Natural Health

Exercise

Have you ever had this experience? The kids come home from school or preschool bickering and annoying each other, poking and teasing, stirring and irritating. They are sullen, cranky and aggressive. They complain about the snacks you have prepared and just want to plonk in front of the TV, where they fidget, fight and frustrate each other. They refuse to do home- work, and are a pain all around.

I have had plenty over the years, I can tell you. I used to wonder why? Had I packed the wrong things for lunch, was it a full moon or was I stressed, distracted and cranky myself? I noticed though, that those days were more likely to happen if the weather was ordinary and the kids had not had a chance to run around outside. Think about it for a minute. Doing indoor activities for a full day drives you crazy and the kids even more so.

We all know the benefits of exercise, we hear about it every day:

Aerobic exercise helps:
• stronger muscles and bones
• weight management
• decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• can lower blood pressure
• can lower blood cholesterol levels

No surprises there. However, physical exercise is also needed for the brain to work as well as it can. 90% of stimulation to the brain comes from movement of the body. Movement of the body is what keeps the brain working.

Exercise also helps:
• concentration and focus
• listening skills
• memory
• stimulates new nerve cell growth (by increasing BDNF - brain derived neurotropic factor in the brain)
• depression, sleep disorders and ADHD

So how much exercise do kids need?

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that children over two years old need at least one hour of exercise every day. That is a lot, I hear you moan. To most of us exercise means lifting weights, riding an exercise bike at the gym or playing soccer on the weekend. That is all excellent, but exercise is so much more! Exercise is running around in the park, climbing the stairs to the slippery dip. Exercise is the walk to and from school. Exercise is swinging on the swing, somersaults on the grass, wrestling with dad and a pillow fight with the little brother. And the hour can be in several shorter bursts throughout the whole day.

In my practice I see a lot of kids who find it very difficult to concentrate and listen, who act like the rainy day kids all the time. Often these kids are not very coordinated and do not enjoy exercise or movement at all. They like to get their brain stimulation from TV, computer and technological games. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average child watches three hours of television per day! And the average kid spends five and a half hours a day on all screen media combined (TV, videos and DVDs, computer time outside of schoolwork, and video games). Is that your child???

Mike is an average kid like that who came to see me at my practice. He is a very intelligent four year old who often got into trouble at preschool. He had trouble sitting still and doing quiet tasks such as cutting and pasting and colouring in. His mother complained he was always cranky. She could not get him off the computer or the TV, he never wanted to do anything with the family as playing games or going to the park and he was not keen on playing with other kids either unless it involved the computer.

When we checked Mike, we found that he had a problem with his neck that meant that his neck did not move properly and the vestibular system in his brain wasn’t working well. This part of the brain tells us where we are in space, how fast we are moving and in what direction. Mike had been experiencing problems like that all his life, and had found ways to avoid stressing that system. It is no fun to be clumsy, bumping in to things and being off balance or dizzy all the time. We very gently and safely adjusted Mike to make his neck work better, to allow his brain to function better. We also gave him some fun exercises to do at home, to help the brain improve as quickly as possible: rolling on the floor as if he was a log, rocking in a rocking chair, swinging on a swing, spinning on a chair, doing somersaults, cartwheels and pirouettes. We spoke with Mum and Dad about limiting TV, computer and electronic game time to allow more time for play to stimulate the brain. One hour per day is optimum, and Mike himself should decide how and when to spend that hour. With time Mike improved out of sight: He started enjoying the company of his little friends more as he got more confident physically: running around playing, climbing, jumping etc. He communicated so much better with his friends now, and it made him much happier. His fine motor skills improved and he actually stared liking using scissors and pencils.

I love helping kids like that. It is such fun seeing them enjoying life to the fullest.

