A recent survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of 17,000 parents reported that 7.5% of children ages 6-17 are taking medications for emotional or behavioral difficulties. 80% of those taking medication have been diagnosed with ADHD. Furthermore, The Centers for Disease Control reported that 10,000 toddlers have been diagnosed as hyperactive and been prescribed amphetamine-based drugs like Adderall. Dr. Lawrence H. Diller, a behavioral pediatrician who was interviewed
for a CNN news report on this issue said “There's no evidence that it works. There's no evidence that it's safe. These are desperate measures.” Side effects of these medications include stunted growth, insomnia and loss of appetite even in older children.
So what is a parent to do when faced with a child exhibiting the tell-tale signs ADHD? Difficulty paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors and being overly active can cause trouble at school and stress in the home. Parents face incredible pressure to use medication. Some turn to nature methods like diet adjustment, herbal and supplement support or changes in school environment. Those who are interested in a natural, gentle and alternative method need to look at what homeopathy has to offer.
Homeopathy is a system of natural medicine over 200 years old that uses substances from nature made into homeopathic remedies in FDA regulated pharmacies to address issues of concern. Emotional difficulties, hyperactivity and attention troubles are all within the scope and practice of homeopathy and its application is shown to have incredibly positive results without harsh or irreversible side effects.
One study conducted by the Universities of Alberta and Toronto showed that 63% of participants had a significantly significant improvement with homeopathy. An additional study published in the Brittish Homeopathic Journal showed that 75% of participants responded positively in 3 months.
Homeopathic philosophy holds that symptoms being experienced by a person are merely an imbalance in the energetic system and the application of a homeopathic remedy helps stimulate the body to heal itself to release from these stuck patterns. Many homeopathic products exist on the market towards symptom relief of ADHD symptoms, but Homeopathy works most effectively when applied on the most individual level with a professional Homeopath. While traditional models of treating ADHD look at the similarities of children with ADHD, the Homeopath will look for what is unique to each case. This individualization allows for the most effective results, restoring balance and calm to the entire system
Studies and statistics aside, there is imbalance in someone suffering from ADHD and very real consequences and stress put on the family unit.
I have seen mostly success in applying homeopathy for ADHD. One of my clients wrote about her son's healing:
My youngest son is now 17 and was diagnosed with ADHD after 1st grade. At the time he was impulsive, loud and fidgety. Based on the issues this was causing in school, we decided to put him on medication at the beginning of 2nd grade. The medication did work but with side effects including appetite and weight loss, digestion difficulties, sleep issues and headaches. Two years after starting he told us he could no longer taste food and begged us to take him off the medication. At this time I began looking for alternatives and discovered homeopathy. We visited a homeopath and started our son on a homeopathic remedy tailored to his individual needs. One nice aspect of working with homeopathy is that we could have chosen to continue using his medication in addition to the remedy, but we chose to discontinue. One of the things that surprised me was how other healing was also taking place. First his digestion and constipation issues went away. Next his anxiety and fear that something was going to happen to his parents dissipated. Over the course of using the homeopathic remedies his attention and ability to stay on task has increased. Another skill he gained in the process was learning to recognize when his system is out of balance and needs a boost. Today we do not even consider him as having an ADHD diagnosis. We are so pleased we chose homeopathy as the course for our son.