ADD

[Kasper]

I've been recently diagnosed width ADD.
A couple of months ago a friend mentioned it to me. And said that I was very likely an ADD person.
When I read the symptomps on the internet, I have to admit that it is almost exactly how I am, like 90% of the symptomps are correct.

Does anybody now a good way to deal width this. From the doctor I am likely getting ritalin. In america they use adderall, and in general amphetamines (and even cocaine) seem to help people width add.

What do you guys think ? Should I start taking drugs? anyone knows one miracle nutural solution ?

As far as I've read, ADD patients have problems width dopamine:
"The uptake transporters for dopamine and norepinephrine are overly active and clear these neurotransmitters from the synapse a lot faster than in normal individuals. This is thought to increase processing latency, diminishes working memory, and affects salience. "

Drugs like ritalin help slow down this process:
"Stimulants, such as methylphenidate and amphetamine act on these neurons to increase the availability of dopamine and norepinephrine for neurotransmission. They act to correct the problem with the "wiring". Methylphenidate acts by blocking the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters, thus slowing the pace at which these neurotransmitters are cleared from the synapse. Amphetamine acts in a similar fashion, but also increases the release of these neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft by temporarily reversing the uptake process."

Out of a biochemical standpoint, as those drugs will help an ADD'er to let the uptake transporters for dopamine act more as a normal individuals, it seems to me that this drug will help me act more like a "normal" person, Which is very usefull in many situations.

Another intresting question is, why is an ADD, ADHD functioning different? Is this just genetic variation ?

My first guess is that it is genetic. Something incurable, and "evolutinary" meant like this.
Because there are also some clear positive points about ADD.
One of them is: Ability to function very concentrated (maybe even optimal), when other people get scared/stressfull/panic etc..

Very intrested in your opinions !

[overkees]

Well, in stressed out periods where you really cant get your shit together, Ritalin is an option... Menthylphenidate that is. It works only short and has been tested. When in university, where you need a lot of planning, it could be a big help. But this helps for everybody who is a bit lazy and unmotivated. Not only adhd persons.

Ive had big experience with amphetamines and it increases stress levels big time, but doesn't send a feedback to your brain so that it won't feel like you're stressed.

Better is to just have schedules, meditate and eat well. Also sleeping in a rhythmic pattern is really important. Because the thing is with add/adhd that it's just a rhythmic imbalance due to a higher sensitivity to biological rhythm than others. Also doing low excercise trainings helps alot in reducing stress levels and will keep your hormonal system more in balance. You also feel more tired and will sleep alot better. A good sleeping pattern is the key in solving ADD. You might sleep a good 10 hours every night. But the chances are big if you have concentration problems that it isn't quality time. Sleep deprivation causes alot of the symptoms.

Since I've been wai I only use amphetamines or ritalin when in really busy periods Examanation periods. Where my rhythm is completely smacked to pieces.

See it like a cheat code. It's fun, for a while, but eventually you'll get lost in a mind numbing experience. So watch out, the stuff eats creativity.

I wish you good luck, Im still struggling with the same problems my friend. (I have a more serious imbalance according to the psychiatrists than you, but I still think it's just a combination of character and a bad rhythm...). I don't really believe in diseases though. Just imbalances in hormonal systems that can be balanced by a lot of training warrior mentality.

[RRM]

Should I start taking drugs?

Are you seriously thinking about this?
If so, to counteract which symptoms, exactly?

[Kasper]

Are you seriously thinking about this?
If so, to counteract which symptoms, exactly?

"Avoiding or delaying in starting projects that require a lot of thought."

For example. That's why it took me quite a while to finally write the answer your question for example.
It's not that I avoid anything that requires a lot of thought. Otherwise I couldn't study math at university.
But I need to find it really intresting/fun etc. It has take over all my thoughts, than I can do it, otherwise there is to much chaos in my head.

