Gluten and ADHD

[Lucky8]

Hello Potty People! I would first like to say thank you to Tex and everyone who posts within this forum. I don't know where I would be today with my illness if I had not found you. I was diagnosed with cc in March after 7 months of D - 10 to 20 times per day but my son is the reason for this post. He is 9 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD - Inattentive Type - when he was in Kindergarten. I have resisted medicating him and have not informed his school of this diagnosis. As soon as he entered 4th grade, it became obvious that I would not be able to ignore this any longer. His teacher figured out there was an issue within a couple of days. My son only exhibits the inattentive behaviors and does not seem to be hyperactive. He has great difficulty controlling his emotions and gets very upset when he loses his work or supplies at school which seems to be happening daily. He often breaks down in tears at school according to his teacher, but he denies all of this when I try to talk with him about it. I was wondering if others have experienced this with their children. There is some speculation that these issues could be caused by food sensitivities such as gluten but I don't think there is any conclusive evidence. My son's Ped does not think gluten could be the issue but my GI does not believe it is an issue for me either. I will try anything before medicating him...I guess I am just looking for some opinions from people who actually understand the gluten issue. Taking gluten out of his diet will be a challenge because he is a very picky eater. Any advise will be greatly appreciated...

[sarkin]

Hi,

Because of my own experience with food issues, a friend did Enterolab testing for two of her three kids, and it has made a HUGE difference. There were emotional outbursts, ADD, joint/bone pains, and a whole assortment of symptoms. She got a lot of pushback from doctors and friends and family, but she was right... And things in the family are settling and stabilizing, for a good school year. Her kids are 8 & 10 - so right in the ballpark for you son (if that is relevant - it is probably variable).

The sight is www.enterolab.com. There is a lot of info here on this site about those tests - please feel to let us know how we can help you figure this out.

I so empathize with your desire to get your son back on track for a healthy, successful life and education, without an official diagnosis in his file, and a bunch of meds in his system. (We should all aspire to something like that for ourselves, too - when possible!)

Hope this is helpful,

Sara

[Gabes-Apg]

The local naturopath that i was doing the BIA sessions with treats quite a few children with behaviour issues (some medically diagnosed with ADHD),

via the BIA she confirms high irritant foods (the most prevelent being Gluten, Dairy, Preservatives)
she helps the parents come up with an eating plan that removes the high irritant foods.
she also puts the children on Iodine supplement

She told me that within 6 weeks there is a very noticable improvement, to the extent that some of the parents start bring the high irritant foods into the meals again thinking it is ok, but the behaviour issues return once those ingredients are recommenced.

[Bifcus16]

Hi Lucky,

I know your child has been diagnosed with ADD rather than Autism spectrum, but do have a look at what these parents are doing to manage their children's health.

http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources ... th-autism/

http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources ... -a-budget/

The site also has info on a ten week program to switch your child over to gluten free, and points out it typically takes 4 months before you see a clear response.


Good luck,
Lyn

[tex]

Hi Lucky,

Thanks for the kind words, and since this was your first post, welcome to our internet family.

This is a little outside of our area of expertise, of course, but I agree with everyone else that gluten-sensitivity, (or some other food-sensitivity could be the cause of such behavior. Though gluten is often found to make a big difference, I believe that casein, (dairy), can also be a problem, and in some cases, both may be implicated.

Make sure that he's getting plenty of vitamin D, because I believe that it's possible for a vitamin D deficiency to cause those symptoms in some kids. In some cases, vitamin D seems to work miracles with autistic kids, and I believe it's; worth considering for every child whose behavior seems abnormal. If that's the problem, 2,000 to 3000 IU per day, for 6 to 8 weeks should cause some noticeable improvement in behavior. And if he doesn't need it, it shouldn't hurt anything, because that's not a very high dose.

This would be considered a long shot, because most people never associate hypothyroidism with young people, but it's possible to develop juvenile hypothyroidism at any age, usually because of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I doubt that's the problem, but I thought that I should mention it as a possibility, since the symptoms that you describe would certainly be a possibility. I suspect that this condition would usually be secondary to gluten-sensitivity. If his thyroid is enlarged, for example, that would be evidence of a goiter. Incidentally, the iodine supplement that Gabes mentioned, would fit right in with this possibility.

