I have one child, a 7yr son who was diagnosed as adhd this couple months ago. I am in the medical profession from 2002 to 2004 when I worked as a Nursing Assistant which basically covers nutrition ,I am in the process of going back to school to get my CNA certification. And will be working either in the hospital or nursing home.

I am simply a mom whose kid's health has been severely compromised by food. I found myself in a position of having to read and educate myself on food allergens, additives, supplements, etc. because I noticed that my son's adhd symptoms are significantly affected by what he ingests.

I am NOT here suggesting that parents give up medications for their children. I am rather doing this for people who are interested in learning about diet, food, supplements, etc. as possibilities to add on to the medications or whatever....

My aim in this thread is as follows:in general , diets, supplements, foods. I would like to make a list of foods that negatively affect adhd symptoms, foods that are somehow ok, foods that may even help adhd symptoms decrease (e.g., high protein), look at supplements and their ingredients, (because I noticed a lot of people coming on this group trying to sell us their wares and when we check out the ingredients they include things that our kids should NOT be having,)

It is in this spirit that I ask the moms and grandmoms here to post questions and I promise to google or try to get into academic databases to answer them. I usually get on line everyday but there are of course exceptions depending on what is happening at home. I don't get paid for this but I do promise to do my best to look things up.

I am also asking the group members who use supplements to email me the brand, etc. so I can make a list (to avoid hundreds of posts) and to also look these up.
Me and my big mouth!!! lol, lol, lol.

**DISCLAIMER**
Any information given on this group is for personal use/information ONLY. No one is saying you must do or not do, medicate or NOT medicate, and IF you have any questions you will seek out the advice from a qualified physician..No member will hold responsible any other member of this group that kindly offers advice, suggestions, or different options..

I have not tried fish oil yet. But I am looking into it. Right now my son is on Concerta 36mg extended release as well now starting Focalin 2.5mg He also has ODD. Things have been hetic lately with school and cub scouts as I am now the new Den Leader for the Wolf Pack. I will check back later on the fish oil. Thanks

Amy

DHA fish oil and a 50/50 combination of calcium and magnesium seem to help. Found this in a vanilla flavored liquid online. I think it tastes like a vanilla shake, my son thinks it tastes like chalk. We get a 250 mg magnesium from GNC now that he can swallow a pill and there is 300mg of calcium in his daily mineral supplement. We order the DHA and multi vitamin from nutrilite company through www.quixtar.com. Food dyes are like sugar on steroids. I feel so awful for all those cheese-its and goldfish crackers I fed him when he was a toddler. No wonder he was freaking out all the time. Just the deletion of cheese-its in his lunchbox in Kindergarten made the teacher ask, "Did you start medicating your child?" The hyperactivity almost ceased with just these changes. Attentiveness still a MAJOR issue. We are now re-visiting the idea of medication for 4th grade because his inattentiveness is dropping his grades and his reading is almost a grade level behind even though he tests as gifted in many areas. Really struggling with the discussion of medicating my child.

About calcium / magnesium. The liquid I mentioned suggests a tablespoon for an adult dose which is 1000 mag / 1000 calcium. Magnesium can cause diarhea (sp?)... calcium can cause constipation. I could not find (even with a nutritionists help) any guidance on dosage. The magnesium after being taken daily (at night) for 10 days caused my son to start conversing with us in ways that never occured previously. His thoughts are more organized, his story telling improved, his recall of details (in other words his ability to notice / pay attention to the details) improved. We started with too large a dose and had all kinds of bathroom issues for a few weeks. We eventually settled on 200 - 250 mg of each at the age of 6 ... about 45 pound kid. He is now 8 and almost 60 pounds and we are trying to figure out the dose again. Going very slowly to avoid the bathroom issues. The calcium aids in the absorbtion rate of magnesium only and to counteract the affect it has on the digestive tract. A nurse weighing in on this issue would be GREATLY appreciated.

here is the daily regiment that I give son mixed in a little paper cup every morning all purchased from the local natural food store... ADD-Attention liquid Buried Treasure which is vitamins, Stress B-Gone Buried Treasure which is vitamins, Suntheanine L-theanine one capsule whick is amino acid, Omega 3 fish oil gel capsule, Organic Frog Green tablet, vitamin E gel capsule, Liquid Sunshine Vitamin D. B-Complex liquid, Liquid B-12. I stir together on tablespoon of each and stand there to make sure he drinks it. I'm seeing tremendous improvement in his attitude and mood. Every friday evening I give a half of the little paper cup of prune juice mixed with Cod Liver Oil, Liquid parasite extract, one capsule of Kids enzymes then chased with water. This gives his body a good internal flush over the weekend that keeps him cleansed from any toxins that may have gotten into his body that feeds the adhd. I'm not professing to give medical advice, but I've done a lot of research for my son and came up with this. Like I say he has improved tremendously. I use large romaine lettuce leafs for sandwiches instead of bread. I don't feed him any pasta or anything that has white or wheat flour in it. He eats oatmeal and baked salmon for breakfast every morning. I feed him different recipes of boiled chicken for lunch with almond, and peanut butter in a small bowl and a side dish of steamed vegetables. When ever we are on the go and just need a quick meal, I'm sure to only feed him a taco salad from Wendys, since it has the beans and the ruffage. Don't get me wrong, we go out to restaurants a lot, but I pull off of his plate what I don't want him to eat that might feed the adhd. Even the psychologist he was going to was always amazed with his calmness since I would feed him at least 30 minutes before each session. They thought he only needed the meds. He is on meds but they only work when he has eaten a big healthy meal. So I make him little snack pouches with cheerios or Life cereal and in a sandwich bag. Even when he is away from, he can always feed himself something tasty and healthy to calm his blood sugar level. He has hit girls before also, but I've researched and found out that the teachers were not giving him his snacks on time and had to get on their cases. His pediatrian is in support of all of my ideas and has since written a letter for me to turn in to the schools about giving him regular snack times through out the day. Fight for your children, they'll appreciate it so much when they are older.

Hi Amy, I have a 9 year old daughter with ADHD and ODD also. I have actually never heard of ODD until she was diagnosed with it over a year ago. How long has your son been diagnoses? If you have any advise or suggestions that has worked to help your son with the ODD, please share them. It's getting better for my daughter's ADHD but as far as the ODD, no matter what I do, I can't seem to curb her ODD. Any help would be appreciated, by you or anyone else that has experienced this also.

hi cathy,
my name is beth i have two daughter one is 9 year old and the other one is
8 year old and they both have adhd but my oldes is bored line asmtium to. i
been married for 10 years now.i work outside the home. how dose your
daughter do in school. i have trought all the time. i hope we can talk and
shave about our daughters. were are you from ? i'm from maine. i hope to
here from you again real soon. my e-mail address is cheroke@mainestream.us.
bye beth

On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 11:01 PM, Cathy D. <
familywithADDorADHD@groups.care.com> wrote:

> Hi Amy, I have a 9 year old daughter with ADHD and ODD also. I have
> actually never heard of ODD until she was diagnosed with it over a year ago.
> How long has your son been diagnoses? If you have any advise or suggestions
> that has worked to help your son with the ODD, please share them. It's
> getting better for my daughter's ADHD but as far as the ODD, no matter what
> I do, I can't seem to curb her ODD. Any help would be appreciated, by you or
> anyone else that has experienced this also.
>
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