These days I love my brain and am completely enthralled by the way it works, but this has not always been the case and there have been points in my life where I have been completely frustrated wondering why people who I worked with in particular referred to my thought processes as ‘different’. In these moments, if I could have, I would have ‘fired my brain’ and hired a new one…
Therefore, it was a relief to receive the diagnosis of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (adult ADD), as it helped to explain why I quickly grasp things that interest me and can focus on them for hours at a time to the exclusion of all else, but am less inclined to actively engage in topics and activities that I find neither interesting nor stimulating.
Initially, I was very wary of anyone finding out about my diagnosis, as in a corporate environment this could have severely limited my career. As it turns out, I had two amazing bosses towards the end of my corporate stint in whom I ‘confided’. Whilst one would never have guessed, the other told me that at global senior management level I was know as her ‘secret weapon’, which was a credit to my work performance. I am not sure why I was surprised, as I had been praised previously for my outstanding work and work ethic.
Recognition was not enough, as I began to realise that my brain is capable of a lot more than I had the understanding to effectively tap into and harness. So, I started exploring connections to dopamine and other nutrients that influence the dopamine pathways such as zinc to figure out how to optimise brain function, as well as following articles posted on the ADDITUDE Magazine https://www.additudemag.com/ to follow the trials, tribulations and solutions of others navigating the same confusing and often intensely frustrating daily see-saw that seems to move ADDers between (often unrecognized) genius and (seeming) ineptitude.
On my quest to optimise my brain function in order to achieve my ultimate goal of making a small difference in the world whilst enjoying the process, matching frustration with satisfaction and generally maintaining my sense of wonder in life, I have encountered and tried numerous options, including:
- Trialing a common pharmaceutical fix – left me feeling ‘wired and tired’ so I stopped even the lowest dose after a few days
- Self-tested numerous supplements ranging from zinc, magnesium, iron, fish oils, antioxidants, phosphatidyl- choline and serine, probiotics, vitamin D, C, B’s, ashwagandha, mucuna pruriens etc – I have since come to the conclusion that whilst all of these have an effect, a comprehensive detox is perhaps necessary to establish a baseline of what my brain/body actually NEEDS and that this will change
- Attempting to follow various dietary approaches such as GAPS (gut and psychology syndrome) – I have now incorporated many of the principles into my daily routine and occasionally revert to strict adherence for a few weeks as needed
- Tried several brain training methods such Interactive Metronome https://www.interactivemetronome.com/ with Alvin Chan http://kidz-potc.com.sg/ and Neurofeedback with Gavin Ong https://osteopathy.com.sg/practitioner/gavin_ong/ – whilst I will be investing the former at some point in the future, the latter gave me a brilliant insight into how my brain processes things so I will be blogging more about it
- Experimented with some more innovative counselling/coaching methods – thus far I have found Annelaure Vuillermoz to be the most insightful and supportive professional https://www.colourfully.sg/profile-annelaure-vuillermoz
- Delved into energy medicine with a view to shifting some of the subconscious patterns through Medical Intuition and Body Talk – the former was a prompt to express my creativity and start this blog, whilst the latter helped me to let go of unhelpful emotions
- Addressed my gut health, therewith optimised the gut-brain connection with a combination of:
- Purposefully selected probiotic strains – this has continuously evolved over time, depending on what my own therapy goals are
- Fermented foods – happily I no longer suffer from histamine-related issues
- Bone and other home-made broths – again, no histamine-related issues so these work for me
- Prebiotic foods and supplements – post-recovery from IBS (suspected SIBO) which I will feature in a separate post
- Gut healing supplements such as glutamine (no appropriate for all), butyric acid (also incorporating lots of ghee into my diet), nucleotides etc.
- Expanded my own understanding through various trainings with a neurology focus around the globe such as:
- GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome with Dr Natasha Campbell–McBride
- Parkinson’s one-on-one coaching with Lucille Leader
- The Brain Microbiome with Dr Marco Ruggiero
- Functional Neurology with Dr Titus Chiu
- Neuro-inflammation with Dr Datis Kharrazian
- Autonomic Response Testing with Dr Dietrich Klinghardt
- Trialed various modalities aimed at increasing circulation and/or detoxification of the brain, partially I undertook these therapies more for migraine relief:
- Neural therapy
- Intravenous laser
- Osteopathy and craniosacral therapy
- Lymphatic drainage – particularly in the neck area to allow my glymphatic (the brain’s lymphatic system) to drain properly whilst sleeping
- Engaged in various sports including:
- Sky-diving – a short-lived exhilarating experience which certainly got my adrenaline pumping and is therefore imprinted on my memory
- Scuba-diving – serves as a great break in the year and provides me with balance – so more about this in a separate post
- Dancing – really challenges my coordination and fine-motor skills which are linked to dopamine, I am happy to say that I have gotten better over time and now reach a level where my adrenaline pumps, although I still cannot remember the routines, but it allows my brain to focus on something other than thinking
- Running – past a certain point, running with music puts me in an almost meditative state although my adrenaline is clearly pumping at the end of 5-10 km
- Rebounding – great to support detoxification via the lymphatic system
- Worked on some of the basics such as sleep hygiene and hydration – whilst I do sometimes sleep on these fronts, so I have put trackers in place, but am still lacking the discipline to update them on an on-going basis
- Significantly reduced my WIFI exposure to avoid ‘interference’ with my brain waves and function as highlighted in other posts, although I still need to address geopathic stress
- Scheduled in time to do daily brain-training exercises to strengthen certain areas or functions, which rotate between the following:
- Training on Luminosity – https://www.lumosity.com/en/
- Specific short meditations
- Balance exercises – rebounding on my Bellicon https://www.bellicon.com/int_en also supports this area
- Continuously strive to contain or reduce my toxic exposures including using binders such as zeolite and chlorella on a daily basis
With the exception of the pharmaceutical option, elements of each of these approaches has remained with me and brought me to a place where I am calm, mostly contented, curious, continuously learning and growing as both a practitioner and a person. In terms of my health, I am in the best shape I have ever been, but at the same time, I am cognizant that my brain can do so much more … So watch this space for my upcoming personal detox protocol and see how I progress with firing my brain power up …
For those who suspect that they might have or have been diagnosed with adult ADD, the above may seem like an impossible task list with an overwhelming list of choices and no defined starting point – so don’t hesitate to ask for help in determining what is likely to work for you as a first step. There are a number of professionals out there who can support you in your journey, for those in Singapore, the list of caring, experienced practitioners is steadily growing.