http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16699814
This is a great start to addressing the actual causes of attention disorders. However, this study only addresses one aspect of this diagnosis; elevated dopamine and and adrenaline levels. Clinically known as adrenal-cortical HYPER function (elevated cortisol) and with this state of functioning comes the increased fight or flight mechanism in our nervous system and in the short term, can be a very good thing; not so good in the long term.
Prolonged elevated cortisol levels are very detrimental to the body and lead to increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, digestive problems and thyroid dysfunction to name a few. The body begins to “break down” faster than it can repair itself. One example of this would be someone that has just had a big emotional stress like a death in the family. If emotional healing isn’t addressed in an efficient time frame, the body then starts to degenerate and a myriad of physical symptoms can develop. When the emotional trauma has healed, the body has “paid the toll” so to speak and then the physical symptoms must be addressed as a separate issue.
In my clinical experience, ADD/ADHD is what I call a multi-layered issue. Treating physicians must “peel away the layers”; much like that of an onion. Once the cortisol levels have decreased, these patients generally go into adrenal cortical HYPO function (another layer of the onion). More commonly known as adrenal fatigue. With this comes a whole host of symptoms where patients present with the “I feel like crap and nobody can figure out why” syndrome. One of the biggest issues with adrenal fatigue is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. When the blood sugar is decreased, the body craves food to get its sugar back up. What type of food would that be you ask? Yep…more sugar. Then the blood sugar is elevated too much, the blood sugar then comes crashing down again. And then the roller coaster ride begins…up, down, up, down. Many of these people are diagnosed psychologically as bi-polar. Why? Moods generally follow the blood sugar.
Contributing factors to ADD/ADHD
1. Sugar Overload
2. Heavy Metals
3. Adrenal Stress
4. Mineral Imbalances
5. Fatty Acid Deficiencies
What can you do from a more holistic standpoint, to balance these factors?
1. Stop eating sugar and sugar-laden foods. This puts a large amount of stress on the adrenal glands. As I described above, this is a very important issue when dealing with ADD/ADHD.
2. This is a heavily debated topic. Dental amalgams, vaccinations, and aluminum cookware are a few factors involved with heavy metal body burdens.
3. I have addressed some of the adrenal balance factors above and touched on it in an earlier post on salt.
4. Trace mineral imbalances are running rampant in the U.S. This has a lot to do with the amount of refined carbohydrates people are eating. These nutrient devoid foods actually deplete the trace minerals in our systems. A large one being zinc. Zinc is necessary for MANY biochemical functions in the body. It is needed for proper insulin in the pancreas production and hydrochloric acid production in the stomach.
5. This is an area that has received more attention in the mainstream media in the last 7 to 10 years. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are just that: essential. Our bodies are not able to produce these by itself so it is essential we get these from our food. EFAs are needed for just about every function in the body. Largely, liver and brain function (ever loose your train of thought?).
EFAs include fish and flax seed oil, coconut oil, avocado, etc. However, what most people are not told is that the hydrogenated, or bad fats, actually deplete the EFAs, good fats, from our system. Hydrogenated fats (margarine, vegetable oil, fried foods among others) are in just about everything that comes in a bag, can, or box. These bad fats are also one molecule away from plastic. Read EVERY food label. Know what you are eating and what you are feeding your family.
Many of you may ask, “what about the ADD/ADHD drugs like ritalin?”. These drugs are in the same class as cocaine. Yes, you heard me correctly, cocaine. This is a huge adrenal STIMULANT. Why would a doctor stimulate an already over-stimulated person? Most doctors cannot answer this question, they just know that ritalin helps these people. It really is simple, it addresses the adrenal fatigue. These drugs, however, “burn-out” the nervous system, which is why many times people notice that they “stop working”. The prescribing physician then changes the medication to another stimulant that works slightly differently. Then that one stops working and then they are back on the one prior.
We cannot forget to look at the structural component of these issues. Above I mentioned the nervous system with the increased fight or flight mechanism, chiropractors call this “sympathetic dominance”. Many times there has been physical trauma creating the sympathetic dominance. For example, sports injuries, falls, and even the birth process itself. Balancing posture through chiropractic care utilizing applied kinesiology diagnostics has made massive changes in many of the patients I have treated with ADD/ADHD.
These people that have been labeled with the diagnosis of ADD or ADHD really are on a roller coaster so to speak. In my opinion, attention problems are notoriously difficult to work with. It is not as simple as “take this pill and you will be fine”. It requires dedication from not only the treating physician, but also the patient.
My goal with this post is to inform the reader that there are other options other than medication. I have attempted to be as thorough as possible, but many times questions arise. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with further questions.
