ADHD - When Hormones Don't "Rage"
Noel Peterson, N.D.
Bobby was a good kid at heart, but had serious behavioral problems at school and home. His parents felt his hormones were raging out of control. He had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression, but his symptoms did not quite match the other kids his parents knew with ADHD. They suspected something else was wrong and did not want to give in to drug treatment with Ritalin.
Although popular belief associates hyperactive behavior in kids with excess hormone activity, a new study on young children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suggests that the inability to control impulsive thoughts and actions are actually rooted in an under active, rather than an overactive, adrenal hormone response.
Behavior and limbic inhibition is believed to be closely connected with the body's release of the stress hormones cortisol. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts explored the specific relationship between cortisol and ADHD by comparing cortisol secretion in two groups of children: those whose ADHD symptoms persisted for over a year and those whose symptoms had abated. Salivary assays of cortisol performed on both groups revealed that children with persistent ADHD showed a significantly lower adrenal response. In fact, after performing a series of academic and psychological tests, these children exhibited cortisol responses that were 2-3 times lower than those no longer experiencing ADHD. These findings, reported in the journal Biological Psychiatry (1998;44:73-74) support earlier studies that linked ADHD to a decrease in limbic behavior inhibition and a reduction in cortisol secretion.
Bobby also had a craving for carbohydrate foods; in fact, over 70% of his calories were from carbohydrates, mostly "empty calorie" snack foods, all of which are also deficient in the essential fatty acids. I suspected that Bobby had high calorie malnutrition.
How can a person eat a high calorie diet and still be malnourished enough to cause neurological dysfunction? For one thing, sugar and high carbohydrate diets increase the requirement for the B vitamin thiamine. Thiamine (B1) deficiency makes the brain's limbic system much more sensitive to any form of visual, auditory or tactile stimulus. The limbic system is the emotional outburst control center. By increasing the brain's outgoing stress signals, thiamine deficiency causes rapid heart beat, sweating, abdominal pain, feelings of panic and anxiety, and eventual cortisol deficiency. The classic "fight or flight" reaction.
Bobby tested low in cortisol. It was not easy getting Bobby to change his diet and give up snack foods, but he wanted to be in control of his behavior and he made the effort. We helped him with a specifically designed nutritional support program and diet guidance. After three months he was in control of his behavior and was once again the emotionally bright kid his family loved.