ADHD
Whether formally assessed, waiting for assessment or just suspected ADHD, our brains are in need of help. Our evolution has not kept pace with our environment (food, water, homes) and we now face a lack of nutrients from our food chain to nourish the brain, and toxins which are adding extra stress on our brains. Add in difficulties with routine around exercise and sleep, we believe our lifestyles are contributing to the rising tide of mental health conditions globally.
Traits and behaviours of ADHD such as lack of focus and concentration, procrastination, hyperfocus, difficulty with planning and emotional regulation, lack of motivation for menial tasks, are all impacted by our brain chemistry. The stress of waiting for assessments, society not being geared up for neurodiverse brains can often see comorbid conditions, such as anxiety, depression, OCD being diagnosed, all signs of environmental, psychological and physical stress or trauma. We also know there is a genetic risk factors at play, if your parents have ADHD, it is more likely in children where it is more likely to be picked up at an earlier age.
Nutrition is not a silver bullet
ADHD is not a disorder to be fixed, however symptoms of nutritional deficiencies do overlap with behaviours associated with neurodiversity. Our bodily health significantly impacts our brain function, we are not disconnected at the neck, so any health issues or medical diagnoses have the potential to impact your brain, behaviour and feelings.
Nutritional therapy takes a holistic look
We look at your health history, lifestyle, symptoms and medicines, to understand the root cause of any imbalances that could be impacting how you feel. It provides you with a pathway of achievable steps to get you to reach your health goals. With 30 vitamins and minerals, fats, proteins and carbohydrates, are you getting enough of what you need?
Our brains need many nutrients, here are just some of the common factors associated with ADHD
Omega 3
Our brains are predominately made of fat, and these essential anti-inflammatory fats come from oily fish, nuts and seeds and their oils, low status has been found in ADHD cohorts.
B Vitamins
Particularly B1, B5, B6, B9 and B12 are needed to provide energy and nerve cell communication and make neurotransmitters such as serotonin (happiness), dopamine (reward and pleasure) and GABA (for calmness). Being water soluble, these are easily depleted.
Zinc
Essential for our immune system within the brain, microglial cells help to clear away debris and help the brain repair.
Iron
To ensure the brain gets enough oxygen to fuel the brain.
Magnesium
This calming mineral has over 300 processes in the body and is often deficient as plants absorb it from the soil, and with intensive farming our soil is less mineral dense than 50 years ago.
Fibre
Essential for our immune system within the brain, microglial cells help to clear away debris and help the brain repair.
We thoroughly assess your intake of nutrients across the board once we start working with you.
What about our toxic burden?
We have an abundance of sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, chemically changed fats, preservatives, emulsifiers, and additives in our food. We are exposed to petrochemicals, secondary tobacco, microplastics, moulds, and recreational drugs. These cocktails of chemicals the body may not know how to deal with, affecting our metabolism, liver and kidneys and every function in the body. Are these contributing to brain fog, procrastination, poor memory, lack of motivation? We can help you find out.
What about supplements?
We use a food first approach, however supplements can play a useful role in:
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Balancing mood
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Supporting neurotransmitters
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Lowering inflammation and aiding immunity
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Help with hormonal imbalances
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Supporting sleep and our 24 hour body clock
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Aiding digestion so we maximise the absorption of our nutrients
Just like medicines, the dosing and timing is crucial to efficacy. We carefully assess what is safe with medications, and calculate the therapeutic dose. Too little could have no impact, and too much can be toxic, we can help you work out what is right for you as an individual.
Functional medicine testing
We have a dedicated ADHD package to provide you with the data to support your brain health comprising of:
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Finger prick blood test for Omega 3/6/9 status
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Urine sample Organic Acid Test assessing gut, detox, neurotransmitters, energy, antioxidants and much more
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Hair mineral sample to look at Magnesium, zinc and other minerals, as well as toxic burden.
Suitability will always be assessed after your health intake questionnaire, but you can head to our ‘work with us’ tab for more information. If you would like samples of the reports, please email us and we can oblige. Many other functional tests are available, in fact too many to list on the website, book in a call where we can guide you as what may be most relevant to your needs.
Lifestyle changes
We ‘get’ that changing habits around food is hard. What we enjoy, when we eat, cravings and desires for certain foods, not liking certain taste and textures, the overwhelm of the supermarket shop. It’s different for every single one of us.
What if you had a plan written just for you, those first steps towards feeling content, happy, balanced, and refreshed?
We brainstorm a plan together, we don’t tell you what to do, but guide you on what will work for you, so it’s easy to stick to, building your confidence which has a ripple effect in other areas of your life. This is why we don’t offer one-off session, as unpicking all of this alongside our biochemistry is difficult in just 1 hour. But give us a couple of months, and you can feel more resilient, physically and mentally.
