Our functional medicine experts can help with a range of children's health concerns

Lucy was 5 when she was referred to us by a speech pathologist.   Her mum was worried that she wasn’t going to be school ready, because she was getting sick every couple of weeks which would often  progress to croup. The recurrent upper respiratory infections had impacted her hearing earlier in life, which in turn hampered her learning.  She was also tired most of the time, and didn’t like the physicality of playing like other kids.  In fact, she’d rarely go outside. She was also a very fussy eater, choosing only “white foods” such as milk, bread, cakes and biscuits.  

Lucy was small for her age, had been late meeting most of her milestones, she could not breathe through her nose, and had speech and mannerisms that were underdeveloped for her age.  She also experienced eczema periodically.  Her mum reported that Lucy had been unwell most of her life and had also been constipated primarily since 3 months of age. 

Lucy was a C-section baby and breastfed until 3 months of age, when she transitioned onto formula. Vaginal births and breast-feeding are considered to be protective and positive for a developing immune system. However, this isn’t possible for everyone due to circumstances, and can certainly be mitigated with appropriate interventions.

Functionally speaking, Lucy’s body was showing signs of stress from a young age, from about the time formula was introduced and worsened with solid food introduction. Excessive inflammation and mucous production had resulted in ear infections, grommets, lots of antibiotics, colds, coughs and croup.  Antibiotics would have caused changes in her gut microbiome diversity, affecting her capacity to digest foods, and further negatively affecting an already imbalanced immune/inflammatory response.

Practically speaking, having a constantly blocked nose would have impaired taste acuity, therefore influencing her choice of foods.  Her breathing difficulties would have impaired  oxygen exchange, and therefore the production of energy, hence her apathetic response.  Furthermore her innate immune resistance to infection was likely compromised by inadequate nutrients from her limited diet.

Therefore the treatment was aimed at several levels:

• Preventing further infections to provide her respiratory system time to heal and to reduce exposure to antibiotics and prednisolone (steroids for inflammation)
• Provide her body with the nutrients and building blocks to create a healthy immune response
• Reduce inflammation and mucous production in her airways to facilitate oxygen exchange and improve energy
• Improve quality and regularity of bowel motions - as a sign of healthy detoxification and restoring the health of her microbial diversity
• Identifying foods that are driving inflammation

Food sensitivity testing revealed a strong reaction to dairy, which her mum was concerned about as she seemed to live off milk and cheese. We used substitutions for these foods for other white foods like coconut yoghurt, soy milk and gradually introduced fruits and vegetables in a way that was playful and reward based, so Lucy enjoyed the transition and became more adventurous with food. 

We used:

• easy tasteless pre and probiotics for bowel health.
• nutrients to support her immune system, which also supported gut repair
• Herbal medicine to support her immune resistance

By the end of 6 months of treatment, Lucy was assessed as school ready. But even more gratifying for her parents was that she had transformed into an energetic girl who could go on family bike rides and play outside for hours without needing to rest. She barely got sick anymore and if she did, it resolved quickly. Lucy also became aware of her body and very proud of her poo!