ADHD is diagnosed and managed by your paediatrician, GP or psychiatrist, and nothing here changes that. Our naturopaths and nutritionists in Geelong and Drysdale work alongside them on the things that often come with ADHD and rarely get time in a medication review: gut symptoms, a narrowed diet, nutrient gaps, sleep and the stress load.
Not with the ADHD itself, and not with the diagnosis, the assessment or the medication decisions your paediatrician, GP or psychiatrist makes. What a naturopath can help with is the physical side that research shows travels with ADHD and is easy to miss: gut symptoms, restricted eating, low nutrient status and poor sleep.
The evidence is clear on the problems. Children and adults with ADHD have around 48% higher odds of gastrointestinal symptoms than people without it, across a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available studies [1]. The gut microbiome is measurably different in ADHD, although no one yet knows which way the arrow points [2,3]. Many children with ADHD eat a narrow diet, and the appetite suppression that comes with stimulant medication can narrow it further [5]. Better overall diet quality is associated with lower odds of an ADHD diagnosis in children, which is not the same as a cause but is a reason to take food seriously [6].
What we offer is narrower and more useful: a child whose gut is comfortable, who eats a wider range of foods, whose nutrient levels are where they should be and who sleeps has an easier day, and so does the family and the classroom around them. That is the work.
We don’t diagnose or treat ADHD; that stays with your doctor, paediatrician or psychiatrist. Our part is the nutritional, herbal and lifestyle work that sits alongside their care.
Gut symptoms: constipation, loose stools, pain and reflux are more common in ADHD and are worth investigating in their own right, not treated as part of the package [1]. We start with the basics that slow a gut: fibre, fluid, regular meals and a toilet routine, and refer back to your paediatrician or GP where symptoms should not persist.
The narrowed plate: fussy eating, a short list of accepted foods and medication-related appetite loss all narrow what a child eats [5]. We map what your child actually eats over a week, protect the meals that medication leaves untouched, and widen the range slowly, without a battle.
Nutrient status: a narrowed diet narrows the nutrients with it, and low iron stores in particular overlap with attention and sleep [8]. The nutrients most often low in restricted eaters are measured with a blood test through your GP or paediatrician rather than assumed, and any correction is agreed with them. Our article on nutrient deficiencies in children explains what is checked.
Sleep: falling asleep and staying asleep are harder for many children with ADHD, and poor sleep makes attention worse the next day. Routine, light, food timing and the gut all feed into sleep, and we work on those; any sleep medication is your paediatrician’s decision.
The stress load: a nervous system that cannot stand down drives the gut, the appetite and the sleep. The lifestyle side of that is ours; psychological support stays with your psychologist or paediatrician. Our behaviour, mood and sleep page explains where the line sits.
What stays with your paediatrician, GP or psychiatrist: the diagnosis and assessment, every medication decision, school and learning supports, and any concern about growth, weight or mood.
Only when a result would change the plan. For most children, the history, a food diary and the blood tests already done tell us what we need. A stool microbiome test earns its place when gut symptoms persist after the basics are in place, or when the pattern does not make sense. Where a child’s nutritional picture needs a closer look, we may use organic acid testing and nutritional genetic testing together, alongside blood tests through your GP or paediatrician, to assess nutritional status and any nutritional block worth supporting. No test diagnoses ADHD, and no test result is a reason to start or stop a medication. Our article on ADHD testing and organic acids explains what that testing can and cannot tell you.
Testing is explained before you decide and billed by the laboratory, not the clinic. Our testing page has the detail.
We are open 6 days per week, by appointment only. Book an appointment online via our online booking link.
Your paediatrician, GP or psychiatrist diagnoses ADHD, decides on medication and reviews it. We work on gut, food, nutrient status, sleep and the stress load, and we keep them informed. Anything we suggest for a child is dosed for age and weight, chosen in consultation, and checked against anything they already take. Nothing we do is a reason to change or stop a medication: if gut symptoms or appetite loss started or worsened with a medication, that conversation belongs with the prescriber, and they have options [5].
Depending on what we find, a plan can include:
We usually review at six to eight weeks, because eating, gut and sleep change slowly and children do best with small, steady steps. Adults with ADHD and a lifetime of gut trouble are welcome too; the same principles apply, and it is often the first time anyone has connected the two.
Any new or worsening mood change, self-harm talk, tics, chest pain or palpitations, fainting, severe weight loss or poor growth, persistent vomiting, blood in the stool, or a sudden change in behaviour or sleep needs your paediatrician or GP promptly, not a diet change. So does any question about a medication your child takes, any concern about the diagnosis, and anything to do with school assessments and supports.
We don’t diagnose or treat ADHD; diagnosis, assessment and every medication decision sit with your paediatrician, GP or psychiatrist. Seeing a naturopath is not a reason to remove foods, start a special diet or add a supplement on your own, and we will say so. Raising Children Network and ADHD Australia set out the medical and support side plainly.
No. ADHD is not caused by sugar or food colouring, removing them does not change it, and we do not claim otherwise. Better overall diet quality is associated with lower odds of an ADHD diagnosis in children, which is a reason to take food seriously, not a treatment [6]. What diet can change is how comfortable a child’s gut is, how well they are nourished and how they sleep, and that is what we work on.
Not on a hunch. Removing foods from a diet that is often already narrow does harm, and the evidence for elimination diets in ADHD is weak and inconsistent. If a food reaction is suspected, it is worked out properly, with your GP or paediatrician, a diary and a structured approach, and any allergy question goes to your doctor first.
Alongside the prescriber, yes. Stimulant medication commonly reduces appetite and can bring stomach pain or constipation [5]. Tell the prescriber first, because adjusting the medication is their call and they have options. Our part is the food timing, the gut routine and the nutrient status around it, so that the plan your doctor has chosen works better for your child.
Only when a result would change the plan. The microbiome is measurably different in ADHD, but no stool test diagnoses it or tells us what to do on its own [2,3]. A gut test earns its place when symptoms persist after the basics are in place. For nutritional status, organic acid testing and nutritional genetic testing together sometimes tell us more than a stool test does.
Often, with routine, light, food timing and the gut, which all feed into sleep. Any sleep medication is your paediatrician’s decision, and we work alongside it rather than around it.
Yes. Adults with ADHD and a lifetime of IBS or other gut trouble are seen in the same way: the gut, the diet, nutrient status and sleep are ours; diagnosis and medication stay with your doctor or psychiatrist.
General information only, not individual medical advice. Please speak with your GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist before starting, changing or stopping any medication or supplement. For private health consultation claiming, please enquire with your health fund to assess coverage. Nutrition consultations are covered by some private health funds — please check with yours first.
We are open 6 days per week, by appointment only. Book an appointment online via our online booking link.
If the gut, the plate or the sleep is the hard part of your child’s ADHD and no one has had time for it, it is worth seeing someone who works with your paediatrician rather than around them. Our naturopaths and nutritionists consult from Geelong CBD and Drysdale, in person or by telehealth, six days a week. Bring the results you already have and we will start by listening.
