ADD and ADHD

I taught school for 5 years and saw the children who were mild mannered and also those who were hyper. So, when I was blessed with an overly hyper child I was terrified. I had seen children who were on "medication" (Ritalin, Adarol, etc.) and how they were affected. I didn't like my son bouncing off the walls, but I didn't want him to walk around like a zombie either. I decided that I would do what ever it took to keep him off medication.

So, I decided to take ADHD into my own hands. I researched the possible causes and solutions. I found many things about changing their diet. So, we started cutting out certain dyes and cut back on sugar. This helped a little, but it is hard to monitor everything he eats, especially at school. Then a friend suggested taking him to the Chiropractor. I had just recently started going to Dr. Leaf for a back injury, so I asked him what he thought.

He told me that there was research on the benefits of Chiropractic care in children with ADHD. I decided...What could it hurt? He started going and within a month I noticed a difference. I thought that maybe it was just me being hopeful, but then his teacher asked me what we had done. She said that he was sitting in his seat and paying attention. Then my parents both started to notice the difference.

It has been about 6 months since he started going to Dr. Leaf and his whole attitude has changed. He is not as hyper, his temper has greatly improved, his balance is much better and his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (all characteristics of a child with ADHD) is not as bad.

Dr. Leaf also suggested I check into "Cross Crawl". There are many websites dedicated to the Cross Crawl Method. We also began to incorporate a few of the exercises into his routine and they have helped. He wasn't able to do most of them at first, but now he is able to concentrated and do them better.

I truly believe that this was a much better solution than medication. It has benefitted him at school and it has made our home a much more calm, peaceful place.

-Jamie

Jan. 1, 2009