From the Desk of Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC.....

For those parents who live with the child who suffers from ADHD, the question, "Can you cure ADHD?" comes up almost daily. Even though the symptoms can shift from day to day and run the gamut from mild to severe, the challenges of coping with a child who has ADHD can be daunting. While the answer to "Can you cure ADHD?" is a resounding "No," there is no reason to lose hope as there are several scientific treatments and methodologies that can help your child reduce or eliminate many ADHD symptoms, and that in turn, help you cope better with a day in the life of a child with ADHD.

Why Can't You Cure ADHD?

Attention deficit disorder is often the result of abnormal brain activity leading to a host of neurobehavioral symptoms such as short attention span, distractibility, poor impulse control, disorganization, procrastination and poor internal supervision. Associated symptoms can include anxiety, depression and insomnia. At some point, every parent who has a child with ADHD asks this question when asking "Can you cure ADHD?" and gets the same answer of "No." Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a spectrum disorder that involves many different aspects concerning the brain. Changes in brain activity can occur for a variety of reasons including environment factors, DNA/Genetic, head trauma, inflammation, autoimmunity, hormonal imbalance and nutritional reactivity. Areas of the brain may become under active or weaker than other areas leading to the symptoms associated to ADHD. While it has been the subject of extensive scientific research, the underlying issues that both prompt and perpetuate the disorder are vast and not linked to a single determinate cause as many different regions of the brain are involved. Thus treatment practitioners are left with the option of treating the symptoms to reduce the effects but are unable to directly cure or stop the symptoms from occurring. Therefore the response of "No" to the question "Can you cure ADHD?" is the one most often heard.

What Can Be Done?

Since the brain is an electrochemical organ it makes sense to measure brain wave activity. A QEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram) or Brain Map is a painless test, which involves placing electrodes on the scalp to pick up electrical activity in each lobe of the brain. Once the data has been gathered it is compared to a normative database and a report is developed for the doctor to interpret.

A 21st CENTURY APPROACH: We have developed a unique four pronged non-drug approach to helping children and adults with ADHD. Our program incorporates Brain Mapping, Functional Neurology, Functional Nutrition and Neurofeedback.

In order to effectively address attention deficit disorder three factors must be determined:

1. What is the underlying cause?
2. How much brain involvement is occurring. NOTE: The way to find out is to perform a Brain Map.
3. How much care will your condition require?

The help that is provided at the The Clear Mind Institute of Southeast Michigan has four main goals:

1. Restore Healthy Brain Wave Activity
2. Address underlying nutritional imbalances
3. Strengthen weak brain lobe function
4. Reduce or eliminate causative factors

The good news is, numerous treatment options are available that have shown significant results in reducing the symptoms and their subsequent impacts on those who have ADHD. Diet modification therapy, Interactive Metronome, and others have demonstrated success in helping those who deal with and suffer from ADHD. However, one of the best treatment options for those with ADHD is neurofeedback therapy, especially when combined with some of the other treatment options. Of course, many also pursue pharmaceutical treatment options but for many, the side effects outweigh the benefits, and thus neurofeedback therapy is considered an optimal choice as it is a non-invasive option with no side effects.

Why It Works!

Neurofeedback therapy works by targeting the specific brainwaves and patterns that naturally occur in the brain. By using visual and auditory stimuli, the brain is trained to self-produce the correct frequency and pattern of normal brainwaves thus reducing the symptoms of ADHD. Another way of stating what neurofeedback does is; neurofeedback is a kind of biofeedback that uses real-time brain activity displays to teach self-regulation of brain function. By self-regulating brain function, the symptoms related to sub-optimal brainwave activity are reduced or eliminated, without the mounting evidence of the harmful effects of long-term ADHD medication use.

This type of approach has been successful in treating other brain-centric disorders such as epilepsy, and it has been shown to be effective with PTSD and more. It, however, it not a cure and it can require multiple treatment sessions in conjunction with other treatment options to achieve the level of results necessary to reduce the impacts of ADHD, depending on the particular case of ADHD.

A study compared medication only to a neurofeedback group and medication group. The results demonstrated that six months after discontinuing therapy only the neurofeedback group showed sustained improvements, the medication only group, did not.

Neurofeedback is like exercise for the brain. Overtime a stronger more balanced brain is reflected in more socially appropriate behavior and capacity to stay on task. Studies show that neurofeedback training benefits last 30 years or longer and may even increase IQ by 10-12 points.

While the answer to "Can you cure ADHD?" is still "No," there is no reason to lose hope. By engaging neurofeedback therapy with or without the combination of other treatments. The symptoms can be lessened to a degree for a person with ADHD to regain their quality of life. So there is no cure but you and those you love who suffer from ADHD can remove the shackles that prevent you from getting more out of life and the good part of about neurofeedback therapy is that it can be repeated as often as necessary and it is not limited to any age group. Thus, it can help you for as long as required. Thus, if you, your child or someone you know suffer from the ravages of ADHD, seek out a treatment provider soon that can help get you started down the road to treating your ADHD, so you can get back to living the life you want to lead.

Always remember one of my mantras., "The more you know about how your body works, the better you can take care of yourself."

For more details about the natural approach I take with my patients, take a look at the book I wrote entitled: Reclaim Your Life; Your Guide To Revealing Your Body's Life-Changing Secrets For Renewed Health. It is available in my office or at Amazon and many other book outlets. If you found value in this article, please use the social sharing icons at the top of this post and please share with those you know who are still suffering with chronic health challenges, despite receiving medical management. Help me reach more people so they may regain their zest for living! Thank you!

ALL THE BEST – DR. KARL R.O.S. JOHNSON, DC – DIGGING DEEPER TO FIND SOLUTIONS