A new consumer report revealed that most parents are ambivalent about medicating their children for ADHD. In fact, 44% of parents are looking for ADHD natural remedies and other drug-free ways to help their children. They don't need to look far because there are many alternative treatment options online - all they need to do is search! Unfortunately, sifting through all this information can be exhausting. There's also the matter of figuring out whether or not the claims behind each intervention is legitimate. Here are some tips that can help you evaluate ADHD treatments.
Health care providers
When meeting with a health care provider, make sure that the proposed treatment has been studied by experts of the field. Ask to see clinical trial results - scientific tests that evaluate the efficiency and safety of a particular treatment - and find out if there are any accreditation requirements for providers of this treatment. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) should also contain information about the intervention.
Detecting unproven remedies
Supplements and herbs can do much to treat ADHD symptoms, but it's important to be cautious about your source before making your purchase. Ask yourself the following questions:
Will it work for my child?
You may be looking at an unproven remedy if it claims to work for everyone with ADHD. Not everyone will experience success with the same treatment. Look at the studies that support the manufacturer's claims and see if the positive results are backed by controlled, scientific research. Suspect an unproven remedy if only testimonials or case studies are used as proof. You might also want to move on if the manufacturer only cites a single study; you'll feel more confidence in a remedy whose positive results are confirmed by several studies.
Is it safe?
Stay away from remedies that do not list its ingredients, does not have directions for use, and does not have any warnings about side effects. Don't be swayed by remedies that claim to be "natural" and "harmless"; not everything that is natural is safe.
How is it being promoted?
Suspect any remedies that claim to work immediately or can permanently cure anyone with ADHD. Also be wary about those that claim to have a secret formula, are only promoted through infomercials, or are described as "miraculous."
Media reports
When reading reports from the media, the first thing you should examine is the source. Reliable sources of medical information include government agencies, medical schools, and professional medical associations. Try to obtain access to studies from peer-reviewed scientific journals too. These have more credible information than media reports because journals now require researchers to state any conflicts of interest.
Dr. Yannick Pauli is an expert on natural approaches to ADHD and the author of the popular self-help home-program The Unritalin Solution. He is Director of the Centre Neurofit in Lausanne, Switzerland and has a passion taking care of children with ADHD. Click on the link for more great information about what is ADHD.
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