The Queen of Health

Malnutrition & A.D.D. and A.D.H.D.
By Tami Hulcher, Health Educator
(published July 2004)

My journey into health education began many years ago; however I really became more aggressive in my search for the truth about 6 years ago when my son was diagnosed with A.D.H.D. (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Currently, A.D.H.D. is diagnosed based on a patient’s history and psychological testing, lending element of ambiguity to diagnosis. And with more than 7% of our children being diagnosed, with some school districts actually reporting higher statistics, it became clear to me that something else was going on. So, here’s what I found out:

Pharmaceutical approaches are not always necessary. Some children are actually malnourished, and with emphasis on certain foods, while eliminating others, most parents and health care professionals are seeing positive differences with these approaches.

Study after study indicates that A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. individuals are lacking in key nutrients, and when they are not present in the body or in our diet, certain behaviors result and cognitive function is affected. Aggression, anger, depression, mood swings, poor focus, seizures, irritability, and hyperactivity may be affected by the food we eat or what we don’t eat.

For instance, scientists at Purdue University found that individuals with symptoms of A.D.D./A.D.H.D. have lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s possible that behavior and school performance, as well as violence and aggression may also have similar links to dietary fatty acids.

According to Dr. Michael Schmidt, Ph.D., “some doctors have reported cases in which learning difficulties, memory problems, mood disorders, behavior problems, seizures, stroke, autism, and other brain-related disorder have been corrected or improved by a diet with the right concentrations of brain-boosting fats.”

So, increasing your omega-3’s are vital, and can be found in salmon (I recommend wild only), walnuts, soy, flax seed, hemp seed, and wheat germ. For more info on the healing benefits of flax and other omega- 3 oils, please visit my website at www.1olaloa.com.

In my lectures, I teach people to read labels, and here are some foods and substances to avoid:
All foods, beverages and vitamins with food colorings (F, D & C); chemical additives; MSG (check out the chips and instant ramen noodle soup labels); artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or NutraSweet (in most diet sodas and foods); too much sugar or high fructose corn syrup; partially-hydrogenated oils and transfats.

If we as parents and health care professionals can take a more preventative and holistic approach, rather than a reactive approach by overmedicating a possibly malnourished brain and body, we will see some positive healing benefits. You may want to find a licensed nutritionist or holistic practitioner for additional information. Also, I’m not recommending that every child or adult stop taking their medications, there are drug-therapies that work, and there are some very good doctors out there. However, my son no longer takes Ritalin…we simply changed his diet by incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh ground organic flax, and eliminating lots of artificial colors and flavors. What a difference real whole food makes in healing the body.