The only way to cure an illness is to treat the cause of the illness – ADHD is no exception.

People with excess adrenaline often suffer from frequent headaches. Adrenaline can give rise to muscle tension in different areas of the body. When the tension is localized to the neck—not an uncommon place to feel tension—it can cause traction headaches, also known as tension headaches.  One type of traction headache, called occipital neuritis, is often mistaken for a migraine headache because the pain can be severe. However, a migraine is characterized by a pulsating type of pain, while the pain of occipital neuritis is piercing. It arises at the base of the skull on one side or the other and...

Adrenal fatigue is a diagnosis used mostly in alternative medicine, usually among naturopathic physicians. The diagnosis is based on the theory that the adrenal gland, if underfunctioning, can fail to produce sufficient quantities of cortisol. Treatment often involves prescribing cortisol in addition to addressing diet, timing of eating, and amount of rest. I have two concerns about this diagnosis and its treatment. First, adrenal fatigue may actually be adrenaline dominance, a condition of adrenal overfunctioning rather than underfunctioning. Second, prescribing cortisol for a condition possibly already associated with a high cortisol level may have unintended consequences. Cortisol, if given inappropriately,...

Surprisingly, fibromyalgia is considered a condition that has no known cause, and a condition that is incurable.