Family Harmony with Sensitive Children: A Holistic Model for ADHD Wellness

By Cheryl Healey

Do you want to know the cause of ADHD symptoms? Would it help you to know how to prevent a diagnosis of ADHD for your children and your grandchildren? What if moving away from drugs and toward natural wellness for your child is easier than you have been led to believe? Does family harmony seem like an unattainable goal with all that life drops at your doorstep?

In this groundbreaking and inspirational book you will find state of the art information about the cause and solutions for the symptoms of ADHD as well as how to achieve family harmony regardless of whether or not your child has been given a label. If you are tired of the same old story about wellness, this book is definitely for you and the wellbeing of your child and family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cheryl Healey
• Release date: Nov 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301830374

Cheryl Healey

Cheryl Healey is a Motivational Speaker, professionally trained Coach, Certified Natural Health Professional, Author of three books, as well as the creator of training seminars and coaching programs. Helping children and adults be the gift they came here to be - naturally! Visit www.thegiftofyou.com to learn more and access many free resources. Enjoy infinite blessings!

Book preview

The first edition of this book was published as an e-book in February 2011 under a different title. In that book I stated the cause of the symptoms of ADHD is primarily due to Epigenetics. I will explain more about Epigenetics in the first chapter.

In April 2011 similar information appeared in the Autism Science Digest entitled Methionine and Methylation: the Chicken or the Egg. It is heartwarming to see the medical community beginning to embrace this information.

ADHD, as well as some other Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) labels have been given to sensitive children with specific symptoms. I believe, and some doctors are now proving, that most of the symptoms are caused by toxic foods and chemicals which lead to imbalances in the body. Labels such as ADHD and others are necessary to prescribe medication and bill insurance companies. This only masks the symptoms but does not eliminate the cause.

Imbalances in the body caused by toxic food and chemicals are not limited to only children. Every person, pets and even the animals we ingest are vulnerable. The body was designed to be a self-healing mechanism. Over time, however, even the healthiest body can be overloaded with toxins which disrupt its self-healing ability.

Since every child is different; every life is different; and every combination of events that led to the child’s issues are unique to each child; one specific remedy does not fit every child. This is true whether you opt for drugs or natural solutions.

As the symptoms are created by a multitude of factors which take an intuitively detective-like mind to unravel, I understand your struggles and desires. Your goal as a parent or guardian to provide as best you can for the wellness of your sensitive child and your entire family is the reason I wrote this book. Within these pages you will find a very easy to follow and streamlined approach. You will also find reassurance, hope and a great deal of useful information and resources to help you, your sensitive child and your entire family. This book presents a holistic approach to family harmony and wellness for sensitive children and the entire family which will benefit all generations.

Together, we can help children be the gift they came here to be – naturally!

Intention

My intention for writing this book is to provide a new way of thinking about ADHD and how it is treated. The information presented reveals a bigger picture and offers thought provoking and inspiring information for you, your children and your family.

While family harmony and holistic wellness is the objective, every worthwhile goal takes some effort. In order to fashion sustainable solutions, you must first be aware of what needs to change and then be willing to make adjustments. Raising awareness of where we have let ourselves as a population be led is a fundamental piece. As we expand our knowledge and own our power, we are better able to navigate and take responsibility for our choices. My goal is to empower you to make informed choices that will heal the cause of symptoms in your child naturally.

Take a moment to imagine living in the not-too-distant future where a healthy food supply with honest labeling is taken for granted. See happy, healthy children in schools that nurture their wellbeing and teach them skills to succeed doing what makes their hearts sing. Envision a physical education curriculum that offers yoga, meditation, dance and many other activities in addition to traditional sports so every child feels included. Feel how the body, mind and spirit of all children are honored in this new education model and way of living. See animals and the environment treated with honor and gratitude for the gifts they are to the lives of every human being.

Before the automobile, the masses were content with the horse and buggy because they did not conceive of a better way. Visionaries such as Henry Ford, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gloria Steinem, Lilly Ledbetter and many others led the way for positive change. Change begins with a vision and then it becomes a movement.

The ability to choose what we put into and on our bodies is a fundamental human right. Freedom to do so as well as speak about these issues are constitutional rights in the United States.

My Dad’s generation was taught not to question anything they were told by their doctor or the systems. That mentality got us where we are today. It is time to hold a higher vision and take personal responsibility for our bodies and our lives. The human body is a self-healing mechanism when we treat it correctly. We need to work with doctors and the systems to co-create that which works best for the wellbeing of the whole body. Personal choice is what this country was founded upon. Let us awaken from a complacent attitude and a horse and buggy mentality. Let’s believe in a higher vision of health, wellness and education. Why not create a healthy and plentiful food supply that is affordable? Our ancestors managed to do it and we can too. It all starts with a vision, faith and inspired action – one person at a time.

