It’s easy to love your kids. It’s much harder to talk with them. Watching the Connect with Kids programs takes the pressure off.

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Emily Halevy | CWK Producer

Brody Bowen was diagnosed with ADHD when he was five.

“Whenever I got mad I started throwing stuff around and I got really angry,” he remembers.

“I thought, ADHD - not so bad, I’ll give him a pill, he’ll be fine,” says his mom, Joyce.  “We’ll all move forward,”

Over the next year, Brody tried three different medications.  All three produced side effects, and none of them really worked.  They decided to try something else: neurofeedback, using video games that teach the brain to focus and concentrate.

In one game, called “glider,” the goal is to keep an eagle on a video screen flying up in the air.  As Brody concentrates, the bird flies higher.  But if Brody talks to someone, or looks away and loses focus, the eagle starts to drift down.

Dr. James Sendelbach, who uses neurofeedback in his practice, explains, “Your brain learns what to do,” he says, “what it is, what it feels like to be concentrating, what it feels like to be focused.  And so that’s the skill that gets carried out of the laboratory or the home environment - into all the other situations.”

Brody has 40-minute neurofeedback sessions, twice a week. Experts compare the regimen to weight training.  “You just don’t achieve results in one session,” explains Sendelbach.  “You have to develop, over a period of time, some stamina and you have to develop consistency - which is essential. And once you do that, you get results.”

Over the course of nine months, Brody’s behavior and his grades are better.  And he no longer needs medication.  “I would never use the word cured,” his mom says, “Does he exhibit the symptoms of ADHD in the continuum that he would be tagged ADHD?  No.  He’s just better.”

As Dr. Sendelbach explains, “Medication can change it on a temporary basis.  What neurofeedback does is change it on a permanent basis.”

Tips for Parents

Many parents turn to alternative treatments, such as herbal supplements, to help their children cope with various illnesses. But are all herbal medicines safe for consumption? Not necessarily, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Unlike prescription medicines, herbal products don’t have to be tested before they’re sold to prove that they work well and are safe. In addition, herbal products may not be pure – they might have other ingredients in them, like plant pollen, which could make you or your child sick. In addition, herbal medicines can have side effects similar to prescription drugs. The Harvard Medical School cites the following possible side effects from taking Echinacea, a common alternative medication used to treat the common cold as well as ADHD:

• Stomach discomfort and nausea
• Skin rashes
• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Muscle aches

Other herbal supplements used to treat ADHD include ginkgo biloba and ginseng.  Parents are also turning to vitamin supplements including Omega-3 fatty acids.  Dieticians recommend a two-to-one ratio of Omega-3 acids to Omega-6 acids.  This can be accomplished by eating more of the following foods, which are rich in Omega-3:

• Marine sources – Atlantic salmon and other fatty, preferably cold-water fish, including herring (both Atlantic and Pacific), sardines, Atlantic halibut, bluefish, tuna and Atlantic mackerel. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat tuna or salmon at least twice a week. As a reasonable substitute (or even an occasional alternative) for fresh fish, commercial fish oil capsules are available containing Omega-3s such as DHA and EPA.
• Wild game – Surprisingly, venison and buffalo are both good sources of Omega-3s and make a healthy choice for people craving meat. These wild game meats can be purchased through mail-order sources if your supermarket doesn't carry them.
• Plant sources – Canola oil, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, walnuts and leafy green vegetables such as purslane are good sources of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), the plant-based Omega-3. A quarter-cup (one ounce) of walnuts supplies about two grams of plant-based Omega-3 fatty acids, slightly more than is found in three ounces of salmon.
• Enhanced food – In the United States, these include Omega-3 enriched eggs; breads are sometimes enhanced in other countries.

Since the dosing and safety of many alternative medications have not been studied thoroughly in children, it is important to discuss doses with your child’s healthcare provider before administering the medication. If you are thinking about using herbal supplements for your child, consider the following advice from the Mayo Clinic:

• Educate yourself about the herbal products you intend for your child to use – Herbal products have active ingredients that can affect how the body functions in the same way as over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs. Also, pay attention to the recommended dosages and don’t exceed them.
• Tell your doctor what your child is taking – Some herbs have a toxic effect when mixed with other prescription and OTC drugs. Be sure your child doesn’t have an underlying medical condition for which proven medical treatment is already available.
• Keep track of what your child takes – Make sure your child only takes one type of supplement at a time. Make a note of what he or she takes, how much, and how it affects him or her. Does it do what it claims? Does your child experience any side effects, such as drowsiness, sleeplessness, headache or nausea?
• Read the label for content – Not all brands are of the same quality. Look for the letters USP (United States Pharmacopeia) or NF (National Formulary) as an indicator that the supplement’s manufacturer abided by the standards set by the testing organization, the United States Pharmacopeia. The USP designation means that the herb has an approved use and was manufactured according to certain standards. The NF designation means that the herb does not have a USP-approved use but has been produced according to the same standards of quality and purity.
• Don’t expect immediate results – Read the label to find out how long your child must take an herb before you can expect it to work. This will vary depending on the herb.
• Be extremely cautious about giving your child herbs manufactured or purchased outside the United States – On one hand, many European herbs are highly regulated and standardized. On the other hand, toxic ingredients – including lead, mercury and arsenic – as well as prescription drugs, such as prednisone, have been found in some herbal supplements manufactured in other countries, particularly China and India.

References

• American Academy of Family Physicians
• Harvard Medical School
• Mayo Clinic
• The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
• Children and Adults with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

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