Hyperactivity occurs mostly in children but can also be encountered in restless adults with a poor concentration span. A demanding child who gets easily bored might simply be highly intelligent, but a consistent, prolonged pattern of over-activity, restlessness, over-excitability, poor concentration and reduced sleep would tend to indicate true hyperactivity. Such hyperactivity can be exhausting for the parents and siblings not to mention the child itself, and can lead to misery and despair for the whole family.
Below we have put together a simple treatment regime that will make a big difference in many cases. It’s worth stating that if the problem is severe then you really should seek professional help from the outset.
In many cases the cause can be related to allergy, food intolerance or exposure to environmental toxins, with attendant digestive weakness and irritation of the nervous system. Bearing these issues in mind, treatment involves identification and avoidance of the causative factors, with supportive treatments for the digestion and nervous system.
Supplements to consider include: essential fatty acids such as Essential Balance Oil for Children, Flax Seed Oil and Children’s DHA/EPA to support nervous system function; , a multi-vitamin such as Vitasorb, Kindervital or Junior Bio-Caps to redress nutritional deficits; and probiotics such as Banana Vitaforte, Banana Acidophilus or Biokult if the bowel flora has been disturbed through ant-biotic treatment or tummy bugs. In cases of particularly weak digestion enzyme supplements such as Digestizyme may also be of benefit.
In terms of diet, it is important to avoid problem foods. This will probably need thorough investigation with the aid of your practitioner. Frequent culprits include cow’s milk, preservatives and colourings (such as tartrazine) in food and drink, eggs, wheat, chocolate, oranges and, surprisingly commonly for children; blackcurrant. It is also advisable to avoid foods which specifically aggravate the nervous system: foods such as caffeine-containing food and drinks (including chocolate), and processed carbohydrates as found in sweets, cakes etc which tend to stress the nervous system. In general it is wise to ensure the diet contains less processed food – realistically, however, most hyperactive children will need supplementary vitamins & minerals, at least in the short-term. Incorporating fresh soups into the diet is a good way of bypassing the “vegetable problem”, while oats in porridge or muesli for breakfast is a good tonic for the nervous system. Increasing essential fatty acid intake is also to be recommended, so find ways of introducing cold-pressed oils (e.g. Olive Oil), nuts, seeds and oily fish (e.g. Tuna, Sardines etc).
Should the measures described above not work then you must seek professional advice to access the many herbs that we are able to prescribe.