I hope you're able to find a solution,
Tex

[Polly]

Hi Lucky and

I am a pediatrician (with MC) with a special interest in behavior/learning problems. Also, I have tons of ADHD in my family tree. My son has inattentive ADHD. So I fully understand your concerns. I have yet to see any real evidence that ADHD is gluten-related but I wouldn't rule it out. Some believe ADHD is an autoimmune disorder (AI), and of course, we know that as MCers we have more AI diseases in our families. I have seen occasional children over the years who had specific sensitivities, which usually involved food colorings or additives. For a while, the Feingold Diet was popular for ADHD - it eliminates colorings, preservatives, etc. but I have not been impressed by its overall effectiveness.

I am in favor of informing the school about a child's diagnosis. For one, the mind set of the school changes from "he is a problem" to "he has a problem". Secondly, it makes the child eligible for important services to assist with learning. For example, with a 504 plan the child remains in a regular classroom but can have help as needed - extra time to complete tests, the use of a calculator for tests, preferential seating to minimize distraction, etc. It can allow for untimed SATs when the time comes. When my son took untimed SATs, his scores went up 100 points compared to the standard, timed tests. Another unofficial benefit of the 504 plan was meeting every year with the counsellor to hand-pick the teachers for the next year - teachers who were warm, structured, patient and/or perhaps whose own child had ADHD. Keep in mind that kids with ADHD often have an associated learning disability. My son had a problem with reading comprehension, which I have also seen in other kids with inattentive ADHD. The school can evaluate for L.D.s. and provide the necessary remediation.

It is not unusual to see kids with ADHD becoming increasingly frustrated as the years pass. Every year more is required of them in school. And many with ADHD have difficulty with "executive functions": planning, motivation, and organization. They often do their homework but can't find it to turn it in - or forget to. They usually have the messiest desks. LOL! But the most serious problem is the loss of self esteem that can occur because of the constant failures/frustrations.

Here is my son's history: diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in 5th grade. On medication from 5th through 9th grades - did beautifully academically - mostly As and honors classes. Medication discontinued 10th through 12th grades (he no longer wanted to take it and we supported him) - grades mostly Cs with some occasional Ds. Upon graduation did not have grades for a 4 year college so he went to a 2-year community college - took no medication by choice, grades mostly Cs. Got AA degree and transferred to a 4-year college. Decided on his own just prior to entering the 4 year college that he wanted to take medication again to facilitate learning. Is now in his senior year (mostly As and a few Bs) and planning a degree and career in cybersecurity.

I would be happy to discuss all of this with you further if you'd like, including the issues surrounding medication. Please feel free to PM me!

Hugs,

Polly

[dgshelton]

Lucky -

I really don't have anything to add, but wanted to welcome you. I have an 11 year old son that I suspect has food sensitivities because he is so thin even though he eats. He looks a lot like I did when I was his age..extremely thin arms and legs with a bloated belly. I used to joke that in pictures of when I was young, I looked like a starving child from a third world country. Little did I know that I was starving because if malabsorption. I had my son's ped do a blood test for celiac, but of course it, like mine, came back negative. I am going to have him Enterolab tested in the near future. I also have a 24 year old daughter that has ADD and is VERY moody. She is getting married this Sat. and has been extremely stressed. I believe she also has food intolerances, but I can't force her to be tested. She has told me that she may get tested after the wedding. We'll see.

It's wonderful that you are trying to find other ways to treat your son's ADD without medication. If I were you, I would try him on a gluten free diet to see if it makes a difference. I believe you will see dramatic results very quickly if gluten is the problem.

Hugs,

[MBombardier]

Lucky! You have come to the right place! Polly, especially, will be a wonderful help to you!

All I can add is from my own experience. My 13yo, Sierra, has had trouble all her life. She climbed out of her crib when she was 15 months old. Since I have an older child (who will be 34 tomorrow) who had ADD issues her whole school life, I immediately suspected that for Sierra, but didn't know what, if anything, I could do about it.

A couple of years later, I was traveling back from my mother's funeral, and sat next to a woman who was reading a brochure about ADHD and food. When she decided to take a nap, I asked to read the brochure. The information in the brochure was overwhelming, but what I decided to do was to take Sierra, who was now 3 years old, off all sugar, artificial flavors, and colors. The change was amazing. We had been calling her (not in her hearing, of course) Sierra bin Laden because she was such a terror. Suddenly, she was a loving, happy, obedient child. My husband did not believe that simple change had made the difference until he took her to an event where she had a hotdog, potato chips, and soda. For the next 24-48 hours, Sierra bin Laden was back again.

