As you begin your wellness journey, it is important to understand the impacts of the vitamins, minerals, and other supplements that you are consuming have on your overall health. There are loads of nutrients in all different kinds of food, and understanding how they work on their own and interact with one another is the key to your wellness journey.
Dr. Emil wants to create a world where people are invested in their own personal health and wellness journey, and with his background in medicine and fitness, he’s thought a lot about how he can help promote health and wellness with his products. His belief in the importance of proper information and the good foundation of nutrients to help you stay healthy lies at the core of his ability to provide the right care for your body and mind.
ADHD is a challenging condition, and finding ways to live with it is very important. Dr. Emil believes that his product, lion’s mane, can help alleviate some symptoms of ADHD. Over the counter adderall is not to be used as an alternative to the current treatments, but it can provide a different set of benefits and it could have a marked impact on your day-to-day living.
Lion’s Mane provides a multitude of benefits to the body, including ones that may help with the symptoms of ADHD. This is not an alternative to Adderall, and in this article, we will discuss the following:
- Lion’s mane for ADHD
- How Lion’s Mane interacts with the body
- How ADHD affects the brain
Lion’s Mane and ADHD
Lion’s mane is an excellent supplement due to its plethora of benefits to the body. It works quietly, without causing any major changes to your body while helping in the ways it knows best. One area in which lion’s mane bolsters the body’s abilities is in the brain, specifically, in the hippocampus, which deals with memory and emotional responses. What makes lion’s mane such a great supplement for helping those with ADHD is its quiet nature. It does not intrude on any other treatments, doing what it can from the sidelines. There are a number of treatments, and each one works differently depending on the person.
Lion’s Mane Works With Traditional Treatments
Traditional treatment for ADHD takes on a variety of forms, most commonly including:
- Medication to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD
- Education to understand how ADHD is affecting the patient
- Psychotherapy to improve the patient’s ability to manage their behaviors with ADHD
There is more detailed information about the treatments for ADHD further along in this article. Lion’s mane, as a supplement, does not interact poorly with any of the traditional treatments for ADHD which is what makes it such a good option when considering treatments. Lion’s mane does not work for everyone or may find that the beneficial effects are independent of your ADHD.
One of the great boons of Dr. Emil Nutrition’s Lion’s Mane Mushroom Capsules is that they are an easy addition to your daily routine. While you should talk to your primary healthcare provider about adding a supplement to your diet, research suggests that it does not have a lot of side effects in terms of how it interacts with other medications.
ADHD Steals Your Focus
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a serious mental health disorder that affects around 4.4% of the adult population. It can be diagnosed at any age, often when the symptoms begin to interfere with their ability to continue with their normal routine. Three major ADHD symptoms are difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness, and restlessness.
At this time, there is no known cure for ADHD, and the symptoms can vary immensely between people. People with ADHD might have tremendous difficulty completing tasks on any sort of timeline. That’s where lion’s mane comes in. Although more research is necessary to understand all of this mushroom’s major benefits, the brain-boosting benefits might make lion’s mane a great way to manage ADHD symptoms.
Lion’s Mane Versus Adderall
Adderall is a prescription medication commonly used to treat ADHD. It works by primarily affecting two neurotransmitters in the brain: dopamine and norepinephrine. Adderall contains amphetamine salts that increase the release and inhibit the reuptake of these neurotransmitters, leading to enhanced signaling between nerve cells. This heightened neurotransmitter activity improves focus, concentration, and impulse control in individuals with ADHD. Adderall's stimulant properties can help mitigate the symptoms of ADHD by promoting better communication within the brain's neural networks, aiding in the regulation of attention and behavior.
Adderall can be a powerful tool in your arsenal to treat ADHD, although it is not the only one. Along with therapy and an increased understanding of how the body is affected by ADHD, supplements like lion’s mane are safe ways to assist in your daily routine. Doctors will often adjust your dose, sometimes stopping it entirely in order to gauge if there are any changes in your behavior. They might recommend stopping it entirely if they see that your behaviors have changed for the better.
What Does Lion’s Mane Do For the Body?
Lion’s Mane has a wide variety of benefits all around the body. Although there is not a lot of research into the side effects of lion’s mane, it has been eaten all over the world for centuries. It has both medicinal and culinary uses and has been a part of worldly cuisine for a long time. It is not all that common (yet!) in the United States, but it’s been described as having a seafood-like flavor, and it is completely safe to eat raw, cooked, or even in tea.
This is all to say that there’s no process needed to prepare this fungus to help out the body. It is ready to do its part in keeping you healthy and well from the moment it’s picked from the forest floor. Lion’s mane is great for ADHD and it can strengthen the immune system, boost the brain, and reduce inflammation all over the body.
Research suggests that Lion's Mane may support brain health in several way. One of the most notable effects is its ability to stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) production. NGF is a protein that plays a crucial role in the growth, maintenance, and survival of nerve cells. By promoting NGF production, Lion's Mane may contribute to the growth and repair of neurons, potentially enhancing cognitive function and supporting brain plasticity.
Lion's Mane is also thought to have potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are linked to neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive decline. The bioactive compounds in Lion's Mane may help mitigate these processes, thereby protecting brain cells from damage and potentially reducing the risk of cognitive disorders.
Studies have also suggested that Lion's Mane could have a positive impact on memory and learning. Animal studies have shown that supplementation with Lion's Mane extract can lead to improvements in spatial memory and recognition memory. While more research is needed to establish its effects in humans, these preliminary findings are promising and suggest that Lion's Mane may have the potential to enhance various aspects of cognitive performance.
