Advantage of Mind-Body Therapy Over Other Types of Therapies
When it comes to the methods of treating ADHD in children, mind-body therapies have proved to provide a multitude of potential benefits. I believe that these needed to be explored more thoroughly and brought to the patients’ attention since that might significantly affect the course of their treatment. Herbert and Esparham (2017) speak about these advantages: first of all, in comparison to pharmacological therapy, mind-body treatment has significantly fewer – if any at all – undesirable side effects. Then there is the advantage of the cost of treatment – it is low in relation to clinical therapy, as the only costs are related to training or sessions usually taking place in groups. Convenience is not to be disregarded as well: physical activities – for instance, Tai Chi or yoga – may be practiced at school or at home.
Exploration of how Mindfulness Affects ADHD Symptoms
While some believe that practicing mindfulness might help with the condition’s symptoms, this claim seems to be false, which should be explored and verified as to not spread misinformation. For instance, Herbert and Esparham (2017) state that it is illogical to assume that meditation has a positive effect on ADHD symptoms. It is due to the ratio of theta to beta usually increasing with ADHD – with meditation further enhancing theta-wave activity. Mindfulness and meditation are capable of improving symptoms not for the brainwave activity’s quantity, but for the acquired ability to regulate attention and focus on a particular action or purpose (such as breathing). According to Herbert and Esparham (2017), it is worth exploring whether individuals with ADHD are able to perform mindfulness and meditation more successfully due to their enhanced theta activity. Mind-body therapies’ effects on neurotransmitter and neuroanatomical function might be also supportive of its therapeutic use.
Mindfulness as a Means of Improving Parent-Child Relationship
It is peculiar to note that parenting mind-body training has an additional advantage in ADHD symptoms of children. That seems to be not known extensively and I believe it must be, as it is a fantastic side-effect to the condition’s treatment. Herbert and Esparham (2017) note that parents practicing mindfulness with attention to parenting techniques speak about a better outcome of their kids’ ADHD symptoms. A parent learning mindfulness might advance their methods of responding to a kid’s behavior. The kid, in turn, might learn about positive ways of changing that behavior from their parent.
References
Herbert, A., & Esparham, A. (2017). Mind–body therapy for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Children, 4(5), 31. Web.