"My child is so restless at school. He can't sit still, has lots of conflicts with teachers and classmates and although he is very intelligent, his school grades are poor!" This is the typical statement of parents whose children stand out with a reduced attention span and a greater or lesser degree of hyperactivity. When these complaints become extreme, one speaks of ADHD - attention deficit and hyperactivity syndrome. Modern medicine very often resorts to medication (Ritalin) at an early stage, which has a high potential of side effects.

Children and adolescents today are exposed to multiple stimulants compared to the past: modern media, computer games, television, loud music, increasing speed of life. Many children and adolescents also no longer grow up in a protected family environment and have too few opportunities for motor activity through sufficient exercise.

Inner peace and good memory are connected

Ayurvedic medicine dates back to a time when people placed much more emphasis on daily rhythms and the alternation of rest and activity. These values, so inconspicuous at first sight, are of great importance for the development of memory and personality. Any attempt to teach children more inner peace and better memory must be based on these universally valid values.

Components for good memory

According to Vedic philosophy, good memory is made up of three components:

1. Dhi (= intellect, decision-making ability, receptivity), is responsible for absorbing new knowledge and analysing it for usefulness).

2. Dhriti (= ability to process absorbed knowledge and store it in an orderly manner)

3. Smriti (= ability to retrieve stored knowledge and use it meaningfully)

All three components of knowledge and memory depend on the body having ample energy and vital substances available and the mind having sufficient rest periods in which it is not challenged. From this point of view, it is clear that not only is active training of the mind important to attain good memory, but that the rest periods are at least as important as the active training.

Transcendental Meditation - proven helpful for memory and good school performance

School trains today's youth exclusively in the area of factual knowledge. Personality development and active regeneration come far too short. This often leads to poor school performance and a high propensity for conflict among at-risk students.

The David Lynch Foundation has funded the introduction of Transcendental Meditation to hundreds of schools in many countries around the world. In these schools, all students have the opportunity to practise transcendental meditation twice a day in their "silent time" under guidance.

Unfortunately, our school system is not yet flexible enough for such applications. My recommendation for all parents is to learn transcendental meditation with their school-age children at our House of Health and to practise it for fifteen minutes twice a day. Then you too can see in your family how inner peace, serenity and good school performance increase as if by themselves.

Ayurvedic herbal preparations

Maharishi Ayurveda also offers several proven herbal preparations to improve mental performance and inner peace:

MA674 Syrup: a tasty preparation for smaller and/or underweight children. The vital herbs contained strengthen mental abilities, improve sleep and support children in becoming more balanced.

MA724 Student Rasayana: These herbal tablets contain medicinal plants that strengthen all 3 qualities of good memory, while also helping to better deal with nervousness before and during exams and schoolwork. Many pupils and students also report that sleep disturbances before exams are a thing of the past with this remedy.

Almond energy drink: This basis for tasty drinks contains nerve-strengthening medicinal herbs in a quickly usable composition. The added dried sugar cane syrup transports the contained medicinal herbs directly into the nervous system and provides quickly available energy.

MA1401 Vata Balance Tablets: These herbal tablets contain the 4 traditional Ayurvedic medicinal herbs to promote memory in all 3 aspects (Dhi, Dhriti and Smriti) and at the same time medicinal herbs that nourish and calm the nervous system. This preparation can be used very well in cases of inner restlessness, nervousness, sleep disorders and in stressful situations.

Vital substances

Although children today do not have to suffer from a lack of nutrition, the analysis of blood values of sickly or nervous children often shows an extremely alarming lack of vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D deficiency is particularly widespread among children. Paediatricians recommend the administration of vitamin D only in the first year of life. In our climate zone, it is almost impossible to produce enough vitamin D in the skin or to take it in through food. This vitamin, which is so important for memory, nervous strength, good mood, immunity and performance, should be administered in professional doses to every schoolchild and adolescent. Many children also suffer from significant deficiencies in the B vitamins. There are 8 different B vitamins. In times of higher stress, Biogena's Viki juice is a reliable source of the most important B vitamins.

High-quality oils as important food

Few people are aware that the brain is largely made up of fat and that nerve cells can only regenerate well if the body has access to high-quality fats. In our modern industrial food, especially the so-called "Omega 3 fatty acids" are missing, while unfortunately low-quality fats such as palmitin strongly dominate. Children and adolescents should definitely add high-quality oils to their daily diet. It is easy to add a tablespoon of linseed oil, hemp oil or rapeseed oil daily to mueslis, soups, salads, mashed potatoes, vegetables or side dishes. Taking omega 3 can also serve this purpose.