But yes I'm seriously thinking. I have a lot of probems width ADD, just never knew that it was ADD.
Snel afgeleid door dingen en geluiden die niet belangrijk zijn voor de zaak waar men mee bezig is, bijvoorbeeld mensen die elders aan het werk zijn
Moeite met plannen en organiseren van activiteiten, bijvoorbeeld werk of taken
Problemen met het voltooien van taken en tijdig klaar zijn
Niet goed concentreren op details en hierdoor slordigheidsfouten maken
Zeer vaak moeite met het volgen van uitleg en daardoor dingen missen
Vaak zaken vergeten en verliezen, bijvoorbeeld sleutels, geld, of materiaal dat nodig is om een opdracht uit te voeren.
but many more... This is what is stated at wikipedia, but it's almost identical to what my teachers wrote on my report card when I was a kid...

I actually already tried it (ritalin), and it works like a charm.
It's just shuts down all the chaos. I'm just not thinking all the time.
It's like width ADD, there is always something in my head, not even worries (of course sometimes I have worries) but most of the time just ideas, sometimes math, or science, sometimes about a game I played,
or lyric for a number I tried to make, or just new things I'm doing I find exciting, like buteyko, wai etc. etc.

The problem, I just can't shut it down (all those thoughts), just like a dream you cannot get out of.
In my view, you could see ADD like being very creative but also very ineffective.

But I'm still doubting if I should go all the way for ritalin, because of I'm still searching for other more natural things that could cure my symptoms.
Last thing I found and I would really appreciate the opinions here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 9-0020.pdf
http://www.adhdenvoeding.nl/cms/wp-cont ... -study.pdf

Those studies shows the way ADHD people react on food. They found out that ADHD symptoms can be reduced in some people by following a hypoallergic diet (elimiation diet/few food diet/red diet).
The most extreme form this diet could be is: lamb,rice,mineral water,some vegatables and pear.
They use this diet for two weeks. Sometimes it doesn't work.
But if it works, than after two weeks, food items are added to the diet, and than it's possible to see which cause an ADHD-like reaction, and which not.

This is what I could find they tested in general:
Chocolate(64%), Additives(70%), Orange (57%), cow's milk (64%), wheat (45%), tomato (22%), egg (18%), and "other fruits" (36%)

So, based on this information, I'm thinking about my adjusting my diet. But I'm not sure who this will look like, any thoughts over here?
I don't know if I should go all the way for pears. But oranges, tomato and eggs doesn't seem to be the right choice for me to test out of this could work.

[Iris]

With eggs they probably mean prepared (boiled/fried) eggs I suppose...?

Maybe it sounds stupid to you, but (because I'm at times very chaotic myself, can't focus on what's most important and get lost in details (opposite of hat you describe ). And often to busy thinking to remember to do things/bring things with me. With me, it's been ascribed to PTSD) I think it is possible to learn how to deal with it without taking drugs, because you know pretty good what your problems are. So it must be possible to diminish your symptoms by acting upon your awareness, I think (starting with finding ways to work more organized and let yourself be distracted less).

[dime]

"Avoiding or delaying in starting projects that require a lot of thought."

Isn't this simply called procrastination? Which pretty much happens to everyone?

It's like width ADD, there is always something in my head, not even worries (of course sometimes I have worries) but most of the time just ideas, sometimes math, or science, sometimes about a game I played, or lyric for a number I tried to make, or just new things I'm doing I find exciting, like buteyko, wai etc. etc.

But this sounds pretty normal to me.. is it really not the case with the 95% of people who don't have this ADHD? Do they usually have an 'empty' head not thinking about anything? As far as I know it's a pretty damn hard to clear all thoughts, you need to be pretty good at meditation etc.

[Kasper]

With eggs they probably mean prepared (boiled/fried) eggs I suppose...?

I'm quite sure they didn't use raw eggs.

Maybe it sounds stupid to you, but (because I'm at times very chaotic myself, can't focus on what's most important and get lost in details (opposite of hat you describe ). And often to busy thinking to remember to do things/bring things with me. With me, it's been ascribed to PTSD) I think it is possible to learn how to deal with it without taking drugs, because you know pretty good what your problems are. So it must be possible to diminish your symptoms by acting upon your awareness, I think (starting with finding ways to work more organized and let yourself be distracted less).

