From an EXPERT Holistic Pharmacist: THE BEST Supplements to take to help ADHD

Host: 00:01:23

And welcome to another episode of ADHD Women's Wellbeing Wisdom.

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Little short, bite sized pieces of wisdom that I've curated from all the many, many episodes that have been recorded over this time.

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And I really hope that this short insight will help you on the week ahead.

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So I'm delighted to share this short snippet from my conversation with Kelly Rompel from quite a few months ago now.

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But what I absolutely loved about it is that we are delving and understanding about how our gen, how epigenetics play such a huge role in our health, but also understanding it through the ADHD lens as well so we can understand more of our root causes, understand where our exhaustion, our anxiety, our cognitive challenges come from, and also being able to understand our genes so we can not only help ourselves, but help our children and be able to access different ways that perhaps we've not thought of.

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So it's a really enlightening conversation this, and I hope that you find it helpful.

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As always, I'd love to hear from you.

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And yeah, here's today's episode with Kelly Rompel.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:30

But I think we just have to do our best and choose one meal a day where these kids are going to get a lot of nutrition, get them on some supplements and let the rest go.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:40

I was giggling when you're talking about the noodles because my kids beg me for ramen noodles.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:46

Like on a date ramen ones.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:48

Love ramen noodles.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:49

And I'm always like, gosh, you guys just don't understand how terrible they are.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:52

You know what?

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:53

You had your smoothie today, you ate all your supplements, you've had a good lunch.

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:57

You know what?

Kelly Rompel: 00:02:57

Have the ramen noodles.

Host: 00:02:59

Yeah, that's exactly the same.

Kelly Rompel: 00:03:01

We do our best.

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And this is what is going to lead me into because this anxiety that I, it definitely gives me because the more I do this work, the more I speak to people like you, the more I help other people.

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I'm building the awareness and the knowledge and the expertise.

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But sometimes I think in my head I just wish ignorance was bliss because we know a lot now and then when our kids want the ramen noodles and they want the biscuits and the crisps and the chocolate and I know the impact it's going to have on at least one of my children's behavior because she like flips like a switch.

Host: 00:03:35

And I know, and I can see it because the impact that food has on her behavior.

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So when she's eating really clean, she's eating really well, she's had the protein, the Vitamins, all of that.

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I can see it's been a good day.

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And when we've not had a good day with food, it really impacts the behavior.

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But sometimes it really does induce my anxiety a little bit because it's like I turn into a bit of a control freak.

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And that, again, is not good.

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It's not good for me.

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And I know that there's a lot of women out there, you know, who can really resonate with that, with.

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They're getting.

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Very often they're getting the ADHD diagnosis after they've had their kids diagnosed, and the kids are being diagnosed, and then they doing all the research, they're realizing that this is indeed them.

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This is, you know, and so they're trying to work on themselves, but also working on their kids.

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And it's very overwhelming.

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It's all consuming.

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And I do think it can induce more anxiety.

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So can you tell me a little bit about the work that you do with anxiety and maybe why, from a.

Host: 00:04:36

I don't know, from a clinical perspective, why we are more prone to anxiety?

Kelly Rompel: 00:04:41

Yeah, it is so rare that I work with an ADHD client that doesn't also have anxiety.

Kelly Rompel: 00:04:48

It's just.

Kelly Rompel: 00:04:49

It's so rare.

Kelly Rompel: 00:04:49

I always see the combination of the two.

Kelly Rompel: 00:04:51

And when you think of it, at least from my standpoint, like a biological level, it makes sense because it's a lot of the same root causes, but also there are some genetics involved with anxiety, too.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:02

And so with anxiety, we, of course, want to make sure that we're correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:08

Getting rid of any candida or parasites is very important.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:10

But then also genetics are involved.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:12

Like, there's certain genes.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:14

One in particular.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:15

Well, there's two.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:17

I have a couple favorites, but one is called Cont.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:20

This gene, its job is to metabolize out your brain neurotransmitters.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:25

And so for those of us, I'm one of them that has a very slow comt gene.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:30

This is dubbed, like, the worrier gene.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:32

It gives us anxiety because we are more prone to being like, overall abundance of neurotransmitters.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:37

We're amped, we're anxious.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:38

And so this blanket diagnosis of a dopamine deficiency for ADHD doesn't always show on the test.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:48

I have a lot of people, including, like, myself, that we're more prone to an overabundance of neurotransmitters, which can make us very anxious, and that then in turn, can make us out of focus.

