With that in mind we have to approach iron supplementation with caution. My feeling is that if your child turns out to be one of 8-13% that is deficient in iron, it is worth giving iron supplements. I doubt that it will help much with his ADHD, but it should help with his general health. This advice applies to your non-ADHD children, also.

How should you test iron deficiency? The hemoglobin and hematocrit counts that come as part of standard complete blood count (CBC) are good for diagnosing anemia. They do not really give you accurate information about body’s iron status. The best test for iron status is serum ferritin test, which measures how much iron is stored in your body. It will be low if you are deficient and high if you are overloaded.

If you find your child has an iron deficiency problem, there are several approaches to treat it. Probably safest is by giving him more iron-containing foods. You can serve him red meat several times a week. Liver is an excellent source, if you can get him to eat it. You can enhance dietary absorption by supplementing with vitamin A (about 10,000 IU) and vitamin C (about 500mg) with meals.

The most likely reason that your child is deficient is because he is a poor eater; so, dietary intervention may not be practical. A second and far inferior source of iron is through supplements. The primary difficulty of iron supplements is that they do not get into body. Fortifying foods with iron in general does not work. Many foods bind iron and, as a result, iron is excreted rather than absorbed. The best form of supplemental iron is Ferrochel. Ferrochel is an amino acid chelated iron, which is highly bio-available and is not affected by foods that bind iron.

Most iron supplements have a ten percent absorption rate. That means if you take 10 mg of supplement, your body absorbs 1 mg. Ferrochel is different. Ferrochel has a 75% absorption rate. That means 1.5 mg of Ferrochel provides more iron to your body than 10 mg of other supplements.

That is an interesting fact, but it is not why I am recommending it. The more important property of Ferrochel is that since it is already amino acid bound, it does not become free iron in body. That means it does not have dangers and side effects of other iron supplements. The FDA has given Ferrochel designation of GRAS, (generally regarded as safe). No other iron supplement has this designation.

The take home message is that iron deficiency may be cause of hyperactivity in some children. It is worth your while to have your child tested. If for some reason you suspect your child is iron deficient, best approach is to increase your child’s iron intake through his diet. If that doesn’t work and you need to use supplements, best supplemental iron is Ferrochel.

Anthony Kane, MD

ADD ADHD Advances

http://addadhdadvances.com

***Fitness Trends - Yoga, Pilates & Wellness***

I believe one reason Yoga & Pilates have become popular fitness trends is because they try to incorporate some form of spirituality. They realize "key" to improved health is not just physical.

There's another popular trend called "wellness". Instead of only addressing exercise, wellness also addresses other aspects of our life, such as emotional and mental health.

"The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually." -- Greg Anderson

***Unlock Your Potential With This Key - Spirituality!***

Our bodies "were made for Lord, and Lord cares about our bodies…. Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which belongs to Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!.... Or don't you know that your body is temple of Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:13, 15,19-20 (NIV)

What is key to improving your physical health? Honor God with your body. It is as simple as that.

But, just because it is simple, does not mean it is always easy. How can you honor God with foods you eat and physical energy you have (or don't have)? You can honor God with your body with choices you make each day. One of main reasons I exercise is to have more physical energy for my daily tasks and to not feel so tired in mornings.

Honor God with your body.

In closing, remember that "physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both present life and life to come." 1Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

Shelley Hitz. P.T. is founder of Exercise Advice offering Online Fitness Coaching. She can be reached at www.abs-exercise-advice.com/absball where you can find out how to get a free abs workout.