Do you have a child who often lapses into hyperactivity? Or an angry child who screams, shouts and throws temper tantrums with difficulty focusing at school?
Your child may not be exhibiting bad behaviour. It could be a sign of ADHD.
ADHD refers to “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder”, a term coined by the American Psychiatric Association. It is a chronic condition that affects children such as difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour.
They struggle at school, have trouble making friends, and do poorly academically because they are often restless, inattentive, and easily distracted. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD are easily frustrated, have problems with multitasking and are unable to cope with prioritization.
Nonetheless, having a child diagnosed with ADHD is not the end of the world. Most parents these days prefer to use natural approaches to help their children manage their ADHD symptoms.
For instance, food and diet play a role in helping your child cope with ADHD. Food that aggravates ADHD in children includes milk, chocolate, soy, wheat, eggs, beans, corn, tomatoes, grapes and oranges.
If your child shows signs of ADHD, you may consider stopping the intake of such food. Give her more protein-rich foods – lean beef, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, soy, and dairy products – which are used by the body to make neurotransmitters, the chemicals released by brain cells to communicate with each other. When you feed protein, it prevents spikes in blood sugar (blood sugar increases hyperactivity).
Giving your child vitamins B and C can also help alleviate ADHD symptoms because Vitamin B deficiency is linked to irritability and fatigue in children. Other useful minerals to curb symptoms of ADHD include zinc, iron and magnesium.
You may use aromatherapy, besides quality protein intake or removing certain food, as it helps calm children. “Essential oils may have a direct chemical influence on cephalic function, especially within the frontal lobe and limbic area of the brain, stimulating or balancing hormonal/dopaminergic activity, positively influencing memory, mental alertness, clarity and attention, coordination, response time, mood, emotion and behaviour,” according to this research paper.
Essential oils such as Roman chamomile soothes and comfort while lavender is the go-to essential oil for inducing calmness. Mandarin essential oil quiets the brain when combined with lavender. Ylang-ylang helps to sedate the senses while vetiver is great for focus. Patchouli soothes the nervous system and frankincense supports the immune system.
Diffuse each oil on its own or create focus blends. Try a focus blend using patchouli, frankincense, lime, Ylang-ylang, sandalwood and chamomile. A focus blend helps your child pay attention to school work and may be helpful when quiet time is needed.
If focusing on a task is important, diffuse vetiver as it filters out other sensory input and decreases mental fatigue. Vetiver essential oil is a sharp and fragrant oil also called khus oil, extracted from the vetiver plant roots, a clumpy, green grass native to India. The late Dr Terry S. Friedmann showed that vetiver oil was beneficial for children with ADHD when they used the essential oil several times a day resulting in improved behaviour and better school outcomes.
Other essential oils that are deemed safe for children are peppermint, orange and ginger. If your child is anxious, massage her with any essential oils – lavender, neroli, bergamot and geranium. If you are using the oils for massage, always dilute them with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil. For example, combine 12 drops of essential oil with every 30 ml of carrier oil for massage purposes.
Essential oils are wonderful supplementary assistance for your child who is diagnosed with ADHD. It produces significant benefits by creating a positive psycho-emotional and physiological influence on the child and reduces anxiety and sensitivity. Use essential oils and aromatherapy alongside other relaxation techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Contact us for more information and advice regarding ADHD in children and aromatherapy.
