ADD / ADHD Natural Remedies: Part 3
Part three of this look at natural remedies for ADD / ADHD is on Vaxa’sAttend. This is sold through a web site called No More ADD and is a classic long-copy advert. If the product is as good as the marketing then we won’t need Ritalin for much longer.
So what herbs are in Attend? Vaxa list the fifty or so ingredients and provides a hyperlink for an explanation of each one. Browsing through the list, I spot Hypothalamus. As this is part of the brain it strikes me as an unusual ingredient for a herbal remedy. The extra information on this ingredient says it is an animal product (but not which animal it comes from) and claims it is an appetite suppressant. Why you want an appetite suppressant, especially one from an unknown animal’s brain, in a herbal remedy for ADD / ADHD, I don’t know.
Of course, the actual ingredients do not matter much because this is a homeopathic remedy where each ingredient is diluted many hundred or thousands of times. In fact, according to science and common-sense, a homeopathic remedy is just water. Wikipedia sums it up best:
…homeopathy defies the laws of chemistry by claiming efficacy for high dilutions of substances, at times to a point where it is unlikely that even a molecule of the original ingredient is present.
There is no evidence that Vaxa’s Attend will work. There is no known scientific reason why it could work. Any improvements people get from this effect can be ascribed to the Placebo Effect, the regression fallacy and/or the Forer effect.
In these articles on natural remedies for ADD / ADHD, none of the three treatments have offered any evidence that they work. Listol does at least include ingredients that have a reasonable connection to ADD / ADHD. Neither Attend or Focus ADDult has any meaningful evidence to explain their ingredient list let alone their supposed benefits.
Previously on Myomancy: ADD / ADHD Natural Remedies: Part 1; ADD / ADHD Natural Remedies: Part 2; ADD / ADHD Diet and Nutrition
Find Out More:
Books:
- ADHD Alternatives: A Natural Approach to Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Ritalin-Free Kids: Safe and Effective Homeopathic Medicine for ADHD and Other Behavioral and Learning Problems
- Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head
- Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism: Communication, Social, & Academic Development
- Beyond Ritalin: Facts About Medication and Other Strategies for Helping Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders
July 5th, 2006
ADD / ADHD Medication, ADD / ADHD, ADD / ADHD Treatment, Food and Drink
Comments on: ADD / ADHD Natural Remedies: Part 3
I am researching nutrition and Autism,ADD, ADHD ecc and found your 3 part article on natural remedies interesting.
I just wanted to say that Attend in not a homeopathic remedy it is a hotchpotch of all sorts of things…homeopathic remedies work when they are given one at a time and very specifically,so your judgement of homeopathy quoting wikipedia is unsound….you should research more about hpathy, however I agree that Attend makes claims it cannot defend.
Posted by: Amy November 23rd, 2006 at 11:36 am
There may not be scientific evidence that the Vaxa products Attend and Extress work, but they worked wonders for my son. When he was 4 he was one step away from being prescribed the medication Tenex to control his impulsive behavior. He had a combined diagnosis of anxiety, mild ADHD and OCD. Since he was so young the psychiatrist agreed that we first try a homeopathic remedy instead of medication. After a few weeks on the Vaxa products the change in his behavior was remarkable. His daily, often violent, tantrums stopped almost entirely and lessened considerably in degree. He became a much happier and managble child. It was not a case of him “growing out of it.” Twice over the past roughly year and a half when he stopped taking the products for several days (our supply ran out) his symptoms returned (although not to the same degree), only to get better when back taking the pills. I only wish there were not so many ingredients in the product, because I’m not sure which of them he really needs to keep taking. Anyway, this is just my personal testimonial, I am in no way affiliated with the company.
Posted by: Helga March 21st, 2007 at 7:45 pm
I was about to leave my boyfriend as his ADHD made living with him very difficult. Attend by vaxa saved our relationship. It absolutely works!! Only PERSONAL experience can tell one if something does or does not work.
Posted by: shari j April 15th, 2007 at 1:51 am
I have to wonder if you are bashing Attend because it is competition to Listol. You should better research your topic.
You state “There is no known scientific reason why it could work.” Do you have any idea the amount of double-blind scientific studies that show amino acids and essential fatty acids improve behavior, focus and school performance?
I solidly researched ingredients shown to help ADHD when I started looking for a supplement for ADHD. I then went to match supplements currently on the market to the list of substances scientifically proven to help ADD. Hands down, Attend had the best formula. It is very high in fatty acids and amino acids - the two nutrients that studies show are needed for ADD. We’ve been using Attend for three years. It is very, very good.
Please, if you truly want to help people, don’t blindly make statements to bash your competition.
Posted by: Chandra September 12th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Chandra -
I’m not bashing Attend in favour of Listol. I’m just reporting facts just as I did on Listol where I pointed out it had little or no science behind it either. Myomancy has no relationship with Listol. It may occasionally be advertised on Myomancy via the Google Adverts, just as many, many different treatments are.
I’m glad you did lots of research before selecting your preferred supplement. The purpose of Myomancy is to help people research and make their own decisions about treatments.
Fatty Acids and Amino acids do seem to have positive effects and I take Omega-3 supplements myself. Myomancy has covered fatty acids on a number of occasions. Check out the Omega 3 Round-Up.
Chris
Posted by: myomancy September 13th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Attend has been a BLESSING to my ADD inattentive daughter. She just thought I was giving her a different multivitamin (wanted to see if it really worked). When I ran out she asked me to make sure to get the same vitamin because it made her “zippy” thoughts go away. She is 10 and we also saw lots of improvement on impulsivity and overall attitude. My son with Asperger’s and ADHD takes the Attend and Neuran both from VAXA and he reported 3 weeks later that he “felt better than he’s ever felt in his life”. He is 11. It has been a life saver for both my children! As a psychologist I had tried everything for my children and was ready to cave and put them on meds. I found this as my last resort before the heavy guns and am so pleased.
Posted by: Debo'rah October 14th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
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