Beyond Medication: Enhancing Focus in Attention Deficit

Ethan was seven years old when his mother brought him into the office. She was in tears. She had collapsed under the school pressure. And put Ethan on medication for attention deficit disorder because he was not able to pay attention in class. But he still had issues. The school told her they would not allow him back to class if he wasn’t given more medication. Then they threatened to put him in a “special” program. She didn’t want to do it, but she didn’t know what else to do.

We think of the brain as our thinking computer that takes in all the information around us. What we often don’t consider is that the brain is mostly a filter. But the brain filters our more than 90% of all the information coming into our eyes, ears, and sense organs. This is because the brain is like a stage which only allows one act at a time. If you have two or more things going on this creates distractions and prevents focus and clarity.[1]

If the brain is able to filter out all that is extraneous noise, the mind can focus on one thing which allows you to gain knowledge. Without focus, distractions jumble the memory. We often call it “attention deficit” but it isn’t an inability to pay attention. Rather, it is distractibility and lack of focus. If the brain doesn’t filter out everything except the one thing that keeps your attention, then there is too much information. So, the mind cannot put things in short-term, or long-term memory. The brain works best when focused because there is only one thing allowed in the consciousness at a time.[2]

People think they can “multi-task” but, all they do is go back and forth from one thing to another. This is fine for unimportant or repetitive things but is not helpful for things that require attention and focus.[3]

This problem of focus happens because of a lack of development of the brain. It is perfectly normal for an infant brain to not have focus. Infants are easily distracted. But by the time a child reaches 5-8 years old, most have gained enough brain power to focus on one thing because their brain can filter out everything else. Some don’t develop this ability — or we each develop it to different levels. Everyone handles things differently because everyone develops differently. The lack of ability to focus is simply an undeveloped brain.[4]

ADD Drugs

Conventional ways of treating people who have difficulty focusing is to give them drugs such as stimulants to force the brain to focus. Doctors put children on amphetamines so they can focus on school. Teachers often require some sort of chemical stimulants to allow children in their classrooms. People often use caffeine to focus. Now, adults and children are commonly using “energy drinks” to focus their attention.

Stimulants are chemicals that stimulate the brain to allow it to filter-out distractions. This keeps only one thing in the consciousness so it can focus. There have been many that have used these drugs to get through school, and they do help. By far the most used drug for focus is caffeine. Every society in a millennium have used caffeine all over the world in almost every society. Interestingly, there is no specific problem with using caffeine. Some people get over-stimulated with nervousness or shaking. But when they stop using caffeine the symptoms resolve.

The drugs prescribed by doctors are related to caffeine by stimulating a release of norepinephrine, most of which are amphetamines like:

• Adderall XR (amphetamine)
• Concerta (methylphenidate)
• Dexedrine (amphetamine)
• Evekeo (amphetamine)
• Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate)
• Quillivant XR (methylphenidate)
• Ritalin (methylphenidate)
• Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate)

Antidepressants, blood pressure medications and others are thought to increase epinephrine or norepinephrine in the brain and improve focus, such as:

• Guanfacine
• Strattera
• Catapres
• Effexor
• Bupropion
• Tricyclic antidepressants

When they help, the medications are fine, for the time being. The problem with them is that they do not change the brain. Those who use chemicals to focus remain infantile and will always require the drug. Even years of using stimulants does not help the brain to focus better. People will still use some chemical help when they need to concentrate. I know many adults who tell me “I’m no good unless I have my caffeine.”

ADD Supplements

Ethan was taken off medications and started on a supplement that is specifically made to help attention. His mother was happy to try it. A month later she came back with a smile. She did not tell the teacher what we were doing, just that she took him to the doctor, and he was on a new prescription. “His teacher said he was a delight to have in class, and that she was grateful for the ‘medication’ he was now taking.” Then the mom asked, “Could I take it too? I have had problems with focus and attention all my life.” A month later they were both doing much better.

