I write to you because I am having problems with the Zone’s fish oil. I am giving our son Ernesto, whom suffers of ADHD, a dosage of 16 grams per day (one ounce.) The major problems we are encountering are the smell when he perspires and the fact that he continually burps fish oil throughout the day. Do you have any recommendations for us to follow? Ernesto is about to turn 13 in March. Also, can you suggest a method to administer it an reduce the terrible taste?

[quote:6317333424="Ernesto_T_Green"]I write to you because I am having problems with the Zone’s fish oil. I am giving our son Ernesto, whom suffers of ADHD, a dosage of 16 grams per day (one ounce.) The major problems we are encountering are the smell when he perspires and the fact that he continually burps fish oil throughout the day. Do you have any recommendations for us to follow? Ernesto is about to turn 13 in March. Also, can you suggest a method to administer it an reduce the terrible taste?[/quote:6317333424] 16 grams is an extremely high dose for a child. If you have not already done so, I would recommend that you have your son tested for the AA/EPA ratio to see if that dose is proper. I have been taking a large dose myself for years, and I recently had my AA/EPA ratio retested and found that my AA had dropped in half and my PGFO dose should also drop in half. Taking more than needed could indeed cause the problems you describe.

Thank you, Dennis. I agree with you that it's a very high dose (and very expensive.) However, this is what Dr. Sears recommends for children with ADHD. I would very much like to have my family's AA/EPA ratio checked. However, I am at a loss as where to do it. Can you recommend a clinic that does this? I live in Boerne, TX (near San Antonio.) Thanks again for your response...

There are a couple option for obtaining an AA/EPA test. You can order through www.yourfuturehealth.com. where they will refer you to a blood drawing location near you. Price is $285. You can order through www.omega3testing.com. There is a draw location in San Antonio and the price is comparable to Your Future Health, but if you can get to their Houston location, its $100 cheaper ($188). You can ask your physician to set up an account with Nutrasource Diagnostics at 519-824-4120 x 58817, which is less expensive than going through one of the ordering sites above.

I'm currently preparing to put both myself and my son on the Zone diet and give him fish oil since he is ADD. I read a couple of Daniel Amens books and he recommends 1,000 - 2,000mg of fish oil a day. He has a fascinating book titled, "Healing ADD". Hope this helps, no 13 year old wants to smell like fish.

My son, a 14 year old, has ADD and has been on Dr Sears OmegaRx concentrate since September. The results have been amazing for us. He takes a tablespoon a day mixed in a Zone Chocolate Shake with a capful of seahealth and a teaspoon of olive oil.. He loves it and whats more amazing is he takes it on his own -- I never have to remind him which in itself is a miracle.

He does this every morning, no aftertaste, no smell.

The results -- for the first time ever his last report card was high honors. He struggles with math and anything that requires focus so this made us believers.

Keep in mind though that every person is different and what works for one may not work for another without some fine tuning.

Hi,

I'd suggest you call Zone Labs to ask how to resolve the fishy smell problem. My son has taken high dose Omega RX for his ADD since age 15 (is now 21). His has been a great success story. He didn't experience the side effects that Ernesto is, so I can't offer any help there.

Just wanted to let you know it's well worth it, so don't give up based on the fishy smelling perspiration. There's probably some way to resolve it.

Best wishes to Ernesto!

sue

I realize this post is a few years old, however I have a question as I am just starting to explore this with my son who is 6yrs old and as ADHD. I also read that Dr. Amen reccomends 2,500mg. Where as Dr. Sears reccomends 2tablespoons of his liquid Omega RX or 15 - 18 grams of EPA/DHA. In the pill form my son would be swallowing way to many pills for his little body! Right now I have him swallowing 6 pills per day which is only netting him 2400mg EPA /1200mg DHA (different brand medical grade fish oil than the zone brand). According to Dr. Spears he needs 5400mg EPA/2700mg DHA. I found the best route was to order the liquid form and give him 2 tablespoons. 2 bottles would last us 1 month. However, 5400mg is only 5.4 grams. So I am confused about him saying 15-18 grams of EPA/DHA.

So my question is what dosage have you found works best for your child? I see Sue said her son is taking 1 tablespoon. Did you start him off with 2 tablespoons?

