Preliminary scientific studies have found that altering a child's diet may help him if he suffers from ADHD, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This is not to say that an ADHD diet will serve as a cure-all. In fact, statistically speaking, you will probably find that scientists can prove no beneficent effects from going on an ADHD diet. However, what's important to realize is that an ADHD diet is not a solution in of itself. Nor are medication or herbal supplements for that matter. The most effective treatment for this condition is a combination of medication or herbal remedies, along with an improved ADHD diet, a behavioral modification therapy program, and significant lifestyle changes. It is important for parents to understand what ADHD really is so that they can better prepare for productive treatment. ADHD is not presently curable. There are even some sources that speculate whether it "exists", at least in the context that so many believe it to exist, as in a disease that must be thwarted with bottles of prescription medication.
ADHD is a condition that must be worked around and patiently treated with love and discipline. An ADHD diet can definitely help in much the same way that medication can-it helps to control the natural impulses of a child so that he can focus on the productive therapy at hand. What makes a good healthy diet? In general, what is healthy to eat is also very good for ADHD children to eat. A diet for ADHD is actually very similar to any healthy diet you would see for a professional athlete, a person trying to losing weight, or a motivational speaker. Obviously, the first restriction is sugar. Junk food should be avoided like the plague, unless you want your child to skip and jump for a great majority of the day. Experts recommend that you cut the sugar intake down by about 90% at least in the first two weeks, and this also applies to chocolate.
The diet should also avoid fruit juices, since these beverages-while they are healthy-do have high sugar content. If you want encourage drinking otherwise healthy beverages, then make sure it is pure juice, and try to dilute your drink with 50% water. Nutrasweet and other artificial sweeteners should also be avoided, as they merely cause craving for real sugar or cause dieters to over drink.
In a diet for ADHD there might also be the need to avoid other typically "healthy" foods. For instance, some experts advise against drinking too much dairy, as nearly 30% of children are actually allergic to milk. Processed meats and MSG are also known to cause problems. A good rule to shop by is that the more strange chemicals that you can't pronounce on the ingredients list the more your child should avoid the meal. Fried foods should also be significantly cut as should artificial food coloring.
What Should My Child Eat?
Now that you know what should be eaten, next consider what foods are good for the ADHD diet. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make sure to shop for high protein and low carbohydrate meals. Avoid commercial cereals and think about restaurant-type foods-breakfast meats, toast, eggs and other southern home cooking examples. Water is always encouraged as it is thirst quenching and super-healthy.
After the child gets set into a pattern you can start introducing fruits and vegetables, perhaps even healthy sugar provided that you carefully schedule this for ideal exercise. You can also increase the use of flax seed or primrose oil for an excellent source of Omega-oils, an essential fatty acid that improves brain function.
by Einar Eskeland
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Understanding Aspects of ADHD Therapy
ADHD, also known as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is present in about 5% of the world's population. The condition is mainly observed in children, though symptoms can continue on into adulthood. It is considered by many prominent authorities to be a chronic condition and one that requires treatment early on, if children are ever to learn coping mechanisms when they reach adulthood.
One common misconception is that ADHD medication should be prescribed in order to cure ADHD. Not only is there no cure for ADHD-medication should never be prescribed to merely control the symptoms of the disorder. Instead, medication, if necessary, should be combined with ADHD therapy, as well as significant lifestyle changes, behavior modifications, dieting changes and family or professional counseling. Medication is not the treatment-rather, it can help stimulate a person to respond to other forms of treatment. Hence, you will be administering several forms of ADHD treatment during this process.
What results has ADHD therapy seen? Results differ widely. One study, reported on in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, stated that family therapy on its own had no significant improvement in altering a child's ADHD symptoms. Other studies have suggested that psychosocial ADHD therapy has proven helpful for co morbid disorders. ADHD therapy for parents has actually proven to be quite helpful, as this special treatment ensures that parents understand the condition and how to institute new lifestyle and or dieting changes for the child's benefit.
