Already ten minutes late for her first appointment, Claire phoned from her car that she\u2019d be in the office in five minutes. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived flustered and embarrassed, and \u201cOh, my gosh, I left all the forms on my kitchen table, but I did fill them out,\u201d and \u201cMy insurance card? I\u2019m sure I had it, I can call my husband, he has one, I think,\u201d and \u201cCould you please put money in the meter for me, I just realized I forgot and I have s-o-o-o many tickets\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Claire wanted to see me about fatigue, but she also wanted to mention her concern about a possible yeast infection, and then there were her hormones, and could she see the nutritionist too on this visit? She jiggled her knee constantly as she spoke, answered my questions mid-sentence, and changed the subject frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I asked her — slowly, carefully — if she\u2019d ever been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD). \u201cFunny that you should mention ADD,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy best friend, Sarah, she makes jewelry, sells it at art fairs, she\u2019s got a website with pictures. What did you ask me again?\u201d Sarah, I learned, thought Claire had ADD, but no, Claire had never been tested for it, and yes, she\u2019d finished college, \u201cso my ADD can\u2019t be that bad, though it did take me eight years to get my degree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I asked if she\u2019d take an ADD test with me. We took this one<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. \u201cWell,\u201d she laughed, \u201cThat\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever gotten a 100 on any test.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doctors can diagnose ADD with a combination of observing the patient and asking some pertinent questions. When the situation calls for it, I refer patients to WholeHealth Chicago\u2019s Dr. Janet Chandler<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, a psychologist who can do more extensive testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What doctors are learning is that there are far more adults, especially women, with ADD than anyone ever suspected. Until relatively recently, physicians were taught that ADD was pretty much confined to boys, and fairly easy to identify because of hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and easy distractibility. I remember being taught that the condition was rare in girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, for many years doctors believed that children with ADD simply \u201coutgrew\u201d it \u2013 that medication could be discontinued during adolescence. This too turned out to be wrong. Children do become less hyperactive over time, but the inattention and distractibility continue unabated. As adults, they struggle because their medication was (inappropriately) discontinued. Untreated men with ADD have a real problem controlling impulsive behavior. It\u2019s estimated that half the men in jail have some degree of ADD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today we know that young girls can have the same ADD symptoms as boys … except for the hyperactivity. The girls are sitting quietly in class but their brains are like TV sets with a dozen channels going at once. Until relatively recently, girls with ADD went undiagnosed, but they eventually grew up and we now have an immense population of undiagnosed and untreated adult women with ADD. How many? Experts believe 7 to 10% of the population (both sexes) probably has ADD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result of this oversight: millions of women 25 and older have been struggling through their lives impaired by their undiagnosed ADD, and they\u2019ve experienced incredible challenges with learning. People with ADD endlessly hear, \u201cYou\u2019re not living up to your potential.\u201d They may fail to advance in their jobs (and may make frequent job changes), experience difficulties with relationships (\u201cI always interrupted him\u201d), and even with sex (\u201che could tell my mind was somewhere else\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people with ADD compensate by living in a veritable snowstorm of Post-It notes, memo books, and Blackberries. Generally, their workspaces are chaotic (piles instead of files), and they go through life missing deadlines and appointments, procrastinating, and losing things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some women are finally diagnosed when one of their children is found to have ADD. Others struggle through life not knowing why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sad irony is that when treated, women with ADD are quite often fiercely intelligent, frequently surprised by how easy learning actually is and how powerful memory can be. Many feel sad when they realize how different their lives might have been had someone recognized their ADD when they were, say, seven years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We introduced Claire, one of the millions of women with ADD (attention deficit disorder), who readily acknowledged the condition explained her struggles with school, job, relationships, and the general chaos of her apartment. And why she was a half hour late for her appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI lose my keys endlessly. I pay big bucks in needless fees on bills that I put down somewhere and just forget about. After I finished college, I never read another book \u2014 it was just too much work. I can deal with a magazine article but hardly ever remember what I\u2019ve read. I even have trouble following conversations. There\u2019s just too much chatter in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll ADD symptoms,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to take drugs. I don\u2019t want the chemicals in my body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hear that a lot at WholeHealth Chicago, and it can be a challenge, especially because ADD meds can work really well. But I\u2019m certainly willing to give the natural route a try, and if it works, terrific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the heart of the matter, ADD patients have difficulty producing or correctly processing one or two neurotransmitters \u2014 brain chemicals that allow cells to communicate with each other. We\u2019re familiar with a third neurotransmitter, our stress-buffering serotonin, and although a serotonin shortage can occur with ADD (for example, in people who have ADD + depression or ADD + anxiety), I treat it separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cADD neurotransmitters\u201d are dopamine and norepinephrine. When levels are low, patients have difficulty with focus and concentration, inattentiveness and easy distractibility. As you might guess, ADD meds boost either the dopamine or norepinephrine. I prescribe drugs to raise one or the other but never both, as the meds are quite potent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on nutritional supplements, as we were for Claire, I endeavor to raise levels of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you elevate these neurotransmitters in someone who doesn\u2019t have ADD, the sensation is similar to drinking too much Starbucks. In fact, if you need your morning caffeine to focus, you\u2019re self-treating a very mild ADD. Paradoxically, boosting neurotransmitters in an ADD patient actually is calming and focusing, not stimulating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here\u2019s what I recommend for people with mild-to-moderate ADD who want to take a natural route first:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Supplements<\/strong>: Nutritional supplements are geared toward normalizing neurotransmitter shortages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u00a0D, L-Phenylalanine<\/strong><\/em>, 500 mg twice daily (taken early in the day to prevent overstimulation), is an amino acid needed for the brain to make more dopamine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u00a0L <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a>Tyrosine<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(same dose and recommendation) makes more norepinephrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNatural ADD Treatment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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