Life with ADHD

THE PALEO DIET

We had another consultation with Dr. Picard on Tuesday. He seems to know what he is talking about and has been doing this for 25 years. He also has many people with great testimonies. The hardest part of treatment he said will be putting her on a special nutritional program. It is called the Paleo Diet. I thought just going gluten free and sugar free was going to be hard. No, this diet is the hardest, and my 4 1/2 year old has to eat this way! Not just until she gets better but this has to be a new way of eating for her for the rest of her life. 

 
Because Harper was not nourished in the womb, by her biological mother, she has some critical things happen during her brain development in uterus. The brain did not develop properly. The left brain and right side of the brain will send mixed signals, thus confusing the brain. She will use her left ear to hear, left eye to see, and left hand but when it comes to her foot, her brain is telling her to use her right foot.

Certain foods will kill brain cells, that which will make her condition stay the same and even make it worst in the future. She also has a leaky gut. This means that certain foods that have nourishment, vitamins and so on cannot stay in her intestines so the body can use it up. When this happens, the nutrients can no longer make it to different parts of the body to build strong, healthy cells. This makes for very poor, weak cells in her body, also allowing her to get sick very easy. (This explains her 5 colds in 3 months, as well as taking her 2 to 3 weeks to get over them!) 

The Paleo Diet is designed to help the leaky gut, the inflammation that is surrounding this part of her body, and hopefully than will help her brain.

The Paleo Diet:

• Lean Meat
• Fruits 
• Vegtables
• Some Nuts

No cereal

No grains

No dairy

No sugar or sugar substitutes

I'll keep you updated on how it goes! I will post some recipes too in my Simple Cooking section when I can. Baby is due this Sunday so we will see if I have time. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Liz

Harper's Quest: Solutions for ADHD

December 6, 2012

4 1/2 year old, with ADHD

My mind has been clouded with the thoughts of my 4 1/2 year old daughter lately. She has ADHD and my husband and I are looking for answers for her. We have been struggling with her behavior lately and no form of discipline seems to work when she has these outrageous tantrums. Just to name a few things she does is hit, push, scream, scratch and any form of discipline seems to escalate her behavior, not make it better. 
We do not want to put her on Ritalin or aterol to control her symptoms but something has to be done. I have always wanted to do things more naturally and so we are on a quest of finding solutions for her. 
We have found a doctor in Michigan by the name Dr. Picard and he is based in Shelby Township, Michigan. I had a consultation with him on Tuesday to discuss Harper and her beahavior, diet, and so on. The next step is to get her screen to see if she qualifies for the type of treatment he does. Her appointment is tomorrow at 10a.m. and he said he will be able to find out in 20 minutes into the screening if this is something for her. He explained to me that food has a lot to do with our health and certain foods will affect the brain. Some foods are good for the brain and some will destroy the brain cells, thus altering her brain and making imbalance. This is when she gets the adhd symptoms. Her brain is not working to its optimal level. 

November 7, 2012
Update! Harper saw Dr. Picard today and I think it went well. He did some exercises with her that showed she prefers the left side of her body, which means she favors her left eye, left hand and left ear. But when he asked her to kick the ball, she used her right foot. This is when he told me that she should have used her left because that is what her brain wants to favor (left side) and this is where her brain is giving mixed signals because she used her right foot. Bingo! Found something. He said that we have to do some more testing and that things might be more metabolical and not neurological so we will have to see. I'll keep you updated with her treatment and what helps. I know other parents with children who have adhd will want to know their options besides going right to the drugs for their child. Plus, most doctors will not prescribe drugs like ritalin until their 6 years old. We need help with her now!