Back when my own kids were younger I stopped blaming myself for their poor behaviour on rainy days. I started to experiment with movement instead: I would walk to school to pick them up, bringing raincoats and gumboots, and walk them the long way home. I would take them to the beach and let them run wild and wet in the rain and the waves. Sometimes we would go straight to the indoor play centre and stay until their energy was all spent, after which we would go home and enjoy the rest of the afternoon together. Physical movement of the body will get the brain working, ready for learning, concentrating, remembering and feeling happy. Make sure your child’s body is moving well and enough, get some help from your paediatric chiropractor if need be, and enjoy their company so much more.

Baby Nutrition - Breastfeeding

It is true breastfeeding is the gold standard choice of nutrition for your baby. One of the most important things about breast milk is that it contains infection-fighting antibodies from the mother. Many studies have shown that breast-fed babies are believed to be at a reduced risk for acute and chronic infections early in life such as the dreaded gastro bug, ear infections, colds and those lingering coughs.

However the quality of the breast milk is directly related to the quality of mum’s diet.

Your diet when breastfeeding becomes even more important if one of the parents has allergies, hayfever, asthma or eczema. This means there is a much higher probability of your baby inheriting these conditions. Nutrition choices can diminish or exacerbate the problem, so making good choices right from the beginning is really important.

Some foods are best kept to a minimum when breastfeeding. Raw foods, spices, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, red and green peppers, onions and beans are all known to increase wind. So if your baby is colicky be sure to reduce or eliminate these foods.

Traces of caffeine, chocolate and alcohol can come through in the breast milk and impair baby’s sleep.

If your baby has asthma, eczema, diarrhoea, constipation, colic, catarrh, frequent infections, mood swings, skin rashes, headaches, hyperactivity, mouth ulcers, glue ear or runny nose it’s possible that wheat, dairy or citrus fruit in your diet could be the culprit.

What about if you’re not breastfeeding?

If you have not been able to breastfeed or have chosen not to, there are lots of great products on the market now. This means you can still give your baby a fantastic nutritional start in life. High quality formulas, supplementation and using the right bottles are all ways we can make positive choices.

Cows milk formulas often contribute to food intolerance, signs of which include skin rashes, eczema, colic, vomiting, poor sleep, wheezing and foul smelling frequent stools. For babies less than 3 months old select a whey dominant formula if opting for a cows milk formula since this is easier to digest. Soya milk formulas are also known to be likely to cause an allergy or intolerance and are not advisable for babies under 6 months.
Goats milk formula is a good choice for babies who show any signs of intolerance or have parents with those kind of health issues. The advantage of goats milk formula, is the composition is closer to human breast milk than cow’s milk is and the proteins are smaller and thus easier to break down and digest. This is especially important for a developing digestive system. Reducing the load on the digestive system in babies is very important and goats milk formula is a good choice, especially for those with eczema, a very common problem in babies.

Weaning

Weaning from a diet of just milk to solid foods should ideally start around 6 months and the foods introduced should be carefully thought out and monitored. In the beginning it’s just about taste and textures, with foods progressing in consistency as well as variety.

If your baby has started to feed every 2 hours for more than 5 days or he has been sleeping through and is now waking for feeds, then this is a sign that the milk supply is not meeting the demand. If you need to start weaning before 6 months (or you are following the advice of your pediatrician to wean early) then use the list below for the healthiest foods to get your baby started. If your baby shows no signs of needing to be weaned early then 5-6 months is the ideal time to start.

There can be problems with weaning too early and these include;
o Overworking the infant’s immature kidneys
o The digestive system is immature so most foods pass straight through
o Gaining weight too rapidly causing the baby to become overweight
o Certain foods introduced too early may trigger food allergies later in life due to the immaturity of the digestive system.
o Milk intake may be reduced too quickly

Your baby’s tummy needs to be treated with great respect. The nutrition your baby receives in utero through its first year of life will set the stage for that child’s ongoing health status right through to adulthood.

