U of L researcher exploring micronutrient treatment for ADHD in children

caroline.zentner — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 16:17:33 +0000

Parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may search for an alternative to the stimulant medication that is typically prescribed for the disorder, but the effectiveness of alternative approaches hasn’t been well established.

Dr. Brenda Leung, assistant professor and the Emmy Droog Chair of Complementary and Alternative Healthcare at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Health Sciences, hopes to change that with a new study that’s the first of its kind in North America.

“There is a strong public desire for the development of non-pharmaceutical treatment options,” says Leung. “Several lines of evidence suggest that symptoms of ADHD respond well to treatment with nutrient supplementation, but more research is needed.”

In collaboration with colleagues at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, Oregon Health and Science ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and The Ohio State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Leung will help document the safety and effectiveness of a micronutrient combination in American and Canadian youth.

“This multi-site clinical research trial allows us to replicate studies conducted overseas and extend the findings by beginning to examine for whom, and how, the treatment might work,” says Leung.

Leung is the principal investigator at the Lethbridge site — the research will also be conducted in Oregon and Ohio — for an eight-week randomized, controlled trial using broad-spectrum micronutrients. The treatment consists of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and nutrient extracts. The researchers aim to lay a foundation for understanding how micronutrients work at the metabolic level. They will collect biological samples and interview parents and youth to rate their symptoms, functioning and overall experience of the treatment.

Study participants will be randomly assigned to either the micronutrient group or the placebo group and all participants will be eligible to take the vitamins and minerals for an additional eight weeks after the randomized phase.

The study is currently underway and the researchers are looking for participants between the ages of six and 12, who are not taking medication for ADHD and who are willing and able to swallow up to 12 pills per day. Throughout the course of the study, participants will come to the U of L five times to meet with study researchers to answer questions and receive the product. For more information, contact Leung at 403-329-2366, or Mashal Fida, research assistant, at 403-332-4535, or send an email to healthykids@uleth.ca.

Funding for this research has been provided by grants through the Calgary Foundation and the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, a community foundation based in the United States that connects donors from around the world to independent research projects and innovative programs.

Study to examine the use of acupuncture as treatment for children with anxiety

caroline.zentner — Thu, 12 May 2016 16:58:51 +0000

A new pilot study at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is taking a traditional approach to a complex problem and determining the feasibility of using acupuncture in treating children with anxiety.

Naturopathic medicine, which includes acupuncture, blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine, an approach that is reflected in Dr. Brenda Leung’s educational path. Leung, U of L assistant professor in Public Health and the Emmy Droog Chair in Complementary and Alternative Healthcare, blends her designation as a naturopathic doctor with a PhD in epidemiology.

This week, in concert with Naturopathic Medicine Week (May 9 to 15), Leung describes a research study she’s conducting with Dr. Wendy Takeda, a local acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Part of Leung’s role as the Emmy Droog Chair is to collaborate with professionals in the community and increase research capacity.

Takeda, who also has a master’s degree in physiotherapy, has provided acupuncture to children with anxiety and has noticed positive outcomes. In partnership with Leung, Takeda wants to use this anecdotal evidence as the foundation for a formal research study. The study has been approved by the U of L Human Subject Research Committee and is supported by a grant from the Canadian CAM Research Fund. Conducting a scientific study will allow them to collect data on a larger group of children to determine if the acupuncture treatment provides positive results.

“Individual stories are interesting, but to understand how well a treatment works, we need to collect data in a systematic fashion, thus this collaboration with Dr. Takeda will allow us to use science to understand whether acupuncture is helpful for anxiety in children,” says Leung.

The study is a randomized trial. Children selected to participate in the study will be randomly placed in one of two groups. One group will receive an acupuncture session once a week for five weeks. The other group will wait for five weeks before they receive the same acupuncture sessions as the first group. Both groups of children will be reassessed after the five-week mark to determine if the children who received acupuncture saw improvement in their anxiety compared with the children who received no treatment. The nurse who assesses the children will be unaware of the children’s group assignment.

Takeda and Leung hope to assess results with a group of 22 children. The researchers are still looking for children to participate in the study. Parents of children aged eight to 15 who suffer from anxiety and are interested in participating in the study can contact Leung at brenda.leung@uleth.ca. Acupuncture treatments for children in the study are free. Leung expects the results will be available sometime this fall.

“Acupuncture has been shown to be relatively safe, even for children. Other studies have supported that,” says Leung. “This project is a valuable demonstration of collaboration between an academic institution like the U of L and practitioners in the community.”

UNews - Dr. Brenda Leung

U of L researcher exploring micronutrient treatment for ADHD in children

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