A Naturopathic Child is a Healthy Child! Naturopathic medicine and natural remedies work very well in children from infancy through adolescence. In this blog, Dr. Radhika Kamat, a leading naturopath in Singapore, discusses the effect of natural medicine on children.
Does Naturopathic Medicine Work For Kids?
Yes,children tend to respond very well to the safe and gentle approach of natural medicine. Because they haven’t been around as long as adults, very often identifying the root cause and reaching an effective solution is much faster than for adults who may have years and years of layers of compounding factors to complicate their health picture. As with most things in medicine, the sooner you deal with a problem, the easier it is to fix!
Start Your Child Out With a Healthy Diet and Lifestyle
Establishing healthy diet and lifestyle habits from a very early age can translate into healthier lives when they become adults. Many chronic diseases and health challenges of adulthood can be traced in part to poor health in childhood. The habits we develop, the food we eat, and the environment we grow up in can have a profound effect on the quality of the rest of our lives. Childhood is the time to get and stay healthy to prevent future problems, and naturopathic medicine can help! As a busy gastro doctor in Singapore, I see adults frequently who are suffering from decades of poor dietary choices. Do your child a favor, and set them up with healthy eating habits at an early age.
Naturopathic Remedies Are Safer Than Prescriptions For Kids
As a rule, the therapies used are safe, gentle, and non-toxic. Some therapies, such as homeopathy, can even be safely used with newborn infants! We are trained in knowing which popular adult therapies are contraindicated in children, and know how to recognize and avoid drug-herb interactions.
Including a Naturopathic Doctor on your child’s health Care team
Antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals are often overused in children, when a safer alternative may be available that will restore health. Parents can include a naturopathic doctor on their child’s health care team to ensure that health promotion and wellness are part of their child’s road map to a successful future.
Philosophy and Tools Used With our Pediatric Patients
When it comes to working with children, our philosophy is truly preventative. Our goal is to support the child’s normal healthy processes and interfere as little as possible.
Our office is not a scary place for children to visit. No shots or painful procedures! Many kids look forward to their appointments with us. We really love and enjoy our little patients and take great pleasure in their growth, their development and their happiness.
What Natural Therapies and Remedies Might Help Your Child?
- Homeopathy
- Identification of underlying food, environmental, or chemical allergies
- Dietary counseling
- Herbal or vitamin supplementation
What Common Childhood Symptoms Can Be Helped With Naturopathic Medicine?
Children respond very well to gentle naturopathic care. We can help kids with a variety of health concerns. Even if you don’t see your child’s condition listed below, please contact us to learn more about how we may be able to help.
- Childhood Allergies & Eczema
- Childhood Asthma
- Frequent Colds and Recurring Ear Infections
- Digestive Health
- Behavioral and Neuro developmental issues
Naturopathic medicine is a very effective way of dealing with the susceptibility to keep getting sick.
Ear infections are another very common condition in young children. These infections can be very painful and distressing to both the parents and the child. Many times, a pattern develops of recurring ear infections that never seem to fully go away and may recur over and over for years.
Because many of these childhood illnesses are actually caused by viruses, not bacteria, antibiotics may not be fully effective in stopping this cycle. Additionally, frequent use of antibiotics has been linked to digestive disturbances, impaired immunity, and the development of other conditions such as asthma.
Functional medicine offers alternative approaches to break this cycle that doesn’t require the use of antibiotics. We work to identify the cause of these infections to see if an underlying stressor such as a food allergy, food sensitivity, or environmental factor is contributing to these infections. Naturopathic doctors also work toward boosting your child’s own immune system to fight an infection. When your child fights the infection themselves it prevents recurrences and chronic infections.
Infant colic, stomach aches, diarrhea, constipation, and general digestive health are all conditions seen frequently in the pediatric population. Naturopathic medicine is famous for helping to “heal the gut” and we have many safe and effective natural remedies that can help restore normal function to your child’s digestive system.
