Kid's Health: Nourishing Nutrition & Functional Lab Support
- Nourish Health
- Apr 27, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 9
Nutrition for kids is based on the similar principles as nutrition for adults. Everyone needs the same types of nutrients — such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and fat. So, what's the best formula to fuel your child's growth and development?
Well, that may depend on their specific health challenges and needs. This is where functional health lab testing comes into place. While, we all have similar needs and requirements, we all do have our own set of bio-individuality. This is where a personalized health approach can be a game-changer for your child's health and development.
Challenges Faced by Children
Similar to our adult clients, our young clients are experiencing a growing number of health challenges. An increasing number of parents are contacting us about persistent rashes such as eczema, anxiety, chronic stomach problems, and more. Let's examine some of the most common issues I encounter in my practice and consider some initial steps we can take to encourage a positive change in health.
Skin Issues
A common skin issue I see in my practice is eczema. Many parents have attempted every topical remedy, but it never completely resolves. This is because skin problems are often both internal and external challenges. To address them, we must identify the underlying cause of the imbalance. In such cases, we frequently suggest a thorough stool analysis and food sensitivity testing. Another highly informative test for assessing skin health is the HTMA (hair, tissue, mineral analysis). We find that this combination provides the greatest insight, enabling a faster improvement in the health issue at hand.
Attention and Behavioral Challenges
One of my favorite areas to collaborate with parents on is addressing their child's behavioral challenges. Although some behavioral issues can have genetic origins, we often discover that many are linked to nutritional imbalances and inflammation. Frequently, we identify mineral and heavy metal imbalances, as well as gut dysbiosis. Some of the functional labs we commonly investigate for behavioral challenges include the OAT (organic acids test), HTMA (hair, tissue, mineral analysis), a comprehensive stool analysis, and an assessment of their toxicant exposure. Learn more about how we approach ADHD in our clinic.
These are just a few of the challenges we discuss with parents. We often deal with complex cases that don't have a single root cause, but instead stem from longstanding systemic issues linked to some of our daily lifestyle choices.
We do not operate from a diagnostic standpoint. Although a diagnosis might hold some importance, it essentially serves as a label for a particular set of symptoms. Our approach focuses on identifying hidden healing opportunities within an individual's internal and external environment that could be placing stress on the body. Functional lab testing plays a crucial role in this process, helping us pinpoint specific areas for adjustment to gradually restore the body's balance.
Beneficial Biomedical Functional Tests for Children
Various tests can offer guidance for your child, removing uncertainty from an already difficult situation. By conducting these tests, we can obtain specific results and create a personalized recommendation plan, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all method. Most tests are simple and can be performed at home using urine, stool, hair, or a skin prick.
Food Sensitivity - Food sensitivity is common and often manifests as GI issues, fatigue, lack of concentration/brain fog, migraine & headache, dark circles under the eyes, skin issues, and many other symptoms. Learn more.
Gut Health Panel - Allows us to test gastrointestinal pathogens like bacteria, parasites, yeast and an imbalance of gut bacteria. Learn more
Organic Acid Test (OAT) - The Organic Acids Test (OAT) is considered a “metabolic snapshot” of what is going on in the body. It provides information on important neurotransmitters, nutritional markers, glutathione status, oxalate metabolism, evaluation of intestinal yeast and bacteria, and much more. The test includes 74 urinary metabolite markers that can be very useful for discovering underlying causes of chronic illness. Learn more
Hair Minerals & Metals - Some children with have a hard time detoxing heavy metals from their environment. Hair can give us a reliable representation of heavy metal burden and minerals. The hair shows a three-month window of what has been going on in the body. L:earn more
Nutrigenetic (SNP) Panel - Have you ever wondered how your genes are impacting your body’s nutrition status? Some genes can play a major role in the way we break down and absorb the nutrients from our food and supplements. With 23andMe or Ancestry.com data, we are able to identify mutations in over 35 different genes and adjust diet and supplements to fit your genes.
Environmental Toxin Panel - We live in a toxic world! Toxins from plastic bottles, food containers, air pollution, contaminated water, non-organic produce, and other unhealthy contaminants can build up in the body and exacerbate hormone, weight and mood issues. Via a simple urine test we can measure the buildup of these toxins in the body and make lifestyle changes to help the body naturally detox or use diet/supplements to help bind and excrete toxins. Learn more.
Actions You Can Begin Now
I can attest that functional lab testing expenses can accumulate rapidly. When my daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition at the age of 5, we embarked on an extensive search for underlying causes to help soothe her system. We identified mold, dysbiosis, elevated glyphosate levels (originating from a chronic outdoor exposure), food sensitivities, and a severe mineral imbalance. By addressing these issues and providing support, her autoimmune condition has stabilized.
Although this has been an expensive undertaking, I view it as an investment in my child's future. It's widely known that having one autoimmune condition often leads to developing three or more over time. Our aim is to prevent that for her while ensuring her body operates as efficiently as possible. However, it's not solely about the results of functional tests. There are numerous daily exposures that negatively impact our children, which you can begin reducing today.
Ditch & Switch: Our daily exposure to toxic substances has significantly risen over the past few decades due to the extensive use of plastics, fragrances, pesticides in food, toxins in personal care products, toxic cooking materials, and more. These toxins place a heavy load on our detoxification systems and can cause symptoms. The simplest and most effective way to reduce your toxic burden is by minimizing the use of everyday products that contain toxins. To assist you in getting started, we have prepared a Ditch & Switch Cheat Sheet. Moreover, to help alleviate the confusion of selecting alternatives, we have provided numerous recommendations in our Nourish Shop.
Clean up the diet: The choices we make in our daily diets can significantly impact our health. Diets rich in processed foods, simple carbohydrates, and high sugar content are often at the core of health issues. We've created a straightforward Nourishing Nutrition Guide, with the help of my children, to help you begin on the right path.
Lower EMF: Studies have shown that when a child uses a mobile phone and holds it against their head, the emitted radiation penetrates their brain to a greater extent than an adult. In fact, a child’s brain can absorb up to 10 times the EMFs of an adult! EMF exposure can decrease melatonin production, which is associated with poor sleep quality. Additionally, there is strong connection between EMFs, ADHD, and other cognitive and behavioral disorders. We have put together a cheat sheet to help you start lowering your child's exposure.
We suggest parents work on these three areas, while waiting on the functional lab results. Many notice a significant shift in their child's symptoms just by adopting the above steps. As the functional results come in, we create a personalized approach, which in combination with the above lifestyle shifts - we can see big shifts in the child's presenting symptoms.
Work With Us
There has never been a better time to dive in and discover ways to help your child thrive. Child clients are a big part of our practice and we work closely with the parents to support the child's needs.
Our process is simple. Reach out to us for a complimentary email dialogue. From there, we can help guide the appropriate steps to begin to support your child's health. We have several packages, that can help save costs to get your child started. These are typically best for parents who are well-versed in health and how to implement health goals. We also work with parents-one-on-one who need a deeper level of support implementing changes.
Our Approach
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® is a science-based holistic approach to investigating and identifying the root cause of your health problems. Imbalances in your body can lead to symptoms such as digestive complaints, fatigue and weight issues. As a therapeutic partnership between client and practitioner, it is an evolution in the practice of nutrition that better addresses the health needs of our modern society.
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Have a Nourishing Day!