103: Natural Solutions for ADHD - A Dietician & Gastroenterologist Weighs In with Donna Cipolla

Donna Cipolla is a well-respected gastroenterologist with a career full of achievements. She's also a registered dietician and a mom who is deeply invested in her child's wellbeing. Donna has a child with ADHD, and she went down the journey of trying to help her son naturally after he hit rock bottom as a college student.  In this episode of the Soaring Child podcast, Donna shares not only her personal journey parenting a child with ADHD, but also her expertise as a medical doctor and the effectiveness of natural strategies for ADHD.   Link mentioned in the show:  Thriving with ADHD book - adhdthriveinstitute.com/book Key Takeaways: [4:20] Donna's personal journey with ADHD [6:43] The challenges Donna's son faced as a result of his ADHD [8:45] Why Donna explored natural strategies for her adult son with ADHD [11:55] The connection between gut health and ADHD symptoms [14:46] How the medical community can incorporate more holistic principles into their practices [18:05] How Donna's son is doing now [22:34] What Donna would tell skeptics   Memorable Moments:  "I tried everything I knew as a physician…No one ever - ever - suggested any kind of dietary intervention." "I thought I was doing good - giving him a good, healthy diet, but little did I know until I got into your program that there was so much more to dietary interventions than just the things that I knew as a dietician to do." As a dietitian and as a gastroenterologist…I'm well aware of the relationship between the brain and the gut interactions when it comes to gastrointestinal diseases...that same interaction affects the brain in terms of ADHD." "I was so frustrated as a dietician that the physicians did not appreciate the role of nutrition in preventing disease nor in treating disease and I thought, 'Ya know, if I can become a physician, I can then write the diet orders and I can help thousands of patients with my expertise in nutrition to treat them." "As a patient, you turn to that doctor as the expert so somehow we have to get the word out there that nutrition, diet, and alternative methods are vital to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD "My biggest regret is that I didn't know sooner….My son, for 19 years, was on a path I thought was best, which was medication…How many years of his life did he lose because I didn't know and try an alternative diet therapy?" "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain."   How to Connect to Donna Cipolla Website: https://www.connecticutgi.org/donna-cipolla-md   Dana Kay Resources: Website: https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADHDThriveInstitute/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhdthriveinstitute/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ADHDThriveInstitute  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adhd-thrive-institute/mycompany/  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ph/adhdthriveinstitute/  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adhd_thriveinstitute  International Best Selling Book, Thriving with ADHD – https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/book/  Free Reduce ADHD Symptoms Naturally Masterclass - https://bit.ly/3GAbFQl  ADHD Parenting Course – https://info.adhdthriveinstitute.com/parentingadhd ADHD Thrive Method 4 Kids Program – https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/packages/