Well, I'm 21 years old. And of course, I've tried to diminish my symptoms. And I've tried a thousand things and still trying things, for example, "getting things done" from David Allen... etc. etc.
But if I would choose between try like hell, and still not being able to get the things done I want to get done.
Or ritalin/natural cure, and have more normal symptoms in daily life, I would choose the latter.

And the common reaction you mostly get from people who don't know much about ADD is:
You just have a discipline problem, I've the same problems, but I just try harder than you, and that is what makes the difference. That is why I'm here everyday at 8 o'clock. and you are always late. That's why I don't loose my keys, wallet, passport, and you lose it all the time. That's why I'm able to succeed in the things I want to do, and you suck in it. etc. etc.

And those people think they are helping you width this, because they would be helped width it, because it works for them, but not for people width ADD.
And for many ADD persons this is quite frustrating... But I have to say, since I told my direct social life about how ADD works, and why I act like I act, it's been going quite better.

Isn't this simply called procrastination? Which pretty much happens to everyone?

Yeah, I guess so, in some way that happens to everyone. But I think the difference is that for people without ADD it won't become such an obstacle in their daily life, as it is for people width ADD.

For example, let x be a person widthout ADD:
X want to book his holiday soon, and this requires a lot of energy, he have to call his friends, make a good plan, knowing when his work begins again, okay, hell lot of work.
So x delays it, and delays it, but after a while he begins to stress, and he judges hisself that he always delay things like this to the last moment, but after some stressy days, he is able to book his holiday, width some good friends.
let y be a person width ADD, same story, but in the end, he's too late to book it, and he's not going on holiday.. or he's lucky, and some friend of y knows how y act, and thinks, im just going to book it for him...

of course this is very general, but I think this how you can see it
person x is sometimes a little bit late on his work, person y so many times that he get fired..
person x loses his passport one time at holiday, person y loses his passport so much, that the goverment send him a serious warning, that he won't get a new one next time.

But this sounds pretty normal to me.. is it really not the case with the 95% of people who don't have this ADHD? Do they usually have an 'empty' head not thinking about anything? As far as I know it's a pretty damn hard to clear all thoughts, you need to be pretty good at meditation etc.

I'm not claiming that normal people have an empty head, I meant to say, that I think about things all the time, at the moment I have to think about something else, like in a lecture, I'm dreaming away all the time, in a conversation, same thing, when I need to think about which time the train leaves, I'm thinking about why p^(2) - 1 is always divisible by 24 for p is a prime number greater than 3.
Only time I'm not dreaming away, is when I find something so intresting, so exciting, etc. that I can direct all my thoughts to that.

If you have same thing, you might have ADD.

[Iris]

Well, I'm 21 years old. And of course, I've tried to diminish my symptoms. And I've tried a thousand things and still trying things, for example, "getting things done" from David Allen... etc. etc.
But if I would choose between try like hell, and still not being able to get the things done I want to get done.
Or ritalin/natural cure, and have more normal symptoms in daily life, I would choose the latter.

And the common reaction you mostly get from people who don't know much about ADD is:
You just have a discipline problem, I've the same problems, but I just try harder than you, and that is what makes the difference. That is why I'm here everyday at 8 o'clock. and you are always late. That's why I don't loose my keys, wallet, passport, and you lose it all the time. That's why I'm able to succeed in the things I want to do, and you suck in it. etc. etc.

And those people think they are helping you width this, because they would be helped width it, because it works for them, but not for people width ADD.
And for many ADD persons this is quite frustrating... But I have to say, since I told my direct social life about how ADD works, and why I act like I act, it's been going quite better.

that was not what I meant to say... Ofcourse you prefer not having any symptoms, who wouldn't. If some type of medicine can help you with that and you choose to use it, good for you. There is no right or wrong in this matter from my point of view. And those remarks people bother you with aren't even worth paying any attention to (although that may be very difficult ?). In any case, what you describe is not what I think/thought (in case it seemed to be). Hey, I forget things all the time, lose important stuff, postpone certain things etc. So I'm not presuming I'm in any way "better than you are". I even can relate to how these comments make you feel (people often don't know much about PTSD either). Good it helps people understand when you explain where you come from. Hope you'll find a satisfying way to deal with these symptoms too.

