A Holistic Guide to Natural ADHD Treatments That Work
If your energetic child was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you probably have some reservations about jumping right to prescription stimulants. Medicating kids should never be the first option.
The great news is there are tons of effective natural remedies for ADHD that can help transform your child’s ability to focus without side effects. As a mom myself, I know it takes some trial and error, but being patient and consistent with lifestyle changes, herbal supports, essential oils, nutrition, and behavior training allows many kids to thrive without meds.
Table of Contents
In this completely holistic guide, we’ll dig into all the natural options moms should try before considering prescription pharmaceuticals for ADHD. I’ll share the tips and treatments that have worked wonders for my patients and my own spirited kiddos. With the right natural plan, you can help both children and adults struggling with attention and hyperactivity find focus.
Start with Diet: The #1 Natural Fix
Above anything else, what your child eats can make or break their ADHD symptoms. Nutrition lays the foundation. Try these dietary tweaks:
Eliminate Artificial Additives:
Synthetic food dyes, sodium benzoate, and other additives trigger behavioral issues in sensitive kids. Ban brightly colored cereals, fruit snacks, colored juices, soda – anything with Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, etc. Read every label. Processed foods almost always contain culprits.
Remove Common Allergy Foods:
Up to 20% of ADHD kids have sensitivities to things like gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, and corn. Try eliminating suspect foods for 2-3 weeks, then reintroduce them one at a time. Watch for changes in focus, mood, tantrums, sleep, etc., that may indicate a reaction. These foods also spark inflammation, which is shown to affect the brain and behavior.
Load Up on Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods:
Trade delicate carbs and sugars for proteins, healthful fats, fiber, and antioxidants. Emphasize brightly colored greens, leafy vegetables , end result low in sugar, grass-fed meats, wild-stuck fish, nuts and seeds, eggs, beans, lentils, complete-fats dairy if tolerated, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, and many others. Nutrients like zinc, magnesium, omega-3s, protein, and iron support mind characteristics.
Consider a Specialized Diet:
Some parents find dramatic improvements from specialized diets like the Feingold Diet (removing salicylates and phenols), the 30-Day ADHD Diet, the Elimination Diet, or going gluten/casein-free. Work with a nutritionist if interested.
Remember—there is no one-size-fits-all diet for ADHD. Pay attention to how your unique child responds by removing additives and common triggers and emphasizing a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory, whole foods diet.
Craft a Lifestyle that Promotes Focus
In conjunction with dietary changes, adopting certain lifestyle habits provides a strong foundation for improving ADHD:
Get More Exercise – Vigorous daily exercise that gets the heart pumping is one of the best natural remedies for ADHD. It provides an outlet for excess energy and stimulates the brain. Shoot for 30-60 minutes a day.
Try Relaxation Techniques – Meditation, deep breathing, visualization, yoga, and spending time in nature counter the frenzied pace of ADHD minds. Even 5 minutes can hit the reset button.
Create Structure and Routines – Schedules, calendars, reminders, and visual cues provide much-needed organization for the ADHD brain. Match tasks to your child’s natural energy cycles.
Get More Sleep – ADHD and sleep problems often go hand-in-hand. Get screens out of bedrooms, set an earlier bedtime, and create a relaxing pre-bed routine. Proper rest enhances focus.
Minimize Digital Time – Too much screen stimulation overwhelms ADHD minds. Restrict devices and ensure kids get plenty of real-world play, family time, reading, hobbies, sports, etc.
With nutrition fixed and lifestyle optimized, you’ve created an environment set up for an ADHD child to thrive. Now, let’s talk about specific natural treatments that provide additional symptom relief.
Herbal Supplements that Sharpen Focus
Certain botanicals improve concentration, motivation, working memory, organization, and impulse control. Helpful herbs include:
Bacopa – This Ayurvedic remedy called Brahmi boosts cognition, memory, focus, and synaptic plasticity. It takes 2-3 months to see the effects.
Rhodiola – An adaptogenic herb that relieves anxiety, sharpens concentration and reduces ADHD burnout. Start with 100-200 mg capsules.
Ginkgo Biloba – Ginkgo improves circulation, including blood flow to the brain. It enhances focus and cognition. Use standardized extracts.
