiagnosis, side effects, abuse, and unforeseen long- term complications. Many treating physicians are waiting for better studies, and conventional standards, to help establish appropriate treatment protocols. This interest has no doubt heightened in recent years due to problematic and near epidemic- proportion use of stimulants in children. The following review of an alarming trend to medicate. Herbal Medicine and Treatments for Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Overview: Parents and professionals faced with the challenging task of treating. ADHD diet, this is the original diet treatment for ADHD, and a comprehensive program of dietary management for better behavior, learning and health. The Drake Institute uses QEEG Brain Mapping to diagnose and evaluate ADD/ADHD, Autism, Learning & Anxiety Disorders. Find out how it works here. Studies show that some diet changes — including omega-3 supplements and cutting artificial colorings — can improve kids' symptoms of ADHD. Both of the substances are powerful stimulants that have been in the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) since 1. Schedule II of the CSA contains those substances that have the highest abuse potential and dependence profile of all drugs that have medical utility. Ever heard of bacopa? If you or someone you know has ADHD or a brain disorder, you should know about this safer, therapeutic brain treatment. What is a Sensory Diet? A sensory diet is the strategic use of sensory activities. While most of us use sensory strategies without really thinking about it (drinking. Brain Diet Adhd TreatmentThe production of amphetamine has increased by over 2,0. More than 5. 0 percent of the methylphenidate and amphetamine prescriptions are written by pediatritions. In 1. 99. 8 alone, over 4,0. Although diagnosis appears to be fraught with problematic issues for professionals, there does seem to be a general agreement that stimulants will generate significant improvements in many symptom- parameters of ADD/ADHD. The potential for the abuse of stimulants is not a new issue. Diet Therapy for ADHD Children. Many parents have found that an ADHD diet has been the best place to begin treating behavior and concentration problems in their children. A drug abuse problem now includes college kids, who are, for example, abusing Ritalin to help them in their studies. What may be specific to the ADHD patient however, is their apparent difficulty in achieving and maintaining the type of brain activity normally associated with alert, focused, states of concentrated analytical learning. In the frontal lobe, where focused, analytical thinking occurs, ADD/ADHD patients tend to produce an abnormally high amount of alpha- , and/or theta- waves (normally associated with dreamy, eyes- closed states,) and less beta- waves (associated with focused, analytical thinking). This state of brain. When given the same challenge, patients with ADHD appear to be unable to make the appropriate shift into this focused type of brain functioning. Stimulant drugs and EEG Biofeedback Therapy have been shown to bring brain wave activity, reflected in EEG and brain- map data, closer to normal. The patient often experiences a dramatic improvement in the ability to focus thought and pay attention for longer periods of time. Diminished perfusion (blood flow) and cortical activity are associated with ADHD. Herbal, nutritional and pharmaceutical interventions may be designed to improve such functional parameters of the condition. A non- ADHD control group was also studied with SPECT. Two brain SPECT studies were done on each group, a resting study and an intellectual stress study done while participants were doing a concentration task. These are findings consistent with PET and QEEG findings. Of the ADHD group who did not show decreased perfusion, two- thirds had markedly decreased activity in the prefrontal cortices at rest. Studies such as the one above may provide indicators and possible mechanisms for herbal therapeutics. RELATED STUDIES: Sensitivity and Specificity of QEEG in Children with Attention Deficit or Specific Developmental Learning Disorders. Chabot RJ, Merkin H, Wood LM, Davenport TL, Serfontein GDepartment of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USAClin Electroencephalogr 1. Jan; 2. 7(1): 2. 6- 3. The sensitivity and specificity of QEEG- based discriminant functions were evaluated in populations of children diagnosed with specific developmental learning disorders and those with attention deficit disorders. Pretreatment QEEG could be utilized to distinguish ADD/ADHD children who responded to dextroamphetamine from those who responded to methylphenidate, again with high levels of accuracy. The effects of herbal medicines in ADHD remains somewhat speculative, especially since practitioners rarely rely on the herbal treatment alone, and very few studies have been published on the prevailing herbal formulas. Research into functional and biological effects of herbal medicine is greatly needed and will help to clarify some of the questions about their appropriate use in ADHD. Although herbal practitioners rarely use caffeine or caffeine- containing herbs alone, many of the most popular formulas do contain stimulating components. In general, these studies have demonstrated significant benefits with the administration of caffeine to children with ADD/ADHD. The benefits however have not been without side effects, and have failed to match or exceed those derived from the conventional stimulant medication regimes. The high (6. 