HELP! My 7 year old was diagnosted from school with HDHD

[Crystal Miller]

 

 

 

 

A little about my Daughter Ever sense my daughter was small(in preschool) she always liked to test, manipulate, throw tantrums, etc. to get her way and make her own schedule. When she got into kindergarten it still never changed much, in fact, it got worse she didn’t want to sit in her seat for long periods of time, interrupted, talked with other classmates and ignored the teacher, got attitude, lied, told stories,  etc. but always seemed to do her classwork and got it right surprisingly. We then had the teacher do daily reports just like we had to do in preschool and she got consequences if the daily school report was not good. That seemed to work to a point but still didn’t control her behavior regardless of the consequence when she got home.

 Then on to 1st grade it still didn’t change and all the behaviors as mentioned above were still there along with more mood swings, attitude, and more out of her seat to talk to classmates, dance and sing. SO we had a meeting with the principle, consular, teacher and US. The conclusion came to that our daughter was a straight A student with testing off the charts but yet her behavior was the real problem. She looked like and acted like she isn’t paying any attention yet she hears everything that is being said. At this point we had the consular observe her in the classroom as well as on the playground. She found that our daughter try’s to "control" everything and everyone to fit her needs and wants. After that we decided to take her to the doctor and do some testing and it was determined that our daughter was going and has been going through a early puberty. OMG what did he just say. This would explain the ATTITUDE, mood swings, body order, hair under armpits and slight breakouts, weight gain (66 lbs. at 7) 

Then on to 2nd grade where it still didn’t change but yet got worse and all the same behaviors were still there and she now acted like she was a teenager WHAT! that is what I said too. She is to young to have all these behavioral issues and puberty symptoms. I feed her a organic mostly raw diet but she eats at school and has dinner at home. I took her off the dairy (she still might eat some at school) and any food coloring. She is so loving and caring at times and then she is such a pain in the but the rest of the time. She is pretty active but also pretty lazy at times where she will just sit up in her room and play by herself and watch tv for hours.

 So with that said, I now have so many questions with NO answers going through my head.  Is it ADD/ADHD or is it puberty? or is it both? should I medicate? or not? I am truly against medicating anyone especially a child so with all the health advocates here I would like to seek some advice on what I should do. Thanks for your time in advance!!

[Katy]

I feel your pain.  Take her off of Dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, corn, bananas, chocolate and processed food.  I promise that you will see results.  You need to tell her what you're doing and why you are doing this.  YOu need to pack her lunch and don't give her money for food at school. This will be hard at first while her body adjusts.  Remind her that her taste buds will change and she will like the new foods eventually.  I promise.  She will get sick at first and you will question your decision but this will work.  Please make a veggie juice for her once  a day.  I tell my boys that I will not hound them to eat veggies all day if they just drink there juice and it works.  YOu may need to try to cut back on sugars and grains this is where creativity comes in.  I cook snacks and use maple syrup as the sweetner. 

 

I know this is going to be hard on both of you but remind her and yourself that you will both be happier.  Remember, she doesn't want to be like this and she isn't happy either that is why it is important to talk to her and let her know what is happening to her body every step of the way.  I bet you will see a lot of great results just by taking her off of wheat and dairy. But it's important that she sticks to this at all times.

 

Good luck.  I'm always willing to talk if you have any questions.

[Sonya Swan]

I do have some suggestions for you if you would like to email me offline.  There is definitely hope and medication will only make the problems worse IMO.

[Crystal Miller]

thanks to both of you!!! I have been trying to get her off of the above for a year now and it just seems like even if I pack her lunch she still eats the crap at school (because she can get it for free) or what her friends give her and leaves her lunch I packed behind or throws it away just to says she ate it. The more I restrick her the more she wants the crap. I cook healthy organic meals at home for dinner. It doesnt help that her Dad despite all my efforts eat all the crap too. I feel like I am the only one that wants to try to make healthy decesions. I have been 50-70% raw for over a year but my family is dragging me down. They do not give themselves time to adapt and change their taste buds. They are so programed to eating and are addicted to all the processed food they have had all their lives. I even went to the extreme and made them watch videos on the meat and dairy industry and yet they are grossed out, they still continue to WANT dairy and meat, etc. even I explained why its not good for us. It is so frustrating in this world of fast food on the go food to get anyone to change their way of eating if they "do NOT want to change for themselves" I have learned to just guide them and lead by example and it does help but doesnt seem like enough.

