Any cure withou using medication?

[thully]

Hi there,
I have a 7 yr old brother who is hyper active. He gets bored easily at school and is always disruptive in class to an extent that he misses most of what is being taught in class. My problem is that the teacher has decided that he needs to be evaluated by a psychologist to determine if he has ADHD and what medication he would need. I don't know much about ADHD but I don't think I would want him to be on medication especially if there are side effects that are not good for him. He is already on medication for asthma as well, since he was young. I'm just anxious to find out what other alternatives are them to medication should he have ADHD and what would be the best questions relating to medication to ask the psychologist.

[Captain_Rit]

there is no "cure" yet.    Just treatments.   your child if it truely has adhd will either "grow out of it" or will always live with it.     most likely if your child has true adhd its the second

[Lowen9]

There are several causative things to consider (which should also remedy it as well).  Look at his diet, if possible get a nutritionist to assess him for allergies and intolerances and to get him on a diet that is right for him, eliminate refined carbohydrates like white bread or anything made from whilte flour, biscuits,pastries and sugar, try and avoide packaged processed foods that are full of chemicals and additives. Increase (if possible) protein by way of chicken nuts or fish and if he will eat it, green leafy vegetables and fruit especially strawberries, raspberries, cherries etc.  Get him a good quality Omega 3 supplment and a complex B vitamin for children.  There is good evidence that addressing what our children are eating can make drastic differences to their behaviour.  See below

http://www.patrickholford.com/content.asp?id_Content=1362

I think too its also bearing in mind that ADHD is now a national obsession wherey by often a third of a children in any one class can be labelled, its an obsession that affects both professionals and parents, whereby every child that is different has some disorder or other. Now any child that is boisterous, lively, prefers active to passive pursuits, is boisterous, bright or cheeky is liable to get labelled ADHD and the consequent drugging with powerful amphetemines.

To label and drug small children when it is not warranted, however well meaning or 'legal' is child abuse. It has significant damaging affects on a child's self perception, sense of self worth and self esteem as it says clearly to a child "your personality is defective, you are unacceptable, we need to drug you to make you acceptable"  That is without the physical damage such powerful drugs are doing to children's developing personalities and brains. Avoid them at all costs!  Children should only be drugged as a very last resort when all other possible avenues have been explored and eliminated and only then, when it is in the best interests of the child, to make them feel better and not so the adults can have an easier time of managing the child!

Other considerations are: Is he just a bright lively child who is being poorly managed? Is he experiencing poorly taught and unstimulating lessons at school? Is he craving attention because his emotional needs are not being met in some way? Is he simply bored? .. Does he feel valued understood and loved? or is his behaviour being managed correctly.  Often a child's misbehaviour can be eliminated or drastically reduced by the correct responses fromt he adults around him.

This is an excellent book that I think any parent and professional with children's welfare at stake should read. The second link is also useful.

http://www.thereviewzone.com/

http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/john_breeding.html

[musicmama]

If you are in the US, the school psychologist should only determine whether he is ADD.  It is up to the doctor to give meds.  We went on an extensive and radical diet change for my boys so they would not have to be on meds.  Over the course of the summer (6 weeks), we got off of milk, processed meats, corn and sugar.  We also gave them fish oil pills and melatonin to help them sleep.  There is a book that this came information came from, but I can't remember the name of it.  
  
It did work until school started.  My younger son's anxiety kicked in, undoing all of this hard work.
The side effects of the meds my boys take are very mild.  The greatest benefit is a better self esteem.  They are not seeing themselves as failures anymore.
If you do choose to go with meds, watch him closely the day or weekend that he starts them.  Sometimes there are severe side effects if it's not the right medication.

Good luck and God bless.