Many people ask me about alternatives to ADHD Medication. They ask because they feel helpless and lost about the subject. Let’s discuss the topic just a bit here. ADHD medications are seriously being overused. More importantly, they are overused by people who do NOT have ADHD. The medications are stimulant in nature. This means they give your nervous a boost. Thus, this boost is designed to increase focus and alertness for the time they are in your body. That would be great for everybody if they weren’t proven to have harmful effects over time. That is why I am writing about alternatives to ADHD medication in this post. So, here are some tips to know if you think need ADHD medications or are looking for alternatives that might be a better route for you.
Looking for Alternatives to ADHD Medication? Look no further.
Have a qEEG Brain Map performed.
You know what I always say, knowledge is power. To know what you are dealing with you need to be able to see it. That is why everyone should have a qEEG Brain Map. It is like an x-ray of your bones but it’s of how your brain is performing (and it is not harmful to you at all like x-ray is).
A qEEG Brain Map evaluation can show you if your brain is using the ADHD pattern. Actually, there is more than one ADHD pattern, so the brain map can show you if you are using the ADHD brain pattern than can benefit from medication. I am sure you have heard about people who take ADHD medication and feel worse; anxious, can’t sleep or eat. This is what I am talking about. You can see the brain pattern on the qEEG and it can tell you how it might go for you with medications.
Who is Overusing ADHD Medications and Why?
Shockingly, college students call ADHD drugs “Cognitive Steroid”. This is because they are using drugs to study and get an edge. This does NOT mean they have ADHD. At the same time, stay-at-home moms call it “Mother’s Little Helper”. Now, I have 5 kids and have basically been exhausted for two decades, I would get a jolt from ADHD meds. but it would not be healthy for me.
Truth be told, neither group really benefits from the medications. Both are being duped into thinking they are more productive than they are by the drugs’ surge of dopamine production. Unfortunately, studies prove the drugs actually do not give you any true cognitive benefits, meaning they do not make you smarter or help your brain re-wire itself, they just increase alertness. And the costs, they are huge. We know this because it is proven by science. ADHD meds have short-term side effects of loss of appetite and increased anxiety and longer-term effects of seizures, paranoia, aggressive behaviors, tics, and heart problems. Let me tell you what could really help you.
Get More Sleep to Improve Focus and Alertness
If you are tired and fatigued all of the time, your brain will be using a pattern similar to ADHD. However, your “tired brain” pattern has an easy solution… sleep. A person with true ADHD cannot sleep it off.
Eat Protein + Carbs. for Sustained Focus
Food is not the solution to everything but it certainly helps everything. When you eat healthy proteins and carbs at every meal it helps your nervous system avoid spikes in energy from sugar. This helps alertness and focus to be sustained longer. Eggs and seeded toast with peanut butter for breakfast can go a long way followed by, soup and salad for lunch, and quinoa, broccoli, and chicken for dinner.
Many professionals have argued that the short term gain of ADHD medications is not worth the long-term risks of its use. One professor wrote an article in the NY Times called “Ritalin Gone Wrong” in which he stated that ADHD medications have short term benefits that then require a continual boost in dosage to keep the effects coming in turn leading to addictions.
Beat Addiction to ADHD medications by not starting.
Addictions to ADHD medications have increased to the degree that the National Institute on Drug Abuse has deemed a “cause for alarm” for high school students because use has gone up 8.2% in recent years. The impact of ADHD on the body has been widely studied and described very well in posts on the internet. Misuse can cause harmful side effects. The easiest way to avoid side effects and the potential for an addiction is to not start. At our office, Leigh Brain & Spine, the hubs, Dr. Cosmas Leigh and our awesome team of professionals can help those struggling with the idea of having to use medications.
Neuro Coaching as Alternative to ADHD Medication
If you want to know more about the brain pattern that causes ADHD, contact me. Also, if you want TONS of tips on how to conquer it yourself, then enroll in my on-line ADHD course. It will give you all the tools you need to get started conquering ADHD without medications starting today. Many professionals with ADHD choose to have me guide them into a better pattern of habits. Want to reach your Full Potential? Let me help. My personal neuro training program can get you there and keep you there. If you are a doctor, lawyer, or professional, I can help.
Neurofeedback Brain Training Proven by Science to Improve Attention and Focus
Many people report that they get medications because there are no other alternatives to help them. This simply is not true. Advancements in neuroscience and technology have made new treatment methods that are more effective. Now there are brain-based treatments that can address the underlying cause of ADHD. At the same time, ADHD is proven to be a neurologically dysregulated brain pattern. At Leigh Brain & Spine, my husband and his team use qEEG Brain Mapping to identify those individuals that actually have a significant ADHD pattern and those that do not. For both groups, there are treatments available, that do not use drugs. A drug-free option is available, right now, right in your community.
If you want to heal your brain from the inside out and be able to accomplish focus and productivity for the rest of your life, then Neurofeedback Brain Training is what you are looking for. Proven effective, Neurofeedback has been shown to have lasting gains to help you feel and perform better. What does this mean? It means you will be able to reach your full potential across your whole life, not just when you have meds. in your system.
Home Neurofeedback Makes ADHD Alternatives Easier Than Ever
For two years now, my team has been offering our Brain Shift Home Neurofeedback Program to help people conquer their challenges “in their jammies’ as I always say. I get to be part of that program as the Neuro Coach helping people succeed. The success stories are amazing. So, if you are struggling and can’t use the tips above, it is likely time to see about Home Neurofeedback to help your cause. It literally has never been easier to improve your focus and anxiety.