Passionflower – This calming herb treats nervous restlessness, excitability, and hyperactivity. Use 85 mg tablets 2-3x daily.
Always consult a naturopath to guide the safe use of herbs, especially for children. While highly effective, herbs can interact with medications.
Homeopathic Remedies Target Symptoms
Homeopathy uses microdoses of natural compounds to stimulate healing responses. Options for ADHD include:
Cina – Treats inattentiveness along with irritability and defiance. Dose 30C twice daily.
Stramonium – For violent outbursts, nightmares, and repetitious behaviors. Use 200C 2-3x daily.
Hyoscyamus – Relieves fidgeting, excitability, impulsiveness, nervous laughter, and poor sleep. Dose 30C twice daily.
See a certified homeopath if interested in homeopathy. Self-prescribing is inadvisable. But when properly applied, homeopathy offers safe relief.
Essential Oils Ease Stress and Improve Focus
Aromatherapy taps into the calming, balancing effects of plant essences. Helpful oils for ADHD include:
Lavender – The most famous relaxing oil reduces hyperactivity and aids concentration.
Frankincense – This scent lowers anxiety and helps with focus via limbic system effects.
Cedarwood – Shown in studies to improve focus during studying by balancing the nervous system.
Vetiver – Calms the mind and grounds energy. Apply diluted to the neck before school.
Ylang Ylang – Sweet, floral oil that settles energy and emotional outbursts.
Use a cold air diffuser so kids passively inhale oils. For direct use, always dilute properly with a carrier oil. Certain oils pose safety concerns for children, so consult an aromatherapist.
Optimize Key Nutrients
Correcting vitamin and mineral imbalances improves neurological function:
Iron – Low ferritin is common in ADHD kids. Supplement if needed with gentle iron bis-glycinate.
Magnesium & Zinc – These support neurotransmitters. Zinc picolinate and magnesium glycinate are excellent forms.
Omega-3s – Fatty acids reduce inflammation and balance the brain. Kid-friendly supplements are available.
Vitamin D – Low vitamin D is another frequent deficiency in ADHD. Test levels and supplement accordingly with D3.
A baseline workup of nutrient status allows you to identify and address shortfalls with targeted supplementation. Nutrients paired with herbs and diet work synergistically.
Biofeedback & Neurofeedback Train the Brain
Biofeedback teaches conscious control over bodily processes like breathing, heart rate, and brain waves. Types like neurofeedback use real-time EEG displays to train more balanced brain activity over time through operant conditioning. Over 30 studies support it as an effective ADHD treatment that rewires the brain for focus without side effects. 20-40 sessions are usually needed for long-lasting results. Hyperactivity, inattention, emotion regulation, sleep, and academics can all improve significantly.
Behavioral Therapy Develops Coping Skills
Natural remedies support the ADHD nervous system so kids can learn behavioral and coping strategies through therapies like:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – CBT installs new thought patterns, reframing cognitive distortions related to ADHD and building emotional resilience and skills.
Parenting Classes – Programs like Parent-Child Interaction Therapy arm parents with science-backed discipline strategies using rewards, consequences, planned ignoring, and rules.
Social Skills Training – Kids learn how to read social cues, have reciprocal conversations, respect personal space, make eye contact, and develop friendships.
Mindfulness Therapy – Meditation and mindfulness practices teach kids to find calm, become more self-aware, and pause before reacting. Yoga and tai chi help, too.
Natural remedies combined with professional therapy address both physiological and behavioral pieces of the ADHD puzzle for comprehensive healing.
The Takeaway – Try Natural Before Drugs
If your child struggles with attention and hyperactivity, hopefully, this gives you hope! There are so many effective natural options to try before jumping to potent stimulant medications.
While drugs help some kids, they come with side effects and should never be the first and only solution pursued. Start with gentle dietary, lifestyle, herbal, essential oil, and behavioral interventions. Work closely with practitioners to tailor the plan to your child’s needs.
With diligence and patience, you can help your spirited child thrive without necessarily requiring long-term pharmaceuticals. Set them up for success by fixing nutrient deficiencies, minimizing dietary and environmental triggers, and building focus skills. Celebrate every little win!
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