[overkees]

Kasper, I have been diagnosed with asperger and ADD. It's very annoying because with ADD ive got a lot of motivation problems. Because of asperger my 'hyperfocus' is undisruptable, and I'm missing any sense of structure and never have a sort of checklist in my head. Like a kid that sees a butterfly and gets distracted.

I really had moments in my life, unbelievable. For example: I needed to get some papers, which i forgot to take with me to my parent's place. So I went back, made a journey of 2 hours to my own place in Utrecht and end up sitting in the train back to home with something totally different in my bag than the papers I needed to get. Not even noticing... When I came home, my mother asked me about where I had the papers.
"Oops, don't have m sorry."
We went back with the car to make the same journey again to get them (we needed them for the next day).

I'm working very hard to not use Ritalin. I can't stand the fact that I have to take something to function 'normally'. I mean, I see myself as normal and all others and mindless zombies just trying to make a living and hanging in front of the telly all day. But because people think you should function in a certain way I have to take Ritalin, not for myself, but for them??

This idea sounds so repulsive, that I don't want to use Ritalin. So there are other techniques. One of them is to try to write everything you need to do down and carry this in your wallet. It takes a lot of effort, but I promise there will be moments where you get to think: "Hey I need to write this down, oh wait! I have this thing in my wallet." And tada! There it is, with all the other things you were thinking about. This helps you to get it better in your unconsciousness and these things will pop more often in your head. Then you will learn yourself to get this checklist more in your system. You just need to really do it, and not just say you're going to do it. So if you read this, prepare a little paper where you write down that you need to write things on that paper and look at the paper everytime you think of something to write on it. Do it now, because you can only solve things in the now and not in the future. Because when the future has come, it is then a now. So, now is the only time to do it.

What also helps is visualizing objects. I learned this one from panacea in the memory and education topic. And I'm amazed how quick and good it works. You need to visualize an object, start with simple objects, then try to hold that image for 5 minutes. When I first tried this one, man I couldn't hold an image for 1 or 2 seconds. I can hold it now for maybe 20 seconds, and have to put myself back on track after this time every time again. But there is progress, and this helps you to motivate you and also helps with believing that this ADD is changeable and you can lessen the effects by will power. If you're getting better at these forced images, then you can also try to rotate them as slow as possible. Or colour them with different colors. Just do these kind of things real slow, the slower the better. This works better than ritalin, if you ask me.

So, if you're a lot like me (that is terrible in attention span) you can also try to take ritalin only when you really want to do things but really, really can't do it. But while on it, also try these things. You will see with ritalin its much easier to visualize and hold the image longer. But this is also training this skill, and please if you use ritalin write the things you need/want to do down. This will also help in the process.

I take maybe 3-4 pills in the week. While i started with 4 pills a day. And I only see it as a backup plan. When I 'm done studying, I will quit for sure. And I think I can quit after a few months, with these kind of excercises.

Just don't do to many excercises, because this will lessen the effect of the most important ones and you will not have any progress. But these 2 are the best. Trust me.

Also please read panacea's post about memory and education, these are really cool tips that help alot. If you're planning on doing it later: write that down!

Good luck, and would love to hear how things are going.

Just remember: Don't use ritalin because you think you can't change. Otherwise you will victimize yourself and this is never a good thing. Get a winner's mentality. That's what the whole game is a bout. Progress!

Viva Nietzsche
Also

[Iris]

This idea sounds so repulsive, that I don't want to use Ritalin. So there are other techniques. One of them is to try to write everything you need to do down and carry this in your wallet. It takes a lot of effort, but I promise there will be moments where you get to think: "Hey I need to write this down, oh wait! I have this thing in my wallet." And tada! There it is, with all the other things you were thinking about. This helps you to get it better in your unconsciousness and these things will pop more often in your head. Then you will learn yourself to get this checklist more in your system. You just need to really do it, and not just say you're going to do it. So if you read this, prepare a little paper where you write down that you need to write things on that paper and look at the paper everytime you think of something to write on it. Do it now, because you can only solve things in the now and not in the future. Because when the future has come, it is then a now. So, now is the only time to do it.