[Katy]

If you notify the school and tell them of the foods she can't eat they can't give it to her plus they are not permitted to share food with friends.  Talk to the school monitors.  You also need to talk to your husband and tell him that he needs to do this for her daughter.  He can eat all the crap he wants but he needs to hide it that you are changing things around the house.  Put your foot down!

[Crystal Miller]

Thanks Katy

I will try to talk to the school and I am really ready to make a change. We are getting a dehydrator soon and I think that will help them transition more. I already told my husband this and also told him that if he wants to eat the crap out of the house then go ahead but im not making it or bringing it in the house anymore. I am really done fighting this battle and its time to end.

[Sonya Swan]

Sugar is a BIG causative factor I find in most of our ADD/ADHD students that we see.  Refined sugar I mean.  It absolutely MUST be eliminated.  It raises cortisol levels, it depletes the body of B vitamins, it creates and acidic environment and so much more.  If you need to, move to xylitol/erithrytol blend...non GMO.

Read this to her (below).  Teach her WHY you are no longer eating sugar.  Don't eat sugar yourself.  If daddy wants to thats okay, he's a big boy, but she is not old enough to make her own decisions like daddy is.  Tell her teachers...absolutely NO sugar.  If you know treats will be brought to school by some other parent, have an alternative for her.  Fruit of some kind or a special xylitol candy.  She is old enough to understand the WHY of it all.  :)

 

When my oldest was 5 years old, a lady at church offered her a cookie while I was talking to some other people.  My 5 year old said "no thanks, that might have hydrogenated oils in it."  I was so impressed.  We had been working hard on WHY we don't eat like everyone else.  We talk about it a lot and what the consequences are of eating that way.    She got it!  We went on with the evening happily munching out sugar snap peas and carrots and thankful that my children were gaining self-control over their eating habits.

 

Here are the dangers of sugar:

 

76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D Author of the book Lick the Sugar Habit

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.1,2

Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 3,4,5,6

Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.7,8

Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.9,10,11,12

Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.13

Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.14,15,16,17,18,19,20

Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.21,22

Sugar can weaken eyesight.23

Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.24,25,26,27,28

Sugar can cause premature aging.29

Sugar can lead to alcoholism.30

Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.31,32,33

Sugar contributes to obesity.34

Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.35,36,37

Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)38

Sugar can cause gallstones.39

Sugar can cause appendicitis.40

Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.41

Sugar can cause varicose veins.42

Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.43

Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.44

Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.45,46,47

Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.48

Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.49

Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.50

High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).51

Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.52

Sugar causes food allergies.53

Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.54

Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.55

Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.56,57

Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.58

Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.59,60

Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.61

Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.62,63

Sugar can cause emphysema.64

High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.65

Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.66

Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.67

Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.68,69

Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.70,71

Sugar can damage your pancreas.72

Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.73

Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.74

Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.75

Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.76

Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.77

Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.78,79

Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.80

Sugar can cause depression.81

Sugar can increase your risk of gout.82

Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.83

Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.84,85,86,87

Sugar can lead to dizziness.88

Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.89

High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.90

High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.91,92

Sugar is an addictive substance.93

Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.94

Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.95

Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.96

Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.97

The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.98

Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).99

Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.100

Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.101

Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.102

I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.103

Sugar increases your risk of polio.104

High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.105

Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.106

In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.107

Sugar may induce cell death.108

In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.109

Sugar dehydrates newborns.110

Sugar can cause gum disease.111

 

 

[Crystal Miller]

Thanks for your reply. We have been working on why certain foods are not good for our bodies and what it does to us. I think she makes good choices when I am around but its when I am not around that she doesnt THINK and follows what everyone else is eating. I know this because she went out to lunch with her Dad one day when I wasnt there to go with them and when I asked her what she had she told me that she didnt make a good healthy choice because I wasnt there. Really?

[Crystal Miller]

UPDATE: I had a long talk with my daughter and told her the dangers of many of the foods that people choose to eat. She was very understanding of this and so then I just flat out asked her to stay away from sugar, white foods, dairy and meat and to not eat in the cafeteria at school for at least 30days and she will then noticed that those foods arnt very appealing to her more.  So yesterday we went out to dinner to a mexican restaurant and she usally orders a cheese enchalada but this time she had a bean tostada SALAD with NO RANCH dressing just some guacolmole instead!!! I am so PROUD of her willing to change her eating habbits for her health and for her mom. I told her how much she means to mean and I dont want her dying of cancer or some other diease. Its day 1 and last night I told her since the cafeteria at school feeds you very unhealthy foods, lets make and pack you a healthy, tasty lunch. She was really happy to spend the time with me making a recipe just for her to eat! we ended up making hummas and chopped up carrots and celery to dip in the hummas then we got some sprouted bread and spead some of the hummas on the bread and topped it with lettuce and tomatoe. She said it tasted just like a tuna sandwich and loved it. We also packed some fresh fruit of a kewi, plum, and a peach. She had a plum for breakfast for that is really what she wanted surprisingly. So here we go on the journey of trying to keep my child healthy!!! wish me luck :)

