How Exercise Helps With ADHD Symptoms

Exercise increases chemicals in the brain that regulate your emotions and moods. For people with ADHD, that means their attention span, focus, and sleep patterns, may improve.

By Jean Rothman

Medically reviewed by Kevin O. Hwang, MD, MPH

Exercise is great for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For starters, exercise increases the levels of brain chemicals called dopamine and serotonin, which are lower in people with ADHD.

ADHD and Exercise: How it Helps

“Dopamine and serotonin are enzymes that help people feel good,” says Frank Coppola, a New York City-based ADHD coach. “They regulate things like mood, attention, and anger. So having more rather than less definitely helps someone with ADHD.”

Exercise also helps with alertness and sleep patterns, which can be a problem for people with ADHD, Coppola says. “Exercising tires your body, so you sleep better and feel more focused and alert the next day.”

Exercise helps you relax and quiet your mind as well. “Exercise helps cut down your chance of depression, which can accompany ADHD. It increases oxygen to the brain, improves your eating habits and can help with weight loss,” Coppola says.

ADHD and Exercise: Affordable Therapy

You can join a gym or hire a personal trainer, but there are many inexpensive ways to exercise. You might buy exercise videos or DVDs, or just get out there and move.

For example you can:

• Walk
• Run
• Dance
• Swim
• Bike
• Do yoga
• Hike
• Rollerblade
• Stretch
• Weight train

ADHD and Exercise: Get Disciplined

“What’s hard for people with ADHD, and of course other people too, is having the discipline to make exercise a part of their life,” says Coppola. “I believe that doing something for 30 days can create a new habit so that’s the approach I suggest.”

According to Coppola, the first 10 days are usually the hardest. “A rocket launch uses 85 percent of its fuel on the ground,” says Coppola. “Look at your first 10 days as your launch time.”

• Start by setting reasonable goals for yourself. Exercise 10 or 15 minutes daily for those first 10 days. You eventually want to reach 30 minutes a day to maintain the benefits for people with ADHD.
• Around the sixth day, the body starts to react. “Your body gets used to the exercise and starts to want it. This makes it a little easier to stick with your exercising,” explains Coppola.
• After 10 to 20 days you will feel it if you miss a session.
• As you stick with it, you’ll find that during the next 20 to 30 days your body really starts to crave the exercise,” adds Coppola.

ADHD and Exercise: Mix it up

Since people with ADHD can be easily bored without diversity, it’s a good idea to vary the kind of exercise you do. Here are more of Coppola’s suggestions:

• If you walk one day, you might want to take a bike ride the next.
• If you usually exercise in the morning, try exercising in the evening sometimes.
• Try breaking your 30-minute workout into two 15-minute periods.
• Having an exercise buddy is another way to stay motivated.

If you don’t stick with your exercise plan, don’t beat yourself up, as people with ADHD are prone to do. “Just say ‘okay’ and start again,” Coppola says.

ADHD and Exercise: Getting Kids Moving

Children with ADHD also need to exercise. Just as with adults, exercise increases dopamine and serotonin levels in kids, helping them be more alert and attentive, and tires them out at night, helping with sleep problems.

“Most schools have gym classes or sports teams,” Coppola says. “If your child isn’t getting exercise at school, offer them the chance of after-school activities such as gymnastics, karate, or soccer.”

All in all, exercise is a great prescription for ADHD. So strap on those rollerblades, get out your yoga mat, put on your walking shoes, and have a good time. It’ll feel good.

(www.everydayhealth.com)

Top 10 Superfoods

Blueberries

(The Feinegold Diet suggests to avoid all berries)

Did you know that much of the power of blueberries lies in their color? That deep-blue hue is a by-product of flavonoids — natural compounds that protect the brain's memory-carrying cells (neurons) from the damaging effects of oxidation and inflammation. Since blueberries are one of the best sources of flavonoids you can find, it's no surprise that this superfood has been shown to help preserve memory function. Blueberries, like other berries, also have a high water content, which makes them hydrating for your skin and other cells of the body.

Sardines

You may be surprised to find out that ounce-for-ounce sardines contain just as much heart-healthy omega-3 fat as salmon! Not to mention that they're extremely low in contaminants, eco-friendly (so no need to worry about overfishing), packed with high-quality protein, and super affordable. If you buy canned sardines with the bones you'll get a hefty dose of calcium, too.