What also helps is visualizing objects. I learned this one from panacea in the memory and education topic. And I'm amazed how quick and good it works. You need to visualize an object, start with simple objects, then try to hold that image for 5 minutes. When I first tried this one, man I couldn't hold an image for 1 or 2 seconds. I can hold it now for maybe 20 seconds, and have to put myself back on track after this time every time again. But there is progress, and this helps you to motivate you and also helps with believing that this ADD is changeable and you can lessen the effects by will power. If you're getting better at these forced images, then you can also try to rotate them as slow as possible. Or colour them with different colors. Just do these kind of things real slow, the slower the better. This works better than ritalin, if you ask me.

That was what I was talking about I do the exact same thing, and it works for me. but who am i, i'm not add diagnosed so i don't know really. Nevertheless, i feel the same way overkees does.

[Kasper]

that was not what I meant to say... Ofcourse you prefer not having any symptoms, who wouldn't. If some type of medicine can help you with that and you choose to use it, good for you. There is no right or wrong in this matter from my point of view. And those remarks people bother you with aren't even worth paying any attention to (although that may be very difficult ?). In any case, what you describe is not what I think/thought (in case it seemed to be). Hey, I forget things all the time, lose important stuff, postpone certain things etc. So I'm not presuming I'm in any way "better than you are". I even can relate to how these comments make you feel (people often don't know much about PTSD either). Good it helps people understand when you explain where you come from. Hope you'll find a satisfying way to deal with these symptoms too.

About that many people react like: ADD doesn't exist, it is just a discipline problem
I didn't mean to say that you reacted like that, but more adressed to dime, who insinuated something like that.
About PTSD, a good girlfriend from me (or should I say a friend who is a girl, I don't know ) also has PTSD, and she has had great benefit from this technique:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_moveme ... processing
In the case of this friend, I think she also has ADD. I had some long conversation width here and she also had many of those (ADD-like) symptoms before the trauma, like in early childhood.
That's why I think, it cannot be only PTSD in here case, but I'm not sure how this relates to you of course...

Just remember: Don't use ritalin because you think you can't change. Otherwise you will victimize yourself and this is never a good thing. Get a winner's mentality. That's what the whole game is a bout. Progress!

Well, what do you mean width change? In a way I can overcome all my ADD symptoms? I certainly don't believe I'm able to do this width will power..
I tried to do that from the moment I moved out house (when I was 18). And back than I had that winner mentality.
But after two years not being able to get my points for my study, not being able to succeed in anything I wanted in life, I think I lost that feel-good-movie "you can be what you want to be" vibe.

One of the first thing I learned from my psychiatrist is:
Be aware and accept that X% of the projects you're doing, relationships and obligations that you have undoubtedly completely go wrong.
(together width those tips:http://www.addonline.nl/add/tips.html
For me, this acceptation, not only make me feel a lot better, it also help me to be able to have a lower X% that goes wrong.

One of them is to try to write everything you need to do down and carry this in your wallet. It takes a lot of effort, but I promise there will be moments where you get to think: "Hey I need to write this down, oh wait! I have this thing in my wallet." And tada! There it is, with all the other things you were thinking about. This helps you to get it better in your unconsciousness and these things will pop more often in your head. Then you will learn yourself to get this checklist more in your system. You just need to really do it, and not just say you're going to do it. So if you read this, prepare a little paper where you write down that you need to write things on that paper and look at the paper everytime you think of something to write on it. Do it now, because you can only solve things in the now and not in the future. Because when the future has come, it is then a now. So, now is the only time to do it.

Well, like I said, I use the getting things done method from David Allen. What you describe looks like the collecting phase in thise method.
What I use in the collecting phase, is a android program on my mobile. I put all those things I think of in the inbox of this program.
In the evening I do the: Processing and Organizing phases
Once a week: Review phase.

