Holistic Kid Care
By Carmela D'Amico
Nurturing and optimizing
the well being of children can be a challenging task in a society
of junk food and video games, corporate sponsors and overflowing
schools, violent media and savvy advertising.
Unless we are living in rural isolation, we frequently must find
creative ways to protect young developing minds and bodies from
external pressures and potential harm. We can't hope to exert
very much-if any-control over society. What we can do, though,
is help to prepare the child to meet the challenges he or she
inevitably faces.
Two crucial things that we, as parents, do have some control over
is what our children eat and how to treat their illnesses. A healthy
mind depends on a healthy body. And, of course, a healthy body
depends on well-balanced nutrition.
Parents who adhere to the basic guidelines of the FDA's Food Pyramid
may think they're providing children with the balanced nutrition
they require. However, unless there's a conscious effort to choose
organic foods, the pesticides, preservatives, hormones, anti-biotics
and food dyes found in conventional food products will interfere
with the absorption of nutrition and cause excess stress on the
immune system.
The organization Californians for Pesticide Reform points to the
dramatic upswing in children's asthma as a case in point. Approximately
4.8 million children in the U.S. under the age of 18 have asthma
(the most common chronic illness in children, according to the
organization) which suggests that numerous scientific studies
link this disease to increased pesticide exposure. The fact that
respiratory disease (in general) accounts for more than half of
all childhood illness suggests that attention must be paid to
this strong feasibility.
The Environmental Protection Agency considers 30% of all insecticides,
60% of all herbicides and 90% of all fungicides to be carcinogenic,
yet for political and financial reasons, they're still being
sprayed on our foods as though they're safe.
Processed foods, refined flours, deep-fried items and soda pop
are all extremely debilitating to the immune system of a growing
child. Juvenile diabetes and obesity in children under 12 are
at an all-time high, and both are the result of diets comprised
primarily of such foods. Many childhood illnesses that are neurological
in nature-such as ADD/ADHD, Autism, ODD, Dyslexia, Tourette's
syndrome-are also on the rise and these, too, can often be traced
to faulty nutrition (and vaccinesthat's another story).
Conventional medicine fails to emphasize the necessity of supporting
a child's immune system in a manner that is preventive against
the onslaught of disease. In Western medicine, the focus lies
on remedying the symptoms-rather than the underlying cause(s)-of
an illness when they occur. Routinely, many children with infectious
and chronic conditions are prescribed antibiotics which, when
taken in such an excessive manner, tend to cause more problems
than they solve. It is in response to this ongoing cycle of recurring
illness in children that leads many frustrated parents to holistic
healing. Fortunately, this also is what often leads to a child's
regained health.
When a child is brought to a naturopathic doctor, diet is an essential
focus-along with other environmental and external factors- to
determine the cause of the child's symptoms and form a diagnosis.
Even if the diet is properly balanced and primarily consists of
whole and organic foods, allergies to certain foods may upset
the body's balance and its ability to assimilate vitamins and
minerals. In general, natural medicine theories emphasize a whole-foods
diet as a first step toward achieving vibrant health.
Naturopathic Pediatric Care
"Our goal when treating any given illness, is to balance
the immune system so the body can begin to heal itself,"
says Afia Menke. She and Tami Taylor are Naturopathic Physicians
and primary caregivers at The Cottage Clinic, a Northgate clinic
specializing in health care issues specific to women and children.
"The first doctrine is to find the cause(s). Why does this
child present this complex of symptoms?" Menke asks.
By observing the interaction between the mother and child (especially
important in children under two), asking numerous lifestyle questions
regarding diet and daily habits, and conducting whatever diagnostic
tests she deems necessary, she attempts to determine those causes.
Once they are uncovered, a treatment-which may include herbs,
diet change, homeopathy, and/or nutritional supplements-is designed
to specifically address the individual needs of the child.
"One thing we do not practice here is 'recipe medicine.'
Every child who comes in with eczema, for example, does not get
[only one particular treatment]" Menke says. The cause of
eczema can vary from child to child. Certain potent steroid-based
creams, for example-normally prescribed by conventional medical
doctors-may temporarily soothe and clear a child's itchy eczema.
But unless what causes the child's skin to break out is determined
and alleviated, the eczema will resurface, and dependence on steroid
cream to manage the outbreaks results.
One general suggestion Menke almost always mentions to parents-for
children older than two-is that their diet be supplemented with
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), also known as Omega 3, 6 & 9s.
The importance of EFAs in a child's diet cannot be underestimated:
They aid in immune function, regulate hormones, prevent allergies,
strengthen the heart, fortify neural pathways, and systemize the
activity of white blood cells. Cold-water fish oil & flaxseed
oil are the most potent sources of these beneficial nutrients.
They can flavorfully be added to a child's food. They can be found
in liquid form in the refrigerated section of your local natural
food store.