Also we are slowly changing over to the Zone diet. I have to learn how to do it and that is proving challenging. I am familiar with low carb ie. Atkins and South Beach and we pretty much eat that way to begin with. One thing my son loves is white rice. That is going to prove to be challenging. How can I balance white rice with other foods to make it something he can eat? Is that even possible?!!! I understand that when you eating according to the zone guidelines and stay in the zone you can reduce from 2 TB to 1 TB correct! Thanks in advanced. Newbie here looking for guidance!

Jacquelyn

Hi Jacquelyn,

Yes, my son began with 2T. Dr Sears helped us with his dosage at the time. He had my son begin with 2 tsp., increase to 4 tsp at the end of the first week, and then increase to 2T at the end of the second week. So by the end of his first 2 weeks on fish oil he was at the 2T dose. My son was also eating the Zone diet. For the result, it's very important to reduce insulin levels while simultaneously providing the needed amount of EPA and DHA. Everyone's different. Whether or not your son will need to stay at 2T or be able to reduce it a little, will depend on the way his body works. Dr Sears had told me the reason such high doses of fish oil are needed for people with ADD and ADHD is that their bodies degrade fish oil quickly. In other words they need to ingest a lot more fish oil than the average person in order to maintain the same levels of AA and EPA that others can maintain on much smaller doses.

Rice is not going to be working in his favor. It's best kept to very small amounts.

Fish oil has been amazing for everyone at our house. BTW, my son is graduating from college in a few months! It's a huge accomplishment for him and I honestly don't know if he could have accomplished it without Omega Rx.

I wish you and your son all the best. Keep us updated!

Congrats on your son! How wonderful you must feel to be a part of his success! Fortunately, my son does not have a problem in school. In fact he is in first grade but doing work 2-3 grades ahead and attends a gifted school. He does well school wise, his problems are more impusivity and social type behavioral skills. We have been doing fish oil already but i only recently made the jump to the larger dosages. Using the Omega RX will of course make this easier for us because it is liquid. This morning my son swallowed literally a handful of pills while we wait for our delivery of the liquid form. I am ordering it 2 bottles / per month to cover the entire month on the auto refill. But I do notice a big difference with the larger dosage.

I am just confused based upon what Dr. Amen says compared to what Dr. Sears says. However, I also believe Dr. Amen's reccomendation is based upon children taking stimulates and the min. dosage for them. At least that is what I get from reading his books. He is very pro stimulants. He rec. 2500mg. 2.5 g. All other studies I have read reccomend 10,500mg / 10.5 grams which is equal to 2 Tablespoons of Dr. Spears liquid. I think I miss spoke in my previous post. I said 5400mg EPA/2700mg DHA this is 1 Tablespoon. I wanted to make sure I stated this because there are so many people who lurk and read but never post.

In general we do follow a very high protien, high fiber low (simple) carb diet. With the exception of once a week white rice for my son. BUT I do balance the rice with a portion of protien equal in size to the rice and plenty of fiber in the form of a green salad, broccoli etc. I thought in the Zone you could also balance the carbs with fiber for a lower GI? no? either way... yes I know white rice is the worst of the worst except for maybe a bowl of sugar right? LOL! I have a lot of reading to do about the Zone. I only have his book about the Omega RX. I think somewhere in my stash of books in the garage I have a copy of the Zone 1st book. I find the diet somewhat confusing but it is also because I have a hard time following the book. If some just told me what to make each meal I would be a happy person!

Speaking of which do you mind me asking what types of lunches you use to prepare for your son? Also, aren't the low carb breads and the wheat fiber enriched pastas okay on this diet balanced with protien and more fiber of course. My son and I may have to start out with a modified zone diet until I get the hang of it. Great pictures in your link BTW! Presentation is beautiful and they look yummy!

Thanks!

The dosages recommended by Barry Sears are those that were found to be effective in clinical studies done with ADHD kids. It's my understanding the EPA/DHA ratio of Zone Labs' fish oil is the one that has been most used in clinical studies of all kinds using fish oil.

Pardon me if I'm misunderstood you, but adding fiber to unfavorable carb to lessen the effects of unfavorable carb in blood sugar is not a technique used in the Zone. I don't think it would work. You'll gain a better understanding the role of fiber in the diet once you read a Zone book.