David Allen wrote a very intresting book about this. Allthough it is great, it doesn't learn you one important thing, and this building in habits in your life you do every day.
I'm now busy width learning an other method, the habit factor. I hope that this covers that habit/routine kind of stuff.

But still, after trying like hell all this stuff, for two years (and as you see, still trying), I got 15/60 points for biology (first year) 10/60 points for physics (second year).
The last two months I've been using 5 ritalin tablets a week I think.
And my first two exams for my math study are: 8.4, 9.8 (84% and 98% correct).
While I'm not even trying that hard as I used to be.

I'm working very hard to not use Ritalin. I can't stand the fact that I have to take something to function 'normally'. I mean, I see myself as normal and all others and mindless zombies just trying to make a living and hanging in front of the telly all day. But because people think you should function in a certain way I have to take Ritalin, not for myself, but for them??

I feel more like, I take ritalin so I can live the life I want to live. So that I can see the big picture. So I'm not constantly making choices which make me unhappy in the long run.
And if I want to be in ADD mode, that is quite simple.. I just don't take a tablet.

Of course, I also have something like, if society was organized in other way, I would be able to do things I'm good in and love to do (study math/science) without taking tablets.
For example, if there was a video game who would teach you any topic in math/science. I'm sure that, persons like me would already have bachelor degree in math/biology/chemistry/physics at 21 years old age. Video games are excellent tools for many ADD'ers to learn something because:
1. many ADD'ers cannot concentrate in lectures width much people in the same place, but can concentrate when there are not so much external stimuli, like in a game
2. many ADD'ers are not able to see the big picture, but video games can more easily provide you such a picture (for example levels you need to do, levels you already have done)
3. many ADD'ers get a dopamine shot, by the excitement of seeing progress in short time, instead of waiting 3 months before first results will arrive.
This dopamine shot doesn't only give a hyperfocus, but also a hypermotivation.

And of course, not only for ADD'ers also for many other people this would stimulate school results.
They are already working on a free (!) concept like this. Called khan academy.
If you are intrested, look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM95HHI4gLk. This is the game concept: http://www.khanacademy.org/exercisedashboard?k

My problem is, society isn't organized like this yet, and in the mean time, I want to be able to get my bachelor degree.
And I don't think I can do that on will power only, the two options I see now, is (1) ritalin or, (2) trying out if my add is caused by a food intolerance I was talking about:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 9-0020.pdf
http://www.adhdenvoeding.nl/cms/wp-cont ... -study.pdf

Quick summary about what the idea is about ADHD treatment width pelsser diet (few food diet):
4 weeks on a very restricted diet width only things which are know not to cause food intolerance reactions.
And after that period, if it doesn't help, go back to normal diet, if does help, add one food item a time, and see if you get a reaction.
Trial and error, until you know what is the perfect diet for you .

Question: Does anybody here have any idea which food in Wai (or which part of food), can cause intolerance reaction?
I already read, tomatoes, egg (yolk and white), (protein) in oranges and (raw) cheese which where in my diet can cause intolerance reaction.
Food items which are considered to be safe for sure are: rice, water, carrots, pears and lamb.
But because I don't want to live on rice and pears for 4 weeks (restricted diet time) as carb source, I'm looking for other options.
What about orange juice width filtering all the pulp as good as possible (are the proteins in oranges in the pulp?)
Could unripe fruit cause intolerance reaction? I eat quite often unripe banana's.

For people who are like what the heck has adhd to do width food intolerance, I set up a little hypothesis.

Hypothesis: ADHD is a hormonal imbalance which in some cases is caused by food intolerance for certain foods.
It is shown that ADHD'ers goes hand in hand width other physical problems, like: sleeping disorders, feeling tired quite quickly, diarrhea, and more.
I read at normalbreathing.com: Recent allergic reactions can cause insomnia for the next 2 hours due to abrupt disruption in natural regulation of chemicals and hormones (histamine, cortisol, melatonin, insulin, thyroxin, etc.).
So some symptoms associated width ADHD can be caused by food allergies (melatonin-->sleeping disorders. cortisol,thyroxin --> feeling tired)
It seems reasonable to me that food allergy could cause hormonal imbalance for dopamine too (associated width ADHD).

