Improvements in sleep and handwriting after complementary medical intervention using acupuncture, applied kinesiology, and respiratory exercises in a nine-year-old ADHD patient on methylphenidate.

The case study reports on the effect of pharmacological, complementary, and alternative medicine including acupuncture, Applied Kinesiology, and respiratory exercises in a boy with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on methylphenidate. A nine-year-old male patient was referred to treatment with a three-year diagnosis of ADHD, sleeping troubles, and dissatisfaction with methylphenidate. Examination included Applied Kinesiology, the coachman׳s test, assessment of breathing pattern disorders, and traditional chinese medicine (TCM) diagnosis. Muscle weakness related to thoracic breathing was found in the coachman׳s test. Respiratory exercises, acupuncture with permanent needles, and Applied Kinesiology treatments were given. Within the first treatment, muscle function as assessed by the coachman׳s test normalized. After two treatments, sleep behavior improved rapidly, and with further treatments, handwriting was improving. Methylphenidate continues to be given. The results were stable after 15 months. A multimodal approach to ADHD integrating pharmacological treatment and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including Applied Kinesiology, breathing exercises, and acupuncture.