00 mg) daily dose of caffeine was observed to significantly control hyperactive symptoms, however, it also produced a number of side effects as well. In such cases, elimination of caffeine from their diet may actually unmask the underlying ADHD condition. As individuals with ADD enter adolescence and then adulthood some behavioral symptoms appear to cease, others become muted. This change has usually been attributed to physiological maturation. Caffeine has been found to alter the behavior of ADD children in a manner resembling more widely prescribed stimulant medications. It may be important to note that the benefits of caffeine were negated using higher doses. They were studied in a double- blind crossover experiment in which they received caffeine in low dose or in a high dose. Methylphenidate was added to both dosages, as well as administered alone. Caffeine in low dosage could not be differentiated from 1. This study offers evidence to support a curvilinear pattern of dose- response for caffeine, in attenuating the behavioural manifestations of this syndrome. Individual Responses to Methylphenidate and Caffeine in Children with Minimal Brain Dysfunction. Garfinkel BD, Webster CD, Sloman L Can Med Assoc J 1. Oct 1. 8; 1. 13(8): 7. Eight children with minimal brain dysfunction were studied for their individual responses to two stimulant medications - methylphenidate hydrochloride and caffeine citrate. Four types of behavioural responses were observed in the double- blind crossover experiment: four children responded favourably to both psychostimulants, one responded to methylphenidate alone and two responded to the placebo. The behaviour of one child deteriorated while he was taking methylphenidate and caffeine. It is apparent that such stimulantmedication exerts.. Herbalists have maintained that use of isolated active ingredients from medicinal plants (in this case, caffeine) risks loss of synergistic benefits of the whole plant or herb. Both prescription drugs resulted in significant improvement and were significantly superior to caffeine. Many of these benefits may well extend to ADHD patinets. Several herbal remedies for the nervous system are known for their stimulating effects. Frances Brinker, ND, classifies this category of herbs as 'alertness enhancers', due to their documented effects on nervous system function (Brinker): None of the following herbs contain caffeine. Ginkgo(Ginkgo biloba)Ginkgo leaves are remarkable for their ability of their ginkgolide and flavone glycoside- containing extracts to increase local blood flow to brain, bringing greater oxygenation to the tissues, while acting as a neural antoixidant. Ginkgo also improvies brain glucose metabolism, and positively affects levels of amine neurotransmitter substances in the brain. These benefits become more pronounced after prolonged use. Research shows that it the protects brain from free radical damage even better than the cognitive- enhancing drug deprenyl (Battacharya), while stimulating improved learning and cognitive function (Kidd). The extract stimulates brain activity and causes a more economical release of body energy which results in increased work output. It contains a mixture of eleutherosides A- E, including syriingin (B) and syringaresinol diglucoside (E), which have been shown to diminish stress- caused reductions of strength and memory retrieval. It also benefits growth rates. It improves adaptation to dimished blood flow to the brain. Siberian ginseng also produces an increase of amine nerve transmitter substances in the brain and adrenal gland. Their triterpenoid glycosides - asiaticoside, madecassoside, and brahmoside - reduce adrenal corticosterone blood levels during stress. They have also been found to be useful for cognitive and nervous disorders and vascular problems of the brain. Its tonic effects are not immediatly stimulating as with caffeine, but are cummulative and resotorative over time with continued use. It includes both stimulant and sedative herbs. In this study it was used to test effectiveness in the treatment of adult adjustment disorder with anxiety. The formula demonstrated significant benefits in the treatment of anxiety, an interesting finding in that it made use of stimulant herbs. The study was coordinated by psychiatrists. Ninety- one patients were included in the EUP group and 9. They all received two tablets three times a day over 2. D). Comparing the two groups, 4. EUP group) had a HAM- A score of less than 1. D2. 8 versus 2. 5. P = 0. 0. 12). The herbal formulas presented here reflect both the medical literature, when available, and popular usage, based on the experience and recommendations of authorities in the field. The philosophy of 'restoring balance' lends itself in particular to ADD/ADHD, in which the affected individual suffers from multiple biochemical, neurological, and behavioral symptoms for which there is no clear- cut etiology. Results were very favorable, as summarized below.
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