Kelly Rompel: 00:05:58

And so with adhd, I want to make sure People are aware it doesn't look the same for any person ever.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:05

And I think that's one of the reasons why it's a spectrum disorder.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:08

Right.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:08

And I say that with quotes, but it doesn't look the same for anybody.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:13

And so what I see on genetics shows that there's many different underlying root causes.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:18

And the labs, of course, confirm that as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:21

So as far as anxiety, we want to get to the root cause, and that is a combination of doing the labs and genetics.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:27

But then we also want to ask ourselves some hard questions, too, because a lot of times if we sit with it and we ask why we're feeling the way we're feeling, our body will tell us.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:38

And a lot of times, and if you're one of those people that's like, you have no idea.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:42

You're like, I'm not stressed.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:44

I don't know why I have anxiety.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:45

Just comes from nowhere.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:47

Those are the people.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:47

I'm like, we need labs and we need genetics.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:50

But some other people are like, well, I'm a really toxic relationship.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:54

I hate my job.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:55

My kids are all young.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:56

I'm a single.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:57

Or I'm a single mom.

Kelly Rompel: 00:06:58

And I'm like, okay, well, that gives me anxiety just listening to it.

Kelly Rompel: 00:07:02

Whether it's emotional or whether it's biochemical, we have to look at all of it.

Host: 00:07:07

Yeah.

Host: 00:07:08

It's so interesting, isn't it, that we're looking at the full picture, because like you say with the epigenetics, that if we've got the gene and our life is super stressful, then it's going to really exacerbate things.

Host: 00:07:22

But then I've noticed myself and other people who have a prone to anxiety when we change our lifestyle, when we tweak our habits, when we really, like, switch things up from a holistic perspective, the anxiety is not all encompassing.

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It's not as debilitating.

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It's there and we can see it and we can notice where the triggers are.

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But it's not like this big clouds that just kind of encapsulates everything which.

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Which I've had.

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But also, you know, I wonder.

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There's different chapters of our life.

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Like when we've got super young kids, I found that a very anxious part of my life.

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Because you're in control of, like, lots of small kids.

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If you're in control of, like, having to keep them alive and safe.

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Yeah.

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And that hypervigilance that we feel as ADHD is, I think, is much more profound.

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Does that feed you notice that, like, the hyper vigilance Is there a gene for hyper vigilance?

Host: 00:08:20

Is that ever been noticed before?

Kelly Rompel: 00:08:23

Yeah, there are definitely some genes that play a role in that as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:08:28

And there's other ones, I mean, beside the CMT that I talked about.

Kelly Rompel: 00:08:31

MTHFR gene plays a role with this too.

Kelly Rompel: 00:08:34

And also there's a gene called the GAD genes, G A D GAD genes and they cause us to be more prone to anxiety with certain glutamic acid containing foods.

Kelly Rompel: 00:08:45

So some protein powder, like soy protein powders, even like the msg.

Kelly Rompel: 00:08:54

So when you have certain genetic makeup, and this is why it's so nice to know this stuff, is because if you're eating certain foods and you notice you're brain fogged or you're anxious or you can't sleep that evening, it could be that you have a variant of this GAD gene that's not allowing you to break down these glutamic acid containing foods into gaba, which is our natural relaxant.

Kelly Rompel: 00:09:17

And this is what like Xanax and Ativan and all these meds that the benzodiazepines that work on your, those work on GABA to increase GABA and keep it around longer.

