SUPPLEMENTS
Micronutrients For Mental Health
There are several research studies showing that micronutrient supplementation can help with various mental health problems, from depression, to bipolar disorder, to ADHD, to anxiety. For more info, I recommend the book “The Better Brain” by Bonnie Kaplan.
She uses Hardy Nutritionals daily essential nutrients in her research, and this is the supplement brand I recommend to my patients as well. They have capsules for adults and kids who can swallow capsules, and flavored and unflavored powder options. Their support staff are excellent at guiding you if you’d like to try this for yourself, or a loved one. Please check out:
You can use my code “Dr Caudill” to get a discount if you want to try it. I recommend at least a three month trial to see how much it will help you or your family member.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Most of us do not get optimal amounts of omega-3 fatty acids due to lack of these special fats in our Western diet. Omega—3 fatty acids are special kinked fatty acid molecules, which keep our cell membranes flexible. This is especially important in the brain, where lipid membranes surround our nerve cells and are vital for neurons to communicate with one another.
Omega-3 supplementation has been shown to be helpful in ADHD, and I have many patients (both adults and children) who find them helpful for mood as well. If you want to try an Omega-3 supplement for your child, I recommend a liquid formulation, such as Barlean’s or Nordic Naturals. You want to work up to 600 mg per day of EPA, one of the two main Omega-3 fatty acids. So, read the label of the product you buy to see how much you need.
For adults who can swallow capsules, or older children who can handle larger capsules, I recommend Nordic Naturals capsules.
Similar to the Hardy Nutritionals micronutrient trial, I recommend at least 12 weeks of Omega-3 supplementation to see how it will help.
Micronutrient and Omega-3 supplements can be taken together safely, and if you want to maximize non-prescription help, especially for a child with ADHD, I recommend starting both at the same time. The downside to doing so is that if a you have a good outcome, you won’t know whether it is the combination of the two that helps, or one or the other that is helping. This may lead to ongoing unnecessary expense.
