Good Parenting

Is a zinc supplement for ADHD really useful or is it just another myth waiting to be debunked? Studies have shown that ADHD children had a lower level of zinc in their bodies so it seems wise to add zinc for ADHD children if their diet is not a healthy balanced one.

A study in Iran showed that children who were taking a psychostimulant drug for ADHD together with a zinc supplement showed considerable improvement in their symptoms as opposed to another group of children who were just on the drug with a placebo. The doctors concluded that it would be beneficial to change a child’s diet or take a zinc supplement.

What does zinc do?
It is an essential element in the production of melatonin which in turn helps to manufacture dopamine which increases the ‘feel good’ effect , similar to that produced by endorphins. Normally humans produce little zinc yet it is an essential mineral which helps to combat colds, heal wounds and is vital for producing blood and protein.

Which foods contain zinc?

Your best bet is to go for whole grain stuff like pasta and wheat germ. Eggs, meat, milk, cereals, nuts, tofu are also good sources. The bottom line, I think, is to ensure that your children get approximately 15mg of zinc a day from their diet but if you are not sure or cannot be bothered, a good all round multivitamin will do the trick. If your kids are vegetarian, you may need to up the dose by half as much again as the zinc found in vegetables is not as easily absorbed as that contained in meat.

Decision Time
Unfortunately, just by giving zinc for ADHD children is not going to solve the problems experienced by them but it will certainly help. There will be other decisions, perhaps more pressing, to take. Remember that the taking of psychostimulants has mushroomed out of all proportion simply because the drug companies paid for research (only that with favourable results) so that a powerful lobby grew up around prestigious universities, the medical profession and anyone else who wanted to get on the bandwagon. Just visit the FDA site to see how many warnings there are about these drugs!

The Solution That Some Doctors Will Not Even Mention
Now that some parents have woken up to the awful truth about the risks associated with these ADHD medicines (Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and Strattera) they want to make an informed choice and they want natural remedies for ADHD which are not going to damage their children’s health! These remedies are ideal and can be combined with dietary changes, combination therapy and also with a zinc supplement for ADHD. If you want to find out more about these safer and cheaper medicines, the link below will give you some food for thought and make your family life more enjoyable again.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 11:01 pm and is filed under Good Parenting.