Diet and Other Non-drug Options for Hyperactivity

Absolutely this approach has been shown to work. Take a look at Dr. M. Ann Block's website: www.blockcenter.com
She's located in the Hurst/Bedford area so is a bit of a drive for you but she's one of the topic experts in this area (nationally and internationally), so we are very, very lucky to have her in our area. She has written a book that is a self-help guide for parents to follow just this approach. I met with her and she absolutely amazed at how few parents are willing to take this approach. She herself got into medicine when her daughter was made very ill by Rx drugs - she knew there had to be a better way.

Also, there is research that shows the impact of the ADD/ADHD drugs on physical growth and most recently, they've realized the brain growth is slowed. Thus, these poor kids are on track to have issues for a very long time.

There is a video on Dr. Block's website that shows a boy's reaction when he's given something he's allergic to. You can watch as his behavior goes from calm (and handwriting legible) to being totally out of control.

My two sons are on a GF/CF diet and we have removed all articial colorings, preservative, etc. and it has made a huge difference with behavior issues. Older one had many Asperger's symptoms and younger one had the ADD/ADHD. Also, I follow this diet and have found the recommended supplements to be extremely helpful. As these problems are often genetic.

You can test for the gluten and dairy issues using enterolab: www.enterolab.com

Good Luck!

I don't have any experience with this, but have heard and reserached some that diet changes can help tremendously. One book I've read is Dr. Fuhrman's "Disease Proof Your Child". It has some great information on how diet can make all the difference in the world. You can find it on amazon.com or barnes and noble. My brother was put on medication for ADD and, of course being just the sister, I didn't really have any input on it. I guess it did what it was supposed to do as long as he took it, but his personality did change when he was on it. When he got older, he would just hide it from my mom instead of taking the pills. So, not really a fix after all! He's getting better now that he's maturing, but it was a tough road for my family trying to get him through high school!

Good luck - there is a ton of info on the web and in books about diet changes being the way to go. Best wishes!

Hello C.,

Kudos to you for looking for alternatives to Rx drugs. is he taking any other medication that may be affecting his behavior? have you ruled out any food allergies/intolerances? For example, my son cannot tolerate high fructose corn syrup and it's in everthing from drinks, cookies, jello, ice cream, yogurt to even whole wheat bread. By the way, target has bread w/ no HFCS and also dinner rolls HFCS-free but you have to read the ingredients of the dinner rolls because they make 2 identical dinner rolls...one with and another without HFCS and the only way to tell them appart is by reading the ingredients.

Another example, my daughter's allergy meds make her very moody, sensitive and she'll scream or cry at the drop of a hat. (also a few years back she took singulair for about a month and that also changed her behavior)

start by keeping a detailed food diary (date and time -and brand-- of what he eats) keep in mind that some "symptoms" may not show up to 24-36 hours later. Get ready to read every label every time.

at sprouts you can get products from Herbs for Kids -- Valerian calm or chamomile calm. you can add 1 - 2 droppers to juice/choc. milk, etc. in the morning and it can make a big difference (drop anxiety levels).

food colorings can also affect behavior. to the point that in England they're about to ban using certain food colors.

even ingredients in their vitamins can affect behavior. when my son was almost 2 we went out of town and I forgot his vitamins (twinn labs infant vitamins - liquid) so I bought another brand (well known baby food maker brand) and what a change! he walked around w/ an angry look on his face. started writing on walls and even hit me! (all within a couple of days) then I figured it out and stopped those vitamins. no problem since (until I figured out the high fructose corn syrup issue, of course). I hope this gives you an idea of things to look for that may be affecting him.

switch to organic milk --avoid extra hormones given to cows in order to increase milk production.

chiropractic care. Has he ever been to a chiropractor? that can help too. if the neck curvature is not how it should be, can also affect with "anger" issues.

well, this message got a bit long. I hope it helps.
Just a couple more recommendations: pray, google everything, follow your gut and don't stop looking until you have an answer. ~C.~

I have no experience with this personally...no information or expertise to pass along. But when I was teaching middle school, some of my parents swore by gluten-free diets. I suppose it is an option worth researching.