A bowl of rice would not be zone balanced by adding an equal amount of protein and fiber rich veggies. Rice is unfavorable carb. Unfavorable carb is used as a condiment in the Zone and should represent no more than 25% of all the carb in a meal. A 6 yr old child usually eats about 2 blocks of protein at a meal. This would be balanced with 2 blocks of carb and 2 blocks of fat. If you were to use rice, 1/2 block of rice would be the maximum in a 2 block meal. One block of rice is 1/5 cup. 1/2 block of rice is 1/10 cup (about a good rounded teaspoon!).

A high protein diet is not necessarily going to help. The Zone is protein sufficient, but you only eat the amount of protein you need and no more. Too much dietary protein will not allow you to keep insulin in the ranges of the Zone.

ZONE MEALS IN SECONDS has a chapter on kids in the Zone, and has great meal and snack suggestions. For lunch at school, my son ate salads with deli meat and some fruit (he’s loved salads from about the age of 4, and still does!), carrots and low fat cheese, deli meat , veggie sticks and salad dressing dip, cold cooked low fat chicken sausages and fruit, tuna mixed with canola oil mayo, etc. At home he’d eat just as we do (like the meals in my album). The fruits my kids ate most were strawberries, blueberries, grapes, oranges and apples. My oldest daughter loved hardboiled egg whites when she was that age.

Sue,

I have a quick question for you. My son starting taking the Zone Brand of Fish oil today. 2TB dosage. and how do I say thi politely...... when he used the restroom..... phewwwww! Why does this bran smell so bad coming out the other end. His stools were not loose but he did complain of an oily feeling. I know to much information... sorry. But you have a child who has been taking this successfully for a long time. I am sure you have seen it all by now. Perhaps tomorrow we will cut back to 1TB. He has been taking fish oils all along so I did not think the transistion would be affect his body in anyway. He is also doing really well eating zone meals this week. No complaints!

Thanks!

Jacquelyn

Hi Jacquelyn!


You're welcome! Great that he likes the meals! Maintaining insulin control together with taking fish oil works wonders.

Zone fish oil is powerful stuff. He may not have been taking the same concentration in the other fish oils. I'd hold off on fish oil for a few days to a week (this is what Dr. Sears has had us do). Fish oil has a long half life so you will need to wait a bit before giving him more. It may not be as necessary for him to wait a few days as for others to wait, considering that the bodies of ADHD kids degrade fish oil pretty quickly, but I'd err on the side of waiting too long rather than starting too soon and having him go through another negative experience. Then begin as I explained earlier, 2 tsp for the first week, 4 tsp for the next week then finally get to 2T as he starts the third week.

As for the oily part of the experience, it can usually be eliminated by taking the fish oil with Sea Health Plus (SHP). SHP emulsifies fish oil for better absorption. Doing the gradual dosage increase over 2 weeks time might help with that, too.

Don't give up on it. If my suggestions don't help, you can always get more help from Zone Labs (call a phone rep, do a live chat, or send a question through the wellness support link in Contact Us, below).

You might have read about my son's history here, in my older posts. His results were amazing. And not just with school and his ADD. By the beginning of the 4th week, his skin was like a baby's skin, soft beautiful skin, when previously is had been heavily covered with breakouts everywhere for several years (he began fish oil as age 15). He'd probably be embarrassed if he knew I was writing this part, but here goes. For his triennial Special Ed testing in 10th grade, I purposely kept him off fish oil for 6 weeks prior. He was doing so well that I didn't want him to lose services he needed because of the effects of the fish oil (pubic school, following state and federal funding testing criteria for sp. ed., and he was becoming borderline). Anyway, He was also learning to drive at the time. By three weeks into withholding his fish oil he was pleading with me to let him start taking it again. He said he was noticing he wasn't able to drive as well without it. One time he blurted out "Mom, It's my power!" In the end, he did retain services at school.

Please keep us updated!

can usually be eliminated by taking the fish oil with Sea Health Plus (SHP). SHP emulsifies fish oil for better absorption

Ahhhhh, okay. I will check that out. We will start with the 2TS over the weekend. Tomorrow I will give him nothing. My son ususally can stomach anything so I was pretty surprised. I notice the quality of the oil right off the bat. It looks really good!

Sounds like a good plan. Let me know how it goes. In case you haven't seen it, I jsut added another paragraph to my previous post.