New Support for Parents of Children with ADHD Available in Free Care Package

Mothers of children with ADHD are often stressed-out, overwhelmed, overworked, tired and under-nurtured for good reason. The National Institute of Mental Health identifies a host of disorders that can accompany ADHD including ASD, learning disabilities, oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, substance abuse and other brain-based disabilities.

This summer the Edge Foundation is offering much-needed support to parents of children with ADHD and other brain-based disabilities: a free ADHD Parent Care Package.

The ADHD Parent Care Package offers parents of teens and college students with ADHD ideas, facts, resources and encouragement. The Care Package was written to help worried parents navigate the difficult teen years when their child has ADHD. The free publication explores a wide array of information including:

• Life saving tips to mitigate the risks of ADHD teens
• Steps parents can take to help their child become a better advocate for himself
• An explanation of executive functioning and how it impacts a child’s ability to learn
• Scientifically-based facts about how ADHD impacts a child’s brain and his ability to learn in school
• Legal protections in the academic setting and important changes in children’s legal status when they turn age 18

“Adolescence is a critical time for parents of children with ADHD as children need to take on increasing responsibility for their lives when they are at a much higher risk than ‘average’ teens for dropping out or making poor decisions that will impact them for a lifetime. This care package is designed to give parents the support and guidance they need to help their children become successful, contributing adults,” says Robert Tudisco, Executive Director of the Edge Foundation.

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THE EDGE FOUNDATION is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that offers supplemental treatment for students with ADHD. Founded by Neil Peterson in 2005, its mission is to help every child, adolescent and young adult with ADHD to fully realize their own potential, personal vision and passion through personal coaching. For more information contact info (at) edge foundation (dot) org or call 1-888-718-8886.

Penny Williams

Award-Winning Blogger. Freelance Writer. Author. Warrior Mom.
A self-described “veteran” parent of a son with ADHD, Penny Williams is the author of the Amazon best-seller about her parenthood in the trenches, Boy Without Instructions: Surviving the Learning Curve of Parenting a Child with ADHD. She is also the creator of the award-winning website, {a mom’s view of ADHD}, a frequent contributor on parenting a child with ADHD for ADDitude Magazine and other parenting and special needs publications, and co-founder of the annual Happy Mama Conference & Retreat, a weekend away for moms of kids with neurobehavioral disorders. Look for her second book, What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting ADHD, in late 2014. Follow Penny at http://BoyWithoutInstructions.com.

Kids with ADHD are Hungry for Praise: Let’s Feed Their Need

If you’ve visited the Easy to Love but Hard to Raise blog or Facebook page lately, you may have seen the announcement that books 2 and 3 in the “Easy to Love” series are in the works. Book 2 will be titled: Easy to Love but Hard to Teach, and will focus on the many challenges involved in getting our kids with ADHD and other “alphabet soup” diagnoses educated, from the perspective of adults involved in their educations—parents, teachers, school administrators, advocates, and so on. Adrienne Ehlert Bashista (my co-editor and the series’ publisher) and I arrived at the decision to focus on education because in our many interactions with parents, both online and in person, problems with our neurodiverse kids and school seem to be incredibly prevalent, possibly the most prevalent of all special needs parenting issues. We hope that Easy to Love but Hard to Teach will illuminate the depth of the problems our kids face regarding school; offer potential solutions, big and small; and encourage alliances between parents, educators, and others for the sake of our kids.

I have my share of worries about how my daughter, Natalie, gets along at school, but I’ve also learned, through many of you, how wonderful our local school system and individual teachers are in comparison to some others around the country. You’ve helped me see how lucky we are to live in Ames, Iowa; to truly appreciate Natalie’s teachers and school. So, in the spirit of sharing solutions, big and small, I thought I’d brag about Mrs. McCasland, the special education teacher Natalie has worked with in fourth, and now fifth, grades.

For background, read this post (Don’t All of Our Kids Deserve Teachers Like This?) about Natalie’s recent surge in anxiety, and the resulting urge to avoid going to school. One of Mrs. McCasland’s ideas for helping Natalie (and me!) through this rough patch was to schedule a 10-15 minute meeting on Wednesdays, just before the start of school, with Natalie, me, Mrs. McCasland, and Nat’s general ed classroom teacher, Ms. Trautmann, in attendance. The only item on this meeting’s agenda is heaping praise on Natalie for everything she’s doing right at school. We’ve met three times so far. I think this plan is brilliant, in so many ways:

• Our kids tend to be told “no,” corrected, and criticized way too often. Why not schedule a regular time to “catch them being good?”

