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I was shocked to learn that some college students take psychostimulant drugs like Ritalin and Adderall illegally so that they can do better in exams and get through college. No, they are not suffering from ADHD or hyperactivity – they just want to have an edge over honest students.
When we are looking at medication for hyperactive children we are more concerned with the alarming side effects of these drugs than anything else. Apart from deciding which ADHD medication, there are other ways of helping a hyperactive child.

Hyperactivity in children, if left untreated may well continue into adulthood- often with disastrous consequences – an adult with ADHD loses about 22 days work a year, car accidents are caused by extreme irritation exploding in impulsive acts and distraction causes great losses in productivity.

Helping A Hyperactive Child

As a parent of a hyperactive child, what can you do to help him or her. The first strategy is to make sure that the child gets enough exercise and the amount of media exposure time is strictly controlled. There is more than enough evidence to show that time on Internet, watching DVDs and cell phone use, may lead to obesity, diabetes and experimentation with early sex. So, kids just need exercise and various fitness programs have shown promising results. The ABC for Fitness program (Kansas ) had very encouraging results when they tried this program with a group of kids in 13 elementary schools in the Independence, MO school district. Those kids who actively participated were able to reduce their medication for ADHD – up to 33%! The other kids who were monitored and who did no sports showed a mere 7% reduction. So, lots of outdoor (preferably) activities such as biking, hiking and skating are going to help the hyperactive child. But any fitness program, such as the one mentioned above is bound to have beneficial effects.

Is There A Diet For ADHD ?

The second strategy is to make sure that the food the child eats is not rubbish! One paediatrician has described ADHD children as having, what he calls an NDD condition. Another acronym- this one stands for Nutritional Deficit Disorder ! Did you know that the famous Omega 3 ‘good’ fats are found in great quantity in mothers’ breast milk? These are definitely good for the brain so any foods which contain these are recommended – fish (or fish oil supplements), fruits, nuts, whole grains and green leafy vegetables. Yogurt is a better option than ice- cream or lollies. Smoothies made with healthy ingredients are a great standby. There are lots of recipe sites on the Internet if you are stuck for healthy food ideas for kids. The foods/ ingredients to avoid are fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, MSG and any food or pop which has artificial colourings,additives and preservatives.

These two strategies will be key elements in your plan to help your hyperactive child. As regards ADHD medication with psychostimulants, you will be shocked if you visit the FDA site as it is full of warnings about the risks and dangers associated with these drugs. If you want to find out about a perfectly safe alternative ADHD therapy, visit the site below. It will answer a lot of your questions.

Robert William Locke
http://www.articlesbase.com/adhd-articles/sensible-strategies-to-help-hyperactive-children-680361.html