Customer Reviews

ADHD Alternatives: A Natural Approach to Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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In a world that believes in taking a pill for every thing that ills you, it is nice to have a resource that looks at the whole child. Both my son's counselor and psychologist were very impressed with this book.

As someone with a PhD in sociology who is keenly aware of over-labeling and medicalization AND the daughter of a nutritionist who is not averse to alternative remedies, I found this book to be misleading and potentially dangerous. First of all, herbal remedies are still MEDICINES and have chemical effects and natural does not equal safe. Rather than a balanced approach that recognizes that SOME children do have ADHD, an actual neurological condiition, this book uses ANECDOTAL evidence (which in by book is not REAL EVIDENCE to further their own agenda. I was looking for helpful advice about nutrition and alternatives to use perhaps in conjunction with medication. There are now actually quite advanced diagnostic techniques (and MRI research) that demonstrate the differences between ADHD brain and high energy children within the standard deviations for normative behaviors.I might try some things, like the herbal pillow but too much of the tone is difficult to get past. That said, I would love a thoughtful book that talks about nutrition, yoga, etc. that could be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to conventional drug therapy. This isn't it.

I bought this book the day before writing this. I was very disappointed because it's written from the perspective of two people, one a teacher of ADHD kids and the other an herbalist who are not parents or have ADHD themselves-so how would they know? They don't. As a ADHD person with a ADHD kid whose father has it too, I have enough blame placed upon me without reading a book that says my child needs more hugs, that we need to cut off the t.v.-she's too hyper to watch it, and that both parents and teachers have failed ADHD kids. It's a case of people thinking they know what is wrong with ADHD kids without truly knowing. My daughter has a double dose and has always been a handful since she was one. They are saying that parents shouldn't take the words of the teachers and parents shouldn't want their kids labeled. Most parents are like me, have been dragging their kids to the peditrician since they were very young begging for someone to listen. I didn't need a teacher to confirm what I knew along time ago. I am though trying the natural approach to ADHD and it works 70 to 80% of the time. I am still working on the right combination though. From the point of view of an herbal approach to ADHD, I appreciate it for giving even more choices than I had, but from the point of view of understanding ADHD, they have not a clue!

It is clear that the authors of this book question labeling what they consider normal childhood behavior with a mental illness. If you are the parent of an ADHD child, their stance is insulting. ADHD is a physiological disorder disrupting executive functioning in the prefrontal cortex of the brain - brain scans have been done to show the underarousal in ADHD patients in these very areas of the brain. ADHD is being increasingly diagnosed because as a society we are increasingly requiring children to unnaturally sit at attention for longer and longer periods of time - 100 years ago, children did not sit at desks all day long. I encourage alternative treatments to the disorder - many random controlled trials have been done on homeopathy, essential oils, biofeedback etc. But this is a real disorder - all you need is to live with a child who has it to understand.

I would probably recommend this book to a parent with this problem.
With that out of the way!
I have not had the chance to go to the health food store. Although recipes sound promising haven't tried it yet looking forward to it. not complete the impressed by the rest of the book's content. I don't believe the writer of the book ever had an ADHD child. Some other ideas may work for your child I don't think they will in my case.