Coping with ADD part4: ADD compared to Diabetes

People sometimes compare ADD to Diabetes, usually in a discussion on medication.

"You wouldn't deny a diabetic child Insulin, would you? Stimulant medication is to ADD what Insulin is to Diabetes. Now get it!"

Maybe we should take that a bit further.
Diabetes is typically controlled not only with a drug, but also with lifestyle changes.

Having diabetes does not mean you cannot live life to the fullest, but it does mean you have to be more aware of your body.

If your child were diagnosed with diabetes you would watch her diet like a hawk.

A diabetic learns to be alert to the warning signs of her own body.
Insulin or not, she needs to maintain the right balance between food intake, exercise, and prescription medications.

Insulin-dependent diabetics can often reduce the amount they need by living right and by using diet, exercise, food supplements, and herbs.

Oral medications like Medformin work fine for some, but come with horrid side effects for others.
Diabetics with type 2 (adult onset) may be able to control it with lifestyle changes only. So type 2 people who prefer the natural approach may well try diet changes and more exercise first.

And so it is with ADD.
Some may do better with medication, no matter how carefully they live. Others will be fine without as long as they watch their lifestyle.

Like diabetics ADDers have to become more self-aware. We have to pay closer attention to the situations in which we function at our best, the food that agrees with us, and so on.

I have learned much from my own son, who is now a remarkable young man of 30.

Alex knows he has to eat a large, protein-rich breakfast within an hour of getting up, or his balance is off for the whole day. He knows he needs probiotics on a regular basis to fight a tendency to bronchial trouble.

He knows he has to create the right balance in his life between rest and stimulation. Too little to do will tip him over into lethargy, but overload will lead to insomnia. And so on.

Knowing oneself is the work of a lifetime anyway.