Friday, June 27, 2008

Focus On Positivity

My newest endeavor has been to find a pediatrician who works on a holistic level. Thanks to iluveeyore, a very helpful reader, I found one who practices at Loma Linda Hosptial. That is only an hour away from where we are. I'm not sure if our insurance would cover an office visit, but I will gladly pay the regular fee for a visit, just to have the chance to get the opinion of a different kind of doctor. I will be calling them today.

Daniel has not had any other withdrawal signs. He has stopped getting dizzy and seems to be a lot more at ease, knowing that what he was experiencing was a normal reaction to the adjustment of the lack of medication. Being on our new diet has helped us focus on making good choices. We talk more often about how the choices we make, effect so many things that we do not realize. We talk about behavior and how controlling our anger can make the outcome of a situation more pleasant and not end in a punishment. We talk about the choice to put only good food into our bodies and how it effects how well our bodies work. I tell them about my grandpa. He was a diabetic for almost sixty years. He never lost a limb and lived to the ripe old age of 80, because he ate well, took vitamins and exercised regularly. He was a shining example of making healthy choices for a long life.

I am reading a book called "The Gift Of ADHD Activity Book," (Lara Honos-Webb, PH.D.) It gives over 100 different activities to do with an ADHD child and reasons why it helps them on a behavioral level. Daniel enjoys doing these activities and the best part is, they can be done with all of the kids. They are designed to help with increased concentration, relaxation, imagery, self control and frontal lobe activity. Today, we are going to do an activity called "Joy, joy and more joy." It teaches the child to create a sense of greater joy by focusing on the things that he/she loves. We are going to do activities that Daniel loves, read about his favorite things and let him pick out what we make for dinner (he loves to cook!) We are going to focus on the positive aspects of ADHD and use them to build more self esteem in Daniel.

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15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm... That "DO" in Loma Linda is a "doctor orthopedic medicine." I'm not sure if that is what you need.... You might ask when you call.

(I know ... tracking down someone who can be of help is extremely frustrating.)

Anonymous said...

Have you ever thought about homeschooling? I bet you would be great at it! You are doing some wonderful things with your son!

Anonymous said...

If he was my only child, I might think about it. But the other six area totally different story :)

Anonymous said...

I did not realize that DO stood for doctor of orthopedics. I thought it was something else. Shitballs. On with the search!

Anonymous said...

Kadi D.O., does NOT stand for Doctor of Orthopedics. It stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. So I think you are on the right track!

I worked for an Orthopedic surgeon for 8 years and they are M.D's with a concentration in Orthopedics. We go to a D.O. as our Primary Care Physician as a family. Our D.O. is in San Dimas but I am not sure if he concentrates on ADHD, but they have a WONDERFUL P.A. there as well!

Anonymous said...

OOOPS....

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine would be perfect, wouldn't it? No wonder he was on the list!

DUH.....

Anonymous said...

Kadi:

Please let us know if you ever followed through with that list of doctors.

Anonymous said...

Fancy meeting you here Kadi! I had no idea you also had this blog. Keep fighting the fight and no matter how hard it is, don't give up. Ask my mom. Her last one (you know who it is) was the hardest and totally ADHD. You should talk with her, she could give you great advice. Just do whatever you think is best for him and your family. We love you!

Anonymous said...

do you continue to see differences with all the dietary changes?

Anonymous said...

Did you ever go to the doctor in Loma Linda?

Anonymous said...

Have you given up on this blog? Working fast and furiously on your business? Would love to know how your son is doing. Would love to know if you all are still on the diet. Would love an update.

Anonymous said...

I just recently found your blog and think you do a great job! I have so enjoyed reading it! Homeopathic remedies have done wonders for my son. Check out ABChomeopathy.com

Anonymous said...

good for you!

Anonymous said...

First time reader. My son is adhd and may have Aspberger's as well. He is on the extreme adhd. I use medication, and he also has to take something to sleep. You've probably discovered that red food dye is the worst, he doesn't have anything with food dyes. Jello, koolaid,popcicles.

The other thing is, I found when we moved to the Oregon mountains from Central California, it did a world of difference. I personally believe ADHD isn't a problem, it's that our society has become too structured. Boys are expected to be and learn like girls, and there is a lot of business and distractions.
My son has thrived here, he can go out in the woods, and there isn't all of that "business" that he has to struggle to tune out!

In the beginning I wanted him to not have adhd, I prayed for him to be "normal". Then I realized he wouldn't be HIM without it! (and the above)
One thing that you should take heart in is that it gets easier as they mature. Another thing is that my son is a great runner, once he got in junior high and could run track, he excelled. My son started just running a 2 mile run, with no previous practice. So as they get older and can do things on their own more, it helps. He also loves to hand sew. Go figure, especially since he has fine motor skill issues. Or HAD.
I believe every adhd parent has their own "solution", from my experience and understanding, each adhd kid is different. NO they do not know what causes it, they dont' even know why the meds work.
BUT if you check out NAMI, national mental health association, they can give you some support and teaching also.
I also found it useful to have a basic understanding of how the brain works. The goal is to get the child to think past the brain stem (where we get our fight/flight response) to the other areas of the brain for reasoning. I even explained this to my son as he got older.
I think back on those days when he was young and I have no idea how I got through it. It does get easier, and you might know this but you should document all signs you noticed as he was different from birth.
Mine didn't sleep through the night until 14 months..

okay well best wishes..oh, be careful of "miracle solutions" . I bet that doctor has something shady going on, maybe a law suit etc..

Anonymous said...

Just was reading your blog - came across it at thecutestblogontheblock. Let me say that I am very proud to see another parent endeavor to stay away from the drugs that are pushed at our children with ADHD. Holistic and natural is truly the best for our kids.
My son deals with Asperger's and ADHD. We have found that just using herbs and changing our son's diet really helped him and us out better.
Keep going in your endeavors to find natural means to help your son. You'll be amazed at how well it works. :)

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