[Katy]

Oh wonderful!!!  I'm glad that you talked to her.  It really makes a  world of difference if they know what, why, how and are involved.  In a few days she may get sick of this but really it's her body craving the sugars.  Let her know this and try to accomodate her by giving her foods that she may think are junky.  While my kids go through that I try to offer chocolate pudding made with avocado, carob, maple syrup, water and vanilla.  I recommend you save this for those days so she won't be sick of it before her cravings start:)  Good luck and tell your daughter that we are rooting for her and know that she will be soo much happier (as will mom and dad).  Who knows...perhaps your husband will see such great results and want to change his diet.  That could be a motivator for your daughter:)

[Luci Harris]

Wow, you are definatly not alone.  I think this passage you wrote is one I've said a million times.  I have a family with 3 kiddos.  My daughter is the oldest just turned 8 and is in 2nd grade.  She has had behavior problems since she was around 3.  She never causes problems for her teachers, but treats the kids at school and our family like her slaves.  She is rude, back talks, has fits(sometimes for an hour), and constantly argues.  I am really sprised she has ANY friends since she is so bossy.  I raised her vegetarian, but when she started school she wanted what the other kids ate.  So I did and still do buy the veg. similar option.  But, since we are low income she gets free meals at school.  She knows it too, and gets so mad when I want to pack her lunch.  For example, yesterday they had ham sandwiches at school, she begged me to let her have the school lunch and that she would take the ham off.  I said no and her lunch came home barely eaten.  She is so smart gets 100's on all her work, but we have had counselors and dr.'s over the years observe her and it hasn't really ever been worked out.  My husband "supports" my choice of "diet", but buys total junk and dosen't like to struggle with the kids.  He would probably live on pizza, soda, and chicken if he could.  Thats a lot, but your storyjust seems so similar to mine. 

P.S.Oh I too have tried watching animal videos with her, like Food Inc., but she refused.

Crystal Miller said:

thanks to both of you!!! I have been trying to get her off of the above for a year now and it just seems like even if I pack her lunch she still eats the crap at school (because she can get it for free) or what her friends give her and leaves her lunch I packed behind or throws it away just to says she ate it. The more I restrick her the more she wants the crap. I cook healthy organic meals at home for dinner. It doesnt help that her Dad despite all my efforts eat all the crap too. I feel like I am the only one that wants to try to make healthy decesions. I have been 50-70% raw for over a year but my family is dragging me down. They do not give themselves time to adapt and change their taste buds. They are so programed to eating and are addicted to all the processed food they have had all their lives. I even went to the extreme and made them watch videos on the meat and dairy industry and yet they are grossed out, they still continue to WANT dairy and meat, etc. even I explained why its not good for us. It is so frustrating in this world of fast food on the go food to get anyone to change their way of eating if they "do NOT want to change for themselves" I have learned to just guide them and lead by example and it does help but doesnt seem like enough.

[Crystal Miller]

Lucy

thats for your reply. I know I am not the only one that has this situation and it is truly frustrating for me as well as  others(like you) that have to deal with this on an every day occation. I think it is more stressful and stress kills so I try to relax and not be so hard on myself because despite all the good food I eat, it will not do me any good if I am always STRESSING because of their bad food choices. Like I said I can only lead by example and its only day 2 of the no meat, no sugar, no dairy 30 day challenge for my daughter and last night she REALLY BEGGED me to add cheese to her salad. I just simply said NO, we are not doing any cheese right now and she got mad and said "YOU JUST WANT TO FORCE EVERYONE TO BE HEALTHY" I said no i just wan you to TRY to make healthier choices so you can LIVE a LONG time. I didnt say one other thing and we all sat down at the table and she ate all her salad (without the CHEESE) and got over it. I realized that I just need to be FIRM and put my foot down but not be too STRICT and make them feel like like I am taking everything they love away and be the bad guy. Good luck LUCY and thanks.

[Luci Harris]

That sounds like my daughter, the force thing:)  When you say no sugar do you mean refined only or have you cut out honey and fruit?  I think dairy maybe a big issue with my girl as well.  Thanks again.