Kelly Rompel: 00:09:26

And so if you're not able to make your own GABA and break it down from these foods, you're going to be more prone to a lot of anxiety.

Kelly Rompel: 00:09:35

And so just another reason why knowing genetics can be very helpful because it is about altering your diet in order to go along with your genetic makeup.

Host: 00:09:44

Yeah, I mean I hear a lot about GABA and ADHD and I again because I'm not an expert in this area.

Host: 00:09:52

Do you recommend people take a GABA supplement?

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Like what food would you recommend?

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Or do you have to go and get all the testing done to know if where the deficiency is or can we kind of take a bit of a guess and boost the gaba?

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:05

Yeah, so you can.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:07

I've had lots of people in the past before I even offered testing.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:11

I've been doing health consulting for a long time and.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:14

But I wouldn't even offer testing when I first started and I would have people try things like gaba and it is effective for a lot of people if that's the cause of the anxiety.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:23

And so that's where the labs are nice to kind of know where some of these deficiencies and things are.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:29

But if you were to guess GABA is a great supplement, I mean, of course I'm not telling anybody to go take it, you know, because I can't give you advice without knowing your situation.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:37

But yes, it's out there.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:38

You can take it over the counter and see if that helps you.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:41

Other ways to increase GABA, naturally is by doing yoga is actually proven to improve your GABA levels as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:49

But then there's other supplements over the counter like that work on your serotonin.

Kelly Rompel: 00:10:53

So by improving serotonin, like 5 HTP is one of those, you don't want to take that if you're taking antidepressants or anything else that increases serotonin because there is a chance of having too much serotonin.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:04

That's, that's a risk.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:06

And so, but if you're not taking any of those, any of those medications, 5 HTP can boost serotonin.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:12

And when you boost serotonin, you boost melatonin too, for more better sleep.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:16

So there are, those are just, just two examples.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:19

But there's a lot of different supplements we can try over the counter during pms.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:25

I hear this a lot.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:27

Saffron.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:28

Saffron is a really good supplement as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:31

It actually outdid antidepressants in studies.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:36

So that's also another great one that might want to try, especially for the premenstrual time where we feel like everyone is annoying and we're very irritable and depressed and moody.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:48

So I just want to throw that.

Host: 00:11:49

Out there also for perimenopausal symptoms as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:53

Yes.

Host: 00:11:53

Okay, perfect.

Host: 00:11:55

What do you think of L Theanine?

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:57

L Theanine I absolutely love.

Kelly Rompel: 00:11:59

I take L Theanine every single day.

Kelly Rompel: 00:12:01

I also drink green tea, which has L Theanine in it as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:12:05

That is a fantastic supplement for calm focus.

Kelly Rompel: 00:12:09

And so when I have a lot of, like I said, ADHD and anxiety combined clients, and that is one of the best supplements for them because that calm focus is so beneficial.

Host: 00:12:19

Oh, fantastic.

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I take it as well and I love it.

Host: 00:12:22

I mean, so if, if someone's listening right now and they are on a budget and they, they really want to help themselves with some supplements, do you have like a top five supplements?

Host: 00:12:32

If they need to go into their local health food store and say, I'm going to try this, you know, their experience anxiety, they experience sleep issues, focus issues, you know, the typical ADHD symptoms, they don't want to take medication or they've tried medication and they are wanting to boost it more holistically, what, what would you say sort of supplement wise is a good place to start?

Kelly Rompel: 00:12:54

Yeah, absolutely.

Kelly Rompel: 00:12:55

Great question.

Kelly Rompel: 00:12:56

So always a great multivitamin and with that has selenium in it, is a Great option.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:03

But also B vitamins are very a good B complex.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:08

I see a lot of deficiencies in the B vitamins and that directly affects mood, focus and energy and metabolism.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:13

So B vitamins, omega 3s, I like omega 3s.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:17

With DHA and EPA, I can see what genetics that a lot of people require.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:21

EPA and dha, they don't break down plant based omegas as well.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:25

So Omega 3 magnesium, this one's huge.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:29

So many deficiencies in the area of magnesium.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:31

And I specifically like magnesium glycinate.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:34

That one crosses the blood brain barrier.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:37

That's the formulation of magnesium that I prefer.

