Here at East Valley Naturopathic Doctors, we can help ensure your children have a health school year, all year long.
There are many health conditions that can affect your child’s performance in school. Whether it is frequent illnesses and missing school, behavioral and focus issues, allergies, or digestive issues, any of these factors may impair their ability to learn.
Let’s first focus on allergies. Allergies can cause many symptoms, though we commonly think of itchy eyes and nose, runny nose, congestion, and asthma, it may also include eczema, headaches, fatigue, and focus issues in children. Environmental allergens can contribute to these symptoms including pollen, dust, mold, and pet dander. Also, food allergens are often an underlying factor. A large portion of our immune system is based in our intestines. When there is intestinal inflammation, people can react to foods that they eat and may cause body-wide symptoms even if digestive symptoms aren’t present. The most common food allergens I see are dairy, gluten and wheat, eggs, and yeast.
Does your child seem to catch every illness that goes around school? Getting sick once or twice a year is normal and good for the immune system, but if it seems to be happening every month or two and they are missing a lot of schools there is probably something else going on. Chronic viruses such as Epstein-Barr are very common and can contribute to low immune function, fatigue, and mood changes. In addition to discovering causes like viruses, I will look to optimize their nutrition including dietary choices and vitamins. Again we find that food allergies are a common factor with a poor immune system. Often intestinal yeast overgrowth can deplete the immune system and I see this a lot in kids with frequent ear infections and kids who have been on a lot of antibiotics.
If behavior and focus have become an issue, I often look into nutritional factors, vitamin deficiencies, food allergens, and neurotransmitter imbalances. Another wonderful therapy we offer is neurofeedback. Neurofeedback trains their brain to function in a more balanced state. An initial brain map EEG will discover areas of their brain that need to be optimized and balanced, and then we will set up neurofeedback training sessions specific to their needs.
Does your child ever ask to stay home because of a stomachache? Frequent symptoms I see are cramping or abdominal pain after meals, diarrhea, and constipation. Food allergens could be an underlying factor for digestive issues, but it is also important to rule out conditions like Celiac disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Kids are often carrying around intestinal infections including parasites, yeast or bacteria overgrowth, and even worms. Based on your child’s symptoms I may recommend stool testing and/or food allergy testing.
If you feel your child could be at risk at any of the above, schedule with Dr. Badalamenti to find out which testing and treatment is right for your child
Our tests include food allergy testing, Phadia IgE testing for airborne allergens, parasite and stool testing, OAT testing, neurotransmitter testing, MTHFR genetic testing.
