Pills may be the primary remedy for ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, but it’s not the sole solution.
As a matter of fact, there is a solid number of research studies showing that drugs alone might just help relieve some symptoms, but won’t help with many issues ADHD patients have to deal with. Moreover, the use of medication is known for giving some adverse effects to patients.
Adverse effects & Side-effects of ADHD Drugs
The common medication for ADHD, such as Methylphenidate or Ritalin would create minor side-effects that will not lead to the cessation of the medication. And change of dosage should always be done under the doctor’s advice only. The common side effects of ADHD drugs are such as low appetite, insomnia, anxiety, and stomach aches or headaches.
More importantly, medications only suppress ADHD symptoms within a particular period of time, and it means that the medications don’t really cure the disorder. With the medication, an effort is still required to improve patients’ living and learning capability.
Natural, Drug-Free Remedies For ADHD
Parents can take part in helping kids with ADHD by noticing the good behaviour and giving them a positive comment while teachers can set up a solid consequences for not paying attention and reward when the students reach a goal.
Children with ADHD can benefit from recreational programs such as summer camps, craft or sport activities. Unlike the medication, the positive outcome of these behavioural interventions last throughout the day for several weeks. The kids will have a chance to learn how to develop social skills and how to work as a team.
Another natural drug-free solution to cope with ADHD is a change of lifestyle. Living in a healthy lifestyle is the key. Adding few minutes of exercise and proper hours of sleep can make a huge difference in staying focused, increasing academic performance, and improving of overall behaviour.
EEG Neurofeedback
Another non-drug remedy for ADHD is Electroencephalographic (EEG) neurofeedback, which is a type of neurotherapy that measures brain waves.
EEG neurofeedback trains ADHD children to be more aware of their physical behaviour and how to get control of the executive function centre of the brain or the frontal lobe.
EEG neurofeedback works by recording and monitoring the brain activities and provide an instant information.
During a typical neurofeedback session, sensors are placed on the patient’s scalp to detect and record a certain brain wave activity. The information derived from the process, then immediately displays on the screen for the therapist and the patient to view. The therapist then informs the patient what they are seeing and trains them how to control the brain activity to reach a certain set goal. This process is usually conducted in the form of a special video game with a task for the kids to concentrate on. If the patient is distracted, the game will stop. Over time, the patient will be trained to be more focused and start to improve their symptoms.
Neurofeedback is a safe, non-invasive, drug-free, and effective option to relieve ADHD that can provide a longer lasting result. Each session lasts about half an hour up to an hour and a child will need to participate in 10 up to 20 sessions or more depending on how severe the symptoms are.
Learning Discoveries offers ADHD tests and neurofeedback sessions for both children and adults. For more information, please contact us via email or phone on (02) 9637 9998 during business hours.
