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Andrew Huberman
Ph.D.
Andrew Huberman’s ADHD Protocol
Ever been told you have ADHD? If you have difficulty sustaining attention, impulsivity, and high emotionality it’s possible that you do. Andrew Huberman’s ADHD protocol relies on maintaining high levels of dopamine to manage ADHD.
Improving Focus
Here are some practical tips for using the dopamine system to focus if you have ADHD:
- Expand Your Visual Field: Practice consciously dilating your gaze to take in more of your surroundings. This can help mitigate hyper-focus on a single point.
- Meditation: Engaging in a 17-minute meditation session can rewire internal circuitry, promoting better focus.
- Blinking: Blinking resets your perception of time, as the rate of blinking is controlled by dopamine. This simple action can help modulate your focus and perception.
- Fidget Tools: Using tools like a fidget spinner can provide a tactile way to manage attention.
Pharmaceutical Treatments
It is important to combine medications with behavioral tools to train the brain's circuits and taper off drug use over time. Pharmaceutical treatments for ADHD include the following:
- Ritalin and Adderall: These drugs work by increasing dopamine levels, thereby enhancing focus.
- Modafinil and Armodafinil: These weak dopamine reuptake inhibitors can aid in focus.
- Racetams: These compounds interact with the cholinergic system, enhancing cognitive capacity.
Non-Pharmaceutical Treatments
Non-pharmaceutical treatments can be used in place of or alongside traditional medications to enhance focus. Some effective strategies include:
- Omega-3 Supplements: Above 300mg per day of DHA can positively influence attention pathways.
- Phosphatidylserine: At 200mg per day in children, this supplement can improve ADHD symptoms when used with traditional drugs.
- L-Tyrosine: This amino acid boosts dopamine levels, though dosing can be tricky.
- PEA: This is another dopamine stimulating supplement.
- Alpha GPC: This substance is also naturally produced by the body and increases acetylcholine transmission which increases focus or cognition.
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): This non-invasive tool can modulate brain activity, though its precision is still evolving.
Food, Nutrition, and Attention
Diet plays a significant role in managing ADHD symptoms. Here are some guidelines:
- Avoid simple sugars: Individuals with ADHD often crave sugary foods that temporarily boost dopamine levels. However, it's best to avoid sugar due to its harmful health effects.
- Omega-3: Since this has been shown to have modest improvements in focus, it’s good to have an omega 3 rich diet which includes having seafood (especially cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines), and lots of nuts and seeds (such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts).
- Elimination diets: Although the evidence to support elimination diets is controversial, it’s still worth exploring potential food allergies that could be contributing to ADHD symptoms by cutting out common food allergens for a few days and reintroducing them systematically to see which one may be aggravating symptoms.
Andrew Huberman's ADHD protocol offers a comprehensive approach to managing and improving focus. Whether through diet, supplements, behavioral tools, or medication, there are multiple pathways to managing ADHD.