The caring, patient-centered approach of functional medicine makes it a perfect solution for childhood ailments
Key takeaways:
The primary source of children’s health issues has switched from infectious diseases to chronic conditions in the last century.
Functional medicine considers your entire internal system including genetics, food allergies, and gut health to adequately address concerns.
Changes in lifestyle and environment can make a big difference in your child’s health.
Many parents, both new and experienced, sometimes feel frustrated with mainstream medicine because it only looks at treating symptoms instead of viewing patients as a whole. So often, little ones develop conditions like coughs or runny noses that keep coming back without explanation. That’s when it may be time to turn to functional medicine for answers.
During the last century, the main cause of ailments in children and young adults has shifted from infectious diseases to chronic conditions. Functional medicine looks at the whole person and their unique system to determine the underlying causes of chronic conditions. It uses careful analysis, testing, evaluation, and tailor-made protocols to guide a person to their optimum state of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
The functional medicine approach involves nutritional awareness and natural treatments and therapies that don’t include drugs or chemicals. It is a bridge for Western medicine into total wellness since the former usually only seeks to treat symptoms. It focuses on being healthy, not just symptom-free.
Children's health is very delicate. We must care for little ones in a way that limits chemical harm and promotes lifelong well-being. Here's how the functional medicine approach (including acupuncture) benefits children of all ages.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy involves relaxing scents that impart specific benefits based on their biological components. Certain scents, like lavender, may help a sick baby by placing an aromatic diffuser in the room. Essential oils such as tea tree and eucalyptus are known for easing congestion. Another way to use essential oils is to place a few drops with a carrier oil like almond and massage them into the skin. This method provides the relaxation benefits of both a massage and aromatherapy.
Advanced lab testing
Functional Medicine is an integrative, science-based approach that uses advanced laboratory testing to analyze the genetic predispositions that influence your health. A genetic predisposition will make children more prone to developing certain conditions. Genetic testing can assess hormones, estrogen, cortisol, insulin, and testosterone levels. It shows food sensitivities and takes an assessment of gut health to guide the way to feeling better.
Nutritional awareness
A significant aspect of functional medicine is aware of how the food you eat affects your everyday life. Allergies, acid reflux, indigestion, chronic stomach troubles – they all stem from what you are putting in your body. The same is true for children. They have allergies and biological predispositions to specific foods. Functional pediatrics assess how your child is eating to see what correlations there are to their health.
Toxicity assessment
One of the first tasks of functional medicine is to take a toxicity assessment of every patient, even the smallest ones. The intention is to find all the things in daily life that are harming your child so we know where to start the healing process. A toxicity assessment typically consists of a questionnaire and lab tests to detect allergies, irritants, stressors, and other harmful hindrances that go unnoticed.
Acupuncture
A treatment many people do not consider when it comes to children is acupuncture. Acupuncture is a completely safe and highly effective treatment for many children’s maladies, especially chronic pain. It’s also helpful for stomach, bowel, and colic troubles in infants and small children, as well as menstrual pain in adolescent girls.
Yoga
Getting enough physical activity each day is vital to stay healthy no matter how old you are. An easy way to get kids moving is with the sweeping, broad movements of yoga. Yoga helps with pain management, stress, obesity, and overall well-being. In children, it promotes self-esteem, concentration, memory, and balance. Some asanas or poses that are excellent for incorporating into a child’s functional medicine approach are the tree, mountain, cobra, and happy baby poses.
Herbal medicine
Herbal medicine is a big part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that uses herbs proven to treat imbalances in the body. The Chinese herbs used to treat disease are vitamin-packed, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant-rich. Chinese herbal medicine has little to no side effects due to its low toxicity. This makes it suitable for adults, pregnant women, children, and babies.
Functional medicine is beneficial to children of all ages. Its evidence-based, natural approach makes it ideal for children by not exposing them to harmful chemicals. Kids are facing increasingly high rates of chronic illnesses in this day and age and functional pediatrics delves into the genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors for the key to better health long into adulthood.
Functional pediatrics for your child
There are many ways to begin incorporating functional medicine into your child’s healthcare. We can help you find the most beneficial route. Eacuwell is an all-inclusive women-based practice with some of the most experienced practitioners, physicians, and doctors in the industry.
Our goal is to empower and educate patients to promote sustained results. Our health, well-being, and longevity center takes a holistic, functional approach to your physical and physiological state via a deliberate combination of Eastern and Western medicinal practices. Reach out for a complimentary consultation on functional pediatric medicine and learn how we can help your family.
