Natural Remedies for ADHD and Cognitive Focus: Beyond Medication

**I am a holistic expert, not a medical expert. Please do not take this as medical advice; this is based on research, and I prompt you to do your own before making a decision.

Over 6.1 million children and 4% of the adults in the U.S. struggle with ADHD. Adults with ADHD are more likely to struggle with addiction than children, from 1997 to 2016 an increase from 6.1% to 10.2% in 20 years. With this growing number of diagnoses, they have also started to see misdiagnoses for children and adults, resulting in medications becoming abused. Understanding ADHD and how it works with different people is crucial in helping people manage their symptoms and create a healthy plan for them with their lifestyle and medications if it is necessary. In this article, I will be discussing the holistic approaches you can use to manage your ADHD.

Do You Feel Like You Are Living in the Clouds?

Do you go through your day feeling like your brain is all over the place, and you can’t seem to keep your thoughts together? Well, one of the main symptoms of ADHD is brain fog, meaning it feels like there is a barrier or a cloud over your brain.

ADHD is a chronic mental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Suppose you struggle with depression, insomnia, and inflammatory food consumption. If you catch yourself daydreaming, feeling mentally fatigued, confused, feeling overwhelmed, forgetfulness, and slow movement, then you could be dealing with brain fog.

This is just one symptom of many when it comes to the complex disorder of ADHD. As we continue, it is essential not to diagnose yourself and seek out a professional to get the proper Testing done for appropriate diagnoses.

In dealing with brain fog, you must utilize mindfulness, sleep, and exercise to help alleviate the brain. I recommend having a mid-day meditation session to help get you back present. Then, having a stable bedtime routine to help balance your circadian rhythm.

How Does ADHD Develop?

The first signs of ADHD appeared in the 20th century, around 1902. Back then, they described ADHD as a hyperkinetic disorder. ADHD has been linked to genetics and environmental factors that play into its development. Even though there is no evidence that certain foods cause ADHD, they can make the symptoms of ADHD worse.

If you or your child was born prematurely, had a head injury when you were younger, have a traumatic household, or have experienced trauma as a child. Early substance abuse, smoking, and alcohol can all be contributing factors to ADHD. Brain scans of people who have ADHD show smaller parts of the brain associated with impulse control, decision-making skills, and emotional regularity. When we have had a head injury or abused substances, those parts of the brain are affected more than others.

Several studies have shown a strong connection between drug abuse and alcoholism. In a National Institute of Health study on cannabis, 38% of adolescent boys and girls reported having ADHD, and 23% of the substance abuse recoverees said to have ADHD. In another cross-sectional study studying treatment-seeking substance abusers, with 3558 subjects, they found that 40% of them screened positive for ADHD.

This does not conclude that if you have ADHD, you have done drugs or have substance abuse problems. There are many other connecting factors in the equation. Such as head injuries, highly stressful relationships, unhealthy eating habits, emotional eating, and much more all contribute to how ADHD develops.

Holistic Approaches to ADHD and Cognitive Focus

Routine Is Crucial: People with ADHD struggle with time management and maintaining consistency in their lives, which can create a lot of overwhelm, anxiety, and even depression. Establishing a routine is crucial for you to manage your ADHD symptoms. Like going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time, having a workout schedule, meditation breaks, and meal prepping as well. When we have a routine, it takes away the stress of the unknown and helps to not make as many decisions, which is the main parts of the brain that are debilitated in people who deal with ADHD. It takes time to build habits, so I suggest starting with a good sleep routine, meditation practice, and exercise routine.

