June 2015

for health professionals

Complementary and Integrative Approaches for ADHD

Surveys estimate that as many as 9 percent of American children and 4 percent of adults have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although stimulant medications have been shown to be helpful for at least 70 percent of children with ADHD, many adults and children use complementary health approaches such as omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, herbs and other dietary supplements, special diets, neurofeedback, and several mind and body practices, including acupuncture and meditation to control ADHD symptoms. Many of these complementary health approaches have been studied for ADHD, but none has been conclusively shown to be more effective than conventional therapies.

This issue of the digest provides information on what the science says about some of these complementary approaches for ADHD.

Read more »

What the Science Says:
Complementary and Integrative Approaches for ADHD

Learn what current research has to say about:

 Omega-3 Fatty Acids

 Melatonin

 Carnitine

 Pycnogenol (French Maritime Pine Bark)

 Ginkgo Biloba

 St. John's Wort

 Acupuncture

 Meditation Therapies and Yoga

 Neurofeedback

Read more »

Additional Resources

 Clinical Practice Guidelines

 Scientific Literature

 Research Spotlights

 For Your Patients

 Tips: 7 Things To Know About Complementary Health Approaches for ADHD

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NCCIH Clinical Digest is a service of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCCIH Clinical Digest, a monthly e-newsletter, offers evidence-based information on CAM, including scientific literature searches, summaries of NCCIH-funded research, fact sheets for patients, and more.

NCCIH is 1 of 27 institutes and centers at the NIH. The mission of NCCIH is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine interventions and their roles in improving health and health care. For additional information, call NCCIH's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCIH Web site at nccih.nih.gov.