Question: I have been told that my child needs to be placed on medication. Are there any alternatives to this or do I have to use medications?
Advice: I have had quite a few couples of special needs children who are opposed to having them medicated. I am asked, quite often, if I can provide them with a psychiatrist who embraces holistic healing practices in conjunction with prescribed medications.
I am fortunate to have such a healthcare provider who is informed and knowledgeable (in the area of supplements) that can enhance a child’s performance and calm them at the same time. In my spare time I have also done quite a bit of research, and in collaboration with my healthcare provider, come up with “so called alternatives” that keep my children’s meds down to a minimum for their age and weight.
Joan and John (fictitious) came to see me because they were having problems with their 2 special needs children, Jamie and Joanne. After long family sessions, I encouraged them to do a little research of their own and also confer with my healthcare provider. What they came up with was a regimen of magnesium (most children’s vitamins don’t have enough) and good old Fish Oils. The fish oils that my children enjoyed the most were Carlson’s lemon flavored.
Jamie immediately felt the difference… whether it was placebo or not, it mattered to him. Joan informed me that he is always reminding her to give him his fish oils. When the school called to tell Joan that there was a distinct difference in Jamie’s ability to sit in class and focus on his schoolwork, it brightened her day. Joanne’s progress was more subtle but there nonetheless. The carry over to what is now happening at home is monumental. It has helped significantly with Jamie being on the minimal amount of medications required. We all feel that much of the contributions lie in the fact that not only did Joan and John give their children supplements, but they also made changes to their diets as well. They paid special attention to wheat and gluten products as well as sugars. Not cutting them out completely, but at least working towards a common goal of cutting them down and then eventually cutting them out.
My suggestion for all parents is to be a researcher. There should not be any more excuses about being unable to work with a PC. The times we are living in require that we use the knowledge that is out there for us. Although we are not MD’s, and we should not treat our children, we still need to know what is available with research being done and find a competent provider whom we can trust and work towards the common goal of having our children be the best they can be physically.
God Bless,
Robin Newman, LCSW-R PC
Helpful Articles
- Searching for Natural Alternatives to Prescription Medications? [1]
- Relationship Rescue: Are there Alternatives to Prescription Medications? [2]
- 10 Tips to an Organized Medicine Cabinet [3]
- Right Question, Wrong Doctor: How can Medical Education Influence a Doctor’s Acceptance of Complementary Medicine [4]
- Your Aura and Its Connection to Alternative Medicine [5]
- Eat Your Medicine [6]
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Originally published in our March/April 2011 [8] issue of Parenting Special Needs magazine.