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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) is a chronic neuro-developmental disorder affecting millions of adults and children worldwide. The American Psychiatric Association estimated that this condition affects 5% of all children (2013). ADHD impacts mood, behaviour and social skills.*

Pharmaceutical treatments are typically stimulant or amphetamine-based medications, which can be effective in reducing symptoms for many children with ADHD in the short term. However, long-term studies of ADHD medications have shown to be unsatisfactory due to side effects, failure to prevent or alter long-term prognosis and discontinuance due to patient and family preferences**

The new study follows up an earlier Randomised Control double-blind study of children with ADHD who were taking Hardy Nutritionals Daily Essential Nutrients.   Here is one family who took part:

There has been a lot of publicity about the link between the gut and the brain, and the importance to our health of the ‘microbiome’, sometimes called 'the second brain'.  The microbiome equates to the population of bacteria which are responsible for many systems of the body.  At its simplest, the ‘good bacteria’ need to be able to get on top of and outnumber the ‘bad bacteria’.  As our world has grown ever more polluted and there is over-use of antibiotics, which kill all the bacteria indiscriminately, the amount of good bacteria available to our systems can get depleted.  This leaves us vulnerable to the spread of bad bacteria as they enter our bodies in various ways, weakening our immune systems.

The good bacteria are also responsible for the enzymatic breakdown of all our food so that it is absorbable and useable by all the systems which depend on the right nutrients. In fact many vital compounds are actually created by the good bacteria in our gut.  And there is evidence that some ‘bad bacteria’ and some antibiotics’ side effects can themselves create mental imbalance - from delusions to paranoia and insomnia (See the following article *for the research)  

So the importance of our gut microflora cannot be underestimated! As a company committed to providing more nutrients to the brain in order for it to find balance and optimal operation, we are aware that it is vital to be able to absorb your food and any supplements needed.  It is possible to identify imbalances in the gut by being aware of symptoms.  You can use the Microflora Imbalance questionnaire ** created by Hardy Nutritionals for this.  You can also email us for information about nutritional needs based on a symptoms’ analysis.  Email info@naturalmentalhealth.co.uk

A practitioner in the UK who has recently contacted us will be joining us at Olympia at the Get Well Show and will spend some time on the stand.  Tamille Phillips, a cranial osteopath, paediatric osteopath and nutritional wellness practitioner, told us :

“I can advocate for DEN & Optimal Balance (by Hardy Nutritionals) as a practitioner but also as a parent..." 

‘You are what you eat. Where does that come from? Actually it’s a translation of the French phrase "Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es." [Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are], written by French doctor Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, in his book Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante - 1826