The children have come to take the torch from the generation before them and lead us all into a more integrated way of living on this beloved planet we call Earth. It is our privilege to set them up to succeed. It is my passion to assist the children and those who care for them by making it easy to choose natural solutions for body, mind and spirit wellness – a holistic approach.

I am ready. How about you?

Let’s get started.

Cheryl Healey, C.N.H.P.

The Sensitive Child Advocate

Certified Natural Health Professional

and Intuitive Life Coach

http://www.thegiftofyou.com

Your Invitation – A Walk with Destiny

I invite you to read everything in this book with an open mind and an open heart. We all come from our own beliefs and life experiences. Some of what I say may not resonate with you, and some of it will hit home. Some of the information and suggestions in this book may not fit your particular situation, and some of it will touch your heart and life.

Regardless of what you feel about all the predictions for 2012, we are in the process of determining the direction of history on this planet. Our collective and individual choices, since we really are all One, will help determine the destiny of this planet and our collective future.

Sensitive children with an ADHD mind are equipped to deal with the new faster pace of life on this planet and the rate of speed at which information is now available. These children are ushering in an expanded capability of the mind. It happens with every generation to some degree. However, these children are true trail blazers. We must set them up to succeed.

Just as we are expected to clean up after ourselves at the dinner table, so too must we begin to feel and act about living on this beautiful and beloved planet. Our health is our most important asset; physically, mentally and emotionally. Since we really are what we eat, our health is dependent upon what goes into and on our bodies. Our belief systems and opinions drive the choices we make.

Let’s own our individual and collective power and make a positive difference starting now. Together we can turn the tide to improve health and well-being for ourselves and the children. It is time.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful

committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

Introduction

Welcome to a new perspective about ADHD and how it is treated. The Autism Spectrum ranges from ADHD on the mild end to a diagnosis of schizophrenia on the opposite end. Research is now showing us that leaky gut, food and other allergens and toxicity are the primary cause of symptoms for most if not all diagnoses on the spectrum. Depending upon the child, multiple treatment options may be required to maintain a level of wellness.

This book delivers many messages. Information about health and wellness, science and spirituality as well as corporate and political connectedness is discussed in an effort to inspire a new way of thinking and living. We are on the cusp of the most prophesized time in history – 2012. This is more than just a book about natural solutions for sensitive children. This is a book that offers you and your family an opportunity to see the bigger picture of wellness for each of you. Will it be easy? Your individual and family mindset and opinions will make all the difference in the world. Will it be worth it? Absolutely!

Note: At the time of publication of this version, the latest DSM codes refer to ADD/ADHD as simply ADHD with or without hyperactivity. I will use ADHD throughout this book to include both ADD and ADHD.

Section 1: Understanding the Big Picture

"Science without religion is lame,

religion without science is blind."

- Albert Einstein

A New Mind for a New Age

Are you the parent of a sensitive child? Has it been suggested to you that your child may have ADHD? Has your child already been diagnosed with ADHD? Whatever your reason for reading this book, buckle your seatbelt and get ready to unhook from the current mainstream ideas about ADHD and these trail-blazing sensitive children.

It is now estimated that nearly 10% of children ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. According to statistics, an estimated 2.5 million or more children are on drugs to manage the symptoms labeled as ADHD. Why are the numbers so high and constantly increasing? Why are so many children given a label of ADHD? Have you ever asked these questions?

With 10% of the population of our youth diagnosed with an ADHD brain, it has reached critical mass or the tipping point. In his book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell states that a tipping point is the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.

Since the time of the caveman, the human brain has gone through many stages of progression.  Man and nature are hard-wired to evolve. It would be unwise to believe we have already reached the pinnacle of evolution in our current state.

I have two important messages to share about ADHD. In a nutshell:

1. The next evolution of the human brain – essentially the human mind rather than the physical brain, is here and it is sometimes being labeled as ADHD. Sensitive individuals who are often given labels such as ADHD have increased sixth sense abilities. We are all intuitive beings. However, they are more aware. Because of this, they get bored easily and drift off. They have a need to physically move in order to process all the information they take in intuitively or else go into stress which is sometimes displayed as hyperactivity. In the case of sensitive children, they often don’t know what their stressor is because they could be picking it up from someone else. Everyone does this to some extent.