One big gap in this theory is, that it is shown that its not an allergic reaction that cause ADHD, but an food intolerance.
But when eating foods that doesn't cause allergic reactions, ADHD is cured in many cases. And not only the mental part, but also the physical part (sleep problems, feeling tired, diarhea etc.). So I think, ADHD is some hypersensitivity to those foods without being an allergy, but width a hormonal imbalance which cause a lot of problems.

Other things associated width ADHD are no feeling for time, not being able to build in habits/routine, much mood swings during the day.
It's seems reasonable to me that this has also something to do width hormones.

P.S. @overkees I put that other exercise you gave me in my inbox

[panacea]

Food intolerance is due to immune reaction (almost always, sometimes due to a wound in digestive system, such things like rough potatos will aggravate you then due to friction). Immune cells have a limited memory - because they die.
After 2-3 weeks of total avoidance of the food allergy/intolerance, your immune system usually forgets the allergy/intolerance.
The same thing with things like pet hair allergy.

The problem, is that you must also become healthier during this time so you don't have the same thing happen next time (your body would be able to deal with the allergen this next time without overreacting)

The fastest way to become healthier of course is to avoid allergens/intolerances and at the same time be active throughout the day and/or get hours of exercise (with nasal breathing only).

However, in my opinion, ADHD is caused by an over sensitized brain, an over excitability of your whole nervous system and brain due to poor health. It's known that people in great health, such as super atheletes, have a higher pain threshold, calmer mind, more peaceful attitude, and greater ability to focus. On brain imagining scans, they have less active brains during sleep (deeper sleep), with no remembrance of dreams, no waking up in the night, etc. People with poor health, who often have ADD/ADHD symptoms, have much lighter sleep, remember dreams (a sign of brain over-stimulation during sleep when it should be resting and repairing).

Therefore, to cure ADD/ADHD symptoms, one should return to a natural lifestlye of plenty of healthy exercise and activity instead of a sedentary lifestyle, often further abused by improper eating, which causes an over excitability of the persons nervous system and an inability to be calm and focused.

Common sense? Yes.
Thousands of new diseases labeled in the past 50 years, with the common factor in the modern people they plague being more sedentary lifestyle with improper processed foods both causing it, could it be any more obvious..

Diet+Exercise=Panacea, sometimes people just need to be reminded there are no magic pills and that if they live like corpses, not moving much, they will have issues.

[dime]

Sounds like a good idea for you to do that few foods diet and see how that works. Obviously they have carefully chosen the least allergenic foods, e.g. from fruits there's bananas and pears which have negligible amount of salicylates (http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/ ... de/fruits/). If you're careful with ripening bananas it can work well; my main source of carbs is bananas and only occasionally will buy some other fruit.

Interestingly yolk seems to also contain some albumin and can be allergenic, I always thought the egg white would be the only problematic part.

[dime]

On the other hand pears and bananas have higher histamine levels.. http://www.histamineintolerance.org.uk/FoodList.aspx

[Iris]

About that many people react like: ADD doesn't exist, it is just a discipline problem
I didn't mean to say that you reacted like that, but more adressed to dime, who insinuated something like that.
About PTSD, a good girlfriend from me (or should I say a friend who is a girl, I don't know ) also has PTSD, and she has had great benefit from this technique:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_moveme ... processing
In the case of this friend, I think she also has ADD. I had some long conversation width here and she also had many of those (ADD-like) symptoms before the trauma, like in early childhood.
That's why I think, it cannot be only PTSD in here case, but I'm not sure how this relates to you of course...

Good to hear
I heard of that technique. Don't know what to think of it though (to be honest ) Think I'm way to rational (not the word I way looking for, we say "nuchter" in Dutch) for things like this (?) I don't know.... But on the other hand, a lot of people seem to benefit greatly from this type of therapy. Anyway, thank you for pointing this out to me, really! And like I said, I don't know much about ADD, but I really hope you can find a way that works for you!