So my H is not medicated. He hasn't been for his whole life. We are newlyweds who live in Japan. I am aware that things like Ritalin are actually illegal here... not even sure what medicine IS available. (Japan is a culture that loves to hide their head in the sand, refusing to admit there is a problem, so he hasn't been to see a doctor about his ADHD since his initial diagnosis at about 7 or so. )
I'm trying not to be a nag about seeing the doctor, because I know I have already asked too much, and he is starting to withdraw and ignore me. The more I researched about ADHD the more I realized that some of the things he does really are out of his control. So I try my best to accommodate him and hope he'll get where he needs to on his own. (And I hope that means seeing a doctor eventually... but I'm just going to persist and trudge on until then) Unfortunately I don't have all the years of experience that his mother has. She didn't want him to live a life dependent on medications, so she researched and did all she could for her little boy. But he's not that little boy anymore, and I am quite frankly a deer in the headlights most of the time. I can't take him to the pool and let him swim until his energy levels are spent - he is a grown adult now and we're going to have to find different ways to help him out.
So I am wondering if anyone out there has any good recommendations on a healthy diet for an adhd person? I know that refined sugars are undesirable. He's a binge-eater and coffee is his legal drug. I make less rice meals for dinner but I know he's still eating bread and rice during the day at work. Can anyone point out some good websites, or relate some of their experiences? Thanks in advance.
I suggest he avoids sugar &
Submitted by c ur self on
I suggest he avoids sugar & caffeine (maybe you could get him to try decaf. or at least swap to green tea, it should be readily available in Japan)...My spouse does so much better when she leaves these off, and gets regular exercise, swimming etc.......Avoid overloading him with heavy conversation's when he is hungry, tired or when he first wakes up...Regular intercourse is also good for calming men....I suggest you try him on fish oil, and you can also order Synaptol (homeopathic) and try it...It is suppose to relieve systems of adhd, if he isn't going to medicate...
best wishes...
C
Thanks!
Submitted by meiohsetsuna on
Thanks for replying! I've read conflicting research about caffeine - seems to work for some and yet for some it don't. I used to restrict his caffeine intake and he was much crankier without it... so I stopped putting my foot down on that one. It seems to help him hyper focus on his work. Only problem is he is on his way to a caffeine addiction...! At night he is insistent on something to drink, and I rather he drink the coffee (he has it black), than his favorite cola. Give and take in this situation... even tea has some caffeine in it as well.
I wish I had asked this forum months ago! I had learned the hard way about those heavy conversations in the morning. The fights used to be daily! I have since learned to avoid too much morning banter, and one of the first things I do in the morning is turn on every light possible so that he can adjust to waking up. It has definitely worked wonders - we went from having a fight every morning to having a morning fight maybe once a month. Amazing what a little research can do. (And realizing that I shouldn't blame him but attempt to help him instead)
I did recently pick up fish oil, I had heard it works wonders. He takes a multivitamin (I wonder if his mother influenced that), but I'm going to look up this synaptol as soon as I type this up. Hope its allowed in Japan... (You'd be surprised to know that both melatonin and regular benadryl are banned here!)
Getting the exercise is proving to be one of the hardest things possible. As a Japanese salaryman he works 6-7 days a week, often putting in 12 hour + days. Thus he can be too "tired" for regular activities. We do have two kittens who love to play, but after dinner he prefers to absorb himself in youtube or niichan (japanese reddit) rather than playtime with pets. I'm scratching my head at how in the world I can get him to physically exert himself at this point.
I'm not a huge "PLZ MEDICATE YOURSELF NOW" kind of person either... I suffer from on and off depression myself. But I still want him to see a doctor. I've made it my decree that I won't stop my birth control until he sees a physician. (He wants kids and I think that its the least responsible thing he could do towards that)
I guess the next step for me is to go into "japanese housewife" mode and just actually make his lunches for him. But I suspect he would still get munchies from the store, no matter what....
Synaptol?
Submitted by ADHD_Highway_to... on
How is the Synaptol working? I have ADHD and looked at teh reviews for this, but I only found descriptions of the supplement, and the reviews were either "this is crap" or "this is the best thing since sliced bread!" Thanks
Submitted by Delphine on
I second the advice about omega-3's and I think they do well on an Atkins type diet, high protein, low carbs. I got my son a Bellicon rebounder and he loves it.
I think ADHD needs to exercise hard, really push themselves to the limit. The rebounder does that for my son.