Weaning too late can also be a problem. A baby who is introduced late to foods may end up a very fussy eater and as a result forgo a variety of foods needed for a good cross section of nutrients. It’s important to progress consistently and reduce milk accordingly. If the milk is not reduced then an older baby may refuse to eat holding out for the milk they know is coming. Chewing and swallowing also encourages speech development.

The foods to be wary of when you start weaning are wheat, eggs, dairy, citrus fruit, peanuts, sesame seeds, shellfish, soya products and tomatoes. These foods should not be introduced before 12 months.

Symptoms that indicate your child is reacting to a food include – asthma, eczema, diarrhoea, constipation, colic, catarrh, frequent infections, mood swings, skin rashes, headaches, hyperactivity, mouth ulcers, glue ear and runny nose. Be sure to introduce new foods one at a time in order to identify any problem foods and if you suspect your child may be susceptible you might find it useful to keep a food diary to track symptoms.

Weaning Food List

4-5 months butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, parsnips, avocado, brown rice, apricots, potato, turnips

6 months broccoli, swede, green beans, peas, spinach, papaya, apples, pears, peaches, plums, mango, melon, oats, millet, quinoa, flax oil, banana.

8 months chicken, turkey, white fish, red lentils, mushrooms, buckwheat

10 months oily fish (mackerel, salmon, pilchards, sardines) lean red meat, black eye beans, brown lentils, pinto beans, chickpeas, mung beans, prunes, dried apricots, coconut

12 months yoghurt, rye, corn, barley, bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, cucumber, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapes, lychees, figs, dates

Not before 12 months

Wheat, eggs, dairy, citrus fruit, peanuts, sesame seeds, shellfish, soya products, tomatoes and honey.

It is important to avoid giving your baby any toxins especially in the first year of life. Unfortunately our fruit and vegetables do have pesticide and herbicide residues on them. Buying organic if possible is the best option. If the family budget does not quite extend to organic groceries then a tip is wash the fruit and vegetables in warm water with a little vinegar to remove the nasties.

Strawberries are in the top list of foods where pesticide residues are most frequently found but ironically are one of the healthiest foods you can give (once your baby is 1 and you have established he has no adverse reaction to them that is). As a mum there are so many things to think about with regard to our children’s diet, it’s a huge responsibility and sometimes quite daunting.

The safest thing you can do is try to ensure the majority of the diet is made up of fresh foods, eat organic where possible (or wash well) and become savvy at reading labels. Always check the ingredients list, if there’s too many numbers on the list, an ingredient you’ve never heard of or else a very long list of things in what should be a simple food – put it back on the shelf. Your little one’s liver has to deal with each one of those ingredients and can easily become overloaded.

There should be no artificial flavourings, colourings, sugar or salt added to any baby foods. Sadly there are no laws to say that companies cannot make foods with poor ingredients for children. This means it’s up to us as mums to become detectives and say no to chemical laden foods.

There are a whole host of healthier alternatives, and you can read about these in more detail on my website http://www.misoteria.com.au/Downloads.asp and download the free Healthy Alternative Shopping List. Sometimes the hardest thing is to know what else you can give in place of the less healthy option.

Once you’re through the weaning stage and you can start exploring more foods with your little one it is important to introduce the right kind of nutrition from the beginning. If you do not have any apparent health problems in your child to consider, such as skin problems, poorly formed stools, behavioural issues and frequent illnesses then you are aiming to maintain general good health. The Healthy Alternative Shopping List helps you provide the whole family with foods that will have a positive effect on your body rather than a negative effect.

Anita Pugh
Mother of two & Nutritionist (FdSc DipION MBANT)
www.misoteria.com.au  
anita@misoteria.com.au




 

Juvenile Diabetes

In today’s society being time poor is an unpleasant but realistic factor in the life of parents. Life has become a juggling act with both parents working trying to pay off a mortgage, look after their children; to feed and clothe them and provide a good education. When so many demands are placed on parents it is easy to take the quick option when buying food; take away meals, package food, carbonated drinks and an overwhelming selection of snacks
Food advertising is targeted to children making the selection of good, nutritious food even more difficult.