Spinach

Popeye was definitely on to something — eating spinach even before we knew about superfoods! Spinach is filled with antioxidants, including vitamin C and beta-carotene, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin — a duo that acts like sunscreen for your eyes and guards against macular degeneration. One cup of fresh spinach leaves also provides almost double the daily requirement for vitamin K, which plays an important role in cardiovascular and bone health. And of course you can't forget that spinach is a great vegetarian source of iron, which keeps your hair and nails strong and healthy. Use fresh spinach leaves as a base for salad or sauté it and add to an omelet.

Pistachio Nuts

Nuts offer a nutritious package of protein, fiber, and heart-healthy unsaturated fat, making them one of nature's perfect foods. Pistachios are especially rich in phytosterols and soluble fiber — two natural plant compounds that have been shown to lower total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. Pistachios are my nut of choice when it comes to weight loss. Twenty-five pistachios will cost you only 100 calories (per nut, they're the least caloric of all) and because they're in a shell, eating them will slow you down!

Dark Chocolate

Believe it or not, chocolate is a healthy treat, as long as you choose wisely. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that have been shown to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and boost overall heart health. Choose chocolate that is at least 70 percent cacao or cocoa to optimize the antioxidant power and health benefits. Dark chocolate may even boost your mood. While there's no scientific explanation for why, the rich taste and sensuous mouth-feel of a decadent piece of dark chocolate may be to thank. Just be sure to keep your portions in check — one ounce of dark chocolate has about 150 calories.

Red Bell Peppers

(The Feinegold Diet suggests to avoid all paprika and peppers)
A little known fact: one red bell pepper has twice as much vitamin C as an orange. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps clear your body of free radicals and keeps your skin and blood vessels healthy and strong. The vitamin C in bell peppers may also help prevent arthritis or slow the progression of the disease. Red bell peppers also deliver beta-carotene and lycopene, two more antioxidants that have been associated with decreased risk of eye diseases like cataracts. And, thanks to their high water content, bell peppers of all colors are a high-volume, low-cal food that's very figure-friendly.

Beans

Beans are a fabulous source of vegetarian protein and fiber, two nutrients that help you stay full and satisfied. The protein and fiber in beans also tempers the rise in blood sugar that occurs after a meal, which can help stabilize mood. The fiber in beans also helps keep you regular (every half cup serving adds another 7 g of fiber to you daily total) Beans are low in fat and a good source of magnesium and potassium, nutrients that work together to lower blood pressure and keep your heart and blood vessels healthy. Added bean bonus: They're inexpensive! So stock up on canned, no-salt added varieties and add them to soups, salads, stews, and more!

Egg Whites

Egg whites are a versatile low-calorie, fat-free, high-quality protein choice. For only 17 calories you get 4 g of protein per egg white — talk about lean protein! Egg whites can help you maintain strong bones, muscles, nails, and hair. Plus, all that protein will help you stay satisfied for hours after a meal. Egg whites can be eaten hard-boiled on their own, enjoyed as a topping for salad, or substituted for whole eggs in egg salad; they can also be used as the base of a vegetable omelet or in place of whole eggs in baked goods.

Oats

(Gluten - questionable due to contamination.)

You've probably heard that it's good to eat oats if you have high cholesterol. That's because whole grain oats are one of the best sources of soluble fiber, which, in addition to lowering cholesterol, helps keep blood sugar levels under control. Trade in your cream of wheat or sugary breakfast cereal for a bowl of wholesome oats topped with berries and chopped nuts for extra nutrition!

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is good for a lot more than carving jack-o'-lanterns on Halloween — it's loaded with nutrients that will help your heart, bones, eyes, and skin. Beta-carotene and potassium are the two standouts here: Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that helps rejuvenate skin, protect your vision, and may even reduce risk of arthritis. Potassium is a mineral involved in lowering blood pressure and maintaining healthy bones. Use fresh or canned (no-sugar-added) pumpkin in stews, soups, pies, or pureed as a side dish — or add a scoop to some nonfat vanilla yogurt for a yummy snack. 

(www.joybauer.com)

Foods That Boost Your Memory

Eating certain foods can help make life's little details unforgettable.

Age, stress, quality and length of sleep, medications, and of course, nutrition can all influence how well your memory functions. Physiologically, good memory depends on your total number of brain cells (neurons), the smooth flow of communication between the cells and the health of the cells.

