Caffeine and sugar mimic the symptoms of ADHD. So, it's important to control these substances if you have the disorder. Learn about natural treatments for ADHD in this free video clip from a medical professional.
Taylor Smith, CMA, is a multifaceted Certified Medical Assistant. ADHD is a particular topic of interest due to having the disorder herself.
I wanted to take some time in this series of videos to talk about controlling ones caffeine intake. And the concept of refined sugar is actually being a drug in itself. Caffeine is not only a popular drug with the population as a whole, especially is. We here in America become more and more over worked and get less and less sleep. And have so many more things to cram in at the course of the day. Caffeine becomes a fall back just as refined sugar does. Caffeine is a drug even though it's present in everything from coffee and soda. All the way to coffee ice cream, coffee flavored yogurt, caffeinated water, energy drinks. Caffeine can be a point for somebody with ADHD to fall back on. And indeed there is benefit in caffeine helping to focus somebody, helping to sort of eliminate some of the, not eliminate but control some of the negative symptoms of ADHD. But for somebody who chooses to go drug free or chooses to go off ADHD medication, caffeine can quickly become a disruptive force. It can make you too speedy. It can cause you to go beyond a point where you're focused due to the stimulation of the caffeine. And head into a point where you're plain stimulated. Refined sugar can also have this effect on somebody with ADHD. And it can cause complications for somebody who's trying to manage ADHD without the use of medication. Refined sugar is also in it's own way a stimulant. And can be over stimulating to a person with ADHD. thereby exacerbating negative symptoms.
