Back to School Checklist
Now’s a great time to take stock of your child’s health needs as they are about to settle back into their school routine. Ensuring your child gets the right nutrients so they can grow and thrive is at the forefront of any parent’s mind. All children need certain nutrients to thrive as they go through their stages of growth and development. But children are different and so their requirements for certain nutrients may differ if they experience some of the following common health issues.
School jitters
For many kids, going back to school is fun and exciting but for others who are more sensitive, it is a more challenging time as they experience anxiety and nervousness as a new routine is established and new relationships are formed. Given, last year was such a disrupted school year, anxiety may be a little heightened as children anticipate their back to school experience.
This is when we want to support and nourish their nervous system with nutrients such as magnesium, Lactium®, and chamomile. These calming nutrients work beautifully together to help comfort and soothe children. The magnesium and Lactium® feed the nervous system whilst chamomile is traditionally used to not only calm and soothe but also to reduce restlessness and irritability, help children fall asleep as well as relieve digestive complaints such as sore tummy’s as well as wind, bloating and burping.
Studies show that there is a link between our gut microbiome and our immune response. We know that 75-80% of our immunity resides in our gut and so supplementing with a probiotic is an important key to our treatment protocol.
School bugs
Often when children go back to School, Kinder or Day-Care it seems that in no time they’ve picked up a ‘bug’. So now’s the time to support their immune system and provide relief from the severity and the duration of the virus. Nutrients such as Echinacea, Elderberry, Olive leaf and Vitamin C help relieve the symptoms of colds and flu and help maintain a healthy immune system.
Elderberry has traditionally been used to relieve fever, as well as symptoms of colds and flu and is great for mucous congestion.
Learning and Concentration
Most children aren’t getting enough omega-3 essential fatty acids. Omega 3’s are mostly found in oily fish such as tuna and salmon, chia seeds, ground linseeds and walnuts. They are called ‘essential’ because we have to eat them, the body can’t make them like they can other fatty acids. Omega 3’s are important for our brain health – for learning, focus and concentration. Iodine is another nutrient that is implicated in maintaining a healthy brain and cognitive function.
Eczema
Atopic eczema is the most common type of eczema seen in children as it affects 10-20% of infants. It is an allergic and inflammatory condition of the skin.
Studies show that there is a link between our gut microbiome and our immune response. Supplementing with a probiotic that contains the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a core treatment for eczema. Omega-3 essential fatty acids are also great to use as they have an anti-inflammatory action on eczema. Other anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy herbs traditionally used are Baical skullcap, Licorice and Echinacea. Vitamin C and zinc are important immune and skin nutrients. Vitamin C helps to maintain healthy histamine levels. It also maintains healthy connective tissue and is essential for the formation of collagen – both of which support and maintain healthy skin.
Zinc also helps support and maintain healthy skin and a zinc deficiency is linked to the development of dermatitis.
Get the Best Advice from our Qualified Practitioners
If your child is needlessly suffering with symptoms as they go back to school it is the time to Book a Professional Naturopathy consultation. Our Naturopath, Anna Werner, has a special interest in working with children and their families and by working on their individual health needs and symptoms and your unique family circumstances, Anna experiences great success in addressing underlying causes and achieving optimal health and vitality for her younger patients so they can thrive as they grow, develop and learn.
The Mammoth Health Practitioner team has 3 consulting Naturopaths and an Acupuncturist who practises Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Consultations are available daily at our In-store Clinics. Book your Consultation Now
Because it’s Not a Rehearsal
Live Better
© 2021 Live Better Naturally Pty Ltd