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Tag: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

  • Adult ADHD: What Non-Medication Options Are Available?

    It can be very frustrating coping with adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms.

    Those who suffer from ADHD are constantly on the lookout for treatment options to help bring their symptoms under control.

    Today a growing number of ADHD sufferers are looking for ways to treat the condition naturally as to avoid manufactured medications with potentially harmful effects on the mind and body.

    Is it possible to treat ADHD naturally? Experts seem to suggest that it is indeed possible to relieve symptoms through alternative methods.

    Exercise

    Did you know that getting regular exercise can improve your ability to think? Research has also shown that it eases the symptoms of adult ADHD.

    Exercise contributes to the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. One of these is the chemical dopamine, which is directly linked to attention and thought processing.

    Persons who suffer from ADHD are believed to have lower dopamine levels in the brain than the average person.

    The stimulating effects of regular exercise is believed to reduce adult ADHD symptoms significantly.

    Change In Diet

    You may take what you eat for granted as it relates to your adult ADHD.

    In actuality, your diet can have a HUGE impact on symptoms.

    For instance, it’s believed that adults and children who suffer from ADHD can benefit from a diet with plenty of protein.

    Protein-rich foods (lean beef, eggs, nuts, dairy, etc.) are used by the body to create neurotransmitters. Protein can also help the prevention of blood sugar spikes-a contributing factor to hyperactivity.

    It’s important to carefully consider what foods you eat and how they affect your body and behavior.

    Get Organized

    The time used to plan and organize can apparently help reduce one’s inability to concentrate and the sensation of scattered energy.

    Take the time to create a daily “to-do” list and plan of action.

    Be sure to focus on ONE ACTIVITY AT A TIME as multitasking is bad for concentration and effectiveness.

    Seek Therapy

    In addition to medication, therapy can be a very important aspect of ADHD treatment.

    However, therapy must be more than simply sitting in a doctor’s office talking.

    Those with ADHD are said to need both practical and concrete help.

    Therapeutic options are meant to help adults diagnosed with the disorder improve their ability to function and stay on task.

    Psychosocial treatment options can help ADHD suffers get organized, eliminate harmful habits, and rid themselves of years of self doubt.

    Although medication is still viewed as essential to ADHD treatment, these represent at few additional steps that can greatly ease symptoms in those who have this disorder.

  • ADHD Linked to Air Pollution, Research Suggests

    A new study conducted by Columbia University has linked Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with air pollution in densely populated areas of New York City.

    The research was gathered by the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, and has revealed a possible link between PAH, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and children developing ADHD.

    PAH are urban air pollutants emitted from diesel trucks and buses, oil-based heaters and power plants. The study suggests that prenatal exposure to PAH can lead to behavioral problems associated with ADHD at age nine, and those that exposed to pollutants are more likely to develop symptoms.

    Between 1998 and 2006, Columbia researchers monitored 233 nonsmoking pregnant women. Blood samples from the umbilical cords were taken after delivery, and the children were assessed for signs of ADHD annually. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, disruptive behavior and impulsivity

    Regarding PAH, Dr. Frederica Perera, Director of Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, commented, “All of these sources are very common in urban areas and we were concerned about learning more about what those effects might be.”

    Perera added, “Children of mothers who were exposed to high levels of PAH during pregnancy had five times the odds of having an increased number and degree of behavioral problems.”

    Here is a small documentary on ADHD:

    The study was focused around the Washington Heights area of Manhattan, where pollution is known to be rampant. African American and Dominican mothers and their children were primarily assessed.

    The Columbia research team remarked that more research is needed to fully understand how pollutants affect the onset of ADHD. “This is the first study that has looked at this particular class of pollutants,” Perera commented.

    Likewise, ADHD itself can be difficult to diagnose, as it is hard to define where normal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity end, and where significant levels requiring treatment begin.

  • Adult ADHD Diagnosis on the Rise

    Earlier this month, the pharmacy management company Express Scripts released an ADHD study with surprising numbers and implications for adults. According to the researchers at Express Scripts, ADHD medication prescriptions have increased 35.5 percent from 2008 to 2012 for those with private insurance, with the total number of privately-insured users of ADHD medication topping out at 4.8 million in 2012.

    Of those 4.8 million, 2.6 million are adults – a quite startling increase from 2008, in which 1.7 million adults were diagnosed and medicated for ADHD. Even more surprising was the increase in use of ADHD medication from females ages 26 to 34, a group which experienced an 85 percent increase during the four year time period.

    The report notes that the huge surge in females using ADHD medication perhaps results from missed diagnoses when females are young, mainly due to displaying different, less noticeable symptoms than their male counterparts: “Since females tend to present the inattentive form of ADHD and do not display disruptive behavior in school, their symptoms may be overlooked in childhood. As they age, they may become more aware of their symptoms and consult their physician.”

    This new-found awareness most likely stems from the fact that the symptoms of ADHD are much better publicized and treatable, with the diagnosis of ADHD in children becoming more and more commonplace: “What commonly brings someone in is they see their child being evaluated and recognize symptoms in themselves,” stated Dr. Len Adler, the director of adult ADHD at New York University’s School of Medicine.

    While doctors are prescribing ADHD medication to more and more adults, there are those in the medical community who express concerns about this high-level of medication, such as Dr. Claudia M. Gold:

    “I have concerns about this trend of diagnosing and treating ADHD, particularly in this population of young mothers. If we label this behavior as a disorder and prescribe a pill, we are not placing responsibility (blame) squarely on the mother? Do we not have a responsibility as a society to care for mothers to support their efforts to care for the next generation? Will the motivation to find more creative solutions, such as flexible parental leave, and valuing of self-care (the airlines recognize this need in the instruction to adjust your own oxygen mask before your children’s) be lost?”

    Dr. Gold’s primary worry is that the high rise in prescriptions for women ages 26 to 34 represents a simple increase in the stress in adult lives, especially for women trying to juggle the stresses created by holding full-time job, raising children, and taking care of the majority of household tasks.

    Dr. David Muzina, vice president of specialist practice at Express Scripts, also expressed concerns about the rising number of adults being prescribed ADHD medication, holding doubts about correlation versus causation: “The part that we are concerned about is how much of this drug use is related to over-diagnosis and over-treatment of symptoms that aren’t really a condition.”

    With 2012 profits near $9 billion for stimulant medications, up nearly $7 billion from one decade ago, Big Pharma and other corporations may be to blame. Considering the majority of Americans will be insured this year following the Affordable Care Act mandate, perhaps the causal reason as to the increase in ADHD diagnoses will be determined soon.

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