Like adults, what food children digest and what chemicals they are exposed to can have a negative impact on them, ranging from upset tummies to difficult behaviours. However, like adults, by identifying these food and chemicals, together, we can address the route problem, and find healthier solutions, for an all-round happier child.

Getting it right for your child from the start

Through my treatment, we will need to explore your child’s diet, and gradually replace certain foods with others, to identify what are causing negative symptoms. Often parents will use phrases such as ‘special food’ or ‘you’re not allowed that’ when introducing new treatment to their child, in my experience, this can often make the child feel secluded or the ‘odd one out’. However, through my treatment, we will avoid these potentially isolating feelings:

• Collecting information: The first step is to collate your child’s full health history in a questionnaire that I will provide. This includes information about their birth, any ailments and symptoms, antibiotics and medications administered, mood, behaviour, development, sleep and eating habits. It will also include information about the mother’s health pre and during pregnancy.
• Private virtual discussion: Discussing the questionnaire with parents is the next step. I suggest holding this discussion prior to the face to face consultation. This would be done using a platform such as WhatsApp, FaceTime or Zoom. Discussing your child’s health history without your child’s presence avoids drawing your child’s attention to your concerns. More importantly, this ensures that the first consultation is a wholly inclusive and fun session for your child. We will discuss favourite and least liked foods, hobbies and any symptom your child wants to highlight. I will already have all the details to begin the treatment seamlessly.
• Presenting my findings: An explanation of what foods need to be avoided and what supplements are needed will be described to your child (age dependant) at the end of the consultation. Although, I suggest a full discussion of the findings be discussed with parents after the consultation. This ensures that the parents have a full and clear picture of the treatment plan without the child concerned about the why.

Please note, dates and times for the remote discussions will be organised at the time of booking a consultation.

Finding the right foods for your child

Through my treatment plan, I will note any food allergies that you are aware of, and identify any hidden allergies that may be causing issues for your child. In addition, I will highlight any food intolerances, and alongside the allergies will create a tailored diet whereby such foods will be avoided. However, no food is banished! The foods which will have been initially avoided will be retested in the follow up consultation and most foods will gradually be reintroduced to the diet.

Introducing a new food plan may sound daunting, however, it can be relatively straightforward through these steps:

• If school dinners are the preferred food at school, it may be appropriate for the initial phase to provide packed lunch for your child. However, schools publish menus and are very sympathetic to dietary needs.
• Refined sugar will appear on your child’s avoid list. In fact, refined sugar appears on everybody’s avoid list. The body doesn’t crave sugar. Do you have a ‘treats cupboard’, a ‘biscuit draw’ or a ‘chocolate stack’? It’s best to clear these prior to the first consultation. It is even better if the whole household follows the ‘no refined sugar’ advice.
• Ideally, the follow up consultation will take place 2-3 weeks after the initial consultation. This means that the initial foods list will need to be avoided for 2-3 weeks only. This may be a manageable amount of time for the whole household to follow the same diet. This avoids the feelings of having ‘special food’ etc
• Making a food plan, shopping and cooking with your child will create positive steps. All this will emphasise the excitement of swopping certain foods e.g. mashed potato for sweet potato and carrot mash, cow’s yoghurt for sheep’s yoghurt etc
• Every clients’ avoid list includes the foods eaten on a daily basis. Therefore, if the whole household is avoiding eating and avoiding the same food, it is extremely likely that everyone will begin to feel better!
  If you suspect that aspects of the plan will be challenging, I have a sticker chart that can be filled in at every meal.
• I find that in nearly every case, children adopt a new diet plan with ease and are more alert strict than the parents expect!

Throughout, I will be on hand to provide tailored support throughout, giving you the motivation to continue with your diet plan.

Alternative remedies – what are they and why are they needed?

Whilst ‘alternative remedies’ are normally associated with adults, such approaches are of equal benefit to children, and can be adopted by the whole family unit.

1. Detoxification
2. Nutritional and emotional support

Detoxification

We live in a toxic world. We’re constantly exposed to toxins be it in the air, in our food, in the water we drink, in the soil our food is grown and by pesticides, fungicides and insecticides used on the crops we eat. We all need to adopt a lifestyle of detox. We need to help our bodies to detoxify everything we’re exposed to.