The Benefit of ADHD Therapy
ADHD therapy may also be known as psychotherapy. This is a form of counseling that is much stronger and more professional than just family ADHD therapy. A professional will have a specific goal or set of goals in mind when dealing with a young patient. He or she will attempt to help the child like to accept himself despite the disorder. Professional ADHD therapy is not supposed to confront the child about symptoms or underlying causes; rather, it is with the intent to explore upsetting thoughts and feelings and address self-defeating patterns of behavior. A therapist wants to teach the child alternative ways to handle the negative emotions, perhaps even help the child finds ways of coping that he can carry with him to adulthood.
What are some examples of exercises that might help with ADHD therapy? It may involve instituting better organization in family tasks or schoolwork. It might also involve teaching a child new ways to approach emotionally charged events. Obviously, a child relies on a strong support system with praise or rewards for acting in a desired way. Not only would the therapist aim to monitor the child's progress; he or she may even encourage the child to self-monitor his decisions.
Of course, social skills are a very important factor in ADHD. Therefore, if a child were lacking in social skills, a therapist would concentrate on helping him to learn new behaviors. The therapist may focus on teaching very basic core beliefs involved in creating and maintaining relationships, such as waiting for one's turn, sharing things, asking for help, responding to teasing and so on. The child is given a chance to practice these social responses. The child might also be taught to read other people's facial expressions and take note of their tone of voice.
This is the major difference between family counseling and ADHD therapy. Since family counseling is presided over by non-skilled family members, communication may center on diagnosis of the problem or the symptoms, rather than on practical, textbook solutions. If parents are deeply concerned about enhancing familial communication or if they cannot afford professional therapy, they may try attending parenting skills training classes so that they can better understand progressive treatment for ADHD.
Is There an ADHD Alternative Therapy?
Yes, there is, - there are many actually, and an alternative ADHD medication should actually be the first choice when considering ADHD medications, as it is effective in reducing and healing the symptoms, and are free from unwanted side effects.
by Einar Eskeland
One common misconception is that ADHD medication should be prescribed in order to cure ADHD. Not only is there no cure for ADHD-medication should never be prescribed to merely control the symptoms of the disorder. Instead, medication, if necessary, should be combined with ADHD therapy, as well as significant lifestyle changes, behavior modifications, dieting changes and family or professional counseling. Medication is not the treatment-rather, it can help stimulate a person to respond to other forms of treatment. Hence, you will be administering several forms of ADHD treatment during this process.
What results has ADHD therapy seen? Results differ widely. One study, reported on in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, stated that family therapy on its own had no significant improvement in altering a child's ADHD symptoms. Other studies have suggested that psychosocial ADHD therapy has proven helpful for co morbid disorders. ADHD therapy for parents has actually proven to be quite helpful, as this special treatment ensures that parents understand the condition and how to institute new lifestyle and or dieting changes for the child's benefit.
The Benefit of ADHD Therapy
ADHD therapy may also be known as psychotherapy. This is a form of counseling that is much stronger and more professional than just family ADHD therapy. A professional will have a specific goal or set of goals in mind when dealing with a young patient. He or she will attempt to help the child like to accept himself despite the disorder. Professional ADHD therapy is not supposed to confront the child about symptoms or underlying causes; rather, it is with the intent to explore upsetting thoughts and feelings and address self-defeating patterns of behavior. A therapist wants to teach the child alternative ways to handle the negative emotions, perhaps even help the child finds ways of coping that he can carry with him to adulthood.
What are some examples of exercises that might help with ADHD therapy? It may involve instituting better organization in family tasks or schoolwork. It might also involve teaching a child new ways to approach emotionally charged events. Obviously, a child relies on a strong support system with praise or rewards for acting in a desired way. Not only would the therapist aim to monitor the child's progress; he or she may even encourage the child to self-monitor his decisions.
Of course, social skills are a very important factor in ADHD. Therefore, if a child were lacking in social skills, a therapist would concentrate on helping him to learn new behaviors. The therapist may focus on teaching very basic core beliefs involved in creating and maintaining relationships, such as waiting for one's turn, sharing things, asking for help, responding to teasing and so on. The child is given a chance to practice these social responses. The child might also be taught to read other people's facial expressions and take note of their tone of voice.
