We grow and change more in our first two decades of life than we do in the following decades put together. At every stage of life, it pays to have a naturopathic doctor on hand to help.
At Annex Naturopathic, our women-led team of naturopathic doctors have experience with children of all genders and at all stages of life.
Whether yours is a newborn, a toddler, or a teenager, Annex Naturopathic has natural solutions to help them enjoy a happier, healthier childhood.
Naturopathic care can help your child get the best start to life. Contact us today to find out more.
Naturopathic Care For Newborns
When your new baby first arrives in the world, it’s often a time for celebration.
However, along with your new baby comes a whole host of challenges for you, your spouse, and your new baby.
Whatever those challenges may be, a naturopathic doctor can work along with your primary care physician to keep both you and your new baby healthy. Here are some of the issues new parents can face.
Naturopathic Treatments For Breastfeeding Parents
Breastfeeding has been proven, time and again, to be the healthiest, most nutritious option for your new baby. If you are able to, it’s a good idea to breastfeed your baby.
However, not all breast milk is created equal. Your body makes its breast milk from the resources it has available. This means that if you’re suffering from poor nutrition, your breast milk won’t be as nutritious as it could be.
On top of this, for some, it’s difficult to maintain an adequate supply of breast milk to keep their baby proper nourished. While you can use formula to top up the amount, breast milk is always more ideal.
You may also experience pain during breastfeeding. While it may be embarrassing to discuss, pain during and/or after breastfeeding sessions is not uncommon. There are naturopathic solutions for this as well.
For as long as you choose to breastfeed your new baby, the naturopathic doctors at Annex Naturopathic will be there for you. We have naturopathic solutions designed to help you maintain your level of nutrition so you can provide the most nutritious breast milk to your new baby while keeping your own health at its highest level.
Naturopathic Treatments For Colicky Babies
Dealing with a new baby can be a difficult adjustment period for any new parent. Add colic to the mix, and it can become much harder.
A colicky baby is an otherwise healthy baby that still cries frequently. There are many different possible causes of colic, including:
- Digestive issues
- Infections
- Growing pains
- Overstimulation
- Nervous system and brain inflammation
- Gas
- Irregular heartbeat
- Increased pressure behind the eyes
- Injury
Sometimes, the cause of colic is difficult to pinpoint, but in most cases it gets better around four months of age. If it doesn’t, there could be something deeper at play.
Whatever the cause is of your baby’s colicky nature, however, there are naturopathic solutions available which can help. Call us here at Annex Naturopathic to find out more.
Naturopathic Treatment For Diaper Rash
Diaper rash is a common concern with diaper-age children. It’s an inflammation of the outer layers of skin around your baby’s lower abdomen, inner thighs, and genital and perineal areas.
Sometimes, diaper rash can be caused by not changing your baby’s diaper often enough. It can also be caused by certain laundry detergents, ill-fitting diapers, or an allergic reaction to the type of diaper you’re using. These factors are simple to remedy.
However, sometimes diaper rash can be linked with deeper concerns, like dietary issues, the use of antibiotics, an illness, or infection. As well, untreated diaper rash may lead to a urinary tract infection.
Whatever it is that’s causing your baby’s diaper rash, we’ll work to uncover it. From there, we’ll provide you with a treatment plan designed to take care of your baby’s diaper rash, and get them happy and healthy again.
Naturopathic Care For Toddlers
Once your baby reaches the toddler age, they’ve begun to develop their own unique personality traits. They’re exploring the world far more than before. Maybe they’ve just started school, or they’re close to it. They may be playing sports or in some sort of competitive activity, and they may even be learning to read.
This is the age when a number of childhood illnesses and other health concerns may emerge. Read on to find out more about how naturopathic medicine can help your child live a healthier, happier life.
Naturopathic Treatments For ADHD
If your child has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, it may come as a relief, in a way. It means your child has a reason for their low grades, disruptive behaviour, impatience, lack of focus, or other issues.
In all aspects of life, kids with ADHD generally either have a difficult time remaining focused on tasks, or become hyper focused on a task, to the exclusion of nearly everything else. Traditional western medicine has treatment options which may be effective, but they often come with their own side effects. Also parents often prefer to try non-pharmaceutical, lifestyle and nutrition-based solutions to see if this may reduce the need to use medication
However, there are a number of naturopathic alternatives to conventional ADHD treatment which may be effective in helping your child.
