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Many people have begun treating ADHD without medication or drugs. The use of natural supplements, vitamins, and herbs to improve cognitive function is nothing new.
Humans have been consuming natural food and plant remedies to improve mental health since the origins of ancient culture.
But there are also some easy physical activities and lifestyle pursuits which have the power to combat symptoms of ADHD.
By incorporating a few of these powerful yet simple adjustments to one’s daily routine, it’s possible to treat some ADHD symptoms without drugs. These supplements should be viewed as adjunct treatments and should not replace the medical advice provided by your doctor.
The remedies listed below may not be able to address all facets of ADHD, but they have provided relief to individuals diagnosed with attention deficits according to user reviews.
Here are the best ways to improve ADHD symptoms, plus an analysis of which natural vitamins are the most effective tools in the fight against this very common imbalance.
- Focus longer, clear brain fog & feel more motivated
- Boost energy, alertnes & memory
- Contains 12 safe and natural nootropic ingredients
Exercise and ADHD
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One of the most basic and effective therapies for ADHD is simply a program of regular exercise.
ADHD affects more than 9 percent of all children in the U.S., and we often hear of parents and school officials suggesting these kids try to “burn off” their nervous, hyperactive energy through sport.
This approach may have a scientific basis. Improved circulation, specifically in neural tissue, might provide significant relief to ADHD at the chemical level.
Nerve cells which are readily supplied with oxygen and nutrient-rich blood have higher signaling ability. This translates into more efficient mental communication and “clearer” thoughts for patients.
Regular exercise further improves neural tissue strength and the growth of neural structures via increased cellular metabolism. Exercise also has noted stress reduction properties which help calm over-excited nerve firing and the resulting erratic thoughts.
Meditation for Treating ADHD without Drugs
Meditation is not just a spiritual practice. Over time, meditating can actually change the physiology of the brain for the better, making calm, peaceful mental focus easier to achieve.
During meditative states, new synaptic neural pathways form, related to the calm, slow-paced mental activity. Meditation also activates GABAergic receptors. These sites are where the body’s naturally produced GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) creates an inhibitory effect upon nerve cells, soothing excitatory stress reactions.
There are indeed many natural supplements which perform this same function – we call these compounds GABAergics. For some people, taking a daily supplement such as Phenibut is preferable to the rigors of a years-long meditation practice.
However, the two approaches are not mutually exclusive. The lasting mental calm that can be achieved via meditation can complement mental focus gains from nootropic supplements and vice versa. For anyone interested in treating ADHD without medication or drugs, learning to meditate is a must.
The Importance of Mental Stimulation and Challenges
On the other end of the spectrum from meditation, one of the prime methods of treating ADHD without medication or drugs is to keep the mind active, vital, and challenged. Exposure to new ideas and new stimuli – like art or music – fosters explosive new growth in neural tissue.
Problem solving, even in the form of fun games like video games or puzzles, stimulates the healthy development of new neurons and synapses, as well as prompting the release of vital neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and most importantly, acetylcholine.
Healthy levels of acetylcholine generate the capacity to focus and concentrate, while responding to stimuli with clarity and coherence. The focus should be upon participatory activities, as opposed to passive pursuits like watching television.
Supplements for Focus and Attention Span
There are also natural supplements available which not only create these effects, but also make participation in mentally stimulating activities more fun and productive. In general, nootropics work by enhancing natural brain chemistry to produce overall improvements to cognitive function.
This is not the same as prescription pharmaceutical drugs like Ritalin, which increase dopamine levels in the brain to unnatural levels and may cause higher risk of side effects.
More holistic supplements like Piracetam work instead by creating a basis of strong neural tissue wellness. Mental clarity, heightened concentration, and freedom from distraction are achieved through the natural activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, without unnecessary chemical spikes.
Treating ADHD with Diet and Vitamins
Many people who are interested in treating ADHD without medication or drugs focus instead upon building a great diet.
The optimum ADHD diet should be high in protein (meats, eggs, cheese, nuts), low in simple carbs (bread, sugar, potatoes), high in complex carbs (veggies and fruits), and loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids (fish, nuts). This type of diet is considered anti-anxiety and stress relieving. Plus, many essential nutrients for optimum cognitive function can be gleaned from eating “clean.”
A great diet is just the beginning, though. Supplementing healthy food with a simple, thoughtful daily vitamin regimen can spark dramatic improvements to cognition. B vitamins are a simple, safe way to reduce stress and return one’s mental state to calm focus.
