Ayurvedic Medicine for ADHD

Ayurveda is a system of traditional therapy from India that includes herbal and nutritional supplements, meditation and massage to treat physical and psychological disorders. Although often effective prescription drugs, people who suffer from attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity, or ADHD, could benefit as Ayurvedic medicine to improve cognitive and behavioral functions.
Meditation

The effects of meditation to improve care, reduce stress and improve mood in adults and adolescents with ADHD was explored in the May 2008 issue of "Journal of Attention Disorders." The researchers recruited 24 adults and adolescents in a program of eight 8-week meditation and observed performance on tasks measuring attention and cognitive inhibition. Participants reported high satisfaction with the program, and improvements in anxiety and depression were observed. The study found that meditation can improve cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in adults and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD.
Modification of Diet

A review article published in February 2005 of "mental retardation and developmental disabilities Research Reviews" we investigated the effects of complementary and alternative medicine like ayurvedic therapies in the treatment of ADHD. The authors reviewed medical databases and found evidence supporting the use of yoga, massage and homeopathy in the treatment of ADHD. The study suggests the elimination of artificial food additives, dyes and preservatives from the diets of people diagnosed with the disease. However, the authors concluded that more strictly designed studies to assess fully the effectiveness of alternative therapies for ADHD.
Massage and exercise therapy

Drugs and behavior modification can control the symptoms of ADHD, but do not cure the disease, according to the March 2003 edition of "Child of Canada and adolescent psychiatric review." In this paper, the researchers studied the effectiveness of massage and exercise therapy in reducing symptoms and the dose of medication in school-age ADHD patients. The researchers maintain prescription drugs during the trial and assigned the participants into three groups: massage therapy, physiotherapy or control. Treatment consisted of six 20-minute sessions given weekly for six weeks, progress is measured through questionnaires of parents and clinical evaluations. The results indicated that massage and exercise therapies were equally successful and were significantly more effective in changing behavior, than medication alone.
Herbal and nutritional supplements

A review article in the August 2011 issue of "Complementary Therapies in Medicine" investigated the effects of herbal and nutritional supplements for treating ADHD. The authors searched several medical databases and is located 16 studies that met their criteria. The studies showed that foods rich in zinc and iron were effective for the treatment of disease, that the views of the foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids and acetyl L-carnitine were inconclusive. Other studies found that Pinus Ayurvedic herbs marinus, Bacopa monniera and Piper methysticum also effective treatments due to their sedative effects.