As regards medication for ADHD with psychostimulants, there is now growing concern that they cannot really help very much with child behavior problems. The reason is very simple in that the meds can certainly calm a hyperactive child down but that is where it stops. It also may make a child less impulsive. But as regards helping with behavior? They will not teach the child the coping skills he needs – period!
The second problem associated with these meds is that the side effects may make a child so miserable that he cannot sleep, eat or even develop normally and these add to the behavior problems, rather than solving them!
This is where the best natural ADHD supplement comes in because studies show that children’s behavior can improve and there are no side effects. The most popular one is the Omega 3 fish oils because these are the essential fatty acids (EFAs) which are severely lacking in the Standard American Diet (SAD!). Also children with ADHD had an even lower count for the EFAs. These were children who had behavior problems and were much more likely to have outbursts and sleep badly than the children who had higher levels.
But of course there will also have to be some ADHD behavior therapy as good old fish oils cannot really solve the behavior problems either.
But the great advantage though is that we are treating this condition naturally and we will never have to worry about any side effects.
Omega 3 or Krill Oil?
There is now a great debate as to whether we should be giving Omega 3 or krill oil supplements. The latter are said to be a much more powerful antioxidant but there are no convincing arguments which will put this at the top of the list.
The first argument that the supporters of krill oil use is that it is more sustainable for the fishing industry but these fish have to be caught anyway, whether we are using them to eat, or just extracting the oil from them.
The krill fish may be less contaminated but to make a sweeping statement to say that all krill oil is purer than the omega 3 fish such as tuna and salmon is really going too far.
The important point to bear in mind is to opt for Omega 3 capsules which use the hoki fish which is caught off the New Zealand coasts. Now this fish has very low levels of contamination so it really is one of the best choices out there.
As regards using Omega 3 oils as the best natural ADHD supplement, we are encouraged to note that many children do seem to benefit and their behavior is calmer and they are more reasonable.
University of Oxford studies led by Dr.Richardson found some evidence that the kids were better behaved after taking the EPA and DHA fish oils which are normally found in this supplement. There were also some results which showed improved academic performance.
If Omega 3 is used as the best natural ADHD supplement, it can be integrated with other strategies to give ADHD kids a better chance of coping. We have mentioned ADHD behavior therapy and should include green time activities and an ADHD friendly home. In addition, if there is sufficient support both at home and at school then your child really does have a better chance of coping with ADHD successfully