The adhd diet

What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Disorder is a collection of traits that reflects a child's natural neurological nature. These traits may be positive or negative and include the following:

·         spontaneity,
·         creativity,
·         selective attention,
·         distractibility,
·         impulsivity and sometimes
·         hyperactivity.

Most children can display these symptoms some of the time, what differentiates these children from those suffering with ADHD, is that ADHD children display these symptoms MOST of the time. Their behaviour is irrespective of who they are with, or what they are doing. A child that is described as having attention deficit at school, but functions normally when they are removed from a particular circumstance, is most likely NOT suffering from ADHD.

Disorders that may look like ADHD:

It is very important to acknowledge that various disorders could display symptoms that looks like those displayed in ADHD. Children are often misdiagnosed as having ADHD, while the actual disease process goes undiagnosed. Some of these disorders that might mimic ADHD include:

• Mood disorders
• Seizure disorders
• Learning disability
• Lead poisoning
• Thyroid abnormalities
• Sleep disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Visual impairment
• Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Substance abuse
• Medication side effects

ADHD is a clinical diagnosis, which means that all other possible diagnoses should be eliminated before one can diagnose a child with ADHD. If a child is exhibiting symptoms of ADHD, each possible cause of these symptoms should be investigated.

How do I know if my child suffers from ADHD?

A complete assessment involves:

• clinical interview;
• medical tests;
• checklists;
• observations;
• a social history;
• and objective measurements;

Assessment involves not only determining if a child has ADHD, but also determining the type of ADHD, the likely causes and measures the amount of the symptoms.

Diagnosis  isbased on a series of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms outlined in DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition-Text Revision). To be diagnosed with ADHD, the symptoms must have lasted for at least six months, and be severe enough to disrupt school life and other aspects of the individuals life.

Symptoms of ADHD

According to the DSM-IV-TR, we categorise symptoms into Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity.

Inattention Symptom:

• Not paying attention to detail
• Making careless Mistakes
• Failing to pay attention and keep on task
• Not listening
• Being unable to follow or understand instructions
• Avoid tasks that involve effort
• Being distracted or forgetful
• Losing things that are needed to complete tasks

Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Symptoms

• Fidgety
• Squirming
• Getting up often when seated
• Running or climbing at inappropriate times
• Having trouble playing quietly
• Talking excessively or out of turn
• Interrupting

Subtypes of ADHD
Dr. Daniel Amen, MD, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who serves as medical director of Amen Clinics in the USA, describes 6 subtypes of ADHD, based on the clinical symptoms as well as SPECT imaging. .Shortly after he began brain SPECT imaging work in 1991, Dr. Amen realized that ADHD was not a single or simple disorder, and it is important to understand that to really know what ADHD is. Just as there are many different causes of chest pain, he noticed there were different brain SPECT patterns in his ADHD patients. Over the next several years, he described 6 different types of ADHD, based on a combination of symptoms and brain scans, that responded differently to different treatments. 

“One treatment does not fit everyone.” — Dr. Amen

The 6 subtypes based on symptoms and SPECT imagery include:

·         Syb-Type 1: Classic ADHD- “Tigger”

SYMPTOMS:
Primary ADHD symptoms plus hyperactivity, restlessness, and impulsivity

COMMON SPECT FINDINGS:
Low prefrontal cortex activity while the person is concentrating

·         Subtype 2: Inattentive “pooh”

SYMPTOMS:

Primary ADHD symptoms plus low energy and motivation, spacey, and internally preoccupied. Type 2 is diagnosed later in life, if at all. It is more common in girls. These are quiet people, often labelled as “lazy,” “unmotivated,” and “not that smart.”

COMMON SPECT FINDINGS: 

Low prefrontal cortex  activity while the person is concentrating . Low cerebellar activity.