In many ways, overall health can strongly affect memory. For example, the health of the body's cardiovascular system can affect the performance of brain cells. Every cell in the body needs a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to stay alive and work properly. Because oxygen and nutrients are carried in the bloodstream, anything that impedes blood flow can negatively affect brain cell function. Simply put, a healthy heart makes for a healthy brain. So it's important to keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check and to exercise regularly and not smoke.

A heart-healthy diet is therefore crucial to general health as well as to the health of memory, and compelling research has linked specific foods and their nutrients to the enhancement or preservation of memory. These "brain" foods contain flavonoids, which are chemical compounds that give fruits and leafy green vegetables their color. Two important flavonoids that appear to support memory function are anthocyanins and quercetin (both are found in apples, blueberries, and red onions, to name just a few sources).

Other nutrients that have been found to improve memory are folate and omega-3 fatty acids. Take a look at the following list for a rundown of the best foods for boosting brainpower.

Berries

(The Feinegold Diet suggests to avoid berries)
Berries have some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants among fruit, and all berries are rich in healthy anthocyanins and flavonols(a subgroup of flavonoids),which may help protect against the breakdown of brain cells. Some encouraging animal studies have suggested that diets rich in flavonoids may help reverse memory loss in humans.

Blueberries in particular have received a lot of attention because they are one of the best food sources of flavonoids. In fact, a British study revealed that eating plenty of blueberries can enhance spatial memory and learning.

Fresh berries are available at farmers' markets, local supermarkets, and health food stores. During off-season months, frozen berries are a good substitute and just as nutritious.

Leafy greens

Leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens are loaded with folate (folic acid is the synthetic form of this nutrient that's found in supplements and fortified foods) — which seems to have a direct effect on memory. In a study done at Tufts University in Boston, researchers followed 320 men for three years and tracked their blood levels of homocysteine — an amino acid that has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The participants who had high levels of homocysteine showed memory decline; those who ate foods rich in folic acid, however, which directly lowers homocysteine levels, demonstrated a protective effect against memory decline.

An Australian study also found that a diet featuring plenty of foods rich in folic acid was associated with faster information processing and memory recall. After just five weeks of consuming adequate amounts of folic acid, women in the study showed overall improvements in memory.

Fatty Fish

Healthy fats are important for a healthy mind. Research suggests that when it comes to food and memory, fish should be the star of the show — specifically, fatty fish like salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel and the generous amounts of omega-3 fats they provide. In fact, a study published in the Archives of Neurology in November 2006 found that subjects with the highest levels of omega-3s were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than subjects with the lowest levels.

Another, earlier study, conducted by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, followed more than 3,000 men and women for six years to see how diet affected their memory. Those who ate fish at least once a week had a 10 percent slower memory decline than those who did not eat fish, a difference that gave them the memory and thinking ability of a person three years younger.

Strive to eat three 4-ounce servings of fatty fish per week. If that's not realistic, consider using fish oil supplements.

Coffee

(The Feinegold Diet suggests to avoid coffee)
There's good news for coffee lovers: About two years ago, researchers from the University of Innsbruck in Austria found that caffeinated coffee can temporarily sharpen a person's focus and memory. After giving volunteers the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee, they used magnetic resonance imaging to observe that the volunteers' brain activity was increased in two locations, one of which is involved in memory. Volunteers given no caffeine showed no increase in brain activity.

Another study, published in a leading neurology journal, found that the effects of caffeine may be longer lasting in women. This four-year-long study involved about 7,000 participants who all went through baseline evaluations for cognitive function and blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other vascular issues.

The researchers reevaluated the participants at the end of two years and again at the end of four years; they found that women 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) had about a third less decline in memory over that time than the women who drank one cup or less of coffee (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) per day.

The results held up even after the researchers adjusted them to take into account other factors that could affect memory function, such as age, education, baseline cognitive function, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, medications, and chronic illnesses. The researchers speculated that this caffeine-memory association was not observed in men because it's possible that the sexes metabolize caffeine differently.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that unfiltered coffee (such as espresso, as well as coffee made in a French press) contains compounds that can raise cholesterol levels, especially in people who are already battling high cholesterol. To be safe, stick with filtered coffee, and of course, be moderate when adding milk and sugar! 

