Swallowing Advice

The most common reason for the failure of NeuroNeeds® products is an inability to get a child to take the products. There are some tricks that are given below, but in general, treatments are oral. If you cannot get your child to take treatments by mouth, almost all therapies are going to be excluded, and your child is unlikely to improve.

Powders can be mixed in any liquid and diluted to any amount. You can add powder to a small amount of liquid and give by syringe into the mouth, or in a large amount of liquid such that the product can barely be tasted. Also, you can also start with a very small amount of powder and work up gradually. This is often helpful in developing tolerance in mast cell conditions, such as MCAS. Our products can be mixed in semi-solids, such as applesauce, yogurt, or smoothies. Try hot and cold temperatures, but do not cook the products.

In order to mask the taste, some of the flavors that are most successful are the strongest ones. Concentrated dark chocolate, in particular, can often hide any medication or supplement. Dark chocolate contains strong antioxidants, so don’t feel guilty about giving it to your child. Another option, grenadine has a strong cherry flavor. These options are often successful in getting children that cannot swallow capsules to take QNeeds® and OmegaNeeds®. Cut the end off of the capsules, squeeze out the oil, and flavor to taste. All NeuroNeeds® products can be mixed together.

Furthermore, if the child simply does not like the taste of SpectrumNeeds® powder, unflavored EnergyNeeds® capsules can be substituted. Open the capsules and flavor it to taste.

Finally, it might be time to encourage your child to swallow capsules. Most elementary school children can do this, although they may think that they cannot. By age 10 years, most children should be able to swallow capsules. Start with small capsules. One product that can help children to swallow is an Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup®.

If the problem is that an adolescent or young adult simply forgets to take the products, suggest that they keep the containers next to their toothbrush to remind them to take it when they wake up and when they go to bed. Setting an alarm on their phone can also help. Prefilling a weekly pillbox can help in busy mornings.