I have been working with children and teens for as long as I have been a practising naturopathic nutritionist and herbalist. What I can say I have observed in this time is that children and teens also hugely benefit from a whole-body approach to health care - and not just adults.
Basic Guidelines Go Along Way
I recently posted about how children and teens can be given some valuable guidelines for eating healthily, which will then serve them well into adulthood when they have moved out of home - helping them to stay healthy. This includes:
- Eating your greens
- Cutting out sugar
- Cutting out artificial additives
- Eating organic and free-range (the way nature intended!)
Having conversations on a regular basis about why these guidelines are important can really help kids feel connected to why they should be going for healthy food over processed food most of the time (I say 'most of the time' as progress is the aim here, not perfection!).
Common Health Issues for Kids & Teens
Some children struggle with their moods, and what is always important here is to ensure that, at the very least, children and teens are both getting enough magnesium; it is calming, and our soils are very deficient, so supplementation is often always needed.
Gut problems are becoming more common in children and teens; some common issues are over-prescription of antibiotics wiping out the good bacteria here, and/or consuming too much sugar regularly.
The attention spans of children and teens are also seemingly getting worse; whether too much screen time or another diagnosis such as ADHD is playing a role, ensuring both are getting enough omega 3 fish oil is important (and be sure to take one with high doses of EPA and DHA as most are quite low and may not be as effective).
Herbal Therapy for Children & Teens
Herbs also offer wonderful therapeutic support for most conditions children and teens come to see me with. So long as administered by a qualified herbalist and a thorough case history is taken - then herbs can work well alone and also in conjunction with other medications being prescribed as they are known as 'complementary' therefore complementing other approaches being taken at the same time.
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Do you have a child or teen that seems to be constantly getting sick, or do they have a named condition that you would like to explore using complementary therapies to manage such as herbal medicine and naturopathic nutrition? If this resonates, please email john@johnway.je and I will get back to you within 2 working days.