This is the major difference between family counseling and ADHD therapy. Since family counseling is presided over by non-skilled family members, communication may center on diagnosis of the problem or the symptoms, rather than on practical, textbook solutions. If parents are deeply concerned about enhancing familial communication or if they cannot afford professional therapy, they may try attending parenting skills training classes so that they can better understand progressive treatment for ADHD.
Is There an ADHD Alternative Therapy?
Yes, there is, - there are many actually, and an alternative ADHD medication should actually be the first choice when considering ADHD medications, as it is effective in reducing and healing the symptoms, and are free from unwanted side effects.
by Einar Eskeland
Thursday, 19 July 2012
What Are the Signs of ADHD?
It's easy for a parent to get carried away and conclude that their disobedient child has a problem with ADHD. After all, human inclination says that whenever something doesn't go our way, something must be wrong. However, caution should be used when arranging for professional medication treatment to minors. Medicine is not like Castrol motor oil. Stimulant drugs are not cure-alls, nor are they drugs that should be used to control the symptoms of ADHD. While these drugs can help to influence a child's emotions for the better, what is most important is that the child is being taught how to cope with having ADHD. Obviously, medication is not going to take ADHD away. Besides, some medications may have some alarming side effects, so any concerned parent would want to thoroughly research signs of ADHD to make sure that their child is truly suffering from this disorder, and not merely enjoying his youth.
What are the signs of ADHD? First know that most symptoms of true ADHD will usually appear before the age of seven years old. Hyperactivity may or may not be indicative of ADHD. Obviously, inattention and impulsiveness are two likely symptoms parents will see. In addition, legitimate ADHD may also bring about other personality disorders such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder or depression. Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder would certainly be distressing ADHD symptoms. Continual problems with sleeping or learning could also indicate some problems related to ADHD.
That said, ADHD is not necessarily the root cause of certain problems like learning disabilities or a medical condition. This is why it's important to take a child to a doctor when there are strong signs of disorder evident. A doctor would be able to determine if the problem is indeed ADHD or if the signs of ADHD are actually pointing to a much more serious medical or psychological condition. One also cannot dismiss the possibility that ADHD behavior is influenced by external circumstances, such as trauma, the death of a loved one, a major move, bullying, sickness or parental separation or divorce.
When To Take ADHD Seriously
The more you learn about the signs of ADHD, the more you will realize that if the child really has the condition, he is suffering from it. He may make careless mistakes and risk irritating parents or teachers only to fear retaliation. He may be easily distracted and not be able to focus in class. Yes, it is true that a child can concentrate on an activity that he enjoys. However, this is not evidence that a child is merely misbehaving if he cannot take an interest in more repetitive or intellectual subjects. He may not have the ability to do so. If he has ADHD then the child will have to learn coping mechanisms for his short attention span in addition to adopting strategies for effective retention.
Some doctors state that the most obvious signs of ADHD are physical, not necessarily mental. For example, if you notice the child cannot sit still even when counseled, or you see that the child has so much energy he wants to do several things at once, or if you see the child constantly moving his fingers or legs, this shows signs of ADHD particularly in impulse control. Impulsiveness may actually be a more telling sign than other factors, since this directly affects social situations. If you are told (or observe) that your child is constantly invading other people's space, is asking irrelevant questions in school, is constantly making tactless observations about others, or is asking personal questions without merit, then this points to poor impulse control, a definite symptom of ADHD.
Treatment of ADHD cannot be taken lightly-either in overreacting or in under-reacting. Instead, diagnosing and treating the problem should be a matter of careful research and professional advice.
by Einar Eskeland
What are the signs of ADHD? First know that most symptoms of true ADHD will usually appear before the age of seven years old. Hyperactivity may or may not be indicative of ADHD. Obviously, inattention and impulsiveness are two likely symptoms parents will see. In addition, legitimate ADHD may also bring about other personality disorders such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder or depression. Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder would certainly be distressing ADHD symptoms. Continual problems with sleeping or learning could also indicate some problems related to ADHD.
