The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about 3,100 Americans were admitted to emergency rooms each year due to stimulant drugs. Approximately 3.3 million Americans under the age of 19 and 1.5 million Americans over the age of 20 are also taking medications for ADHD.
Most of the medications used to treat ADHD can be addictive and may also have side effects. Some common medications used to treat ADHD are stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, Dexedrine and Adderall. These drugs may cause depression, anxiety and irritability in some children.
The Department of Child Psychology at the Children University Hospital in Slovakia conducted a study of 61 ADHD children with age averaging 9? years. Forty-one children were given daily doses of Pycnogenol supplement for a month while 16 children were given placebo.
After one month of treatment, those children who took Pycnogenol showed a significant increase in motor-visual coordination and concentration. Those who took placebo did not register any improvement in these areas. At the same time, a significant decrease in hyperactivity and inattention was also noticed in those children taking Pycnogenol supplement.
The study concluded that Pycnogenol can help to reduce hyperactivity and improve attention, concentration and motor-visual coordination symptoms in children with ADHD.
Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree. It contains oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) as well as several other bioflavonoids: catechin, epicatechin, phenolic fruit acids (such as ferulic acid and caffeic acid), and taxifolin. All these antioxidants are important and beneficial to us as it helps to eradicate free radicals and toxins from our body and strengthen our immune system.
Parents concerned with the potentially dangerous side effects from stimulant drugs could look to Pycnogenol as an alternative natural source of treatment for their children with ADHD. Pycnogenol has also shown to be non-addictive and so far no serious side effects were reported on its consumption.
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