More Evidence for Fish Oil and ADHD

We give K3 four capsules of Nordic Naturals DHA Jr. every. single. day.   I have been awe struck by the changes I see in her.  At Church on Good Friday, she stood patiently in line… not freaking out or jumping all over.  She was one of the calmest children there.  This is not the child I know! 

A couple of days later, we forgot her DHA Jr. and it was painfully obvious.  That was a day when K3 couldn’t hear anything we said to her, she couldn’t focus and was all over the place. 

Maybe its just a fluke… but Oregon Dad and I both really feel this is helping!  K3 is well withing the “normal” range for a nearly six year old.  We will not be deviating from the her supplementation or from her diet. 

We have increased her calcium supplements to 4 a day (equal to 10 oz of milk) because I recently read that calcium from fortified sources (like rice or soy milk, oj, etc… ) is absorbed at only 75% of cows milk.  We definitely want to make sure her little bones are getting enough to stay strong.  We have also added a fruit and veggie supplement.  The kids only get 1 (1/2 a serving) a day… because they eat a well balanced diet, but we figure a little extra veggies never hurt anyone.

Of course, K2 eats her veggies without a complaint, but she was tossing her fruit and veggie bears out with the trash until we put a stop to it… Go figure!

 

Not All Fish Oils Are Created Equal

We decided to try the Lil Critters Omega 3 Supplements because they were so much more cost effective than the Nordic Naturals we started out on.

Heaven help us… that was a mistake!

Evidently not all fish oils are created equal.  Within a week of the switch we started noticing major behavior changes.   Ballet class was a struggle, K3 had her hands inside her skirt the entire time, twisting it, fidgeting, not paying attention.  Several times I had to restrain myself from running into the room and saying, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”  She is making noises ALL THE TIME.  She is all over the place, not focusing… not sitting still… there is almost no resemblence to the calm child we had a couple of weeks ago.   We are not seeing any signs of physical/health response, so I do not think this is food related.

I cannot find any other explaination for these changes.  We have not had any diet changes… the only thing we did was switch the Fish Oil supplements.   Saving $20 a bottle isn’t worth this!  I am pulling my hair out.   Tomorrow when the clinic opens, I am heading back for our Nordic Natural Fish Oil.

 

I LOVE Costco

I know… it violates everything about shopping locally and avoiding mass consumerism.  But, I cannot help loving Costco.  Why?  Because feeding a family of SEVEN is darn expensive.

Costco is adding all kinds of lovely natural and organic products to their shelves.  This makes me leap for joy!  K3 does not like the Nordic Natural Fish Oil we had started her on… and we are almost out.  She learned very quickly to swallow the pills instead of biting into them. 

We have been getting the Lil Critters Gummy Vites, Calcium + D and Immune C there for quite some time.  Well, the other day I found the Lil Critters Omega 3 Gummy Fish!  Woohoo!  GFCF, artifical crud free… and more OMEGA 3’s than the Nordic Naturals.  I am a happy camper. 

They are sitting on top of the fridge waiting for the bottle of Nordic to be empty… K3 is eyeing them everyday wondering how much longer she has to wait to try them.  All the kids think the Lil Critters are a treat… its such a painless way to get supplements into them!

(I know they have corn syrup in them… but give me a break here people!  A little bit isn’t going to kill anyone and its better than a fight and vitamins spit out when I’m not looking.)

 

Supplementing a GFCF Diet

Supplements are a vital part of ensuring a well-balanced diet in a child with food allergies.  Diseases like Celiac’s actually interferes with the absorbtion of much needed vitamins and minerals.  Other dietary restrictions, such as those for ADHD and Autism (GF or GFCF diets) may be lacking some of the needed vitamins.  There is also the questions of whether these diseases could be caused from vitamin/mineral deficiencies.  For now, K3 is taking the following supplements to help ensure a balance in her Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Milk and Whey Free diet.  We also restrict anything that is artificial, so all the supplements we use have no artifical colors, preservatives or flavors.

L’il Critters  Gummy Vites- 2 a day (Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Supplement)

L’il Critters Immune C plus Zinc and Echinechea- 1 a day (unless showing signs of illness, then up it to 2)

L’il Critters Calcium plus D- 2 a day (this is equal calcium to one serving milk, we may go up based on an evaluation of how much calcium she is getting in the milk replacements we use)

Nordic Naturals DHA Jr.  (Fish Oil/Omega 3) 4 capsules a day

We will be trying some other varieties of Omega 3 when this bottle is gone.  I have found several alternatives (even a Vegan Omega 3 for kids) in the Fred Meyer Nutrition Center.  I find it’s easier to go sit on the aisle floor and read the bottles than to try to compare them online.  I need to see what the product looks like.  Afterall, I am expecting a 5 year old to eat it!

 

Fish Oil and ADHD

We are sure Kenzie has ADHD.  We also feel that her diet can control it… so we do not see a traditional doctor for it.  We will NOT medicate.  Members of our family have all answered 14 questions (Does my child have ADHD), coming up with 10-11 yes answers. The rule of thumb is 8 or more indicate ADHD.  Our Naturopath Doctor has recommended fish oil in addition to removing the foods she is reactive to and adding other vitamin supplements.

I have been doing some research about using fish oil for ADHD and found several good articles.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fish-Oil-for-ADD-or-ADHD-Is-there-a-Positive-Health-Connection-between-Fish-Oil-and-ADD-or-ADHD?&id=631243

http://www.mercola.com/2006/jul/4/fish_oil_treats_adhd_better_than_ritalin.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jul/20/adhd.htm

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA400011

For now, we have started on Nordic Naturals DHA Junior.  Kenzie doesn’t like the taste, but at $27 a bottle, we will use this one up before we switch to something else.