That said, ADHD is not necessarily the root cause of certain problems like learning disabilities or a medical condition. This is why it's important to take a child to a doctor when there are strong signs of disorder evident. A doctor would be able to determine if the problem is indeed ADHD or if the signs of ADHD are actually pointing to a much more serious medical or psychological condition. One also cannot dismiss the possibility that ADHD behavior is influenced by external circumstances, such as trauma, the death of a loved one, a major move, bullying, sickness or parental separation or divorce.
When To Take ADHD Seriously
The more you learn about the signs of ADHD, the more you will realize that if the child really has the condition, he is suffering from it. He may make careless mistakes and risk irritating parents or teachers only to fear retaliation. He may be easily distracted and not be able to focus in class. Yes, it is true that a child can concentrate on an activity that he enjoys. However, this is not evidence that a child is merely misbehaving if he cannot take an interest in more repetitive or intellectual subjects. He may not have the ability to do so. If he has ADHD then the child will have to learn coping mechanisms for his short attention span in addition to adopting strategies for effective retention.
Some doctors state that the most obvious signs of ADHD are physical, not necessarily mental. For example, if you notice the child cannot sit still even when counseled, or you see that the child has so much energy he wants to do several things at once, or if you see the child constantly moving his fingers or legs, this shows signs of ADHD particularly in impulse control. Impulsiveness may actually be a more telling sign than other factors, since this directly affects social situations. If you are told (or observe) that your child is constantly invading other people's space, is asking irrelevant questions in school, is constantly making tactless observations about others, or is asking personal questions without merit, then this points to poor impulse control, a definite symptom of ADHD.
Treatment of ADHD cannot be taken lightly-either in overreacting or in under-reacting. Instead, diagnosing and treating the problem should be a matter of careful research and professional advice.
by Einar Eskeland
Friday, 13 July 2012
Can You Die From Panic Attacks?
BAM! Suddenly you are hit by a truckload of terrifying symptoms, you heart start pounding madly and you feel the pressure building up in your chest..."Oh my god! I am having a heart attack. I am going to die! Someone help!"
Sounds familiar? Or did something similar happen to you? The fear that your going to die due to certain symptoms your experiencing.
To dispel this misconception once and for all: NO, you cannot die from panic attack!
Panic attack can make you feel like dieing, BUT you need to understand that its simply not the case. A perfectly healthy person with no physical condition cannot simply just die! Its not possible. Yes it can feel abnormal, it feel so real, but you need to understand that its your body's nervous system being at a state of high alert. Its coming from you. You are exaggerating those strange feelings into MAJOR significance.
For example:
During a panic attack, your heart beat irregularly and you chest hurts. But does it mean you have heart attack? Obviously not! For the lack of a better term, most sufferers just think that they are having a heart attack when in fact its not. Heart attack is heart attack. Chest pain is chest pain, do not mix them up together. Without an existing heart condition, you CANNOT get heart attack just like that.
During a panic attack, you feel your muscle tensing up and your shaking or trembling madly. Most suffers thinks that they are having a seizure or stroke, but is it? Obviously not! Again, for the lack of a better term, most sufferers just classified it as seizure when in fact its not. They are exaggerating those strange feelings into MAJOR significance, making something out of nothing! Seizure is seizure. Panic attack is panic attack. Without a history of epilepsy, you CANNOT suffer from seizure.
As you can see, the list goes on and on, and I can assure you here that there is a perfectly logical explanation for EVERY single symptoms your experiencing. This fact still remains, panic attack can NEVER kill you.
-You cannot have a heart attack
-You cannot stop breathing
-You cannot faint
-You cannot go mad
-Above all, you cannot simply just die...its not possible.
So...can you die from panic attacks?
NO! Accept that you are a panic attack sufferer and do everything you can to overcome it. Don't run or hide from it...and certainly don't fear it.
by Nomorepanicattack
Sounds familiar? Or did something similar happen to you? The fear that your going to die due to certain symptoms your experiencing.
To dispel this misconception once and for all: NO, you cannot die from panic attack!
Panic attack can make you feel like dieing, BUT you need to understand that its simply not the case. A perfectly healthy person with no physical condition cannot simply just die! Its not possible. Yes it can feel abnormal, it feel so real, but you need to understand that its your body's nervous system being at a state of high alert. Its coming from you. You are exaggerating those strange feelings into MAJOR significance.