Avoid Highly Processed Foods: Ultra-processed foods, such as sodas, candy, TV dinners, and anything in a box, have ingredients that have been shown to increase the risk of ADHD symptoms. In a study, they found that ultra-processed foods increased forgetfulness and memory loss. In the same study, they found that impulsivity was increased in individuals who consumed fast food. Food coloring and artificial sweeteners act on the same parts of the brain that ADHD does, causing memory loss, hyperactivity, and even more in children. Learning how ingredients affect the brain and body can be a great way to understand why we need to eliminate them from our diet. (Study) Seed oils also cause brain damage; they found that hydrogenated vegetable oils like safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil and soybean oil all are connected with deterioration of brain nerve cells. Majority of processed foods contain these oils, so making sure you are eliminating them could drastically improve the symptoms of ADHD. (Study)

Create Boundaries with Overstimulating Tasks: overstimulation, better known as sensory overload, is common for most people who struggle with ADHD. It is when you feel, in a sense, surrounded by constant noise and lights, and it begins to create a feeling of panic and anxiety. This may make it difficult to control your emotions, making you shut down or get frustrated and angry. Some of the best ways to control this is through understanding what triggers your first and then creating boundaries with it so you can avoid it—creating an environment that accommodates your needs, like blackout shads, noise-blocking headphones, avoiding places at peak hours. Creating these types of boundaries can help improve these symptoms drastically.

Avoid usage of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes: people who struggle with ADHD have more impulse control problems than most, which can lead to alcoholism, especially if there is a family history of it and substance abuse. There are research studies that link alcoholism to genes with ADHD. Below the age of 25, your brain is still developing, and filling it with alcohol and drugs damage the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and basal ganglia. When these are damaged, our body only associates pleasure with the drugs and alcohol. This is why most relapse after they have gotten clean because they have not created new pleasure centers in their brain. Avoiding substances at all costs is crucial, especially for those with ADHD.

Genetic Testing Can help with diagnoses: I recommend if you feel you struggle with ADHD, get a genetic test done to see if you have ADHD. That way, you can get the proper diagnosis, as many psychiatric disorders can be misdiagnosed. Also, ask your parents if they have struggled with some of the above symptoms before to see if you can get a clear answer from them, which can be helpful for the doctor as well.

Eating a Brain-Fueling Diet: There is no doubt that what we eat affects our brain and how it functions. A study done in the National Library of Medicine found that increasing healthy forms of high-quality animal protein and fat and eating a range of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables showed an improvement in ADHD symptoms. (Study)

What foods are the best for our brain? To start, I recommend as many amino acids as possible from sources like grass-fed pasture-raised meats such as beef, lamb, chicken, and eggs are all great sources of amino acids. The brain is made up of about 40% amino acids, so the more, the better. Amino acids are what help to regulate essential hormones like serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. Also, amino acids help to regulate our emotional state, helping with impulse issues and cognitive repair.

Next is fatty acids; the brain is 60% fat, which is an even more critical nutrient for the brain. You will find fatty acids in some of the protein sources listed above, but mainly, these come from other food sources such as wild-caught fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel; these foods contain the highest omega-3 fatty acids. You can supplement with fish oil to get the maximum benefit if you do not eat enough fish; click the link here for a good fish oil supplement. Fish oil helps with emotional regulation, mood, and memory. Other significant fat sources are avocados, walnuts, brazil nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, raw dairy, grass-fed butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil.

Green tea is another nootropic and great nutrient for the brain as it contains L-theanine and natural levels of caffeine, which can act as a stimulant but help with focus and comprehension.

Antioxidants from leafy greens and berries also contain nutrients that can improve the longevity of the brain and increase memory.

What we eat affects the brain, so feed it the nutrients it needs for the long run.

“Students who eat regular, healthy meals are less likely to be tired, are more attentive in class, and retain more information.” (Article)

Supplements that can help to rewire the brain: Listed below are some of my favorite brain boosting supplements, if you are on medication, please ask your doctor before making any changes to your medications.

1. Qualia Mind

2. Dopamine

3. Brain & Memory power boost

4. Focus and energy

5. Golden mind

Takeaway

ADHD is not something that can be treated overnight; it takes consistent work with proper guidance, diet, and habits to help rewire the brain to operate at an average level. So, if you struggle with ADHD, take your time and give yourself and your kids grace through this transformation.