Kelly Rompel: 00:13:40

And vitamin D, those are kind of the baseline ones that pretty much every, I'm not, I shouldn't say everyone, but those are the baseline ones that I recommend if someone wants to just get started on some good supplements.

Host: 00:13:51

That's so helpful.

Host: 00:13:53

Thank you.

Host: 00:13:53

And with the vitamin D or the vitamin D, if even if you live in a sunny climate, you still need it, or would you say everybody needs vitamin D?

Host: 00:14:02

Yeah.

Kelly Rompel: 00:14:02

So you'd be surprised.

Kelly Rompel: 00:14:03

I, with genetic testing, I can see some people do not convert vitamin D very well from sunlight.

Kelly Rompel: 00:14:09

So I can't say everybody, but man, I, most people could use some additional vitamin D.

Kelly Rompel: 00:14:16

I myself take 5,000 international units every single day.

Host: 00:14:20

Okay.

Host: 00:14:21

Wow.

Host: 00:14:21

I mean it's, it's, it's so empowering to know that we have got options.

Host: 00:14:26

And I know, you know, we were just talking before we started and you are obviously a pharmacist, so you know, medication like the back of your hand and you understand the benefits and you really do kind of see how life changing medication could be, especially, you know, if it's depression, anxiety, adhd.

Host: 00:14:42

I know that there's a lot of people who really find their medication very beneficial, but there's some people, again, when we've got very sort of sensitive makeups, we try the medication.

Host: 00:14:52

It does help to a degree, but the, the cons outweigh the benefits.

Host: 00:14:58

You know how we feel, whether it's the headaches, whether it's the lack of appetite, you know how we feel when we have that dip.

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And some people just go, you know what, it's just not worth it.

Host: 00:15:09

What kind of work do you do that?

Host: 00:15:11

And actually, just before you answer, can you see on the genet what medication can help people like non stimulant stimulant?

Host: 00:15:20

Because that for me would be groundbreaking.

Kelly Rompel: 00:15:23

Yeah.

Kelly Rompel: 00:15:24

So there is a section in the genetics that I look at in particular for my ADHD clients that come to me that say like you know, I tried stimulants, but they make me very aggressive and they make me irritable.

Kelly Rompel: 00:15:36

A lot of times they will have that comt gene that I was talking about.

Kelly Rompel: 00:15:41

A lot of times they will have the slow comt where I mean, they already have an overabundance, potentially of neurotransmitters.

Kelly Rompel: 00:15:48

And then you throw a stimulant on top of that and bam, they're even more aggressive, they're more irritable, they're more anxious.

Kelly Rompel: 00:15:53

And so, yes, I can see with genetics, like, you might be better off getting more of a central nervous system sedating medication, a calming medication versus a stimulant.

Kelly Rompel: 00:16:04

Some people do better on calming meds.

Host: 00:16:06

Like what?

Host: 00:16:07

What would you recommend?

Host: 00:16:08

What's a calming med compared to a stimulant?

Kelly Rompel: 00:16:12

Well, there's over.

Kelly Rompel: 00:16:13

I mean, I was talking kind of prescription.

Kelly Rompel: 00:16:15

Guanfacine is a very common calming medication that people will try that if they've tried stimulants and it doesn't work for them, they'll go the other route and try a calamine med like guanfacine.

Host: 00:16:27

Okay, fantastic.

Host: 00:16:31

So I hope you enjoyed listening to this shorter episode of the ADHD Women's Wellbeing podcast, called it the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Wisdom.

Host: 00:16:39

Because I believe there's so much wisdom in the guests that I have on and their insights.

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So sometimes we just need that little bit of a reminder.

Host: 00:16:48

And I hope that has helped you today and look forward to seeing you back on the brand new episode on Thursday.

Host: 00:16:54

Have a good rest of your week.