For example:
During a panic attack, your heart beat irregularly and you chest hurts. But does it mean you have heart attack? Obviously not! For the lack of a better term, most sufferers just think that they are having a heart attack when in fact its not. Heart attack is heart attack. Chest pain is chest pain, do not mix them up together. Without an existing heart condition, you CANNOT get heart attack just like that.
During a panic attack, you feel your muscle tensing up and your shaking or trembling madly. Most suffers thinks that they are having a seizure or stroke, but is it? Obviously not! Again, for the lack of a better term, most sufferers just classified it as seizure when in fact its not. They are exaggerating those strange feelings into MAJOR significance, making something out of nothing! Seizure is seizure. Panic attack is panic attack. Without a history of epilepsy, you CANNOT suffer from seizure.
As you can see, the list goes on and on, and I can assure you here that there is a perfectly logical explanation for EVERY single symptoms your experiencing. This fact still remains, panic attack can NEVER kill you.
-You cannot have a heart attack
-You cannot stop breathing
-You cannot faint
-You cannot go mad
-Above all, you cannot simply just die...its not possible.
So...can you die from panic attacks?
NO! Accept that you are a panic attack sufferer and do everything you can to overcome it. Don't run or hide from it...and certainly don't fear it.
by Nomorepanicattack
Saturday, 7 July 2012
How to Cure Panic Attack - You Have the Cure All Along!
Panic attack is a real illness that can be cured. It is characterized by sudden attacks of terror, usually accompanied by pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness, or dizziness. Sufferers often feel a sense of impending doom and irrational fear of losing control.
Panic attack sufferers sometime believe that they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They can't predict when or where an attack will occur, and in between episodes, worry needlessly about when it will occur next.
People who have full-blown, repeated panic attacks can become very disabled by their condition. For example, if a panic attack happened in an elevator, someone with panic disorder may develop a fear of elevators that could affect the choice of a job or an apartment, and restrict where that person can seek medical attention or enjoy entertainment.
Some people's lives become so restricted that they avoid normal activities, such as grocery shopping or driving. About one-third become housebound or are able to confront a feared situation only when accompanied by a spouse or other trusted person.
This is unfortunate, because panic attack is one of the most treatable of all the anxiety disorders. In fact, the cure to panic attack is with you all along.
Yes, the secret to stop panic attack is...stopping your fear! The cure is yourself. Only you can stop your own fear!
Remember this fact, panic attack can do you no real harm. This is a fact which most people don't realize. They think are they stuck with some deadly symptoms, which results in their irrational fear of having panic attack.
Their heart is racing and they think they are having a heart attack, but a racing thumping heart rate is not a sure sign of a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Just as chest pain during panic does not mean you are having a heart attack.
Shortness of breath is not a sure sign of suffocation. Dizziness is not a sure sign of an imminent faint.
Despite all these "deadly symptoms", what happens when panic attack subside eventually? Your will ALWAYS be fine. NOTHING will happen. No heart attack, no suffocation, no fainting, no dieing. This is the prove!
Despite everything your body symptoms are telling you, they will ALWAYS subside in time and on their own accord.
by Nomorepanicattack
Panic attack sufferers sometime believe that they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They can't predict when or where an attack will occur, and in between episodes, worry needlessly about when it will occur next.
People who have full-blown, repeated panic attacks can become very disabled by their condition. For example, if a panic attack happened in an elevator, someone with panic disorder may develop a fear of elevators that could affect the choice of a job or an apartment, and restrict where that person can seek medical attention or enjoy entertainment.
Some people's lives become so restricted that they avoid normal activities, such as grocery shopping or driving. About one-third become housebound or are able to confront a feared situation only when accompanied by a spouse or other trusted person.
This is unfortunate, because panic attack is one of the most treatable of all the anxiety disorders. In fact, the cure to panic attack is with you all along.
Yes, the secret to stop panic attack is...stopping your fear! The cure is yourself. Only you can stop your own fear!