• As parents, too often we hear only what our children are doing wrong in school. We need to hear what our kids are doing right, just as much as they do.

• In my search for solutions to Natalie’s school avoidance, the best advice I found was to 1) make her go to school, and 2) reinforce that she was successful, that things were okay once she got there. This is a structured way to do just that, and to keep doing so on a regular basis.

• A before-school meeting gets the day off to a positive start. A mid-week meeting allows this to be a check-in about how the week is going, in addition to a cheerleading session to keep a child on a positive track.

Can you imagine suggesting this strategy to a super-negative teacher, and then role-modeling how to do it? Just think what an impact that could have, not just on your child, but on that teacher’s future students.

What do you think the reaction would be if you asked your child’s teachers/school administrators to commit to this kind of meetings? I dare you to try it!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, despite all of Natalie’s struggles, it’s easy as pie to fill 15 minutes with nothing but good!

For more information about books 2 (Easy to Love but Hard to Teach) & 3 (Easy to Love but Hard to Treat) in the “Easy to Love” series and to see the complete call for submissions, visit drtpress.com.

Kay Marner

Kay Marner is the co-editor of the book “Easy to Love but Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories.” Marner is a frequent contributor to ADDitude magazine, and writes an ADHD parenting blog, “My Picture-Perfect Family,” for www.ADDitudeMag.com.

Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms – What You Need to Know

If you are like most Americans, your dietary consumption of magnesium is suboptimal. Recent statistics reveal that close to 75% of Americans are consuming less than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium (see table below). New research is making it clear that this is absolutely cause for concern.

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Magnesium 

AGE	MALE	FEMALE
1-3 years	80 mg	80 mg
4-8 years	130 mg	130 mg
9-13 years	240 mg	240 mg
14-18 years	410 mg	360 mg
19-30 years	400 mg	310 mg
31-50 years	420 mg	320 mg
51+ years	420 mg	320 mg

Source:  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Magnesium’s central role in facilitating the function of over 300 critical enzymes ranks the mineral among the most important trace elements in the human diet. These enzymes play an important role in regulating our day-to-day metabolic functions, which influence everything from how our body manufactures DNA, RNA, and protein, to how our cells derive and generate energy from the food we eat. The mineral is critically important for the structural development and maintenance of healthy bones, and even plays a role in the production of glutathione, a chemical that has been called the body’s master antioxidant. As one of the most abundant minerals in the human body, it’s no wonder that the symptoms of low magnesium levels are correlated with so many health-related issues that impact all the body’s major systems. Just look at this list!

Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms

• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Memory problems
• Anorexia
• Loss of Appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Tremors
• Vertigo
• Difficulty swallowing
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat

Magnesium Deficiency Clinical Conditions

• Depression
• Dementia
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• ADHD
• Asthma
• Colon Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Sleep disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine headaches
• Osteoporosis
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Chest pain (angina)
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Coronary artery disease
• Atherosclerosis
• Hypertension
• Type II diabetes

While it’s true that modern factory farming techniques are inhibiting our ability to consume the recommended daily amount of magnesium by growing crops in magnesium-depleted soil, the good news is that you can enhance your body’s absorption and utilization of magnesium by reducing your intake of alcohol and junk foods (something you should already be doing anyway). Furthermore, and what may come as a surprise to many, is that many of the most widely used prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications deplete the body of the critical nutrient. Again, look how comprehensive and expansive this list is!

Drugs that Deplete Magnesium

Acid Blocking Drugs:

• Cimetidine (Tagamet)
• Esomeprazole (Nexium)
• Famotidine (Pepcid)
• Nizatidine (Axid)
• Omeprazole (Prilosec OTC)
• Pantoprazole (Protonix)
• Ranitidine (Zantac)
• Rabeprazole (Aciphex)

Antacids:

• Aluminum and magnesium hydroxide (Maalox, Mylanta)
• Aluminum hydroxide (Amphojel, AlternaGEL)
• Calcium carbonate (Tums, Rolaids)
• Magnesium hydroxide (Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia)
• Sodium bicarbonate (Alka-Seltzer)

Corticosteroids:

