A
Natural Solution for Attention Deficit
Is Right outside Your Door
Some solutions
are so obvious that you don’t see them at first. This appears
to be true as researchers study the apparent link between aerobic
activity, outdoor stimulation, and its positive effects on children
and adults with ADHD. From nature walks to climbing trees to canoe
trips, going outside and moving could be an effective and fun natural
solution for attention deficit.
Using nature and
exercise ADD natural treatments is not a totally new concept.
In his book Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind: Nurturing Your
ADHD Child with Exercise, author Stephen C. Putnam says that, when
Ritalin was first being prescribed to “problem" children
in the seventies and eighties, boarding schools found that exercise
worked much better for ADHD than any prescription drug. Some schools
used long, strenuous nature hikes, soccer games, and other outdoor
sports as a natural solution for attention deficit with surprisingly
good results.
Later, a study
in 2004 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found
that spending time in natural “green" settings improved
ADHD symptoms for children from ages 5 to 18. The study’s
natural solution for attention deficit was easy—they simply
took children outside to spend plenty of time in parks, backyards,
and other tree-lined areas. According to parents, kids in the study
who spent more time outside were better able to remain focused on
completing tasks, following directions, and resisting distractions.
When you think
about it, spending time in the great outdoors as a natural solution
for attention deficit makes perfect sense. First, strenuous physical
activity helps curb hyperactivity by giving children and adults
a chance to burn off their excess energy. Second, outdoor areas
provide more stimuli for the active mind than more sterile indoor
and urban areas. Finally, outdoor sports are fantastic for building
self esteem, leadership abilities, and self confidence. Perhaps
the best perks for using outdoor green space as a natural solution
for attention deficit is that it has no side effects, and it usually
comes free of charge.
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