Chiropractic Alternative Treatments for ADHD

What is ADHD?

Before Evexia Family Chiropractic gets into the alternative treatments for ADHD, we want to define the disorder first. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known simply as ADHD, is the fourth most common condition sending children to the doctor or hospital. The only ailments that cause more problems in children are upper respiratory infections, ear infections, and sore throats. 

How do we treat ADHD?

No other condition causes as much stress and worries for kids and parents as ADHD. And the long-term

ramifications of ADHD eventually end up affecting all parts of a child’s life. Parents must make serious decisions on how to treat the disorder, and those very decisions can affect their child’s future and overall development. It is so important to research all the different, alternative treatments for ADHD. 

Research from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that nearly 10% of kids in the country have ADHD. Add the number of kids who may suffer from the effects of ADHD and have yet to be diagnosed, and the total number could be staggering.

The CDC has also reported that roughly 5% of all U.S. children are currently taking ADHD medications. This means that 2.7 million kids in the United States are taking Schedule II controlled, mind-altering drugs. Drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta are the most common. Some of these drugs contain oxycodone, methadone, methamphetamine, and even cocaine. Before you decide to medicate your child with the medications mentioned prior, take a look at all the alternative treatments for ADHD. 

Antidepressants, like Strattera and others, are also forms of medication used to treat children with ADHD. Antidepressants are not stimulants, like Concerta or Ritalin, but they are similar in that they have been designated with an FDA black box warning – a label which draws attention as being a serious and life-threatening drug. This black box warning is the strongest type that can be assigned to a medication. Many of the medications do get the desired results in children with ADHD, but one has to wonder how costly it is in the long run.

Risks for ADHD Treatments

As far back as 2009, researchers were studying whether ADHD drugs were affecting children’s brains. Studies suggested that stimulants were altering the structure and functionality of the brain in ways that boosted anxiety, depressed mood, and possibly led to cognitive defects. Some animal studies found that Ritalin could be altering the brain in similar ways to cocaine and, in some cases, also produced evidence of brain damage.

Like most antidepressant drugs, there is very little actually known about the effects of Strattera in children. Regardless of the effects of ingesting these medications, we also should be asking ourselves if the message we are sending is the right one. Along with asking ourselves these questions, always research all the alternative treatments for ADHD and other disorders. 

In our current society, we give our children a pill for almost everything. If a child complains of a headache, we give them a pill. If they can’t sleep, we give them a pill. If they have excessive weight gain, we give them a pill. If they are depressed, we give them a pill. As a society, we are indoctrinating our kids to meet life’s challenges by taking a pill. How can we continue to do this, while at the same time imploring them, “Don’t do drugs?” So, what kind of world are we leaving the next generation when so many of our children are taking a daily regimen of potent controlled drugs just to function day to day?

For families who elect to put their kids on ADHD medication, they certainly do so with trepidation, and no doubt, many more families do it while not even being aware of the dangers. Parents are naturally confused while trying to navigate the behavioral and emotional struggles of their children. It’s no wonder that many would rather them not take the drugs, but they don’t see any feasible alternative. 

Alternative Treatments for ADHD

However, there are alternative treatments for ADHD. Chiropractors are now treating children with neurodevelopmental issues. Chiropractic care professionals are discovering that a more holistic and comprehensive treatment plan is needed for children with ADHD if the child and parents wish for maximum improvement. It is a neurological illness and the utmost care must be given for improving the functions of a child’s nervous system (and the neurosensory system especially).

In order for the functionality of a child’s nervous system to improve, we need to take a multipronged approach, and it begins with chiropractic care for removing nerve interference in the child with ADHD. Employing chiropractic care is a safe and effective approach without the extreme risks linked to medication. Chiropractic is Evexia Family’s first recommendation for alternative treatments for ADHD. 

Rather than approaching ADHD as an issue that requires “treatment,” a chiropractic approach sees the nervous system as being dysfunctional and in need of “improvement.” By adopting this comprehensive chiropractic approach, the goal then becomes improving brain function from the inside out, instead of pharmaceutically treating or manipulating symptoms from the outside in.

Chiropractic care can reduce this interference from vertebral subluxation, a malady seen more and more in children with abnormal motion in the spine. This is also linked to neurologic functionality. Chiropractic is not considered an ADHD treatment, necessarily, but these chiropractic adjustments have been shown to improve the nervous system functions in children and reduce the symptoms of ADHD.

Neurosensory Dysfunction

Neurosensory dysfunction is also an important issue. Our neurosensory system includes our five senses, along with two other systems known as the proprioceptive system and the vestibular system. These systems direct how our brains know what’s going on in the environment around us. When these systems fail to develop normally in children, the sensory system is rendered impaired, resulting in the brain’s inability to process input properly. Chiropractic therapy and exercise have been shown to improve functionality and reduce these symptoms of ADHD.

Nutrition and ADHD

Nutritional issues are another key to improving ADHD. Depending on the child’s diet, their fatty acid profile may be at risk and a contributing factor to the child’s symptoms. Studies are revealing that good fatty acids are critical for ADHD improvement. A child’s omega-6 and omega-3 ratios are optimal at 1.5:1. Once a child presents with skewed fatty acid levels, they become a high risk for neurological conditions and ADHD. Correcting fatty acid imbalances is crucial in improving ADHD symptoms in children.

While it is true that occupational therapists can also assist with neurosensory therapy, and there are healthcare professionals that can rebalance fatty acids, nutritional imbalances, and toxicity issues, chiropractors are qualified to correct these vertebral subluxations.

Neurological improvements associated with chiropractic care (subluxation correction, neurosensory integration, and nutritional optimization) offer children the best chance of confronting their ADHD without turning to potent, mind-altering drugs. 

Evexia Family Chiropractic is so passionate about you and your child’s health. Schedule a free consultation today and we can talk even more in-depth about alternative treatments for ADHD and so much more! Call us today!!