• Betamethasone (Diprolene, Valisone, Luxiq)
• Hydrocortisone (Cortef)
• Methylprednisolone (Medrol)
• Prednisolone (Pediapred Liquid)
• Prednisone (Deltasone)
• Flunisolide (Nasarel, Nasalide)
• Futicasone (Flonase)
• Triamcinolone (Azmacort)

Antibiotics:

• Amoxicillin (Amoxil)
• Azithromycin (Z-Pak)
• Cefaclor (Ceclor)
• Cefdinir (Omnicef)
• Ciprofoxacin (Cipro)
• Clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• Doxycycline (Doryx)
• Erythromycin (E.E.S.)
• Levofoxacin (Levaquin)
• Minocycline (Minocin)
• Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra)
• Tetracycline (Sumycin)

Blood Pressure Drugs:

• Hydralazine
• Ethyacynic acid (Edecrin)
• Enalapril and HCTZ (Vaseretic)
• Valsartan and HCTZ (Diovan HCT)  
• Bumetanide (Bumex)
• Furosemide (Lasix)
• Hydrochlorathiazide (HCTZ)
• Torsemide (Demadex)
• Candesartan and HCTZ (Atacand HCT)
• Chlorothiazide (Diuril)
• Chlorthalidone (Hygroton)
• Methyclothiazide
• Metolazone (Zaroxolyn)

Heart medications:

• Digoxin

Hormones:

• Estradiol (Activella, Climara, Combipatch, Estrace, Estraderm)  
• Estrogen (Premphase, Prempro, Estratab)
• Estropipate (Ogen)

Oral Contraceptives:

• Ethinyl Estradiol and Desogestrel
• Ethinyl Estradiol and Levonorgestrel
• Ethinyl Estradiol and Norethindrone
• Ethinyl Estradiol and Norgestimate

ADHD Drugs:

• Methylphenidate (Metadate, Ritalin, Concerta)

How to Test for Magnesium Deficiency

If you are taking any of the above medications, you are at even higher risk of being magnesium-deficient. It is a good idea to discuss this possibility with your healthcare practitioner. A simple blood test is all that is needed to determine your magnesium level, but you need to make sure it’s the right test.

The blood test commonly done in doctors’ offices measures serum magnesium levels. Unfortunately, this method does not give the best information on intracellular magnesium levels. In other words, the test does not efficiently measure the magnesium level within the cell where 99% of the magnesium in the body is found! The good news is that many labs now offer an “erythrocyte magnesium level” or “red blood cell magnesium level” test. These tests provide far more insight into your magnesium levels and are available from labs across the country.

How to Replenish this Valuable Nutrient

Getting enough magnesium into your body, both by diet and supplementation, provides a wide-range of benefits and is more important than many realize. In addition to helping reduce the symptoms and clinical conditions listed above, this “relaxation mineral” can also improve sleep, relieve stress, increase energy, and improve mood.

Magnesium in the body works in tandem with other vitamins and minerals, so a healthy diet is key to boosting magnesium levels. Dark, leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds are all great sources of magnesium that are easily absorbed by our body. Here’s a list of some of my favorite magnesium-rich foods that are easy to incorporate into your shopping list:

• Almonds
• Spinach
• Cashews
• Pumpkin seeds
• Avocados
• Cultured yogurt
• Salmon

How to Choose a Magnesium Supplement

But again, keep in mind that because so much of our food is grown in magnesium depleted soil, they may not be as magnesium-rich as advertised! That said, you can almost always reestablish a healthy magnesium level by taking a magnesium supplement. I would recommend supplementation if you are not getting enough magnesium from natural sources through your diet or are at an increased risk because of any of the drugs listed above. When choosing a magnesium supplement, keep in mind that magnesium salts, such as magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide, magnesium chloride, and magnesium citrate, often have undesired gastrointestinal side effects. Chelated magnesium, which is magnesium that is bound to an amino acid, is less likely to cause nausea, bloating, or diarrhea. Chelated magnesium supplements include magnesium aspartate, magnesium arginate, and magnesium lactate. Magnesium supplements are even available now in a form that’s chelated to whole food (pea protein).

Written by: David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine where he was awarded the Leonard G. Rowntree Research Award for best research by a medical student. After completing residency training in Neurology, also at the University of Miami, Dr. Perlmutter entered private practice in Naples, Florida.

To learn more visit: http://www.drperlmutter.com