Juvenile Diabetes is a disease that is easily treatable and reversed if the symptoms of its development are addressed as soon as they appear. Parents need to know the symptoms of this insidious disease to empower themselves to be able address and thereby reverse any early warning signs.

Diabetes develops because the pancreas is unable to function correctly. The pancreas is essential for the control of blood sugar. It secretes insulin into the blood (its endocrine function) as well as secreting enzymes (its exocrine function) to aid the absorption of food. Failure of the pancreas’s endocrine function will lead to diabetes mellitis.

There is also a tendency for this condition to run in families.

Here is a list of symptoms that will appear as the body struggles with an increasing imbalance.

• Increased thirst
• Dry mouth
• Dry lips
• Profuse urination
• Weight loss
• Trembling of hands
• Awkwardness, with a tendency to drop things from hands
• Abdomen bloated
• Afraid to be alone
• Ravenous hunger soon after eating
• Poor memory
• Constipation
• Colic
• Hair loss
• Diminished ability to exercise

There are many homoeopathic remedies and treatment available to treat the symptoms of juvenile diabetes and help bring the body back into balance. To ensure their child stays well parents will also be advised to make the necessary lifestyle changes, with dietary advice regarding the intake of carbohydrates as well as balancing calorific intake and calorific output.

So if your child wants lip gloss or special shampoo think beyond the immediate for they may be displaying the early warning signs of diabetes.

Lyndall Clyne
Homeopath
Vitality Junction Natural Health Centre



 

Ear Infections
 

You are startled out of a deep sleep by a piercing scream at 2 o’clock in the morning. A hysterical scream that goes on and on.... You run to your child’s bedroom to find him/her flushed, confused and crying inconsolably, “My ear, my ear”. You sigh, knowing that this is the end of sleep for this night; that the next many hours will be spent trying to comfort him/her, soothe and relieve the pain, stress and fear. Tomorrow will be a day off work, sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for your turn with a crying, clingy, upset child, hoping that it is not another ear infection.... At the doctor’s office there will be a struggle to let the doctor look in the ear, and even if he can, he can’t tell for sure whether it is an infection, the ear is red; but you leave with a script for antibiotics. You don’t really want them, but what to do? Your child is in agony. You are exhausted. Better safe than sorry!

Does this sound familiar? To little Peter and his family it sure was. He was on his sixth ear infection in two yrs, in addition to tonsillitis and colds. Peter’s mum and dad were exhausted and rundown themselves and were desperate for help. They had heard through friends that chiropractic may help, and were relieved when I told them that I felt there was a good chance we could.

Middle ear infections are very common. By age three, over two-thirds of all children will have had at least one. The middle ear is the part of the ear that is enclosed behind the eardrum. A tiny tube, called the eustacian tube, drains fluids from the middle ear into the throat. Colds and episodes of allergic runny nose can block the eustacian tube with mucus and inflammation. When this happens, inflammatory fluids build up in the middle ear creating a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

Symptoms of ear infections include ear pain, fever, irritability, and sometimes dizziness in older children. Occasionally, the pressure in the middle ear will build up to a point where the eardrum bursts, resulting in pus and blood drainage from the ear. As alarming as this sound, generally the child will feel better afterwards. The tear in the eardrum allows the fluid to drain, and the hole will usually heal within a few days.

So what are the causes of ear infections?

Allergies can cause a predisposition to ear infections. As mentioned the inflammatory process in the body may trap the fluid in the inner ear. The most common allergens are cow’s milk and dairy products, wheat, eggs, chocolate, citrus, corn and soy. Eliminating these from your child’s diet can help prevent the infections from recurring.

