When we look at alternative medicine for ADHD, there is a startling variety and it is sometimes difficult to see the wood for the trees. We have a fantastic choice which ranges from Bach flower remedies, herbal remedies, homeopathy, acupuncture, meditation and behavior therapy. You could say it is anything which is not allopathic conventional medicine. For the purposes of this article, I want to concentrate on behavior therapy and homeopathy as they have given the most promising results in many trials with ADHD children and are gaining both popularity and respect as the best alternative medicine for ADHD available now.
There is a lot of debate and controversy on homeopathy. The medical establishment has long taken a hostile stand against homeopathy largely because it is using natural ingredients from plants and minerals which are diluted so much that it cannot have any effect on the human organism. ADHD children are often uncontrollable, inattentive or hyperactive o r a combination of all three, depending which type of ADHD they have. The homeopathic ingredients found to be most effective for ADHD are Cina, Hyoscyamus Niger and Stramonium. In the clinical trials, they definitely restored balance and helped to alleviate the most serious symptoms.
But the medical establishment protests that nobody knows exactly how or why homeopathy works. The same argument could be used against their own psychostimulant drugs which act as stimulants on the neurotransmitters in a child's brain. No long term studies have been done either. There is now widespread concern about the health risks associated with psychiatric drugs. So much so that thousands of parents are turning to alternative medicine for ADHD and homeopathy is the favourite, simply because there are no side effects or risks.
You can imagine the outcry when infants less than the age of one are being diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed these somewhat dangerous medications. Lots of prestigious medical bodies are now questioning the wholesale drugging of the nation's children and as the tons of Ritalin, Cylert and Dexadrine are being consumed, there are fears about the health risks involved.
As will be obvious to any intelligent parent, the way a child behaves will not be cured by drugs. The ADHD child will have to grow into an adult very quickly and he is going to need time management and coping skills, not to mention ability to interact with peers and form long lasting relationships. No medication will teach him these skills. What will teach him to learn these skills is behaviour modification or ADHD behavior therapy which is now approved by more enlightened doctors and caregivers. It is through this type of intervention, with the parents and children as partners, that positive behaviour is reinforced while bad behaviour is discouraged.
Some medication is needed to alleviate ADHD symptoms and to keep the child calm and under control so that tantrums are reduced and bouncing off the walls is an exception rather than the rule. ADHD drugs are not the answer but a homeopathic remedy is. This combination of behavior therapy combined with a homeopathic treatment is by far the best alternative medicine for ADHD.
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