I understand your confusion. We humans are complex creatures, and the brain is the most complex part of us!

I have an ongoing bone-problem in my foot, and I cannot find two specialists who can agree on what to do next. The orthopedic surgeon has one idea. The Podiatric Surgeron has another. The physical therapist still another opinion. And on and on. With none of them seeming to even “talk the same language.”

If it’s this bad with a simple, mechanistic problem, think about the brain =- and all the possible conditions that can affect brain problems. Shew!

If you have two children with ADHD, chances are good that if the biological father doesn’t have it, you do. If the physician who prescribed the progesterone, the thyroid medication, the diets, etc. doesn’t know about ADHD, it won’t even come up as a possibility.

But yes, living a few decades with untreated ADHD can also create “side effects” in hormone and thyroid function (from the stress, from the lack of sleep, from the erratic diet, from lack of exercise). So, it’s a big complicated ball of wax!

Some people find that only after starting on a good regimen of ADHD medication can they start untangling the rest of these issues. So, maybe it’s time for you to pursue an evaluation for ADHD and try treatment for that. Especially if nothing else has worked. (Then again, there is no reason to think that a no carb diet will work for ADHD, and can even make symptoms worse. Perhaps this is something you decided upon yourself and not with the help of a physician.)

Good luck,
Gina

Thanks so much for digging until you found a doctor who is writing and blogging about ADHD and its traveling companions. I have long struggled with this issue with close to no help from my doctors.

I have done my own research and tentatively begun to solve my own physical problems with ADHD, thyroid insufficiency, allergies, asthma, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. All those conditions are related, who knew? Certainly not my esteemed docs.

Glenna

Gina referred me to Dr. Parker’s blog a couple years ago. As if it’s not hard enough to have ADHD and to deal with (mis)managed care in trying to get ADHD treatment, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to find one physician who could “connect the dots” between my low thyroid, heart arhythmia, itchy skin and more. Reading Dr. Parker’s CorePsychBlog validated many of my concerns and motivated me to keep looking for answers. Thanks to both of you!

David

Confusion often prevails where common sense and the evolution of mind science appear to have taken a vacation.

Most of all I appreciate your fresh, uncomplicated take on matters that may at first appear just too complex – and, even though we have never met, it seems like we have been friends for many years. In speaking with Russell Barkley at a recent meeting I quickly discovered you have that effect on many of your colleagues – and I thought it was just me

Thanks so much – look forward to our evolving conversations!
Chuck