Children And Naturopathic Medicine – The Ultimate Exercise In Prevention

Prevention is the 6th principle of naturopathic medicine. I recommend to start as young as possible…infancy and childhood work!

I love to see babies in my practice for well-baby exams every few months in their first year of life. It’s so fun to spend some time with babies, weighing and measuring, checking reflexes, giving them a once over to ensure everything is developing on schedule, and chatting with the parents about what their current and upcoming concerns are: teething, solids, crawling, sleeping. That first year is so fun to be a part of as they grow and develop into toddlers.

I also see kids in my practice, although those appointments are usually less preventative and more due to an existing issue. I see eczema and ADHD, coughs and autism spectrum children, tummy aches and allergies. While treating the presenting concerns there is still time to talk about prevention with the parents. For example, fish oils have been studied to show that early introduction (even as soon as in utero!) can reduce allergic symptoms in children¹.

I LOVE it when parents bring in their youngsters with a shrug and a “They’re fine. I just want to establish a relationship now.” and we get to talk about optimizing their health *before* any symptoms arise. Those parents are then easily able to book in for quick 15-30 minute appointments as needed for the inevitable colds and coughs that come with the school year, as well as any earaches, pink eye, tummy aches, emotional concerns, skin reactions, sleep changes, or anything else that may arise over the years.

If a parent has extended benefits for naturopathic medicine then the child/ren do too. When feeling exhausted from listening to your child cough all night is not when most parents want to get through the hour long initial! I encourage all parents with benefits to book their child/ren as soon as is convenient so that a therapeutic relationship is established and they have me in their back pocket for whatever arises, as it arises.

I can help bridge the gap between “They aren’t sick enough for urgent care/the ER” and “Poor thing is so sick and miserable!”

References

1. Miles EA, Calder PC. Can Early Omega-3 Fatty Acid Exposure Reduce Risk of Childhood Allergic Disease? Nutrients. 2017 Jul 21;9(7):784. doi: 10.3390/nu9070784. PMID: 28754005; PMCID: PMC5537898.