I found out in January that I have two gluten-intolerant genes, which means that each of my children have at least one which they inherited from me. The two still at home went gluten-free in March. We home school, and Sierra, who was in 7th grade, suddenly started spontaneously doing her school work, and even enjoying it. When she took the California Achievement Test in May, which is required of home schoolers in my state, her total battery had improved over four years! She had gone from 5th grade, 7th month at the end of her 6th grade year to 10th grade, 1st month after being gluten-free for two months!

An added bonus, which came on fairly slowly so we didn't even realize it until we looked at photos of her from January, was that the redness of her skin on her face and her acne had cleared up. She still has some pimples, but no longer does she have acne.

As time goes by, some immaturity on Sierra's part is also going away, and she is becoming a lovely young woman who is a delight and a joy to herself, and to be around.

Welcome again, Lucky. You will discover that this is a special forum where we all care about and care for each other.

[Zizzle]

Hi Lucky,
I've read about the use of GF/DF/artifical dye and preservative free diets in ADHD and autism, and they seem to work. There are certainly many cookbooks devoted to it. My old neighbor is treating her autistic daughter with the diet, along with many supplements, hyperbaric chamber treatments, etc. She gave me this cookbook, which has kid-friendly recipes (very important, since many GF/DF recipes are really tailored to adult tastes.

The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet
http://www.amazon.com/Kid-Friendly-ADHD ... 1592332234

I do think ADHD can run in families -- there is often a parent with tell-tale symptoms. But I don't think this explains the meteoric rise in diagnoses. Yes, it may be more recognized, yes, schools may not be the best environments for active boys, but something else is at play. My son is in 2nd grade and I am amazed by the number of little boys I meet with issues: lack of empathy, inattention, oppositional defiance, eczema, social quirks. Their brains and bodies are under assault by something, be it mercury, food toxins, water contaminants, vaccine reactions, viruses, new bacteria, you name it. I am terribly worried about the next generation, not just because of the alarming rates of obesity and diabetes, but because of what their environment is doing to their brains, and ultimately their ability to get educated, have a career and family, and be happy and self-sufficient.

Sorry to be a downer. I do hope you advocate for your son and do whatever you can to ease his symptoms and promote his overall wellness. My son is doing really well and seems very healthy, but he takes after me, and I wonder if gluten intolerance will eventually appear. He avoids most baked goods, breads and milk, so it's as if his body is telling him something...
So I feed him a "low" gluten diet and hope for the best.

[draperygoddess]

I have a ten-year-old son who has inattentive ADHD. His doctor wanted to medicate him as soon as he was diagnosed, but I couldn't bear seeing that bright, creative little mind controlled by drugs. He usually does very well in school, but he is easily distracted and has problems with organization, timeliness, neatness, etc. Perhaps not too coincidentally, he began having digestive problems in kindergarten and was diagnosed with IBS. Although he doesn't have any symptoms now as long as he avoids a few trigger foods, I wonder if some of his ADHD symptoms could be related to his diet, especially now that I'm finding I have some food sensitivities I never knew about. So this is really making me think!

[Lucky8]

I want to thank you all for your responses and the suggestions that you shared. I have read all of your posts several times and I have a lot to think about. I think I will start by adding the vitamin D supplement while I decide which path to take.

Polly, thank you so much for your advice and your offer to provide additional information through PM. I would love to get further advice from you. I will contact you.

Thanks everyone!

[tex]

Lucky,

FYI, assuming it's working correctly, the system will not allow you to see Polly's Private Message address, (PM address), or e-mail address, until you have submitted at least 5 posts to the board. I realize that this is inconvenient to new members, but it prevents most spammers from just signing up so that they can "harvest" e-mail addresses or other private information from members.

Polly can PM you, (or e-mail you), if she wants, (assuming that she notices your post), and then you can respond to her PM or e-mail. Or, you can just write 3 more posts, and then you will be able to see the contact buttons at the bottom of Polly's posts, (and, of course, that applies to every one else's contact information, at the bottom of their posts). In case you're not familiar with how that works, if you click on the PM button at the bottom of one of Polly's posts, the system will open a message-composing window that will allow you to send a private message to her. If you have any problems with the system, please don't hesitate to ask.

Tex

[Lucky8]

Thank you Tex! That's number 3

[Polly]

Thanks for the info, Tex. I will send Lucky a PM.

Hugs,

Polly

[tex]

At least I think that will work. If it doesn't, (IOW, if you can't see the PM notice or view the PM, Lucky), please let me know, so that I stop giving such foolish advice.

Tex