(www.joybauer.com)

Gluten-free shopping tips (for the EU)

Things to be considered when shopping for food

Daily food shopping is no easy task for sufferers of coeliac disease; the diverse range of products seems to be almost infinite, but each selected product presents the same question: Can I really eat this? The following tips and information will help you to fill your shopping basket correctly:

• Since November 2005, the 14 most important allergen substances, which are often found in foodstuffs, must be specified on the product label – independent of contained form and amount. For this reason you should read the label thoroughly before purchasing selected foodstuffs, even though it costs a little time and effort.

• Attention: Products that were manufactured before the aforementioned date are still allowed to be sold; gluten-containing ingredients are not necessarily specified on the product label in this case! And: The compulsory certification is only applied to packed goods and not to goods that are sold without packaging or rather individually.

• If one or more of the ingredients on the label are not familiar to you, we recommend that you should leave the product on the shelf.

• If you should find the designation "starch" or "modified starch" on the label, the starch in question is gluten-free in accordance with the EU ordinance from February 2000; gluten-free starch content has to be declared specially since this date.

• The general rule is: The fresher or more natural the food is, the higher the chances are that the food is gluten-free; and vice versa: The more the food is processed, the higher the chances are that the food is gluten-containing.

• Even if the product is usually gluten-free in its natural form, please take into consideration that the food may be contaminated, i.e. in the case of gluten-free grain, flour or bread and pastries. (Side note of blogger: when the product might be contaminated then the company has to state that on the product label.)

• Products that are provided in various regions or countries by large-scale foodstuff manufacturers are usually labelled with the same brand name, but the respective products may possibly contain differing ingredients. For this reason, please exercise caution when buying familiar products abroad. The rule applied here is also: Study the label or request information via the respective National Coeliac Society.

• All medication is gluten-free as a basic principle. Thus, you can take medication without any problems (the current standards set by the European Pharmacopoeia (compliance with which is verified by Office IV of the Italian Ministry of Health) are considered suitable for those affected by coeliac condition (gluten intolerance), as are medicinal products containing wheat starch).

• Obtain detailed shopping lists of the most commonly provided products on the retail market and take the list with you when you go shopping. These lists can be obtained from the respective national Coeliac Disease Societies of many countries. Such foodstuff lists are provided, for instance, by the German coeliac disease society known as Deutschen Zöliakie Gesellschaft, the Austrian coeliac society known as Arbeitsgemeinschaft Zoeliakie, the Italian coeliac society known as Associazione Italiana Celiachia, the British coeliac society known as Coeliac UK and the Spanish coeliac society known as Federación de Asociaciones de Celíacos de Espana.

• If you really want to be on the safe side, you should preferentially buy safe products made especially for coeliac disease sufferers, such as those provided by Schaer. (Side note of blogger: very good products, I eat them almost daily.)

(www.schaer.com)

Are You Sure It's ADHD?

If you're concerned that your child might have ADHD, find a doctor who knows how to make an accurate diagnosis in children — and can tell it apart from ADHD-related conditions.

By Wyatt Myers

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

An ADHD diagnosis in children can be distressing for parents. And when you consider that many medical conditions are commonly confused with ADHD because of similar symptoms or that they can occur alongside ADHD, it can be even more distressing and confusing.

To the untrained eye, a whole host of medical conditions can look like ADHD, explains Edward Hallowell, MD, a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and author of two books on ADHD, Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction.

“Modern life itself, with its myriad distractions and interruptions, can resemble ADHD,” he says. “Certain medical conditions, like hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, can resemble ADHD. If you do not get enough sleep, you can behave as if you have ADHD.”

To better understand ADHD, it helps to take a close look at childhood anxiety disorder and other ADHD-related conditions to see the differences.

Conditions Related to ADHD

When it comes to making an ADHD diagnosis in children, the common learning disability dyslexia is sometimes confused with ADHD, but Dr. Hallowell says that a good physician should be able to easily tell them apart. “Dyslexia refers to a reading problem, while ADHD refers to inconsistency of attention,” he says. “They are entirely different syndromes, but they may occur in the same person.”

Another common condition that sometimes gets confused with ADHD is a petit mal seizure. “The hallmark of petit mal is the presence of brief (a second or less) moments of complete absence of attention,” says Hallowell. “Hence they are often called ‘absence’ seizures.”

Bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and some autism disorders can also mimic ADHD symptoms at times.

Conditions That Accompany ADHD

In addition to conditions that have similar symptoms to ADHD, there are other conditions that often occur at the same time as ADHD. For example, it is not unusual to see childhood anxiety disorders appear in tandem with ADHD.

