Hi. My 7 year old son was diagnosed with inattentive type ADD in December. His case is not that severe. His main problem is staying focused and controlling himself in the absence of structure. For instance, whenever they have a special day at school that deviates from the norm (i.e. sports day when they get to wear their sports uniform), he acts out--gets very silly and can't seem to calm himself down. He also gets like this at home when we have company over.

His grades are very good--granted he is only in first grade. But he reads above his grade level and gets the highest marks in math, science and social studies. His trouble area is gym class, not because he isn't coordinated but because of the lack of structure. He is in Tae Kwon Do outside of school and does quite well--I'm sure because of the structure.

So here's my dilema---I don't want to medicate him. I've read about the side affects of some of these medications and they terrify me. Not to mention the risk of weight loss (loss of appetite) and lack of sleep. He is already very thin and needs a lot of sleep. I would like to try homeopathy and have read and heard that many people have had great success with this. On the other hand, there are some very strong opinions out there that this is a bunch of bull and not worth the time and money. So what is the harm in trying? The first appointment (a two hour eval) is $150 which does not include the cost of whatever homeopathic meds he recommends. Then it's $50 a month until his services are no longer needed. Money is tight in our home right now and that is a lot for us. Of course, we're willing to spend it if we think it will help our son. But I just don't know what to believe! The more I read, the more confused I get. Last week, I was convinced that homeopathy was the answer for us. This week, I'm tempted to cancel our appointment for Wednesday. I know there are no guarantees for anything, but if anyone has some advice for a very confused, frustrated and concerned Mom, I would appreciate it! Thank you!!

Have you thought about adding some structure to those unstructured times? Maybe have that put into his IEP or 504 plan at school?

Why don't you check out Daniel Amen's book Healing ADD. He discusses supplements that you can buy as well as discussing medication. He also discusses strategies for working with your child, exercise, diet and so forth.

Check out www.addwarehouse.com (http://www.addwarehouse.com) for lot of helpful books on ADD and related subjects.
The evidence just isn't there is support homeopathy working as effectively as medication and it is expensive.

I've got an ADHD daughter who is eight, so I know the medication decision isn't easy. Right now we're homeschooling, but when she enters regular school I think she may well need meds to make it. I take Concerta myself, so I'm probably less scared of them for that reason -- they've helped me tremendously when the other things (diet, exercise and such) didn't help enough. Sometimes you can adjust the environment enough to get by without them, other times you can't. Overall though the track record for the safety of ADHD medication is pretty good.

Scattered

After talking with my chiropractor and a special ed teacher, I have decided to keep our appointment with the homeopathic doctor. I rescheduled it to next week though because we have a lot going on this week. The chiropractor said to stay away from the meds, which I knew he would say--he's never been pro-meds in the 10+ years I've been going to him. The special ed teacher surprised me a little. She said that in her opinion, 7 is too young for meds and to try natural approaches first. She said 9 would be the minimal age she would recommend starting meds. She also said to steer clear of an IEP because once he's in special ed, he may never get out, and in his case, it may not be necessary. His grades are excellent and there is no real reason to put him in special ed. Keep in mind that I don't know this person very well--she's the sister-in-law of my best friend, and she doesn't know my son nor does she work at his school. But she seemed to have a genuine concern and knowledge in this area.

At any rate, I'm still not sure about homeopathy, but I'm going to try it with him.

The chiropractor is out of his field.

Simply put, if a child really /truly has ADHD, then medication management has been proven to be a safe and effective first line treatment.

The US Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health : Chpter 3 (Disorders of Infnacy, Childhood & Adolescence) has excellent background info; going all the way back to the first research study on what we now call ADHD, in 1902.

It also has background info on the first medication study, which was in 1937.

I have a good friend who's a chiropractor. Whenever my back bothers me from weightlifting, I go see him.

He does a great job on my back. My whole family has seen him as well.

I wouldn't hesitate to go see him, BUT NOT FOR ADHD.

ADVANCED KINESIOLOGY HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN TO WORK FOR ADHD.

That's been true for many years.

Taking Charge of ADHD, Revised Edition (2002) and The ADHD Handbook : Third Edition (2005) both by Russell Barkley,are my references.

In truth, any mainstream ADHD book should have info on "Alternative treatments" and how they have not been proven to work.

I wish you luck.

I also hope that you can follow up on these (and other references, like Tom Brown's new book), in order to look for yourself.

tc
mctavish23 (Robert)