ABOUT Non-Medical Alternatives

Alternative Treatment Approaches

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Before I begin adding content to the “Non-Pharmaceutical Alternatives” category here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com, I want to take a moment to remind us ALL that, where treating ADD and Attentional Spectrum Disorders is concerned
. . . (drumroll, please) . . .

it is ESSENTIAL to keep your brain engaged!

Don’t Take the Bait!

KEEP IN MIND that ANY “alternative” substance or treatment that positions itself as “an alternative to those dangerous pharmaceuticals“ is trying to scare you into a reaction, rather than give you comprehensive information designed to offer you a CHOICE.

Whenever you encounter an approach designed to manipulate rather than encourage, take a step BACK and look around some more to see if you can find similar information from a more even-handed source.

If fear-mongering is ALL you can find, it’s probably a good idea to cross that particular “alternative” off your list and move on.

Know Your Flavor

It is MORE than a good idea to have a good sense of the particular “flavor” of ADD you are attempting to treat.  That means you need to be looking at cognitive and functional challenges, of course — but also take time to consider the personal “demographics” you need to consider when seeking ADD treatment options.

Where are you located in the “life is a real struggle” continuum? Make sure you pair your situation and your treatment approach appropriately.

Things to Think about

Some approaches take quite a while to “kick in,” others provide more immediate amelioration of symptoms.

• Are you in place where you can AFFORD to take a bit of time to explore? 

Are you looking for more even functioning or to compensate for a chronic feeling of under-functioning, even though your life is relatively on-track, if only as a the result of a great deal of “swimming upstream” on your part?

• Will your current situation allow you to take a chance on an unproven or controversial treatment approach?

Are you about to lose your job — or your marriage?

Is your child on the edge of giving up hope that he or she will ever be able to do well in school, perhaps in danger of dropping out (or flunking out)?

I also encourage you to examine all of the underlying reasons you are interested in exploring “alternative” treatment approaches.

Those who are not medication responders, who are just below the diagnostic line and looking for help with focus that they can’t get within the medical community — or those who have additional medical considerations that make pharmaceuticals a choice they don’t want to pursue — are a relatively small group among those who are taking a look at “alternatives.”

Make SURE you have looked at medication “objectively.”

Go back to explore again if you discover in your “fearless personal inventory” that misinformation in the popular media (or anywhere else!) has you afraid of
pharmaceutical interventions,

• I can promise you that, with the exception of the content written by the experts in the field who have spent entire careers exploring ADD and related disorders,  A LARGE PERCENTAGE of what I read is unsupported nonsense – because I have the information-base to be able to recognize it.

• I beg you not to keep yourself from having the success you deserve (or inadvertently limiting the success of your children) simply because you don’t understand how medications work and why they are prescribed before you decide they are not for you.

• Don’t be afraid to investigate.  Becoming informed about medications does not mean you then MUST take them. It’s your body and your CHOICE — I just want to make sure you MAKE one.

• EVEN if you understand that meds might work well for you – perhaps even that they are the best idea among all that you have researched – it is STILL your body and your choice to choose to go another way.  I support CHOICE 100%, even as I advocate for INFORMED choice!

With that in mind, stay tuned — I will be sharing some  content  formerly available ONLY in
my ADD Coach Training manual, as well as some brand new information about approaches currently available.

As always, if you want notification of new content as it is posted, give your email address to the nice form at the top of the column to the right.  [Stringent NO SPAM policy]

Related Articles here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com

• ADD Meds Info for Moms
• Top Ten Meds Questions to ask your Doctor
• The Interplay between diagnosis and of Grief
• Stages of Grief following Diagnosis

Related Articles around the ‘net

• Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Alternative Medicine (businessinsider.com)
• Consumer Reports and Alternative Therapies (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
• A beginner’s guide to alternative health treatments (calmyourbeans.com)
• The Power of Nutrients (lisaweg.wordpress.com)