The question of using tissue salts for children diagnosed with attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder comes up from time-to-time. This morning when I received this query again, it prompted the thought that many parents may be tormented with their child being given this same label, and could possibly derive some benefit from the simple salts.
Sharing a little of my own experience with this, I have witnessed the transformation of a family member’s ten-year-old child from a distracted, disinterested academic underachiever – who had struggled with focus and basic comprehension in primary school – into a young person who began to show improved results by the end of the seventh grade, and then went on to achieve distinctions throughout high school and university. This young adult (now 25) works in a field requiring focus, intellect and attention to detail, and uses extra tissue salts when needing to cope with focused work stress, career examinations or exhausting long hours.
Needless to say, I do believe that tissue salts can help immensely and are worth considering in children that have been diagonsed with ADD or ADHD. If the child is already using prescribed medication, it is important to continue with it, adding the tissue salts, and have the prescribing doctor check the appropriate dosage of medication over a period of months. In these situations it is always better to have a personal evaluation and tailored tissue salts program to optimize the result, but I can offer the following as a general guideline:
The basic two to look at would be Kali Phos (no 6) and Calc Phos (no 2). Supplemental doses should start slightly higher than recommended on the container – at least 1 tablet of each in the morning, afternoon and evening; if it has been a difficult day one can top-up as frequently as required in-between:
- They can be kept on the homework desk and used additionally at times of study;
- Extra if there are frustrations in doing homework or comprehension – take a break every half hour and have another of each at these break times.
- Basically the more one is aware of the symptoms, the more frequently one should use the salts.
Others that could be involved are indicated as follows –
- emotional tension; non-stop talkativity – Mag Phos (no 8);
- hypersensitivity to external factors such as noise or light etc – Silicea (no 12).
Please remember that each child is uniquely individual, and it may be that other tissue salts are required in conjunction with these to achieve an optimal result. It is also perhaps worth noting that many adults are being diagnosed with these disorders. The salts remain the same, regardless of the age, although it is much more likely that there would be other mineral deficiencies due to age factors.
To the lady from South Africa querying ADHD an ADD we have excellent ILT2 practitioners who address underlying causes of neurodevelopment problems, Omega is essential for myelanation of the neural pathways. Many of us are qualified in clinical nutrition and are great believers in tissue salts and diet. Google Prof Shirley Kokot the results we have are amazing. Maxine
Thank you Maxine – it seems like a sensible option to look into.
Hi Alison
I read through your article “Tissue salts for children with ADD / ADHD Posted on July 24, 2010” and absolutely delighted that Tissue Salts may be an option for ADD treatment in Children.
I’ve recently started my 6yr old son on Kali phos (6) to help with his hyperactivity, inattention and aggitation but haven’t been consistent enough to report back a definite difference although there are days where he has been very manageable. I never knew about Tissue salts before hearing a radio program on it and how truly amazing it really it is.
I took my son to see a Dr last wee to discuss his behaviour and although not yet diagnosed – he did just a few tests (co-ordination tests with his hands and following instructions) and said that he could immediately see a potential ADD problem. I am totally against Ritalin and any other such medical drugs and would far rather help him with natural rememedies. We live in South Africa and I have no idea who to speak to -to help with taking that approach to treat my son. I have also heard of the need for Omega fish oils to help treat ADD. Do you know of anyone that has successful put all the required natural ingredients together (such as tissue salts, omega 3 fatty acides etc) to help our children? Currently my approach is to take one step at a time – start with Tissue salts ( and be consistent with them and start to diarise daily behaviour), then add Omega 3 etc. But as a mother I am anxious to get him help as quickly as possible as he is struggling socially with his own friends and even adults who don’t enjoy his company because he seems to lack the basics of discipline in public. He struggles with concentration at school – but isn’t lacking intelligence since he does exceptionally well with homework he enjoys. At home – in a one-on-one environment its so much easier to manage him. It breaks my heart when I see people shouting at him and or ignoring him – he seems to seek attention in such a negative way. And it seems impossible to stop him when he is at it and many times my nerves become so frayed trying to calm him down and discipline him at the same time.
I would so appreciate your advise and any direction you could recommend I take.
my kind regards
Nats
Hi Nathalie
My apologies for this tardy response; I didn’t receive a system notification about your post and have been away for much of Feb and March – almost completely missed it.