Pediatric Acupuncture
Eli Stahl is an acupuncturist who specializes in the holistic
treatment of children. At the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture
(NIAOM) pediatric clinic where Stahl practices part-time, the
complaints he addresses range from chronic colds to bedwetting,
upper respiratory problems, chronic ear-infection and asthma.
In addition to performing the acupuncture treatments, he often
recommends certain herbs to enhance their healing effects, and
offers specific nutritional advice.
It was during Stahl's training when he witnessed children's lives
change dramatically for the better that he became inspired to
specialize in pediatric care. One child in particular stands out
in his mind-a vivacious 4-year-old girl who had been written off
by doctors as incurably epileptic and who they felt would have
to remain heavily medicated for the rest of her life. Her parents,
refusing to accept this diagnosis and desperate for a cure, took
their daughter to Julian Scott, Stahl's mentor and teacher, to
try acupuncture treatments. Within a year of intensive therapy,
the child was gradually weaned off her medications and, last Stahl
heard, was functioning normally and happily.
Hyperactive children and children who have been diagnosed with
attention deficit disorder, also tend to respond successfully
to acupuncture treatments. Of those Stahl has treated "many
have shown significant improvement almost immediately, in the
form of calmness, sleep improvement and a heightened ability to
focus." Stahl prefers to see these patients twice a week
in the beginning stages. As symptoms improve and healing begins
to move along, treatment sessions taper, until Stahl considers
the patient cured and treatment ends altogether. This differs
greatly from the way ADD/ADHD is conventionally treated-by management
with Ritalin, a powerful stimulant, with effects that last only
as long as the drug is in the child's system.
The needles used in acupuncture are hair-thin and the sensation
virtually painless. But the idea of having any kind of needle
pierce the skin may frighten a child, so Stahl makes a point of
helping the children he treats feel relaxed. Once the first needle
is inserted and the child realizes it doesn't hurt, more often
than not the remainder of the treatment proceeds along peacefully.
But for the child who simply cannot get past the fear of needles,
Stahl uses acupressure, an effective method of relaxation that
in and of itself is beneficial to the healing of the body.
Network spinal analyses
Have you ever watched a four-year-old walk and then bend down
and pick up something? Effortless. Notice how their head is perfectly
upright and balanced-almost floating-on that little neck with
no slumped back and none of the lumps of knots around their shoulders
that so many of us wear. Although for many of us it may seem as
though tension held in our body is just some unfortunate twist
of fate-a part of getting older-it just is not the case.
Network spinal analyses is a form of chiropractic care that consists
of gentle touches to the spinal system, rather than forceful manipulations.
It encourages the nervous system and spine to realign on their
own, making it a more holistic approach to healing than that of
traditional chiropractic treatment.
Dick Shepard employs network spinal analyses to improve or maintain
the general well being of infants and children. The basic underlying
philosophy of NSA, he says, "is that over the course of our
lifetime, we store unresolved stresses in the nervous system and
the associated skeletal structure. This accumulated nervous system
stress affects our perception of reality. The majority of these
stressful experiences occur during infancy and childhood."
For example, an infant may feel severe panic over the perception
of being abandoned, even if left alone for just a few minutes
at a time. When the parent reappears to lift the infant from the
crib and cradle to comfort her, the panic subsides but those stressful
emotions-which the infant can't "think through" yet-remain
imbedded in the infant's perception of reality.
The natural fight-or-flight response that all human beings experience
during these times creates what Shepard calls a defense physiology.
Through the gentle touches of NSA, he says, the body can learn
to "drop out of this stressful state, wherein life is seen
as fundamentally unsafe and where, subconsciously, we feel consistently
under potential threat."
NSA is not a treatment that in and of itself can initiate a cure
for disease, but by "focusing on giving the body new strategies,"
healing can occur at a much faster rate. "The life perspective
widens once a body learns that it doesn't have to hold on to all
that stress. Consequently, the quality of life is improved,"
Shepard says. Or as is often the case with many children, NSA
enables them to maintain their health and alignment by dealing
with the energy rather than storing it in their bodies.
In Summary
One benefit of natural remedies is that they can be used safely
in tandem with conventional medicine, if necessary. For example,
the pediatric brochure for the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine (NIAOM) states that "acupuncture may
be an alternative to prescription medications or it may help your
child cope with the side effects of a required medication, immunization
or surgery."
The most important thing in regards to the health of your child
is to keep the child free from disease in the first place. This
is the object of preventative care. You can start by avoiding
antibiotics when possible, feeding them whole, nutritious foods
and employing the use of gentle herbs or other modalities to soothe
and heal their ailments and keep their immune system strong. Taking
them to see a naturopath for a wellness check-up is good place
to start.
The Cottage Clinic -206-510-2220
NIAOM-206-633-5581
Dick Shepard-206-525-4155