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Brain Power with Dr. Eko
Brain Power with Dr. Eko is a podcast dedicated to sharing practical strategies for addressing the 4 pillars of health: Brain, Gut, Emotional and Environmental health for both parents and children.
Brain Power with Dr. Eko
When the meds stop working… what then?
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- info@glowpediatrics.com
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Is your child on medication ? And yet you find yourself asking this question . My child is on medication , but it doesn't seem to be enough . When the medication wears off , my child is back to where they were . My child still has behaviors that are concerning to me . You've come to the right place , because today we're going to be diving into this tough but important truth right that for many
The Medication Dilemma
Speaker 1children with ADHD and autism , medications are simply not enough . So today we're going to talk about why parents , why families are stuck , why children are stuck , what might be missing and how we approach healing from the inside out .
Speaker 1So welcome to GLOW with ADHD and Autism . I'm Dr Hokey Echo . I'm your brain or happy brain pediatrician , so thank you for being here . What are the limits of medications ? And that's a good question . But let's be honest yes , medications do help decrease symptoms , right Stimulants for ADHD can help improve focus , can help minimize hyperactivity , but you know what ?
Speaker 1There's a time limit on it . Most medications last six hours to 12 hours and sometimes a child needs a second dose of the medication to
Limitations of ADHD and Anxiety Medications
Speaker 1keep their focus and hyperactivity at a minimum so that they can get through school work and homework . Ssris might decrease anxiety for our children , but , as with medications , these medications are not addressing why our children are having difficulty with focusing . It doesn't necessarily address why our children are having anxiety . In other videos linked here , we have talked about how anxiety is a very common comorbid and depression is a very common comorbid disorder that we see in our children with ADHD or autism . It's always important to address that , for sure . But let me tell you a few things . I hear from families . Right , I hear my child is on meds , but they're still not sleeping . They are awake all night or they only sleep for a few hours at a time , in spite of the sleep medication . I hear that the meltdowns haven't stopped . I hear that she can focus now , but now she's anxious . So what happened and what do we need to change ? I hear that they're on the medications and now they are afraid of the dark or they're hallucinating . Every medication has side effects and , yes , they help . But I want to address this important question how can we go beyond the medication ? How can we address root causes of what we see in our children ? Because , let's face it , medication doesn't address root causes . It's more like a band-aid it helps the child get through the day , but it wears off and then we're back to where we started at night . So what can we do ?
Speaker 1It's important for us , as parents , to look at what's really going on underneath , inside of your child's body .
Root Causes: Nutrition and Inflammation
Speaker 1What is going on , and the thing to note is that both ADHD and autism , there isn't one cause , right ? There's multiple factors that come together that creates this set of symptoms that we have decided to call autism and to call ADHD , right ? But so much research , nih-based research , research that has gone on over the years has found that our children with ADHD and autism have major nutritional deficiencies in important elements like magnesium , iron , zinc , omega-3s All of these things are such important building blocks to the function of your child's brain , and also the gut as well , right ? Did you know that the gut and the brain are directly connected ? The gut is often referred to as the second brain when you talk about sleep . A lot of us parents know that the gut and the brain are directly connected . The gut is often referred to as the second brain when you talk about sleep . A lot of us parents know that melatonin is produced in the brain and controls the sleep cycle . Did you know melatonin is also produced in the gut , right ? So think about this . If , instead of us looking at how can we help the gut and the brain be healthier , we're giving melatonin , and I'm not saying that's a bad thing , but also what's even better is addressing why the production of melatonin has decreased and what can we do about that .
Speaker 1Yes , and that's where you address inflammation , because so much research has shown that inflammation is a driving cause or factor of the major symptoms we see in our children , with both ADHD and autism . So things like not sleeping well , waking up at night , being picky eaters , constipation , all loose stools when they shouldn't be having loose stools If your child is , is not an infant and they are having loose stools frequently that needs to be addressed . That isn't normal . Your child shouldn't be having loose stools still , or baby-like stools . That's a sign of a gut dysbiosis or that there's imbalance going on in your child's gut and that needs to be addressed right . Environmental triggers or sensors , or your child having lots of eczema or rashes that you can't control , no matter how much eczema cream you put on it . All of that indicates there's an issue in your child's gut that needs to be addressed , and if you don't address it well , the symptoms just get worse .