·         Subtype 3: Over-focussed “Rabbit/Piglet”

SYMPTOMS:Primary ADD symptoms plus cognitive inflexibility, trouble shifting attention,

stuck on negative thoughts or behaviours, worrying, holding grudges, argumentative, oppositional, and a need for sameness. Often seen in families with addiction problems or obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

COMMON SPECT FINDINGS:

High anterior cingulate activity.Low prefrontal cortex activity while the person is concentrating

·         Subtype 4: Temporal Lobe ADHD, “Tazmanian Devil”

SYMPTOMS:

Primary ADD symptoms plus a “short fuse,” difficulty distinguishing helpful corrections from insults, periods of anxiety, headaches or abdominal pain, history of head injury, family history of anger management problems, dark thoughts, memory problems, and difficulty reading. Often seen in families with learning disabilities or anger management problems.

COMMON SPECT FINDINGS:

Low temporal lobe activity. Low pre-frontal cortex activity

while the person is concentrating.

·         Subtype 5: Limbic ADHD “Eeyore”

SYMPTOMS:

Primary ADD symptoms plus chronic mild sadness, negativity, low energy, low self-esteem, irritability, social isolation, and poor appetite and sleep patterns. Stimulants, by themselves, usually cause problems with rebound or cause depressive symptoms.

COMMON SPECT FINDINGS:

High deep limbic activity.Low prefrontal cortex activity at rest

and while the person is concentrating.

·         Subtype 6: Basal Ganglia ADHD “Ring of fire”

SYMPTOMS:

Primary ADD symptoms plus extreme moodiness, anger outbursts, oppositional behavior, inflexibility, rapid-fire thinking, excessive talking, and high sensitivity to sounds and lights. “Ring of Fire” refers to the intense ring of over activity that Dr. Amen has observed in the brains of affected people. Note: this type of ADHD is often worsened by stimulants.

COMMON SPECT FINDINGS:

Noticeable overall increased activity across the cortex. Low pre-frontal cortex activity (less common)

Treatment options

There is no cure for ADHD. Many professionals agree that medication should be used as a last resort. Most commonly prescribed medications for ADHD include

• Ritalin
• Adderal
• Concerta
• Metadate
• Dexedrine
• Strattera
• Wellbutrin
• Catapres
• Tofranil

A Holistic approach to treatment includes various modalities,  including:

• Psychotherapy
• Behavioural Modification
• Counselling
• Play therapy
• Exercises
• Support groups
• Biofeedback
• Chiropractic Treatment 
• Homoeopathic treatment
• Nutrition 
• Supplementations

It is of cardinal importance to tailor a treatment option based on the child’s specific needs. To use medication as an example, to give a CNS depressant to a already depressed “eeyore” type constitution would surely only aggravate matters. Nutrition wise, to feed an already hyperactive type child “Tigger”, a stimulant rich food would surely exacerbate already hyperactive symptoms.

Nutrition and Supplementation

Nutrition is KEY. Most hyperactive children would surely have to remodel their diet to exclude stimulants, while specific supplementation can further aid in bringing about calm.  A diet tailored to each specific child’s needs is fundamental in the treatment of ADHD, furthermore, the correct supplementation can correct certain hormonal/chemical deficits, which will aid in alleviating most unwanted symptoms of ADHD.

Below is my ‘quick guide’ to the do’s and don’ts of Nutrition when we look at ameliorating hyperactivity:

Foods most likely to cause problems:

1. 75% Salicylates
2. 60-70% Preservatives
3. 55% Colorants
4. 40% Amines
5. 40% Antioxidants- synthetic: synthetic antioxidants e.g. TBHQ (319), BHA (320),BHT (321)
6. 40% Flavour enhancers
7. 10% Diary
8. 1% Gluten

You will notice, sugar is not even mentioned in this list. This is because common believes that sugar causes hyperactivity, is now replaced by theories that hyperactivity is more closely associated with the additives and preservatives usually accompanied by the sugars children eat, than the actual sugar itself. This however does NOT mean sugar is not causing other problems such as gut dysbiosis, which is often related to food allergies. Cultivating the gut with the necessary good bacteria, will allow for healthy gut symbiosis, which is often affected in children with ADHD. Furthermore, food allergies and ADHD are closely related, children suffering from attention deficit are 7x more likely to suffer from food allergies than the general population.

Article by Dr.Chantell Groenewald
Registered Homoeopath
Special interest in food allergies and ADHD