By Peter Ross

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July 1, 2014

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Childhood is a time when seemingly limitless potential inspires children and parents to work toward success and achievement in life and in health, and naturopathic medicine is a fitting medical treatment modality for helping them attain these goals.

Naturopathic Approach to Child Wellness:

Naturopathic medicine focuses on preventive medicine and helping children get on the right track with regard to diet, exercise and treatments that will support the body to heal itself, which is important today. Many pediatricians in conventional medicine offer few sustainable options for healing, and writing a prescription for short term symptom management is all too common.

A pediatric naturopathic medical visit is focused on investigating the health, environment, and behavior of the entire child, including diet, activity, stresses within the family, with a goal of identifying any underlying causes of recurring health issues. The first appointment is generally regarding as a “getting to know you visit,” that explores a child’s health all the way back to the mother’s pregnancy.

A naturopathic doctor will also want to learn about a child’s personality. With regard to ADHD and other developmental health issues, sometimes doctors are too fast to pull out their prescription pad. Putting the individual into the context of their own behavior tendencies and predispositions can be important to recognizing abnormalities.

In the state of Virginia, a naturopathic physician that works with children also works alongside a pediatrician in their care, who handles immunizations and prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications, as necessary.

Preventative Medicine:

“Doctor as teacher” is a principle of naturopathic medicine, and teaching people when they are children, as well as their parents, to follow a healthy lifestyle is important to prevent some of the damage that can occur later in life and cause chronic disease. Genetic predisposition and other factors can make preventive medicine a defining factor for preventing chronic disease and determining future quality of life.

Standard health concerns for parents of young children often include the common cold, ear infections, stomach aches, and even developmental disorders, such as ADHD.  In some cases, offering an alternative to standard drug therapy may be an option, and there are a far range of safe and effective remedies that can be administered to children, such as an herbal blend in a glycerite base, for example.

The range of therapies is nearly always different because the treatment is based on the individual, which is a more engaging form of medicine.