February 08

Back to School
Give your kids a head-start for the new school year The first day of school can be tough! There are so many new faces, new rules and so much new information for your kids to take in. The start of the school year can be filled with anxiety, dread or excitement. Fortunately there are some simple and effective things you can do to give your kids a head start for the beginning of this school year.

Sharpen their mental focus
There are herbs which support brain function and improve memory and learning in children by improving their focus and resilience under pressure. These herbs may be particularly useful if your children have poor concentration. These herbs are available from this clinic in a great-tasting, chocolate-flavoured powder that you can mix with water or milk to give your kids a brainboosting shake.

Is the new school year stressing them out?
Many children get stressed and anxious at the beginning of a new school year. Anxiety can interfere with children’s confidence, attention and behaviour and is often associated with ADHD in children. Once again, certain herbs can help to calm children whilst improving focus and behaviour; relieving anxiety or stress as they are both gentle and calming. A combination of herbs can help children get off to sleep as well calming them down if they are experiencing day time anxiety. Certain nutrients are also valuable in supporting your child’s stress and anxiety levels.  Talk to our Naturopath about which combinations are best suited for your child or children.

Simple recommendations to maximise your child’s learning experience:

1. Make sure your children eat a nutritious breakfast – there are many cereals out there that contain high levels of sugar, which can affect their concentration. Choose a whole-grain, healthy cereal for their breakfast. Eggs are also a great way to start the day, as the protein can help to maintain healthy blood sugar levels throughout the morning.
2. Get your children off to bed at a reasonable time. Children need more sleep than adults and lack of sleep can affect their learning.
3. Get into a regular routine and stick to it; this will make the start and end of the day less stressful for both you and your children.
4. Encourage your kids to talk about their day, this helps them develop their communication skills and can give you valuable insight into how they are going. If you sense any problems, discuss it with their teacher

Want the best for your children?

These are just some of the great natural options available from our clinic for optimising the health of your children and helping them get through these first weeks of school. We have many other natural health solutions specifically tailored to meet the needs of your kids so if you want the best for your children’s health, come and discuss available options with Dagmar today

January 08

Get a head-start going back to school
The start of the school year can be filled with anxiety, dread or excitement. While some children may thrive in this environment, it may be wise to check on your children to see how they are coping with the many fresh challenges that may be facing them in the new school year.

Sharpen up mental focus
There are a variety of herbs that support mental performance and nervous function, thereby reducing anxiety improving logical memory and learning.  Enhancing focus and resilience under pressure assists those children who are a little more active and finding it difficult to sit still in a classroom.

Is stress leading to anxiety and insomnia?
Anxiety interferes with confidence, attention and behaviour and is often associated with ADHD in children. There are herbs which have been compared to ADHD medication and been found to be just as effective in improving focus and behaviour, as well as being better tolerated. Effective combining of herbs helps to calm hyper-arousal associated with both sleeplessness and daytime anxiety. Taken during the day it helps to reduce mild anxiety without sedation, whilst an evening dose helps children relax to get off to sleep.

Stress can lead to neurotransmitter imbalances that may lead to depression or aggression if left unchecked. Dagmar will be able to advise you on natural supplements which provide essential nutrients to help kids of all ages cope with these effects of stress.

Feed their brains fish
Most of you will have heard about the importance of fish oils for brain function.  The Coomera Wellness Centre stocks only the highest quality High Potency Ultra Pure DHA Liquid. DHA is a superior choice over other oils for neurological applications in children (e.g. learning, memory, brain development). The brain and retina contain the highest content of DHA of any tissues, and DHA is essential for normal brain and visual function. DHA has been shown in a number of experiments to enhance learning and memory, and infants supplemented with DHA have been shown to have greater mental development scores at 12 months of age. It is believed that in ADHD, deficiencies of DHA may be responsible for abnormal signalling associated with learning disabilities, cognitive deficits, and visual dysfunction. These abnormalities can be partially corrected by supplementation with a diet enriched with DHA.  For students who have learning difficulties, or students under high academic pressure, DHA is an excellent choice.

Get a great start every day
Finally, skipping breakfast is a common reason for poor performance at school. There are a number of “shake” options suitable for all ages delivering a full nutritional profile enhanced to support healthy normal development, making it especially useful for kids on the go and for those who are picky eaters.

Make an appointment today to see Dagmar Ganser, naturopath, at the Coomera Wellness Centre by calling 5580 5655.