Using Diet, Counseling, and Attend to Overcome ADHD

When it comes to the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or with problems of Attention, Impulse Control, Over-Activity, or Learning Problems in "the real world," there are a number of approaches to treatment that may work well.

The information in this series has either been gleaned from research on Attention Deficit Disorder - which I'll refer to as ADD or ADD, or it is from my own experience in a clinical setting. Hello, I'm Dr. Doug Cowan. I spent the fifteen years in a private practice as a Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist, and as a Clinical researcher, devoted to the treatment of children, teenagers, and adults with attention disorders. During that time it was my privilege to meet and work with over a thousand individuals, and their families, who were impacted by this disorder.

Then in the year 2001, I closed my clinical practice to focus more of my attention on the ADHD Information Library's family of web sites. Our six web sites, which include NewIdeas.net,  ADD101.com, and ADDinSchool.com, now provide information to over 350,000 parents and teachers each year on ADHD, including treatment options, parent resources, classroom interventions, a free newsletter, and much more.

Throughout this series I'm going to share with you some of the things that I have learned over the years, and I'm going to also share with you some of the very exciting advances that have been made in the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorders.

It is my opinion that the treatment interventions that we will learn about in this series are all effective to one degree or another with problems with Attention, Impulse Control, Over-Activity, or Learning Problems. These interventions include adjustments in daily eating habits, counseling sessions, and an over-the-counter Nutraceutical Medicine called "Attend." When combined together, they are very effective.

Every child is different. For unknown reasons, some children respond very well to diet, and some do not. Some respond very well to stimulant medications, and some do not. Some respond very well to Attend, and some do not. There are a lot of possible explanations for this. There may be different root causes that can cause the same set of symptoms that we ultimately diagnose as ADD, which may explain why different people may respond so well, or so poorly, to any given treatment. You can learn more about the different types of ADHD, and find specific treatment interventions for each type.

Every child is different. As a result, we recommend that you look carefully at all of the possible interventions, and then also take a hard look at 1) your child, 2) your finances, 3) your insurance coverage, 4) your present eating habits, and 5) the amount of "spare time" that you have in your life to do what it will take to make some of these interventions work. 

By way of disclaimer, let me say that I am not a medical doctor. My doctorate is in psychology. All of the above information is from my clinical observations of treatment interventions used successfully by my patients over the past fifteen years. Don't be afraid to talk with your physician, psychologist, or counselor about these observations. Consider this information for the sake of education and discussion.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.