Dr. Jacob I. Mirman
MD, DHt, CCH, Mhom
By Jacob I. Mirman, MD, DHt, CCH, Mhom
In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of patients coming in who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
A person with ADD/ADHD has a certain group of symptoms, like difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, behavior issues, etc. Medical providers don’t really know the cause of the symptoms, so the diagnosis becomes what we call a “diagnosis of exclusion”. That’s when we make sure the person does not have some other identifiable condition, such as depression or some learning disabilities or a physical problem causing the symptoms. If they don’t, and have a certain number of symptoms from a predefined list, providers label them with ADD/ADHD and give a drug like Ritalin that cures nothing and only serves to make the child a bit more manageable.
I am against using this approach with ADD/ADHD-labeled children, and in my opinion, Ritalin and drugs like it should be used only as a last resort.
I use two alternative treatments to help children and adults with ADD/ADHD
OPTION ONE: Nutritional supplements
I do work with ADD/ADHD patients using a nutritional supplement program that I feel is very effective. I use Dr. Hinz’s approach (NeuroResearch method) extensively in my practice at Life Medical and in most cases see very good results. The Neuro Research method and the supplementation program were both developed by Dr. Hinz of Duluth, MN.
CLICK HERE to read a case study where a child who had ADD/ADHD was treated with the supplements
NeuroResearch amino acid supplementation pros and cons:
Pros:
- Fast: good improvement is usually seen within 4-6 weeks of starting the therapy.
- Very simple to use: the same protocol is used for everybody and the only adjustment is in the dose of the supplements.
- Predictable: most people respond well.
Cons:
- Non-curative: you are better only as long as you continue to take the supplements.
- Many pills to take.
- Supplements are more expensive in the long run than successful homeopathic treatment.
CLICK HERE to read an excerpt from Dr. Hinz’s article and a successful case study of a boy 4 years of age.
OPTION TWO: Homeopathy
As a homeopath, I treat ADD/ADHD as a part of the overall chronic condition. I take a complete case, paying equal attention to all issues in the child’s case, including any physical and psychological symptoms present. I put a great deal of time and energy into understanding the symptoms present in the particular case and finding the best remedy that would cover all those symptoms. The homeopathic remedy that I find/recommend must cover all symptoms in the case, and therefore I expect it to remove or reduce all of them as well, to a reasonable extent.
In my practice this approach has proven to be very effective in numerous cases. It’s not an instant fix, but the results tend to be worth the wait. The improvement tends to be on a psychological as well as physical level, so, if a child has some other condition besides ADD/ADHD, such as asthma, headaches, belly aches or anything else, it tends to improve at the same time. If the other conditions do not improve, I change the remedy.
I also recommend some parental “homework” such as limiting TV, video games and refined sugar.
Homeopathy; treating ADD/ADHD pros and cons
Pros:
- Curative: you take the remedy only as long as necessary, with the goal of permanent alleviation of symptoms and eventually stopping the remedy.
- Treats all symptoms at the same time, not just those related to the neurotransmitter imbalance.
- No large numbers of pills to take.
- Less expensive in the long run: the remedy is included at no charge, you pay only for the doctor’s time.
Cons:
- Much more difficult in practice. The visits take a lot more time and effort on the part of the doctor, because the treatment is highly individualized. That is why the first visit for homeopathic treatment is much more expensive than the one for NeuroResearch treatment. Also, insurance coverage for the homeopathic visits is usually not as good as for the NR visits.
- The effect is often quite slow. Sometimes it takes more than one try for the doctor to find the effective remedy. Until one is found, there is no effect. Once the correct remedy is found, the effect is usually slow.
CLICK HERE to read a successful ADD/ADHD case study of Dr. Mirman’s patients
If you have a child dealing with ADD/ADHD or if you are an adult dealing with it, Dr. Jacob Mirman offers free initial consultations via email.
Simply send him an email at: jmirman@lifemedical.us describing the patient and the symptoms and he will respond back OR make an appointment with him by calling Life Medical at 952-933-8900.