The start of something new...

I haven't written in a while, things have been going crazy. I'm sure there is a lot to share since my last posting, but instead of backtracking, I'm going to start talking about a new journey my family is taking. My son, always known as the wild one, has been having trouble. He can't concentrate, can't sit still, can't remember directions even when given consistently. I have always attributed this to his being a boy, being a middle child, being 5... always a reason, always an excuse. But instead of getting better, he continues with the same behaviors and struggles constantly. He upsets himself, apologizes constantly, and he is feeling like he's missing something.

Of course, my mind immediately jumps to ADHD. I have gone back and forth with myself about getting him tested and seeing if there is any validity to my fears, but I don't want to run the risk of getting him a "diagnosis" and having it follow him throughout his school years. We all know that "those" kids get judged and treated differently in school by their teachers, peers, and even the specialists they have to see. I am also concerned with using medication. I don't know enough about the side effects, the long term studies, and the consequences - I am not against medication if it's necessary, but I am looking at the benefits of alternative treatments first.

So - long story trying to be a bit shorter, I heard about a "coffee" test. See, the caffeine in coffee works the same as the "uppers" in Ritalin and Adderall. It's a much smaller dosage than the average prescription, but in a child who actually suffers from ADHD, the caffeine will not have the common effect of making them more hyper, but will instead do the opposite and calm them down.

I tried half a cup of coffee with him last night before bed, and it truly worked. He stayed in bed, didn't jump, didn't climb, didn't do any of the things he normally does.

So we're trying the homeopathic ADHD diet. Start the day with a protein shake made of soy milk, coffee, sugar free sweetener and protein poweder, and a high protein breakfast option (for conveniece sake, a simple scrambled egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich). We are eliminating milk, which is fine since he drinks soy most of the time anyway, and as much sugar as possible. We're cutting out 90% of any processed foods, which we rarely eat anyway since I LOVE to cook from scratch. We'll continue to keep white bread, flour, pastas and rice out of the home. He will have another protein/coffee shake before bed, and possibly mid day if necessary.

After a week, we'll re-evaluate if the diet is helping enough, or if we still think we should take him to a dr. but for now, fingers are crossed!