Here at Annex Naturopathic, our team of naturopathic doctors employ a wide range of different modalities to work toward helping your child get a handle on their attention issues and better perform in school, in social situations, and in life overall.
We’ll explore your child’s diet, parsing through what they’re consuming to find potential culprits which may be triggering their ADHD symptoms. From looking for artificial additives like BHA, BHT, and salicylates as well as food colourings and flavourings to their intake of caffeine, trans fats, refined sugar and carbs, as well as deficiencies in any essential nutrients. This alone can make a big difference in not only your child’s ADHD, but their overall health.
We may consider a traditional Chinese medicine approach as well, including acupuncture treatments. While this may seem frightening to your child, your naturopathic doctor will soothe their concerns and make it as relaxing an experience as possible. We may also consider herbal medicines to help soothe your child’s anxiety and calm their mood.
And, if you do decide to go with the traditional medical route, we can offer a treatment plan geared toward minimizing the harmful side effects that can come along with it.
Contact us today to book an appointment. Let’s talk about your child’s ADHD, and how we can help.
Naturopathic Treatments For Asthma
Asthma is a common childhood respiratory ailment where the airways leading to the lungs spasm and become inflamed. Its most common symptoms are coughing, wheezing, and general difficulty breathing.
One of the most common treatments for an acute asthma attack is the rescue inhaler, or “puffer”. These devices offer a measured puff of medication to ease asthma symptoms as they happen, and because asthma attacks can be life-threatening, it’s a good idea for asthmatics to carry a puffer with them.
However, puffers do not have long-term effects. The most common long-term medical treatment for asthma involves the use of inhaled corticosteroids. These are different than the anabolic steroids bodybuilders use to grow muscle mass. And while corticosteroids can lead to fewer asthma attacks and symptoms, they don’t address the root cause of the asthma in the first place.
In fact, a significant factor in your child’s asthma may be their environment. Allergens are known to lead to asthma symptoms, which include not only environmental allergens like mold, pollen, dust, or animal dander, but dietary allergens as well, like dairy, peanuts, or wheat. By uncovering whether your child has any allergies and finding out how to limit their exposure to those allergens, we may be able to manage their asthma symptoms.
Believe it or not, nutrition can also be linked with asthma. Beyond the above-mentioned allergens, there have been many clinical studies showing the importance of certain key nutrients in fighting asthma, including molybdenum, copper, iron, magnesium, vitamins B6, B12, C, and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients can help reduce sensitivity to some allergens. On a related note, it has been shown that those who suffer from asthma also have a deficiency in stomach acid, which can cause difficulty with absorbing nutrients from food.
Whatever it is that’s causing your child’s asthma symptoms – whether it’s something listed above, or one of too many other possibilities to list here – count on Annex Naturopathic to work to get to the bottom of it.
Many people with asthma are able to greatly reduce or even eliminate the use of a puffer or other medical treatments through strictly naturopathic means. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.
Naturopathic Treatments For Ear Infections
Ear infections can affect anyone, but they’re far more common in children. Essentially, it’s an infection of the space behind your eardrum. This area hosts a series of tiny vibrating bones, a critical part of your ability to hear.
Ear infections aren’t generally life-threatening, but if left untreated they may lead to hearing complications or even partial deafness.
If your child comes to you complaining of ear pain, especially when they’re lying down, there’s a good chance it may be an ear infection. They’re often accompanied by headaches, fever, difficulty balancing or sleeping, and general fussiness.
However, if your child hasn’t yet learned to talk or is non-vocal, they may be tugging at their ear, having trouble sleeping, or crying more than usual.
If your child is dealing with ear infections, whether on an ongoing basis or just on an individual basis, there are naturopathic solutions which can help. Contact us at Annex Naturopathic to find out more.
Contact Annex Naturopathic
Here at Annex Naturopathic, our women-led team of naturopathic doctors has experience in caring for children of all ages.
Whether your child has one of the issues above, something else altogether, or you’re just looking to keep them as healthy as possible, we can help.
Contact us today for a FREE 15-minute consultation to find out more about what naturopathic medicine can do for your children.
