If a supplemental Vitamin D is needed, you’ll need to be mindful that absorption of the Vitamin increases by about 50% if you take the Vitamin with a meal containing dietary fat. Dose of supplement will vary depending on the blood levels of Vitamin D. Insufficiencies (i.e. blood levels of 20-30 ng/nL) will typically respond to 2000 to 3000 iu’s of Vitamin D when you take them with a meal containing fat.

For deficiencies of Vitamin D (<20 ng/mL) dosages of at least 5,000 iu’s are commonly needed. It is important for you to realize that if you test positive for a Vitamin D deficiency, this will be a lifelong problem (unless you move to a sunnier region). Consequently, if you or your child has a Vitamin D deficiency this fall or winter, you’ll need to supplement every year. We typically recommend that supplementation continue from mid-October until May. We also advise that your physician re-evaluate Vitamin D levels in late January to make sure your dose is right for you.

Even though it makes sense to consume Omega-3’s, there is a tendency for clinicians to minimize the importance of this type of food in patients with attention problems. Over the past decade there has been increased interest in studying the connection between Omega-3 deficiencies and attention and mood problems. One company investigated this problem extensively (Vaya Pharma) and demonstrated that use of an Omega-3 supplement (Vayarin) significantly reduced symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, restlessness and improved mood in studies of children, adolescents and adults. The degree of improvement noted in a double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial was sufficient for the FDA to indicate Vayarin for use in the treatment of ADHD. For children, teens and adults who do not eat sufficient Omega-3’s, use of Vayarin would be worth considering.

There has been a lot of conflicting reports about the importance of screening children for common food allergies before diagnosing them with ADHD. From our perspective, it is true that a relatively small percentage of our patients (about 3-5%) will have symptoms of inattention, impulsivity or hyperactivity that are caused by food allergies. That translates to about 1 in 25 children. While such a small number may not be a “significant” number statistically, at the FPI Attention Disorders Clinic, we want to make sure that we are treating the specific medical causes of our patient’s problems, and not simply beginning with medication for ADHD and seeing how that works first. At our clinic, we conduct blood screening for the following food allergies: corn, wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, cocoa, nuts, and food dyes. When we discover a significant food allergy, we work with children and their parents to come up with a way to still enjoy eating, even though a child’s favorite food may be eliminated from their diet.