Chiropractics for ADHD??

It will NOT "cure" it. The same way one doesn't cure giftedness, or genius, or blue eyes, or musical talent, or , or, or. It's just our brains, and how we absorb, process, and store info. I'm thankful each and every day I'm adhd-c. It is SUCH an amazing gift.

That said... lots of things HELP adhd, and lots of things HURT (standard k12 schooling brings out each and every single downside.... aargh. Nothing could be better designed to be worse for us).

ADHD comes along with sensory "schtuff". Just does. It's that absorbing and processing info. One reason why nearly all of us use music to tune out the world when we need to concentrate, and why water is generally sooooo calming. If I could get a massage each and every day, or even twice a day, I would in a heartbeat. Yummy, happy, sensory calming massage.

Part of the way *my* (and many others, but certainly not all) adhd manifests is that I'm aware of my body at all times. Not where it is in space (I'm a klutz unless I'm in a sport, then all that info coming in means I excel at my chosen sports easier than breathing), but actually *what is happening* with my body. I can (all the time) feel my heart beat my blood out to about 12-18 inches in all directions. I know *exactly* which muscles are doing what (from my eyelids to the layers of muscle over my back, to my toes... ALL of my muscles, all the time), I can feel my tendons and ligaments sliding on my bones, I can feel all the various *internal* temps -in addition to external temp/humidity/air movement on my skin, I can feel all my hair folicles on my scalp, and I can feel each prickle as the hairs go back through my skin after I've shave. The list goes on. Most of the time it's just sort of like background music. I'm aware of it, but it doesn't drive me nuts. (Ditto the outside world; light change, movement, temp, the way my feet feel inside my socks and shoes, my body in my clothes, sounds, sights, smells, tastes, etc... it's always on... all the time.)

As a CHILD however, I couldn't just "set" the world on "background". And as an adult, I can't if I'm sick or injured. When you can feel each and every single vertebre even when nothing is wrong with them... the LIST of what's wrong when there IS, is huge. It's not just that something "hurts". It's a 10 or 15 symptom description. When I'm injured as an adult it takes about half of my energy just to ignore the pain. Meaning if I usually go to bed at 2am, I want to go to bed at 5pm. As a child, I couldn't do that. It's like trying to concentrate while someone is pulling your hair, or tickling you... or the drip of water that just keeps landing on your forehead. (depending on how "bad" the injury is.

So *can* chiropractors help? Absolutely. If they're *GOOD*, and really, really understand not just adult, but child anatomy. It's not that they're helping the adhd at all... it's just that by taking things that are out of alignment, they're taking away distractions.

You know, chiropractors can really help on so many fronts. I wouldn't be surprised. Is ADHD a neuro issue? I am not sure as I have not dealt with it personally. If so, I would definitely give it a try. What do you have to lose if it will help? (I guess money...) Chiros can help with a whole host of issues. Everything stems from your nervous system as it feeds your organs. If a nerve is pinched or compromised in some way, the system is unable to function properly. I have a friend whose arm was shaking for 14 months-non-stop. It was violently shaking. She had to wear a sling to control it. It only stopped if she was asleep (usually). The doctors couldn't figure it out. They tried diet, all sorts of things. Her chiropractor figured it out. She had a nerve in her jawline that was compromised. He opened up that path, and her arm stopped shaking. I am just telling you this story to show that they can do more than just relieve headaches and backaches. They work on your structure, your entire nervous system. I hope you can find a good help for your daughter, even if it isn't through chiropractic care. You might ask for a referal of an actual patient who was helped.

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Wouldn't hurt to try it, right?
I know it is different, but, I tried it for my toddler for his ear infections. I was a skeptic, but, I was able to avoid tubes and another surgery for my son.
I agree with trying for a free adjustment as suggested below. Most likely though, she would need 2 or 3 visits, then, maybe just a monthly maintenance. Everything is connected through the spine up to the brain, so, I would not be surprised if it would help.
Why not? If it could possibly help your daughter?
If it were me, I would try ANYTHING to help my kids. Especially knowing that it is not going to hurt her. What harm could it do?

Here are a few links I found for folks talking about this:
http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=18534
http://www.additudemag.com/addnews/61/5319.html
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/chiro.htm
http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/ADD.shtml

My opinion; Chiropractors think they can heal anything??? I stopped going to mine when he started pestering me to bring in my daughter for adjustments for her ADHD and when I asked how it worked he couldn't tell me. He also tried to tell me that he could "cure her dyslexia" Yeah right!!!

My chiropractor adjusts kids for just what the insurance pays, or for free. But yes I have seen studies and kids that it has helped with ADHD, bed wetting, ear infections, allergies, asthma, illness, etc. Worth a try! My kids have been adjusted since day one. Good luck!

Oh boy. If this were a real benefit, we would all be sent there by our developmental pediatricians and child psychiatrists. They have no reason to limit who they send our kids to for treatment, they send us to behavioral therapists, neurologists, speech therapists, OT's physical therapists, vision specialists, play therapists, social skills class leaders, pharmacists, and the list goes on, why not dieticians and chiropractors? Unless you buy the conspiracy that they dont because that would "cure" them and the managing doc would lose business (ahem...really?) then I would keep the money in my pocket to pay for a little more OT, or an extra social skills class. They actually help!

M.

Chiropractic can absolutely help to balance chemicals. My husband had a patient years ago that suffered from depression but didn't share that information at first. After a couple of months she asked him if chiropractic could help balance her hormones because she had been feeling so amazing lately and the answer is yes! In many cases there is a really strong stereotype about chiropractic and it would be a great thing to research for yourself. I commend your husband for being open enough to try something new and further research can be done at www.mercola.com. Simply put in a search for ADHD and see what research you can find. Another step... go see the chiropractor for yourself and ask the right questions-get educated. You'll see many responses to your question and there will be many people who are uneducated about chiropractic and will tell you it's not beneficial. Get the facts for yourself!

PS-You might be amazed how well chiropractors can adjust little patients.☺

...If she is so convinced it will help her, see if you can get a free "sample..." (especially since it seems like your husband is a fairly regular customer...) If she agrees and you see results, great! If she won't agree, then she's probably just trying for extra business.