Although it's often diagnosed fairly early in life, when a child is between 6 and 12 years old, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is considered a chronic condition for which no medical cure is available. However, in defining whether cures are available, studies consider only conventional drug treatments and behavioral therapy, intended to help control ADHD/ADD behavior, but do not improve mental or physical health in general.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is essentially the result of a brain that can't manage the amount of stimuli it encounters. Factors such as boredom, anxiety, poor nutrition, allergies, or undiagnosed yeast infections can lead to false diagnoses. Prescription drugs are used to chemically block a portion of internal and external stimuli from reaching the brain. To do so, they reduce a child's exploration, curiosity, socializing, and playing, as well as diminishing brain function and narrowing the range of mental capacity or emotional expression.

Natural supplements intended for the treatment of ADHD symptoms, such as MicroNutra Health's Synaptol are intended to enhance the brain's neurobiological abilities, to enable a child's brain to handle greater levels of stimuli without becoming overwhelmed. The question for potential Synaptol users (or their parents) is whether the products ingredients are capable of achieve the results the manufacturer claims.

MicroNutra states that Synaptol is designed at the molecular level to target and feed a child's young mind and body by addressing the root causes of ADHD at the nutritional level. They report that among users of Synaptol, 94.9% experience positive mental, physical, and emotional benefits within the first few days.

INGREDIENTS

* Aloe barbadensis extract: Aloe extract has been proven as a cell growth stimulator in the central nervous system, supporting mental clarity. Many people think of aloe in terms of its benefits as an antibiotic and astringent pain reliever. But science has also demonstrated aloe's ability to increase neuron growth, which improves your brain cells by increasing their number and their interconnectivity.

* Tragacanth gum: increases the production of interferon and cell to cell communication, especially in the brain.

* Beta-Glucan: supports the production and activity of macrophages, which are white blood cell that are part of your cellular defense team and free radical scavengers.

* Arabinogalactan: is a phytonutrient fiber with beneficial effects on digestion and your immune system.

* Ghatti gum: is a complex polysaccharide, which as a natural source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Calcium is required for the electrical signals of the nervous system. Magnesium is a mineral that helps relax blood vessels, which improves blood flow to the brain. Potassium helps the body remove toxic material from brain cells, preventing premature cell death. This combination of vitamins supports healthy brain activity.

* Guar gum: is a soluble fiber that promotes healthy cellular renewal and reduces cardio-vascular disease.

As a rule, herbal supplements are not as scientifically researched as pharmaceutical products, although some would argue that thousands of years of use among Eastern cultures results in more reliable "research" than do Western laboratories. Regardless, in the West, we tend to rely on double-blind, large-participant, controlled experiments, and the herbs in Synaptol do not have that kind of evidence to support their efficacy, as very few herbs do.

However, MicroNutra Health is making no claims for the product that are outside the normal realm of what herbalist agree Synaptol's herbs will do for you. It's up to you to decide whether to accept herbalists' data.

CONCLUSION

As acknowledged by MicroNutra Health on their Synaptol Web site, the effectiveness of individual ingredients is not the same as the effectiveness of the supplement as a whole. Two products with similar ingredients can differ substantially in effectiveness, and the wrong blend can be entirely ineffective or, worse, dangerous. Therefore, because no herbal supplement manufacturer is going to make public their proprietary formula, there's no way for a potential customer (or reviewer) to know for certain that the product offers the ideal formulation.

For Synaptol, we know that MicroNutra Health has been providing herbal supplements for more than 30 years, and that they provide a 90-day money-back guarantee so that you can see if the product works for you. The company claims that every product manufactured for MicroNutra Health is done so in an FDA-approved facility under "Good Manufacturing Practices" guidelines, and the company provides numerous testimonials from former ADHD sufferers (or their parents) who represent a variety of backgrounds and conditions. The testimonials include names and pictures, which is considered a good sign in testimonials, but they don't include contact information (which is the testimonial world's "gold standard" because you can independently contact the reviewer for their full opinions).

Still, based on the ingredients, it does seem that Synaptol may be able to combat ADHD symptoms in the ways that it claims. If you choose to try Synaptol as a potential solution to Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, remember that this product,like any supplement, is best used with a healthy and responsible lifestyle.