You would probably find the tissue salts are something that as time passes there is consistent improvement in terms of focus and concentration. You may find that giving him the Calc Phos in conjunction with the Kali Phos brings a calming effect, and the other one I always kept on hand for unruly children (mine and their friends) was Silicea. You may like to try our Rescue Synergy tissue salts, which has a good blend of the basic energy balancing salts (including Calc Phos and Silicea) in conjunction with the Kali Phos (this is not the same as the Flower Remedy Rescues – ours is a tissue salt rescue combination to center and balance the energy system whether over or under vitalised). This would probably do you good for your frayed nerves too! The Omega 3 fish oils do have a good reputation in working with the ADD patterns, and would be good to supplement as well.
I don’t know of anyone in particular who specialises in this, unfortunately. From my own experience, I think that finding a suitable outlet for the exuberant energy of these children can be very helpful. I took my son to soccer at the age of 4 to help manage his energy and co-ordination difficulties, and it was really good. When he became frustrated with homework, I would give him some tissue salts and encourage him to go and practice his kicking skills on the lawn (or swim if it was summer) and that usually changed the dynamic within about 10 minutes. I’d then give him some more tissue salts and he would get through his homework with more focus and concentration.
Also important would be to manage sugars in the diet with low GI foods – take a look at this article on the GI Foundation website. They are based in South Africa, and do some really good recipe books. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a recommended diet for ADD as well. They list dieticians in all areas, and I would start with that. The entire GI story wasn’t really around in the late ’80s, and I think many children in those years could have benefited from this approach to eating. The good thing is that you can introduce it as a family dynamic, and it will benefit all of you.
Please let me know how you get on. Once again, apologies that I haven’t got back to you sooner!
Kind regards
Alison
Thank you so much for your reply, Alison! I forgot to come back and check if you’d replied until today. Anyway, based on your input, it sounds like it might not be a bad idea for me to try this, so thank you! And I’ll let you know how things go so that you can then report to other adults with ADD/ADHD. Hope you had a merry Christmas, and happy New Year to you!
Thanks again,
Holly
That’s great Holly. I would just add that not all tissue salts have the same energetic effect as ours do, so if you find there is no response after a month or so from whatever you are using, try a different brand. Also, you may need to use 3-4 times the dosage recommended on the bottle. I’m not sure where in the world you are located, but hopefully you have a good manufacturer if you are unable to get the AllisOne or the Aura-Soma brands. Always make sure that they are D6 or 6X dilutions (not D1/1X, D3/3X or D12/12X etc).
I look forward to hearing your feedback later on, and hope that it is a healthy New Year for you!
Thank you for this information. I am an adult who suffers from ADD, and I have hit a brick wall in my constant search for relief/help/coping tools. I feel like, as I age, the symptoms get worse. I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t know how I can possibly live a fulfilling life and be a productive member of society when my brain is so impaired. I am skeptical of any “alternative” treatments, but seeing as how the mainstream treatments have helped me very little, I wonder if it could hurt to try something different. I’d be curious to hear of any other anecdotes you’ve gotten from people using the salts to help with ADD/ADHD. Thanks again.
Hello Holly
Thank you for your comments. I apologise for the belated response, but have just returned from a Seminar in the bush, without internet access for the time. As Murphy’s Law would have it, the comments arose to moderate when I couldn’t do so!
I empathise most deeply with your situation, and although this was written about children – who tend to respond much more quickly as they haven’t had time to accumulate as much of a deficiency as an adult would – I do think that using tissue salts will help, and often improve things within a few weeks.
I have an adult client who has suffered with epilepsy since childhood, who was still having seizures even on the neurological medications she was using. She improved to the degree of no seizures from day 1 of using the salts in conjunction with her medication. Her doctor was able to amend and reduce the prescription cocktail within a few months, and as long as she uses the salts she manages well and does not suffer the seizures. She did decide to stop everything for a while without informing her doctor or me, and the seizures returned with a vengeance. Whether she will be able to get to a point of discontinuing medication and/or salts only time will tell, but certainly the quality of her life improves dramatically with the appropriate tissue salts. I certainly think it can do no harm to give the tissue salts a few months in the case of ADD/ADHD and see if there is any difference.
I will certainly post an anecdote again as to whether there is, or is not, any improvement in an adult prediagnosed with ADD/ADHD that I can monitor for a while, providing that the angels send someone with the condition in my direction! Go well, and please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.