Nutritional deficiencies are common in children. Kids are often not the best eaters, preferring white bread, pasta and sausages. This can cause lowered immunity in the child making him/her more susceptible to infections. An organic, unprocessed, whole foods diet, low in sugar, is essential for creating good health with high immune function. Remember that a child may have to be introduced to a new food as many as twenty times before they feel comfortable trying it and actually eating it. So don’t get discouraged if your child says he doesn’t like the broccoli or beans and it ends up on the side of the plate or worse, on the floor the first many times it is offered. I recommend a good multivitamin and mineral supplement for all children.

Essential fatty acids (the good fats) are vital for immune function: These are found in flax oil, evening primrose and fish oil. Daily supplementation will help the child have a healthier immune system and has been shown to increase memory and concentration as well.

Vitamin C, A and Zink are also essential for optimal immune function.

Supplementation with pro-biotics is important to healthy immunity, especially if a child has been on antibiotics. L. acidophilus is recommended for children over age seven, and B. bifidus for children under seven.

Breastfeeding is important to ensure that a child has a healthy immune system. Mother's milk contains all the immune protecting complexes the child needs. Children who are breastfed are overall healthier than those who are not. The sucking action required to breastfeed also helps the Eustachian tubes open and close, which makes a difference in the frequency that a child is likely to get ear infections.

Mechanical misalignment: It is very common to have a blockage of the eustacian tube due to problems of the structural components around the ear, including the bones of the jaw, skull and neck.

The head is made up of many bones that are supposed to move gently in synchronization with one another. The movement of these bones as well as the top part of the neck allows for the proper movement of the fluids in the head, including the fluids connecting between the sinuses, eustachian tubes and ears. Falls, recurrent infections, and the trauma of birth, especially if forceps were used for delivery can cause changes to that movement.

Chiropractic is very gentle movement applied to the child’s neck and spine which has been shown to improve both the symptoms and the recurrence of ear infections. Craniosacral work on the child's head and sacrum for treatment and prevention of ear infections is especially helpful. Practitioners who do this work are usually chiropractors who take special courses, so when you are looking for someone to work with your child, seek a pediatric chiropractor who specializes in cranial work.

Please keep in mind that ear infections are rarely an emergency and usually will get better without antibiotic treatment. There are signs that a parent should watch for: high fever, listlessness, stiff neck if the child is old enough to move his/her head and abnormal mental function. If these things occur, you should have the child seen immediately for evaluation.

Research over the last eight years has shown that antibiotics actually make very little difference in the recovery from an ear infection. Yet, antibiotics are usually prescribed in children with ear infections. A reasonable approach in treating a child with an ear infection, who is otherwise healthy, is to wait four days and see if the body will recover without antibiotics. If after four days, the infection has not gone away, antibiotics may make a difference.

So here we were with little unhappy Peter. Peter, now 3, had gone through quite a difficult birth, where he got stuck for several hours in mum’s pelvis and had to be assisted into this world by forceps. When I examined his neck, I found it had a severe misalignment at the top of it. I explained to the parents, that this can cause the fluid not to move well in the eustacian tubes and cause lowered immune function, and then I very gently, safely and comfortably adjusted this. I also gently massaged behind the roof of Peter’s mouth to stimulate eustacian tube drainage, and did some cranial work. Peter felt better straight away, he brightened up and stopped crying. I advised mum and dad that a few drops of warm oil (olive, garlic or tea tree) in the ear would help decrease pain and inflammation, and a heat pack over the ear would also be beneficial. I explained that if possible they should try not to decrease the fever as it is the body’s way of fighting infection. That night Peter slept like a baby, and he was back to normal the next day. Even better still, he has been healthy since. How wonderful!

So don’t let your child suffer, help them be as healthy as they can be by offering good wholesome food, some nutritional supplements and contact a pediatric chiropractor to make sure your child’s immune system is working as well as it can. Do it today!

Dorte Bladt

Tim Woicek and Dorte Bladt
Doctors of Chiropractic
2 Lincoln St, Charlestown
W:02 4942 4842
F:02 4920 6761
H:02 4944 7476
www.familychiropracticcharlestown.com.au