kat721 - Alternative Medicine Message Board

susgan · 03-19-2003, 06:19 PM

How does coffee help with ADD symptoms? I was under the impression that although the meds. are actually a stimulant it worked just the opposite. As to settle the child down along with improving their attention?

I guess I feel that giving my son coffee would just get him all that much more hyper, which is what we don't need.

Have I been misinformed? I was told that if a person that was not ADD/ADHD took one of his stimulants it would make them seem like they had had 3 pots of coffee?

Can you clarify this for me?

Thanks,

Susan

kat721 · 03-21-2003, 12:25 PM

Post>>I was told that if a person that was not ADD/ADHD took one of his stimulants it would make them seem like they had had 3 pots of coffee? <<

Yes, that is true. My ADHD child was tried on 3 different types of medications for his condition.

Ritalin
Cylert
and Dextroamphetamine sulfate

He had trouble with all the medications so getting substance and dosing right was a huge challenge.
What the medication did do, was allow him to focus enough to begin to learn ways to control his own energy.
He took both Martial Arts and Yoga while he was on the run of meds to learn how to best work with his erratic energy.
That added with music really began to make a turn around for him.
He also did ceramics which was relaxing time for him.
He got foot reflexology regularly, massage for realignment, visits to the chiropractor, accupuncture and a whole bunch of other stuff because that is basically how I've always lived life.
I am of the belief that traditional medicine was really meant as a companion to the holistic modalities if one is truly looking for a long lasting structure for balance.
The whole thing with these kids is that their brains are going so fast that then can't get a breath in to figure out how things roll out of control.
So for my son, even though he had trouble with the meds, he was definatly helped by the brain intervention. And then we buddied up therapies with alternative therapies and worked out of chemical dependency from there.
I remember the first week they put him on medication that I was actually able to take him shoe shopping with out a trauma and he was able to figure out what he liked and didn't like with out collapsing in a crying frustration fit because his little brain was overstimulated. So I can't say that the meds were all bad. Beats having to go from one emotional trauma to another creating horribly damaging emotional experiences for the child and the parent.
When a child is so far out of balance the scenes and emotion and frustration are not good for anyone.
In view of that reality some of us live through, getting medicine intervention is much more preferable to trauma.
So, as has been stated, a person with the ADD/ADHD
problem will experience stimulents differently than the person who does not have the internal wiring that creates the ADD/ADHD condition in the first place.
And the stimulent it is compared to is coffee so it's a fair guess that the right amount of coffee would work similarly as an amphetamine.
The key that we finally figured out was in coffee strength and dosing.
Too much coffee just made him wild. The right amount of coffee made him focused.

Towards the bottom you will find a bit of info on coffee.
My child is not lacto intolerant so blending non fat milk with the coffee was never a problem for him.
I no longer remember the exact measure we figured out.
It's been over 20 years and one does tend to forget.
Keep us posted on your childs progress.
It's a subject near and dear to my heart.
kat

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[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 03-21-2003).]

susgan · 03-21-2003, 12:57 PM

Thanks for the reply. I wiil look up that info. I am very curious.

Just a quick update....My son, since being taken off the meds. and put on Ginkgo, and fish oil daily he has passed 2 s.s tests, and an algebra class...all 3 with c's. I wanted to tell everyone I seen, but for most celebrating a "c" for them is to hard to understand. And for me exhausting to explain why I amso excited and how long it took us to get here. He is so much happier, he is getting his confidence back again. Plus we will hopefully be starting "vision therapy" soon. Not a quick fix, but at least a beginning.

Thanks again,

Susan

Tyler's Mom · 03-21-2003, 01:09 PM

SUSGAN - I am really interested in the fish oil fo adhd. How long has your child been on fish oil, how much do you give? When were you able to tell a difference? I have heard that you can give too much, what S&S do yo look for? What does the ginko do?

My son is on Strattera now which is much better for him that the stimulant meds but I don't think it works quite as well as the stinulants. I would like to add fish oil but I am in the research process now.

Anything you can tell me would be really appreciated.

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susgan · 03-21-2003, 05:41 PM

to be honest this is all trial & error for us at this stage again. I have heard that a 1000 mg./day is okay. I also asked at the health store and they said that should be okay. We have not seen any side effects and he did come home tonight with, as he put it "a butt load of homework!" Sorry, but he is just so happy these days that I had to quote him.

The ginkgo biloba is for mental alertness. We try to get 3/day to be effective. I have a store in town that is unique. Very low prices, but NO major brnads. A loaf of white bread cost .39 cents. They offer it there at about 3.99/60 pills. I did buy some at the health store and he has had upset stomach on those, so we stopped. An 11.00 mistake. Who says more money means better

The combination seems to be working. He even passed his algebra test with a "c". This is big news....trust me. Back to the "homework" on a friday night....he got right to it knowing he had so much!

I guess I read alot of other post that had experience with the fish oil (omega-3) and went by their recommendations.

Good luck.

Susan