healthykids
Easing a Child’s ADD/ADHD Mind with Food Therapy:
An Oriental Medicine Approach by Dwight Franklin, AP
I
n today’s world we are constantly bombarded with unnatural substances in food that put our
health at risk. To maintain the health of ourselves and our family we have to avoid many products at the local supermarket. From pesticides in produce to the preservatives that are in packaged foods— these are destructive products that put a burden on our body. While these problems are great and deeply concerning to me as a healthcare provider, that is not the focus of this article. I would like to speak to the parents who have cut out processed sugars, done away with gluten, and have spent a l little extra for organic foods with the desire to help their child and their ADD/ADHD symptoms. While the changes in food I mentioned previously will greatly help your child’s health, they may benefi t from a more individualistic approach.
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ap Oriental Medicine has
a unique way of working with any d the b
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y disease or dysfunction in the body. We, as Acupuncture
Physicians, look at the person and their unique symptoms rather than treating based on some cookie-cutter approach to any named disease. ADD/ADHD, for instance, has many different variables when coming up with an Oriental Medicine treatment plan. Sure, all kids that are suffering with ADD/ADHD symptoms are having trouble concentrating but the question is why? Is it due to a child’s need to be active rather than confi ned for eight hours in a chair at school? Is it because the child has a strong need to fi t in with other children and so personal relationships at school are more important than school itself? Maybe the child simply has a very self-righteous attitude and does not feel that the teachers or the parents have anything to offer that is worth learning. Each of these scenarios is treated differently with Oriental Medicine. The acupuncture points (acupressure for children that are frightened around needles), herbal therapy, behavioral therapy, and, yes, even food therapy will be differentiated by the unique situation that the child is presenting. So let’s take a closer look at the different types of Food Therapy given for the different types of children with ADD/ADHD symptoms. When most of us think about a child with ADHD we think of a child that cannot sit still, is very hyperactive and cannot stay on- task. Digging a little deeper into this child’s personality and physical symptoms, we usually fi nd that they have problems with aggression, have a very rapid and forceful pulse rate and quality respectively—and many times feel hot to the touch. This type of child needs to stay away from excess sugar, especially processed sugar; but other foods can also be of detriment to their mental health. Hot and spicy foods, especially those containing animal proteins, need to be limited as they will amplify the aggressive behavior and increase the child’s body temperature. How many of you, when you are angry, immediately feel your body
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Central Florida natural awakenings
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