What Causes ADHD?

ADHD is a behavioral disorder that causes the sufferer to have difficulty staying focused on a task or controlling their anger and hyperactive tendencies. ADHD symptoms can effect children as well as men and women, regardless of social class. But what causes ADHD? There are many scientists and doctors, including Ben F. Feingold, M.D., and Dimitri A. Christakis, M.D., who believe ADHD is the result of a modern lifestyle approach that can be corrected if certain steps are taken.

Media

• Media has become a large part of modern society and watching an extended amount of television can have a significant effect on attention span, focusing abilities and levels of hyperactivity in the body and mind. To reduce ADHD behaviors, reduce or even eliminate highly visual media, like video games or television.

Food Additives

• Food additives have been seen by Feingold to have a direct connection to ADHD symptoms. The most common triggering food additives are artificial food coloring, artificial sugars and fats, nitrites and nitrates found in hot dogs and lunch meats and food preservatives. Try to replace foods that contain additives with whole foods choices, like fresh produce or whole grain breads.

Dysfunctional Classrooms

• Dysfunctional classrooms are becoming a major problem as schools become overpopulated and teachers become scarcer. Class sizes are larger, preventing teachers from giving enough attention to individual students. This can be overwhelming for students and can lead to distraction, aggression, inability to focus and other ADHD behaviors.

Refined Sugars

• Refined sugars can be found in candy, white flour breads and pastries, cereals, cookies, white potatoes or rice. When people with ADHD eat too many refined sugars, it can cause their blood sugar to spike and drop suddenly, leading to symptoms similar to ADHD behaviors. Try to avoid eating refined foods and sugars whenever possible.

Absence of Nutrients

• In the American diet, it can be easy to become nutritionally deficient, even when you are overweight. This is due to the fact that processed and packages foods are replacing fresh, whole foods. These packaged foods contain little to no vitamins or minerals. When packaged foods make up the bulk of the diet, the body can become deficient. When the body is robbed of nutrients, it can cause moods to change and fluctuate. Try to take a daily multivitamin to ensure that the body is getting the nutrients it needs.