2. An unhealthy epigenome is the cause of the symptoms labeled as ADHD and in most cases can be corrected naturally through proper diet, supplementation, exercise, counseling or coaching.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift

and the rational mind is a faithful servant.

We have created a society that honors the servant

and has forgotten the gift."

- Albert Einstein

According to Charles Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, natural selection is nature’s way of preserving new traits in a species that at first may seem like genetic mutations. While this is just a theory, I have come to believe that the ADHD brain is the next evolution of the human mind. These children are extra sensitive in many ways and utilize a larger percentage of their brain capacity.

That is why the numbers keep increasing around the world. Sensitive children with greater intuitive gifts are here with traits and abilities required to help humans thrive in the world we have all created. These children, often labeled as ADHD, are becoming the new normal. I heard one doctor refer to them as canaries in a coal mine. They are warning us of the unhealthy imbalances we have created.

Just like everyone, these children hold within them passions and a purpose in life that is needed to help the evolution of the planet. Whether it is in a small or large way, they are each a gift and so is the contribution they are here to offer.

In his book entitled The New Brain (Rodale Books, September, 2004), Richard Restak, M.D., a neurosurgeon and popular science writer about the brain, makes a case of a society creating a need for ADHD traits and that perhaps ADHD should no longer be considered a disorder.

I have some questions for you:

* Do you multi-task to keep up with the newer, faster pace of life?

* Is it difficult to hold your focus for extended periods of time?

* Do you wish you had more energy to accomplish all the things you need to do in a day?

* Have you made a habit of avoiding things that require a lot of thought or don’t seem like fun?

* Do you get bored easily?

* Have you ever wondered if you have ADHD?

If you answered yes to any or all of the questions above, you are not alone. Everyone without a diagnosis of ADHD has sensed the need for what this brain can do innately. As a society, or perhaps world-wide, we have created the need for traits and habits that are helping us keep up with the modern way of life we have created.

We also hold within us a longing for peace and joy. As a society, we have been taught to look outside of ourselves to attain them. There seems to be an unspoken belief that we are not them or that being at peace and joyful are not within our control.

Multi-tasking has been adopted as a way of coping to keep up with all that is going on around us and in our busy lives.  By multi-tasking, an entire population is trying to adapt and do what the ADHD brain does naturally.  However, medical studies now tell us that multi-tasking creates damage in the human brain.

We live in a time when everything is moving very quickly. Information is multiplying at a rate of approximately 66% per year as of studies done a few years ago. Some estimates state that by 2013 information on the Internet will double approximately every 72 hours. Change is the only constant.

Have you ever watched a news program with multiple screen shots projected at once? Which one should your mind focus upon? Have you seen programs with stock market quotes moving along the bottom of the screen like a conveyor belt? Even if you try to focus on the person speaking, your eyes and mind wander to the bottom of the page from time to time.

Are you doing the work of more than one person? Are you a wife, mother, entrepreneur, professional, housekeeper, etc.? Are you a husband, father, business professional and honey-do-man? How many hats can one person wear successfully and still enjoy a harmonious lifestyle?

We are also a society hooked on the quick fix; no doubt birthed out of the same need to keep up with the ever-increasing speed of life and not lose any ground. As a population we want food, banking and dry cleaning in the drive-through lane and a pill to make everything better immediately. Depending on the person, the pill does not have to be a drug. It can be food or any number of addictive, non-health enhancing behaviors that get you through the day. There are a plethora of coping mechanisms available for modern-day stress relief.

Medical research now tells us that stress is the cause of 80% of health issues. The unfortunate catch 22 we have created for ourselves in this society is that the majority of stress relievers to which we turn are often also killers – or at least not life enhancing solutions. So I ask you, if something you put in your body does not enhance your life and vitality, do you ever stop and wonder what it is actually doing to the only body you have in this lifetime?

Children learn by example. The do what I say and not what I do model doesn’t work and it never did. The way parents (or other childhood mentors) handle life and day-to-day issues are the way children learn to view and deal with life as well. It is very common that a child either follows the mold set by one parent or does the exact opposite. If you look back at your childhood, you have probably done the same thing.

We all look at life through our own unique filters of belief. We are so entrenched in our individual worldview that we think that is just how things are in life. It is a case of not seeing the forest because you are in the thick of the trees.

The forest I am speaking about is our current way of treating sensitive children with symptoms labeled as ADHD. It starts with public schools requiring every child to fit into a mold and