By Ann Hutyra, MHH Lead Biological Health Coach, CGP, IIN, MHHCP Health Coach
For many kids and parents alike, ‘back to school’ is an exciting time of year. But for the parents of kids with learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and attention issues, the new school year can be incredibly stressful. No parent wants to receive a phone call from the child’s teacher to talk about their child’s inability to focus or pay attention in class.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of 2022, as many as 7 million kids in the United States have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is an increase of one million kids, up from 2016. The average age of a child diagnosed with ADHD ranges from ages 3 to 17, but the median age is only 6 years old. The CDC also reports that about half of these children end up on prescription medications. Statistics also show that most kids (and adults alike) diagnosed with ADHD also have one or more other conditions or diseases, most commonly anxiety, depression, or gut-related conditions.
But ADD/ADHD are not the only brain-related conditions our kids are struggling with, a staggering number of our children are struggling with a plethora of other conditions…
https://chadd.org/about-adhd/general-prevalence/
Experts used to believe there were many different factors in determining what caused ADHD, mental health issues in kids, and behavioral conditions in children, including genetics and environmental factors, but now we understand the most prominent root cause has been right under our noses; there’s also a big correlation to food! And this knowledge isn’t really new either. Back in the 1970s, the book Brain Allergies was written by Dr. William Philpott, MD, and Dwight Kalita, where they discussed in great detail the studies they had done on children that showed that foods and the chemicals put into processed foods to be one of the biggest root causes of brain-based disorders in children!
A study conducted by Dr. Alessio Fassano, a leading expert in gluten-related disorders and gut issues, linked ADHD with gluten intolerance in the first study of its kind. The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, looked at 100 kids with ADHD and 100 kids without the diagnosis. The results showed that 22% of the kids with ADHD were also gluten intolerant, compared to just 4% of the kids without ADHD. Clinically, experts are seeing much higher numbers than what is being reported. This is a big discovery because it proves that food changes could mean a big improvement in symptoms for some of these kids struggling with ADHD/ADD, defiance disorders, developmental disorders, and other brain-based conditions..
As a Certified Gluten Practitioner, I’ve worked with many kids and adults alike, where I was able to confirm there was a direct correlation between their symptoms and gluten consumption.
I remember one mom specifically, who called our office because she was worried about her son. In a span of just a few weeks, more than one of the boy’s teachers had called to let her know that her son couldn’t sit still in class and was having trouble paying attention and getting his work done. One of those educators recommended to her that she take her son to the doctor and ask about prescription medication. This is when she got concerned. This mom remembered reading about how some foods can cause behavior issues, so she wanted to get her son tested. Sure enough, his labs revealed he was highly sensitive to both gluten and dairy.
After only a few weeks on a gluten and dairy free diet, the boy’s teachers reported back to the mom that they noticed a night and day difference in her son – assuming he was on medication! She was quick to let them know that he was not on medication, but instead, they made some shifts with what the boy was eating, and that’s all it took to help the boy concentrate and excel in school.
If you find yourself in a similar situation with one or more of your kids, we can help! Our office can get you set up with food sensitivity testing, and then teach you how to interpret the results and how to make the right diet changes. And because an overwhelming number of our clients find out they are gluten sensitive (7 in 10 Americans are sensitive to gluten, many who don’t know it,) we’ve created an online course to teach YOU how to navigate and successfully implement a gluten free diet.
If you are ready to learn more about a gluten free lifestyle and simple steps you can take to transform your health and the health of your children and family, then I encourage you to take my 8-week Gluten Freedom Course.
I’ve poured my heart and soul into distilling the knowledge with tips, recipes, and expert tricks amassed over those ten remarkable years into a comprehensive and accessible 8-week course.
It’s a culmination of all I’ve learned, my triumphs, and my setbacks—packaged into a transformative experience designed to make your transition to a gluten free lifestyle smoother than ever.
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