The earliest reports of the value of Guarana came from a missionary called Bettendorf. In 1669 he wrote of the way in which the Indians used the plant to help them cope with the extreme heat, to carry them through long journeys, to suppress the appetite and to relieve headaches, fevers and cramps. It is useful for those who need to avoid caffeine and those with migraine or high blood pressure that feel like a light stimulant at sometime during the day. The Indians say that Guarana prevents and combats fatigue, stimulates brain function, aids concentration, relieves headache and menstrual pain, helps the body get rid of water, combats the discomfort of extreme heat, speeds recovery after illness and reduces appetite.

At the end of 1996 we had him tested at a Child Psychologist and he was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit - Hyperactive Disorder) and he was prescribed 10mg Ritalin (taken twice daily) and Tofranil 25mg. After a short period of time we had to take him off the Tofranil as he was getting chest pains and heart palpitations. Jody did not improve much at all. We then sent him for psychological therapy, also without any real benefit that we could see.

We started 1998 with trepidation as Jody was now in Grade 4 and two years behind his peers with no guarantee for the future. At the end of the 2nd term we removed Jody from a mainstream school and placed him in a school catering to the needs of ADHD children. His initial assessment placed him into Grade 5. He was still taking 10mg Ritalin twice daily, which has its own problems; loss of appetite -never eating breakfast and only eating the first time at 3pm each day, lowered resistance, mood swings and terrible headaches (including migraines).

In July 1998 we were introduced to an new range of incredible nutrition products. We started taking the Protein Drink and Fibre & Herb tablets, and of course, Jody did too. The first thing that we were delighted about was that Jody was now having a meal each morning and his weight started increasing. At the beginning of the 3rd term we decided to reduce the Ritalin to one per day and give Jody some Guarana in his shake each morning. We started seeing a slight difference but still the headaches continued. At the end of 1998, Jody was promoted to Grade 7 having skipped Grade 6 altogether.

The first term of 1999 was pretty much the same as the previous term and we wanted to ensure that he now had a fighting chance. We read everything that we could on nutrition products and started him on the Rose-Ox (an anti-oxidant to help eliminate all the build-up of toxins in his body).

At the end of the 2nd term, one week before the exams, we ran out of Ritalin. We made the best decision of Jody's life. We decided not to give him Ritalin any longer. We gave him a shake each morning of the exams with a full teaspoon of Guarana, plus he took a bottle of cold drink for break time with a full teaspoon Guarana. Well the results were outstanding. All him marks doubled. Even the school wanted to know what we were doing differently.

Jody will never take Ritalin again; the NRG will be his companion now. We have spoken to his teacher and for the first time since Jody started school she told us that there was no problems and that he would definitely be passing Grade 7 this year.

Suppliers:

Products containing Guarana are available from vitaminwellness.com