Additionally, Lion's Mane could play a role in mood regulation. Some research has indicated that Lion's Mane may exert anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, possibly by influencing neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. These effects could contribute to overall brain well-being and emotional balance.
It's important to note that while the potential benefits of Lion's Mane on the brain are intriguing, further rigorous research, including human clinical trials, is necessary to fully understand its effects and mechanisms of action. As with any supplement or natural remedy, individual responses can vary, and consulting with a healthcare professional before adding Lion's Mane to one's regimen is advisable, especially for those with preexisting medical conditions or those taking medications.
Lion's Mane mushroom shows promise in its potential to positively affect the brain. Its ability to stimulate NGF production, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and its potential impact on memory and mood regulation make it an intriguing subject of scientific investigation. As research progresses, a clearer picture of Lion's Mane's role in brain health will emerge, providing valuable insights into its potential as a natural cognitive enhancer.
Strengthens the Immune System
Lion's mane has also gained attention for its potential benefits within the immune system. Research suggests that lion’s mane contains bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides and beta-glucans, which have been shown to possess immunomodulatory properties. These compounds are believed to stimulate various immune cells and pathways, potentially enhancing the body's defense mechanisms. While further studies are needed to fully understand the extent of Lion's Mane's effects on the immune system, preliminary evidence suggests that its consumption might contribute to supporting a balanced and responsive immune function.
Boosts the Brain
Lion’s mane helps throughout the brain. Its major effect in the brain deals with the hippocampus, which deals with memory and emotion. Our emotional responses make up a tremendous part of our daily interactions with the world.
Have you ever had a day where every little thing is getting on your nerves? The coffee’s a little too strong and there’s more traffic than usual. If this gets on your nerves it can drag down your whole day. Taking lion’s mane can help those days, making them less common.
The boost in mental functioning can also help memory. The mushroom might promote nerve growth in our brains, helping us remember more at all stages of our life. Up to this point, however, the majority of studies involving lion’s mane have occurred on non-human animals, so further research is required before we know for sure.
Reduces Inflammation
Lion's mane has also been studied for its potential to reduce inflammation in the body. The mushroom contains additional bioactive compounds such as erinacines and hericenones, which have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in preclinical studies. These compounds are believed to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory molecules and modulate immune responses that contribute to inflammation. While more research is needed to establish the full extent of lion's mane's anti-inflammatory effects in humans, these initial findings suggest that incorporating lion's mane into one's diet may hold promise as a natural way to help manage inflammation and potentially contribute to overall well-being.
ADHD and the Brain
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a serious condition whose symptoms interfere with the daily function and development of someone. It is marked by three major symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. While many people experience one or all of these symptoms to some degree, naturally, not everyone has ADHD. For those with ADHD, these symptoms:
- Are very severe
- Occur with regularity
- Reduce or interfere with quality of life
A combination of these three items results in, ultimately, a diagnosis, but there is no perfect method of determining whether or not someone has ADHD. An ADHD screening is often used to determine whether someone has ADHD in one of its three main forms.
Major Symptoms
The major symptoms of ADHD are hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. These symptoms drive a lot of behaviors in people with this disorder, but there is no guarantee of which will be most severe in any given case.
Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
These two symptoms are grouped together due to their similarity. Someone who is hyperactive, in their desire to keep moving, often acts impulsively to keep moving. These two symptoms result in someone who has a lot of trouble remaining still, be it in conversations, or at work. Their eyes might look around all the time, or they might squirm and fidget in their seats.
These are often categorized by a lack of patience. This person oftentimes has a hard time waiting for their turn in conversation or play, wanting to be “going” at all times.
Inattention
People with this symptom oftentimes make the same mistakes during work, school, or other activities and have a hard time staying organized. Their difficulty paying attention results in a hard time listening to conversations or instructions.
Periods of sustained mental focus are much more difficult for someone with ADHD, as they are bombarded with unrelated thoughts and urges. Someone doing math homework might be constantly stifling the urge to get a snack, run outside, or doodle.
Different people experience these symptoms to different degrees, which make up the three major types of ADHD.
- Mostly Impulsive-Hyperactive diagnoses are people who have difficulty sitting still and often act without thinking about the consequences of their actions. They may fidget, move about, and talk a lot.
- Mostly Inattentive diagnoses are people who have a hard time paying attention and staying on task.
- Combined diagnoses are by far the most common type of ADHD, and include a combination of the three major symptoms.
Diagnosing ADHD
There is no single test for ADHD. When someone is getting screened for ADHD, they often undergo a variety of physical and behavioral tests. This allows their tester, a medical professional, to determine whether their symptoms are severe enough to warrant a diagnosis. One challenge of diagnosing a disorder like ADHD is that it takes common items and makes them much more severe. Someone can experience inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity but not have ADHD.
There are a lot of undiagnosed cases of ADHD. If you or a loved one is suffering from hyperactivity and inattention, consider talking about the possibility of a diagnosis. As there are many different severities among the cases of ADHD, there are also many treatments. Behavioral therapy, medicine, and supplements are all ways in which to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD.
Before trying to treat anything, make sure to talk to your primary care physician for expert advice. They are able to talk about the benefits and side effects of each treatment.
Lion’s Mane for ADHD
Lion’s mane is a terrific alternative to treat the symptoms of ADHD if you’re looking to stray away from the common path of traditional medicine and seek a more naturalistic remedy for your ailments. Although more research is needed in order to shed more light on the extent of this mushroom’s effects throughout the body, and with ADHD in particular, preliminary research and others’ personal experience show the promising ways lion’s mane can help. Before you add a supplement to your routine, you should always make sure to speak with a medical professional about how it may interact with other medicines or supplements you are currently taking. While lion’s mane is mostly harmless, it is still important to double-check!