The majority of medical and psychological boards in North America acknowledge Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) as a valid medical disorder. But they also concluded that there are multiple underlying causes. Yet often the only solution offered is pharmaceutical management with drugs, at the expense of addressing the underlying causes! Find out about our treatments.
ADD and its Hyeperactive variety (ADHD) do not discriminate. The disorders are seen around the world. It presents itself to people of all ages, IQs, and economic backgrounds. 6.5% of children in North America have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, with boys being diagnosed two to three times more than girls. Studies have found 4.4% of adults, ages 18 to 44 experience ADHD symptoms.
ADHD symptoms can fall into three categories:
Poor Attention: People with ADHD often have trouble paying attention and become easily distracted when working on tasks.
Hyperactivity: Children, teens, and adults with ADHD will often feel restless and fidgety. They may have difficulties with reading or other quiet, solitary activities.
Impulsivity: People with ADHD will often act on emotions without thinking. Children may struggle to wait their turn and have problems sharing. This affects socialization in children as they may find it hard to play with other children. Teens and adults are more prone to rash decisions, affecting their personal and professional lives.
ADHD may be caused by electronic or biochemical imbalances in the brain, due to environmental or genetic factors. While conventional testing is often done through a subjective questionnaire, our take is one of functional medicine and objective assessment for causative factors that can be remedied. Thus we use two tools to help our patients:
Via Blood and Genetic Test
Individuals suffering from attention deficit issues may have nutritional deficiencies. There is evidence of disturbances in Omega3 fatty acids, vitamin D deficiencies, and sometimes essential minerals such as zinc and copper. These disturbances can negatively affect the immune stem and may harm the good bacteria living in the stomach. Testing and correcting for these nutrients removes the underlying causes of the attention disorder.
Via Brain Mapping
Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG) is used to identify brain patterns associated with ADD and ADHD. A QEEG will produce a map that isolates individual brain attention networks and assesses how well they function. Brain mapping is a very useful diagnostic tool in the treatment of ADD and ADHD. It can reveal the area of the problem within the brain electronics, and help in creating personalized neurofeedback training programs to remedy the problem.