Remember this fact, panic attack can do you no real harm. This is a fact which most people don't realize. They think are they stuck with some deadly symptoms, which results in their irrational fear of having panic attack.
Their heart is racing and they think they are having a heart attack, but a racing thumping heart rate is not a sure sign of a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Just as chest pain during panic does not mean you are having a heart attack.
Shortness of breath is not a sure sign of suffocation. Dizziness is not a sure sign of an imminent faint.
Despite all these "deadly symptoms", what happens when panic attack subside eventually? Your will ALWAYS be fine. NOTHING will happen. No heart attack, no suffocation, no fainting, no dieing. This is the prove!
Despite everything your body symptoms are telling you, they will ALWAYS subside in time and on their own accord.
by Nomorepanicattack
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Real And Permanent Cure For Social Phobia
I'm sure you've heard the news already: it's all over the blogosphere since BCC first broke the news. Yeah, this is about that nasal spray you sniff - and your social phobia is gone!
If you haven't heard about this "latest and greatest" social anxiety cure yet, let me regurgitate the news in brief. It all started when scientists from Zurich University found that people who inhaled the hormone called oxytocin continued to trust strangers even after they were cheated on. That discovery, they say, could lead to future treatments for social phobia. It didn't take long for a long-sales-letter type websites to appear selling the new wonder drug:
oxytocin.
It has been called "the love hormone", "the cuddle chemical", "the mind reading hormone" and "the trust drug".
And for a reason.
It's the chemical that makes you feel what you're feeling during an orgasm. It is also produced during labor and it's responsible for the unique and unbreakable mother-child bond. When your brain is releasing oxytocin, you feel loved, relaxed and more open to trust - not only friends and lovers, but also strangers.
The Zurich University's study has found that oxytocin has a very specific effect in social situations: it seems to diminish fears. Lead researcher Dr Thomas Baumgartner thinks that a lack of oxytocin is at least one of the causes for the fear experienced by social phobics.
Brain scans show that oxytocin can lower activity in the amygdala - a region of brain that is responsible for feelings of fear and apprehension - and which is overactive in social phobics. So, yes - it's true: a sniff of oxytocin could improve readiness to engage in social interactions for people who suffer from social anxiety disorder by simply making them less fearful.
Then again, there are other things you can sniff to increase your confidence in social situations... Lots and lots of people who don't have social phobia consume alcohol for the same reason.
The problem is, such substances are indiscriminate in their effects: uncritical trust can be just as damaging as irrational avoidance.
Will this new drug heal us or kill us...?
by Anita Bern
If you haven't heard about this "latest and greatest" social anxiety cure yet, let me regurgitate the news in brief. It all started when scientists from Zurich University found that people who inhaled the hormone called oxytocin continued to trust strangers even after they were cheated on. That discovery, they say, could lead to future treatments for social phobia. It didn't take long for a long-sales-letter type websites to appear selling the new wonder drug:
oxytocin.
It has been called "the love hormone", "the cuddle chemical", "the mind reading hormone" and "the trust drug".
And for a reason.
It's the chemical that makes you feel what you're feeling during an orgasm. It is also produced during labor and it's responsible for the unique and unbreakable mother-child bond. When your brain is releasing oxytocin, you feel loved, relaxed and more open to trust - not only friends and lovers, but also strangers.
The Zurich University's study has found that oxytocin has a very specific effect in social situations: it seems to diminish fears. Lead researcher Dr Thomas Baumgartner thinks that a lack of oxytocin is at least one of the causes for the fear experienced by social phobics.
Brain scans show that oxytocin can lower activity in the amygdala - a region of brain that is responsible for feelings of fear and apprehension - and which is overactive in social phobics. So, yes - it's true: a sniff of oxytocin could improve readiness to engage in social interactions for people who suffer from social anxiety disorder by simply making them less fearful.
Then again, there are other things you can sniff to increase your confidence in social situations... Lots and lots of people who don't have social phobia consume alcohol for the same reason.
The problem is, such substances are indiscriminate in their effects: uncritical trust can be just as damaging as irrational avoidance.
Will this new drug heal us or kill us...?
by Anita Bern
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