Behavior Issues in Children

Q: Hi, my 5 year old son is having mood swings, anger problems, having a very hard time sitting still and paying attention. Do you know of any natural or homeopathic remedies that would help him? Thanks

A: I would use a step by step program to help this young man.

1. Remove foods that he may be allergic to: This involves glutens, processed sugars (agave, raw honey, stevia, brown rice syrup are fine), pasteurized dairy, and food colorings. These foods aggravate unwanted behaviors, and deplete the immune system. Just this step resolves symptoms 50-100% in the vast majority of cases.
2. Support the adrenal glands. For this, in someone this age, I would use 1-2 DSF (from Nutri-West) per day. DSF is short for “De-Stress Formula”. It rebuilds the adrenal glands to calm the whole nervous system.
3. Correct digestive issues. For this, I would use 1-2 Zypan (from Standard Process) per meal, to support stomach, small intestine, and pancreatic digestion. I would also use Total Probiotics (from Nutri-West) to restore bowel flora back to normal. Dosage for Total Probiotics would be 2 morning, 2 night on an empty stomach. Without correcting upper and lower GI imbalances, people with this type of behavior will never truly get better. Their digestive and immune systems will be in perpetual stress mode.
4. Start breakfast with meat and nuts. A high protein, high fat meal will stabilize blood sugar for the rest of the day. Any meat (fish, chicken, beef, eggs, whatever), and any kind of nut (cashews, almonds, macadamias, etc) will work. Change up this combination regularly, so that your body does not get allergic to 1 kind of meat or nut.
5. Essential Fatty Acids. I like Standard Process’s Calamari oil, 2-3 tsp/day. Right now, it looks like the highest quality, cheapest, high DHA omega-3 oil on the market. You want high DHA, to feed your son’s brain. As an aside, you would use EPA’s (another type of omega-3 oil) more for inflammation in the joints, cardiovascular system, or digestive system.
   There you have it. This program is a great starting place for unwanted behavior in children, and adults! Try it for a month. My clients report that their children are calmer and their teachers notice a big difference in their behavior at school. If you don’t get all the results you want, give my office a call, so we can fine tune your son’s program.
   All of these supplements are available here at the office.

Best of luck to you!
Dr. Sheehan