 your child’s pediatrician and then carefully monitor their use because some can lead to harmful effects if used in combination with other medications. Gingko biloba extract, for example, must not be taken with aspirin, anticoagulants, or antidepressants, and the herbs listed should not be used when taking sedative medications due to the danger of compounding the sedative’s effects. It is necessary to keep in mind that these substances can vary considerably in potency from one preparation to another, and that they are not standardized or regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Other theories about the causes of, and treatment for, ADHD have evolved from the hypothesis that certain substances that are present, rather than absent, in a child’s diet may lead to or worsen the condition. The suspected harmful substances include artificial food additives, preservatives, sugar, or other elements speculated to cause allergic responses or yeast infections that can lead to the development of ADHD. According to these theories, eliminating such elements may eliminate or diminish the symptoms of ADHD.
In the mid-1970s a groundswell of concern about the effects of food additives, artificial flavorings, and dyes in the American diet accounted for, in part at least, to the huge popularity of the Feingold Diet as a treatment for ADHD. Dr Benjamin Feingold, a practicing allergist, theorized that these food additives, as well as substances called salicylates (contained in many fruits and vegetables), were causing hyperactivity and learning disabilities in many children.
In his book, Why Your Child Is Hyperactive, Dr Feingold claimed that when these children were given a special “elimination diet” that omitted these substances, half of them showed a dramatic improvement in behavior. When the elements were reintroduced into the children’s diet, the symptoms returned. Most controlled studies do not support that elimination of these substances leads to better outcome for children with ADHD. Only about 2% of children with ADHD on the Feingold diet have shown consistent behavioral improvement when these food dyes were eliminated. However, reduction of processed foods that contain artificial dyes and substitution of healthy foods may in general promote better long-term health. Moreover, the behavior management strategies that parents must use to change a child’s eating behavior from frequent use of candies and processed foods to healthy choices are the same techniques that are used to improve concentration and increase work production.
Diets Eliminating Sensitizing Food Substances
In the decades since the Feingold Diet was introduced, studies of the impact of diet on behavioral disorders have become more sophisticated and reliable. Newer research has shown that behavioral improvement using elimination diets is more likely in children who have inhaled and food allergies, a family history of migraines, and food reactivity. Younger children seem to be the most responsive. Whole foods like milk, nuts, wheat, fish, and soy have been implicated in addition to additives. Elimination diets can sometimes influence sleep and mood disturbances as well as ADHD symptoms. Sensitivities to substances in the environment—in medicines, clothes, water, our homes, the air, and so on—have also been studied as they relate to children’s health and behavior. The results have shown a link between sensitizing foods and some health and behavior problems in a small percentage of children with ADHD. In most cases, these children experience a variety of coexisting health and behavioral difficulties in addition to ADHD—particularly sleep-related and neurologic problems. They are also likely to have a family history of food sensitivities or migraine headaches.
Because this link has been established, if food or additive sensitivities are highly suspected in your child, he may be tested for them by first eliminating an entire range of common foods (typically milk, soy, wheat, corn, citrus, and peanuts) for 2 to 4 weeks. If his symptoms improve—signaling the possible pre