ADHD Test
Children today are often deficient in key nutrients and minerals because of the easy availability of junk foods, instant meals, and processed foods. These foods are also known as “empty calories,” because they have very little or no nutritional benefit, yet they use up the body’s vitamin and mineral stores to convert them into energy. To make matters worse, children are also fond of eating dairy and wheat products, which contain complex proteins that irritate the intestinal lining and prevent it from performing its filtration function. When this occurs, the intestine fails to absorb and digest the nutrients and vitamins the body needs. Instead, toxins found in food get absorbed into the bloodstream and wreak havoc in the nervous system, aggravate nutritional deficiencies, and trigger the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In order to determine if toxic substances and nutritional deficiencies are aggravating your child’s ADHD, health care practitioners perform a test called “nutrient element analysis.” Most essential nutrients and toxics are elements found in the periodic table of elements. Some of these elements are important to our health and well-being; for instance, calcium and magnesium are needed for bone development and neurotransmitter production. However, there are also elements like lead, mercury, and cadmium that are toxic. A healthy child usually has a balanced amount of nutritional elements and very low amounts of toxic elements. The aims of the nutrient element analysis are twofold: it detects any toxins present in the body, and it checks for deficiencies in essential nutrients and minerals.
The nutrient element analysis works by obtaining a hair sample near the nape of the neck. Experts have discovered that hair provides the best specimen for analyzing the body’s nutrient content because, unlike blood and urine, hair can store elements and nutrients for a long time. Hair is nourished by the blood vessels in the roots, and the bloodstream is the only way nutrients and toxic elements can travel throughout the body. Through a process called keratinization, all the elements in the bloodstream bond with growing hair proteins when absorbed by hair follicles. Thus, the elements found in the hair are a very good representation of the elements found in the bloodstream and other body tissues.
Besides relying on an accurate and effective sample for toxic element testing, hair analysis is also non-invasive and inexpensive. The only time a hair sample is not recommended is if the hair has been recently treated with hair dye, bleach, or perms. However, children are not likely to have treated hair, which makes nutrient element analysis an ideal testing instrument for children with ADHD.
If your child experiences headaches, joint pain, and fatigue together with the symptoms of ADHD, your doctor will probably recommend a nutrient element analysis. The test can be ordered online and will require you to take a tablespoon-full of hair from your child’s nape. To avoid bald spots, take small amounts of hair from several places. Send the hair sample to the laboratory and wait 10 to 14 days for the results to come back. When you receive the results in the mail, ask a holistic health care practitioner to interpret them for you and formulate a comprehensive, all-natural treatment plan for your child’s ADHD.