Some people seem to have a brain development delay due to a missing nutrient. Studies on various nutrients have shown improvement in symptoms, including:[5] 

• Omega 3 oils
• Vitamin D
• Inositol
• Phosphatidylserine
• Zinc
• Iron
• Magnesium

There are many supplement combinations with the nutrients above along with others. The supplement used for Ethan was Daily Essential Nutrients made by Hardy Nutritionals. I have used this supplement successfully many times. Others are available. I have had some parents give their children Focus Factor with good results. Some will only need supplements for a time to improve their nutrition. Others will need to take the supplement for life.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Besides chemical stimulants, there are other ways to help the brain to focus. Some people use music or TV while they read or study as background noise to filter out and help them focus. Others need quiet.  Another option is to practicefocusing. When we don’t have an ability, we must use practice to achieve it. If I wanted to learn Mandarin, I would need to take a lot of time, and put in a lot of effort to become fluent. If I want to have perfect hand-eye coordination in shooting baskets, some say I will need 10,000 hours of practice![6] This is the same with all areas of development. The brain is “plastic” meaning it is moldable or changeable, but it takes a lot of effort. You can build muscle, but it’s going to take a lot of work. You can also build your brain in the same way.

There are games that help focus[7] such as:

• sudoku
• crossword puzzles
• chess
• jigsaw puzzles
• word searches or scrambles
• memory games
• video games[8]

Besides playing games, hobbies and activities are a great way to practice focusing the mind.

• Painting
• Reading
• Playing a musical instrument
• Genealogy
• Building
• Art
• Sports

The best sports for ADD are those that have lots of physical participation, with concentration. These are martial arts, horseback riding, or heavy physical activity such as swimming or running.[9] Over time, you will find what works best for you.

It seems the key to learning to focus is to pursue an interest and become proficient. Some have found academic pursuits help them to focus, such as studying, reading, writing, and learning math. Going to college and learning to write has helped me a lot.

My ADD Story

I have lived with attention deficit disorder all my life, with continuous difficulty focusing. I had friends who had laser focus and quick brains, but I never did. I needed an undistracted environment, or I could not learn. Even then, I would need to continually bring my focus back to the task at hand. It took me a long time to read textbooks in college. Supplements didn’t seem to help me to focus. I had to find other ways to learn. I used “flash cards” to memorize concepts. I would set a timer to see how long I could read without distraction. I got up at 4am when nobody else was around so I could focus. Then, I found that writing allowed me to focus. I needed to see, say, and use my fingers to type out the words, then to move them around to make sense. I started writing everything down. I have written thousands of pages in multiple journals just to understand concepts and focus so I could learn. I don’t, and I don’t imagine anyone else, will ever read what I have written, but that is not its purpose. I need to write to learn because writing allows me to focus. I don’t just write. I write and re-write to polish everything so I can have clarity. I still struggle a little, and I don’t have a quick mind. I give myself time, and continually work at it, but I know how to maintain focus and learn a lot. I have worked around my disability, gaining a great deal from it, while avoiding drugs.

Attention deficit is not so much a disorder as a lack of development. Since there may be many different reasons for this delay. There is no single treatment for everyone. Some will need medications to help them function in society. Others will use supplements. However, no matter what, there is a constant need to train the brain to focus. This is done with a lot of practice, patience, and work.

 

Sources:
[1] https://www.quantamagazine.org/to-pay-attention-the-brain-uses-filters-not-a-spotlight-20190924/
[2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201502/is-how-the-brain-filters-out-unimportant-details
[3] https://www.verywellmind.com/multitasking-2795003
[4] https://chadd.org/attention-article/developing-a-brain-filter-how-to-help-highly-impulsive-children-and-teens-stop-and-think-before-acting/
[5] https://www.additudemag.com/vitamins-minerals-adhd-treatment-plan/
[6] https://strategiesforinfluence.com/malcolm-gladwell-10000-hour-rule/
[7] J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Jan; 62(1): 16–24. Ten-Year Effects of the ACTIVE Cognitive Training Trial on Cognition and Everyday Functioning in Older Adults Dr. George W. Rebok, PhD, et al.
[8] Front Hum Neurosci. 2017; 11: 248. Neural Basis of Video Gaming: A Systematic Review Marc Palaus,1,* Elena M. Marron,1 Raquel Viejo-Sobera,1,2 and Diego Redolar-Ripoll1
[9] https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/best-sports-for-kids-with-adhd/