Whilst this may sound a challenge, we can take relatively simple steps to support our bodies in natural detoxification:

• Hydration is important. As a household do you drink plenty of water? It is best to invest in a water filter and ensure everybody drinks plenty of water every day.
• Is your household’s diet clean and nutritious? Washing your fruit and vegetables (Veggie Wash) thoroughly is important. I also suggest freezing red meats and fish before defrosting and cooking them well.
• Do you enjoy the open air as a family by going for seaside or country walks? If not, it’s time to consider this as the open air is a healer!
• Do you switch the WiFi router off at night? This is an easy step to enable everyone’s bodies to have a rest from the radiation.
• Do you have a quiet sleep routine? This ensures that your child benefits from the natural healing that happens when we’re in a deep sleep.
• Do you have a pet? Hygiene is even more crucial if a pet shares a house with you.

In addition, your child might need extra detoxification support. These will be mostly in liquid or powder form and suitable for children to take. The remedies will be specific to your child’s needs, for example:

• a drainage remedy
• a chelation supplement
• anti viral/bacterial/fungal/parasitic remedy

Nutritional support

Providing the right nutrients to our body is fundamental to maintain our physical and mental wellbeing. This is even more important when we consider children, as their bodies continue to grow and develop, and need a variety of nutrients to support their physical and cognitive growth. For example, weaning babies are often deficient in protein, zinc, iron and B vitamins, and therefore would need to be added to their diet. Some children, as a result of factors such as a C Section birth or having mother Candida often benefit from taking daily probiotics.

Through my treatment plan, I will discuss the nutritional needs of your children, ensuring they are receiving the correct nutritional support.

Emotional support

Our emotions reveal imbalances in the body, for example, excessive worry is an indication of a spleen imbalance whereas frustration and irritability are an indication of liver imbalance.

Through Phytobiophysics (Flower Formula, Heart Power, Special Care remedies) and Bach Flower Remedies, I can help identify the route cause of these emotional imbalances, find healthy treatments and finding your happy child again.

Think what you use on child’s skin

All the products we put on our skin, ends up in our bloodstream. As a result, we are exposing our bodies to an array of toxins, even products that are labelled ‘natural’ are misleading, as they often only contain a single natural ingredient, amongst an array of nasty chemicals.

By exposing our body to a high volume of chemicals daily, our body becomes overloaded, as our liver struggles to process them all. As a result, excess toxins are ‘dumped’ in non-vital parts of the body e.g. skin and feet, and can result in unpleasant symptoms e.g. smelly feet.

However, through my treatment, I will examine the products that you use, and check their suitability for your children – often ‘harmless’ products can be a cause of several issues in children.

Symptoms may be masking a variety of problems

‘I came to see you for my child’s eczema but you’re telling me other things as well. Is this necessary when it’s only the eczema that’s causing a problem at the moment?’

Symptoms often appear overnight. However, the reality is a very different story. A symptom is the body’s way of telling us ‘I need help, I can’t cope on my own anymore’. The body has been working hard without you realising. This can go on for months or even years where the body is dealing with a toxin or trying to cope without specific nutrients. When a symptom ‘appears’ it’s the body asking for help.

However, there are ways of addressing this through:

• identifying and avoiding foods that stress the system
• rid toxins which are not helpful to the system
• ensure the body has the nutrients it needs

For example, I regularly treat teenagers and adults who deal with anxiety. Healing the gut is crucial to dealing with anxiety due to the communication which happens between the brain and the gut every second of every day. Cleaning up the gut, healing and nourishing the gut and body is strategy to calming and reducing anxiety and even banishing anxiety.

The gut in this example didn’t stop working today when yesterday it was fine. This was years in the making ... supporting the body to detoxify and heal when we’re unaware of the body’s needs is crucial to avoid future ailments.

How to ensure success treatment?

The success of the treatment depends on:

1. effective teamwork
2. patience

Teamwork

When we all work together, amazing changes can happen.

• The household needs to work together. Both parents need to be ‘on the same page’. Working with me, the therapist is crucial. I’m here to advise and support however, it’s you that needs to ‘do’.
• Siblings: explaining to siblings that they’re a part of the changes since all the changes will benefit them also
• Grandparents: It’s important to explain to grandparents your wishes and explain why you’re following the therapy.

Patience

We live in an instant society where we expect instant results. This isn’t true about the body! Our bodies don’t work like this. There is an innate wisdom in the body which we must respect. Cure and healing takes time. We must trust and be patient!

To find out how I can support you, contact me today to discuss how natural alternative remedies can aid your and your families health.