“Anxiety and depression usually occur in the wake of ADHD,” says Hallowell. “It is depressing to underachieve and not know why, and it is anxiety-provoking not to know what mistake you’re about to make. Once ADHD gets treated, depression and anxiety usually abate.”

Making an Accurate ADHD Diagnosis in Children

Doctors use a whole host of tests to determine whether or not your child has ADHD. In many cases, an accurate, detailed medical history is the key to getting at the truth of what your child is experiencing, explains Hallowell. In other instances, more extensive medical testing may be needed. “For example, petit mal seizures are diagnosed through an EEG, a brain wave test,” says Hallowell.

Ultimately, Hallowell says it’s critical to find a doctor who is experienced in working with patients with ADHD. “In the hands of a well-trained doctor, it is not a difficult diagnosis to make,” he says. “The problem is, most doctors do not know enough about ADHD in children or in adults. Since we do not have a test for ADHD, we have to rely on the clinical acumen of the doctor.” For that reason, Hallowell says, it’s not only important to find a doctor whom you trust, but also to find one who has a lot of experience with ADHD.

(/www.everydayhealth.com)

Realistic Goal Setting

Realistic Goal Setting

Restricted diets can help children with ADHD, study suggests

Different foods trigger different behavioural problems and should be monitored, according to paper in the Lancet

Sarah Boseley, health editor

The Guardian, Friday 4 February 2011

 Ritalin is widely used to treat children diagnosed with ADHD, but a paper in the Lancet suggests changing diet may be as effective. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who are impulsive, inattentive and unable to sit still, should be put on a restricted diet for several weeks to establish whether particular foods are the cause, scientists say today.

Certain foods and additives can worsen the behaviour of some children, although guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) say there is no proof that cutting out fatty acids, food colourings or additives can help.

A paper published today in the Lancet medical journal establishes that food is responsible for ADHD children's erratic and difficult behaviour in many cases, although it is likely that different foods trigger behavioural problems in different children. The findings are likely to be welcomed by those who are concerned about the amount of drug treatment given to children with ADHD.

Researchers from the Netherlands put 50 children with ADHD on a "restricted elimination diet" consisting of foods with the least possible risk of allergic reaction – a combination of rice, meat, vegetables, pears and water – which was tailored to the preferences of each child. A second group of 50 children were not put on a diet, but their parents were given advice on healthy eating and asked to keep a diary of everything their child ate.

The behaviour of 78% of the 41 children who completed the five-week restricted diet phase improved, while the behaviour of those who were not on a special diet remained the same.

Researchers then tried adding particular foods high in immunoglobulin G (IgG), antibodies known to trigger allergic responses, to the restricted diet. They subsequently added foods that were low in IgG – to find out whether blood tests for the antibodies could be used to identify foods that trigger ADHD. However, 63% of the children relapsed and there was no difference in the response to low IgG or high IgG foods.

The researchers conclude that – although food sensitivity plays a part in ADHD, it is not caused by an allergic reaction.

"We think that dietary intervention should be considered in all children with ADHD. This provided that parents are willing to follow a diagnostic restricted elimination diet for a 5-week period, and that expert supervision is available," say Professor Jan Buitelaar of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and Dr Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in Eindhoven.

"Children who react favourably to this diet should be diagnosed with food-induced ADHD. They should enter a challenge procedure to define which foods each child reacts to, increase the feasibility and minimise the burden of the diet. In children who do not show behavioural improvements after following the diet, standard treatments such as drugs, behavioural treatments, or both should be considered."

British experts welcomed the findings. "This study provides further evidence for the potential value of dietary approaches to the treatment of ADHD," said Professor Jim Stevenson of the University of Southampton. "It is a condition that disrupts family life, interferes with the child's ability to sustain friendships with other children and places the child at risk of longer term problems with attainment in school. Many parents are reluctant to use a drug treatment and it is important that alternatives such as the few foods approach can be shown to be effective."

But professor David Daley at Nottingham University's institute of mental health said there was more work to do. "Scientifically, I think this paper offers excellent evidence about another possible underlying cause of ADHD, but it would be premature to conclude such dietary intervention would be of any clinical benefit to children with ADHD and their parents. We need to know more about how expensive the intervention is, how motivated parents must be to make it work, and how easy it is for parents to get their child to stick to the diet," he said.

(www.guardian.co.uk)