Natural Solutions for Managing ADHD

ADHD can affect many aspects of a person's life – mental, physical, emotional and social. The options to address ADHD are usually medication, psychological therapy and developing skills to help manage the condition’s affect on your life. However, lifestyle changes and other more readily available approaches can also alleviate symptoms of ADHD, and could be suitable if you are looking to explore alternative options. We’re going to go through evidence-based ways to naturally address ADHD and alleviate the effects of ADHD traits on your life.

Why Try Alternative Solutions For ADHD？

Although the current methods of addressing ADHD – medication, therapy and routine building are effective in alleviating the effects ADHD can have on your life, they don’t necessarily suit everyone’s lifestyle or needs. Some reasons you might consider alternative solutions for ADHD include:

Experiencing negative side effects from medications
Not being able to afford medicine and therapy at the same time
Not having access to therapy or doctors appointments due to insurance or affordability
Wanting a more natural or holistic way to address ADHD

It’s important to note that you should not change your medication or therapy routine without first consulting your healthcare provider.

Natural Ways to Support and Relieve ADHD Symptoms

If you are interested in adding some non-pharmaceutical approaches to alleviate ADHD, keep reading as we discuss some evidence-based options.

Spend Time Outside

Getting outdoors is great for our physical and mental wellbeing – but did you know it can be especially effective for ADHD? One study concluded that spending time in nature can improve attention span, and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Nature has the ability to lower our stress hormones and boost our mood, making it an easy and accessible way to improve mental wellbeing. For adults, spending time in nature can be increased by going on outdoor walks, hikes and playing sports. Some outdoor activities for kids with ADHD could be playing in the park or going on nature scavenger hunts.

spending time outdoors to relieve ADHD symptoms

Exercise Benefits for ADHD

Exercise is also great for your physical and mental wellbeing, and can be particularly helpful for alleviating ADHD symptoms as well. The intensity of exercise that benefits ADHD the most seems to be moderate to vigorous aerobic activity. As for the benefits of exercise for ADHD, studies have shown exercise can have immediate improvements in cognition, and boost focus. Exercises like cycling, running and other aerobic exercise have the most benefits for ADHD, but some research suggests activities which involve skill and coordination can have a similar effect. Adults with ADHD can consider adding moderate aerobic exercise into their routine, and for kids, physically active games and sports could be suitable.

Eating for ADHD

A healthy diet is another seemingly obvious approach to improving physical and mental wellbeing, but for ADHD, diet changes could improve symptoms. Many people with ADHD can experience issues with their appetite due to medication side effects, or could also struggle to eat regular meals. Some research suggests that people with ADHD could benefit from increasing dietary intake of vitamins such as zinc, as there is an association between vitamin deficiency and ADHD symptoms.

Man cooking a healthy mean as a part of a diet for people with ADHD

Another way you can adjust your diet to address ADHD is by avoiding artificial food colourings. There has been much research into how food dyes can affect the physical and mental wellbeing of children; with many countries banning certain food colourings. One study suggests that reducing food dyes and colorants in a child’s diet can improve their hyperactive behavior. There was also a study of a similar nature conducted in adults with ADHD, which showed similar improvements in impulsivity and hyperactivity. If you are interested in making diet changes for ADHD, consider reducing intake of artificial dyes.

Probiotics for ADHD

If you are interested in taking supplements for ADHD, or just to improve your overall mental health, consider a probiotic. Probiotics are a type of ‘good bacteria’ our gut needs for a healthy digestive system, and can also contribute to diversifying our gut microbiome. Our gut microbiome also plays an important role in our mental health, as our gut and brain are connected by the gut-brain axis. The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional channel of communication, which is greatly influenced by the health and diversity of our gut microbiome.

Gut-brain connection and its role in ADHD

The gut is also responsible for making up to 90% of our serotonin and 50% of our dopamine – two important hormones which are also used as neurotransmitters in our brain. The Gut-Brain axis is becoming more central in research around improving mental health, including for addressing ADHD.

There are many strains of probiotics, which are available as supplements or in our food. However, not all probiotics have been proven to act on the gut-brain axis and improve mental wellbeing. One strain which has been shown to positively influence mental health through the gut-brain connection is PS128, a specific strain of Lactobacillus Plantarum. PS128 has been extensively researched in a range of neurodiverse patient groups, and has been shown to improve outcomes and alleviate a range of symptoms, including for people with ADHD.

PS128 probiotic can help with ADHD symptoms by acting on the GBA

In particular, PS128 has been shown to improve symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and concentration in a clinical trial in children with ADHD. PS128 has also been shown to be more effective than other probiotics in improving outcomes for autistic children, due to PS128’s ability to act on the Gut-Brain Axis. PS128 is suitable for both adults and children to use, and has no side effects, and can be used in conjunction with other support for ADHD like psychological therapy.

Things to Remember When Trying Natural Methods for ADHD

Although the tips we mentioned are relatively accessible and easy to implement, there are still some things you should keep in mind when trying to naturally address your ADHD:

Stay Consistent: Many of these alternative approaches to addressing ADHD are healthy habits, which means you need to stay consistent with them in order to see results. This is especially important if you want to address ADHD with diet or exercise, as the positive effects will take time to feel.

Consult Professionals: Always consult a medical professional if you want to make changes to your treatment plan for ADHD, especially if you wish to change medications. Everyone responds differently to both traditional pharmaceutical approaches and natural approaches to ADHD, so keeping your doctor, psychologist or any other healthcare professional updated is important.

If you’d like to learn more about the science behind PS128 for a range of health conditions, click here.