Parent Testimonial: How Glyconutrients Helped Her Sons ADD
Let me share with you my son’s struggles and my frustrating journey as a parent of a child with ADD.
Let me also share with you our remarkable story of victory…
My son’s difficulties started when he was in 1st grade. He had great difficulty trying to read, and was given special reading help at the school along with spending some very quality time reading at home with me. He struggled also with writing, following multiple directions and memorizing math facts. His teacher kept telling me that he could not stay on task, that he was easily distracted and that he was not paying attention in class. Of course this led to a lot of homework and his dislike of school. 2nd Grade didn’t get much better for him. He had a very low self-esteem because he saw other kids doing much better than he was. He had the same teacher that year, and I was getting the same reports from her regarding my son’s progress. Toward the end of that year and after many conversations with his teacher, the principal, and the school psychologist, the school recommended he be tested further and that possibly ADD might be a factor.
No parent wants to be told that their child has a “Disorder” that could require the child to be placed on medication. As a parent, the range of emotions that hits you is felt right smack in the middle of your heart. It puts you on quite a roller coaster ride. Bouncing from guilt to anger and everything in between…you name it I felt it…Helpless, hopeless, terrified, frustrated to name a few. As a typical parent I looked inside myself with the ultimate question “What did I do wrong?” “What didn’t I see?” I was very apprehensive and worried about what would happen to him on a daily basis, and that he would be labeled for the rest of his life...A ton of questions began running through my mind. It was very disturbing to consider the anxiety and the added concerns that ADD would add to his life.
I started this journey with a visit to our family physician’s office. After a mere 10 min meeting, he had been diagnosed with ADD and a recommendation for medication. I was very surprised with the non-comprehensive exam and the “Standard Procedure” attitude that was presented by the physician. My son’s behavior during this brief visit was the sole criteria the doctor used for the diagnosis, along with a few questions directed to the parents. My frustration continued as I came to know that further diagnosis would result from a series of questions that were very subjective and based on peoples opinions. There was no specific medical testing involved. I was very angry!! So many of the symptoms were typical of any child. “Was it normal? Was it just immaturity? Are we all somewhat ADD/ADHD?” But the fact remained that my son was struggling and suffering.
It became very confusing as I started to investigate ADD further. There was a ton of information available about different forms of treatment that other people had tried. There were areas of concern that could possibly mimic the symptoms that could be ruled out by testing…such as allergies & thyroid. I felt myself pulled in multiple directions as I tried to find alternatives to medication, but I kept getting pulled back into the “typical treatment” which was to medicate. This made me really angry and that’s when I started my search for something other than medication for my son.I spent the rest of that school year and the summer looking for any possible solution. I tried many avenues of treatment, visual therapy, fish oil, diet changes and biofeedback. With everything I tried I saw little improvement. My ex-husband and I constantly fought about medication vs. non-medication. By the middle of 3rd Grade there was great pressure to medicate him by the psychologist, physichiatrist, physician and my ex-husband who took me to court over the battle to medicate. I fought it every way I could but towards the end of the school year I was ordered to consent to a medication trial for 30 days. The school reported some positive results with the medication, but I was not happy!!
My son was not himself at all:
He could not fall asleep, I would check on him and find his eyes wide open with his pupils very dilated...
He didn’t want to eat…...
His hands shook……
He had episodes of face flushing…..
He would complain that he was seeing his cereal bowl move as he tried to eat…
The brightness that was in his eyes and smile were gone. The affection and warmth that he gave me in the form of hugs and snuggling became very withdrawn…He wanted to be by himself…..
His whole personality had changed. This experience strengthened my drive to find an answer because I knew that the medication was just covering up the problem, as well as scaring my son.
Nutritional Discovery
It was in August of 2004 that I first read about some new and very specific nutrients that are apparently missing from all of our diets, which can cause symptoms and conditions like ADD and ADHD. I was very skeptical and doubtful. I started researching everything I could to find out more about these nutrients. I was shocked and reluctantly hopeful at what I was able to find. There was tons of scientific validation for these wellness products, which gave me peace of mind. It took me until November to convince myself that this might be the answer I had been searching for and I began supplementing my son’s diet with this nutrient system that I had never heard of in all my previous research.
At the start of his 4th grade year, his new teacher had already voiced some concern about my son and his many problems. However, after only 2 weeks on the products, his teacher started to notice a change in his behavior. She asked me what I was doing differently and if my son was taking medication. I told her about the nutrients that I was giving him. By January, after he had returned from Christmas break, his teacher made the comment that my son was like a totally different kid....
his reading improved tremendously....
he did not need reminders to stay on task anymore....
his self-esteem started to improve...
he was able to follow multiple directions much better....
he could easily switch from one subject to another....
his appetite returned....
he was not as easily frustrated....
he was not as forgetful....
he became more outgoing and accepeted challenges....
he was my happy and affectionate son again and had no side effects!!!
Let me give you another example of the progress that we saw. The District Reading Assessment test is given twice a year. In October before my son began the products, he scored a 29% comprehension level. When he was retested in March, his comprehension had increased to 85%!! I am happy to say that he is now in the 5th Grade and enjoying school for the first time, and continues to do very well without medication!!
There Is Hope!!
I have new hope for my son’s future. I know that I am doing everything possible as a nurturing parent to ensure my son’s health and well being. The light is back in our lives. I know I am doing something right, I see it everyday as I watch my son grow with confidence and good health. That is priceless!!
J. Brambs
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