Speaker 1I've seen children who are extremely constipated be really
Real Success Story: Beyond Medication
Speaker 1aggressive . I'm not saying constipation always causes aggression , but when you address constipation by addressing the gut itself not just cleaning out the gut but healing the leaky gut that has occurred as a result of the constipation then you see that the children are less aggressive . I have seen that myself . General pediatrician had autism and ADHD and she was very aggressive , not sleeping at all , constipated , going to the bathroom once a week , picky , eater . She never let me touch her . So guess what I thought about the inflammatory effects of gluten and dairy and I told the parents this is all I know right now . This is what helps my child . Try it and see if it helps . They tried it . Guess what ? In four months she was sleeping better , eating better , less constipated .
Speaker 1Aggression was decreasing by month six oh , I forgot to mention she was also nonverbal . By month six she said her first , which was more . She also let me examine her for the first time ever and she'd been my patient for years . She did not like anyone that she didn't know coming close to her . She let me examine her and she was no longer on the verge of being kicked out of school just because we made nutritional changes .
Speaker 1So that's the power of decreasing inflammation in your child's brain . It takes time , it takes consistency , but it can be done . You can see improvement in your children . That family can go out . They couldn't go out before because of the behavior . Now they can go out with their child . The child is happy and going back to school . The child sleeps well at night and is no longer in pain . So that was possible . When you look underneath and look at the root causes of the behaviors that you see . That's what we do differently here at Glow Pediatrics . So I got retrained as an integrative pediatrician and that's why I started Glow Pediatrics .
Speaker 1We address imbalances , take a thorough history of what's going on with your child . We look at specific testing to see what food sensitivities your child has . We make a tailored , personalized plan , even down to the grocery store list with the links where to buy the items so that it can get shipped to your house Like , if that's not personalized , I think whatever's in . But that's how much detail we put into our plans . We encourage our parents to do the plans for the whole family because it does work . We have seen it over and over again . It does work . We have seen it over and over again . It does work . We prioritize addressing sleep , nutrition , addressing picky eating , addressing
Integrative Approach and Family Support
Speaker 1aggressive behavior , because all of these things can be addressed .
Speaker 1We teach parents . That's the biggest part of what we do . We teach parents , we empower you , because you are the biggest part of your child's care team , an empowered , knowledgeable parent . Your child's growth Empowerment is unlimitless because you know how to help your child thrive , and it's not just you , it's your entire family , and you yourself , parent , will see a difference in your health as well . Makes me so happy to be able to share this with you .
Speaker 1Ongoing care looks like coaching . We have coaching for our parents where they can come and ask questions , where they can find community , because this is not a journey you go on by yourself . Parenting is a journey you want to go along with community , a safe place where you can ask questions and be yourself , share your frustrations , the disappointments , joys and happiness , and all of it . Right , we're here for all of it , because that's what it means to treat the whole child and the whole family . But if you're watching this and you're thinking we've tried things but something is missing , don't hesitate to reach out to us . We're here to help . We offer telemedicine in several states across the country . We offer parent med personalized nutrition and we can see anyone in any state for that , because that's coaching . Reach out to us and let us know we are here to help . We're here to work alongside you and your family .
Speaker 1You can sign up for a consult on gopediatricscom . Follow us on . Subscribe to this channel . Please share it with the family that needs to hear this Maybe a friend , a family member who's struggling and feels like something else is going on . Please share this episode with them . We have lots of content on our IG page , which is our Glow Pediatrics as well , but please follow us here and share with other parents that need to know . Remember , parents , you are the best parent for your child . Your child is valuable . Your child
Hope and Resources for Families
Speaker 1is more than a diagnosis and our goal as parents is to determine what our child's strengths are and to boost those . Know that there is hope , parents . Your child is not stuck . Your family is not stuck . There is hope . Reach out to us . We're happy to be of service to you . Have a wonderful day .