8 Ways to Treat ADHD Naturally

By Carrie Demers, MD, Yoga+

My eight-year-old son was just diagnosed with ADHD. My husband and I can’t decide if we should give him medication or pursue alternative treatments. What do you recommend?

This is a tough dilemma for many parents. On one hand, studies show that commonly prescribed medications like Ritalin and Adderall are helpful for 60 to 75 percent of children who are properly diagnosed with ADHD: their ability to focus increases, their grades improve, and they feel better about themselves. On the other hand, these medications are psychostimulants with many potential side effects: insomnia, headaches, abdominal pain, weight loss, and depression. Research on the long-term effects of these drugs is insufficient, but in 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings about side effects such as stunted growth and psychiatric problems.

From a holistic point of view, chemical overstimulation of the nervous system isn’t healthy. Fortunately, there are many natural treatments that are effective both alone and in conjunction with drug therapy. Although my answers here are framed by the case of a child, they are applicable to teens and adults as well.

Ayurveda’s Answer

In ayurveda, ADHD is classified as a vata imbalance. Vata is “wind energy”: it’s light, changeable, dry, cool, and mobile. It governs the movement of our bodies and our thoughts. Everyone has some vata in their prakriti (constitution), but those who have a predominance of this light, expansive energy (i.e., a “vata constitution”) tend to have sensitive nervous systems, so they experience the world with a heightened intensity. As a result, they’re prone to anxiety, inattention, restlessness, and sleep problems. Ironically, these children will often seek out sensory-stimulating activities (such as action movies or sugar-laden foods), creating a vicious cycle that agitates their already overactive nervous systems.

Commonly prescribed ADHD drugs stimulate the brain cells to release more of the neurotransmitters called dopamine and norepinephrine, which generally enhance a child’s ability to control impulsive behaviors and concentrate–but they also cause increased activity in the central nervous system (CNS). I would venture to say that these drugs perpetuate the underlying cause of ADHD–overstimulation of a sensitive CNS–throwing your child’s vata energy further out of balance. According to ayurveda, adopting a vata-pacifying lifestyle is the best natural option for your son.

1. Create a Routine

Children with ADHD are drawn to new activities, adventure, and change. Yet they’re balanced by the opposite: activities that are calming, relaxing, and nurturing. Your son needs regularity and structure to counter his natural tendency toward chaos: a regular time to do his homework, exercise, relax, eat, go to bed, and wake up to begin a new day. Here’s some advice about how to create a vata-calming environment for him at home.

2. Relaxation

Do a 5- to 10-minute relaxation with your son at least once a day. Lie down on the floor or in bed in shavasana (corpse pose), supporting your heads with a pillow and covering up with a blanket to stay warm. Then ask your child to feel his body from head to toe. Turn the practice into a game; together, pretend you are a scoop of ice cream melting in the sun, or that you’re sinking into a huge feather pillow. Imagine your breath is like the waves of the ocean–or ask your child to instruct you. The idea is to get your child to relax and deepen his breath, which helps his CNS switch from a sympathetic mode, which is a “fight-or-flight” state, to a parasympathetic mode, which is a nourishing and restorative state. Try this when your child comes home from school, or before supper or bedtime; these are times when our kids can be most overstimulated.

Next: 6 More Ways to Treat ADHD Naturally

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Susan B.

1:17PM PDT on Oct 24, 2011

There's nothing disordered about ADHD. Our culture and society is disordered, in that we call ADHD a disorder and treat it like a negative birth defect or infliction. We have a lot to learn in this society.

Most remarkable people in history were ADHD. ADHD people are special and remarkable individuals with type of brilliance. That is a gift and we throw it away or squash it into silence.

send a green star

1:14PM PDT on Oct 24, 2011

ADHD is actually a gift and needs to be respected and celebrated. In India, folks with ADHD are believed to be holy, souls nearing the end of their journeys and they are respected.
Medicating these people seems dark and negative to them and they would never consider it.

Re Brian S. comment above, the downside of managing ADHD behavior with chemicals is that we won't know long-term effects until years down the road. We may be seeing commercials in Year 2031 directed to individuals who had taken Ritalin, Adderall, etc, during childhood, and who suffer from some awful life-threatening disease or problem, interested in class action lawsuits to call XYZ Attorneys at xyz phone #. Just like we are seeing right now the commercials on TV for people who had taken ABC medication during pregnancy 10-20 yrs ago, who have children with major health problems as result. The long term horrors won't show until years down the road.

Any pharmaceutical altering brain chemistry is dangerous. It may work, the individual is able to conform to how things are currently run (non-ADHD friendly world by the way) in this non-ADHD world of ours, but is that REALLY what you want?

Perhaps ADHD was not meant to be stifled and immobilized. ADHD is a call to action for all of us to start revising the way we do things, especially in schools, and understand that not all humans have the exact same brains.

This is the dawning of our understanding of ADHD, so people alive today with ADHD are the pioneers and forefathers of how we will handle ADHD in our culture.

Pills need to be a very last resort and used with extreme caution.

2:16AM PDT on Oct 14, 2011

I found this disorder when i was reading maroon5 biography the lead vocalist have tis pblm i guess i too hve tis same disorder but i'm not sure that is or not i easily get distracted i always sit alone don't spent too much time with anyone never get along with anyone. low self esteem(so i always watch action movies like batman begins, bourne, man on fire etc), my job performance was really bad but i never lazy. when i get drunk i become extreme violent break things start fights so recently i stopped drinking. there is girl in my class she ask me out to eat dinner while i was in u.k now in India i went out with her i barely talked to her my mind was somewhere else and it was terrible date

I guess there is no good doctors to cure this disorder in india.
i researched and went few hospitals most of the hospitals and doctors are filthy, greedy, unhygenic, noisy

If anyone treated recently in india please help me

Elizabeth M.

10:06AM PST on Dec 23, 2010

I am trying ADD Hp Homeopathic drops from energique to help relieve my symptoms. http://www.all-natural.com/addretal.html It has helped by tremendously, but everyone is different and requires different treatments. Sam-e helps to relax me and Holy Basil is a herb useful in helping the body maintain emotional and stress in a healthy way.

Katrina J.

1:10PM PDT on Aug 31, 2010

Thanks for the info. My 8 year old daughter has ADHD and is on Focalin. I have reduced the amount of sugar in her diet and that does seem to help as well. I've also found that finding things that stimulate her mind in a positive way (such as working on simple puzzles) has also helped her.

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Connor P.

4:36PM PDT on Aug 4, 2010

What a load of pseudo-scientific crap. There is little to no evidence that these methods are any better than any other run of the mill placebo treatment.

Beng Kiat L.

9:20PM PDT on Jul 5, 2010

Thanks

4:23AM PDT on Apr 18, 2010

Great article. Thank you Megan!!!