In particular, the B vitamin Pyrodoxine has shown promise at improving mental clarity by enhancing nerve cell signaling.
Can ADHD Be Cured?
At this time, there is no cure for ADHD that we know of. Still, the use of potentially dangerous prescription drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall poses a lot of potential problems. These drugs are effective at spiking dopamine but do not contribute to the overall health of neural tissue and cognitive function. Gains from these drugs are short-lived and come with the price of serious side effects and addictions.
Exercise, meditation, good diet, and vitamins are all excellent ways of treating ADHD without medication or drugs. In addition, the use of safe, natural supplements for nootropic enhancement can be a good way to bridge the gap from the gentle benefits that other holistic therapies provide.
The most commonly suggested nootropic therapy for ADHD is Piracetam with Citicoline, one of the original natural cognitive supplements to hit the market. Piracetam is widely taken to improve mental focus and sharpen thoughts – even for people who do not suffer from imbalances like ADHD.
As with many seemingly “incurable” disorders which affect cognitive function, the array of natural supplements available represent a valuable and effective front line defense against common symptoms.
Article last updated on: April 17th, 2018 by Nootriment
4 Comments
Nothing is as effacious as standard treatments unfortunately, people severely underestimate the life impact of adhd/executive-dysfunctions and it has the best treatments of any illness/condition nootropics are not valid alternatives.
Are you saying this as someone whos tried all the “alternatives”? Done a bunch of studying on data testing alternatives? Or someone who just really likes adderall and can’t imagine something better? (I prefer dextramphetamine, but the withdrawls are a little bitch.)
ADHD is a wastebasket diagnosis and not a thing. Anything matching the symptoms are thrown into that wastebasket with little actual analysis of brain chemistry. This is dangerous and a large reason of why some people do well on SSRIs and some people kill themselves. Hormones and neurotransmitters are a spiderweb of interactions, push on any one point and everything moves. Many things can cause ADHD symptoms from poor diet, genetic polymorphism, environmental toxins, etc. so many things can correct those symptoms.
The thing that pisses me off is locking kids in a room for 8 hours a day and when they become “hyperactive” and disrupt the class they call it an “illness” and put them on drugs. I’ve tried all these drugs, they’re really clean street drugs. “don’t do drugs kids, you not acting how I want you to act, take this drug”. Its like saying, I’m going to deprive you of food. What, your grumpy because you haven’t eaten, I can fix that, let me give you an appetite suppressant. It doesn’t fix the fucking problem. People did not evolve to be sitting for 8 hours a day with little to no sunlight and we’re not yet smart enough to combat evolution.
Sorry… got a little ranty their. I grew up ADHD and fixed most of it without drugs… although I still like the drugs, drugs are awesome.
I do feel compelled to point out your headline specifies without drugs and then you go on to list drugs. I understand piracetam is probably one of the safest drugs you could take for anything, but it’s still a drug. Supplements aren’t safer than drugs and this perception that “natural” makes it ok has ruined peoples lives and they blow through their receptors on a I’m-going-to-fix-this-more-is-better-rampage. Diet isn’t much better as we’ve all heard stories of people who thought they were eating healthy and learned what was wrong just in time to pull themselves from the edge, we don’t hear about the people who spend their lives as an invalid (… is that how you spell that? invalid? in-valid? wtf… ok I’ll just say disabled…) because they’re body doesn’t make something its supposed to, but COULD get it from food, but they don’t because they’re on a “healthy” diet.
I don’t think you have to put disclaimers on everything, but I hope you take enough responsibility to not confuse the definition and significance of drugs, safety, natural, supplements, etc. I have read enough posts that I thought were careless enough that if a stupid teenager, only read your site could jump to some stupid conclusions and hurt themselves.
Anyway, LOVE YOUR SITE! It’s my go-to, right after wikipedia and examine for studying a new supplement.
Hey Zeke,
Thanks for your comment – I definitely take your point to heart and I think this article needs to be updated.
One interesting point to keep in mind is that under the technical FDA definition of a drug, anything that is used to treat a medical condition or a disease is automatically considered a drug. For example, if you take a bottle of water and write on the label the true claim that drinking enough water every day can help to reduce the risk of kidney stones, then water would be considered a drug.
The same goes for ADHD – any supplement (or food) that is used to prevent, reduce, or treat ADHD symptoms would automatically be regulated as a drug and have to go through the lengthy FDA drug approval.