Blog article

I attended a very interesting workshop on childhood diseases and herbal medicine ways of treating them.

The statistics are quite astounding for school age children.

ADHD affects 1 in 10 school age children, autism 1 in 91, 1 in 11 asthma cases, 25% of children in Australia and New Zealand are overweight or obese and 50% continue to be obese in adulthood. And the incidence of asthma and eczema has increased 5 fold over the last 40 years.

Central to the wholistic management of these disorders is the relationship between the gut-brain-immune system (GBI). Each communicates with the other and when one or more is dysfunctional, disease can result.

Children are very susceptible to one of the systems not working properly as their systems are still developing. Stress can effect the nervous system that connects the gut to the brain.

Glutathione is a very important substance that protects the cells and supports the GBI system in these young people. . 
So tell your kids to eat their broccoli! Substances in broccoli help the body to produce glutathione. Other foods that activate glutathione production are cucurmin, found in turmeric, and other cruciferous veges like Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

So what causes the GBI axis to become dysfunctional?

Poor Nutrition

Diets low in fruit and veg. High glycaemic diets that affect gut flora. Excessive consumption of synthetic additives. Diets high in antigenic foods– gluten, casein in dairy that trigger allergic/inflammatory responses eg eczema, gut problems.

Micronutrient deficiencies

Magnesium, iron, B vitamins, iodine to support the developing organs.

Leaky gut

If you have the wrong balance of flora in the gut the gut can become more permeable and allow through larger molecules into the blood stream. Food allergies, asthma and eczema can then occur. Inflammation also occurs and can affect the nervous system, neural health and behaviour e.g ADHD and autism. Herbal medicine and supplements can help. Give me a call if you would like help with your child.

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