Articles » Children’s health

Natural therapies snapshot

It wasn’t too long ago that natural medicine was considered a vestige of the flower power era, something only hippies were into. Nowadays, complementary medicine has become almost mainstream. 60% of Australians regularly use herbal and vitamin supplements, and the latest figures show around three quarters of a million people consult a natural therapist every year.

Eating for teenagers

Am I imagining it, or are teenagers taller, cleverer and better looking than they were twenty years ago? Every so often, under the guidance of their shorter stubbier parent, one of these young gods gangles into my clinic. Very often the complaint is poor energy and lack of concentration at school.

Just add water

It’s often the small changes that make a big difference to our health. Take water for instance. I’m convinced most of us are walking around dehydrated. Dry as a chip. Certainly, we consume enough fluid for the basics, but making a conscious decision to increase water intake leads to improvements in all sorts of unexpected areas. The brain, for example, is a very wet organ.

Cancer

Cancer is not a new disease. Evidence of it appears in skeletons of prehistoric man. Now it seems everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer, and it has recently pipped heart disease to the post by becoming the leading cause of death in Australia.

When does a therapeutic diet become an eating disorder?

Do you know anyone on a very restricted diet? First to go is red meat (because of the cholesterol), then chicken (because of the antibiotics) then it’s anything with eyes. What follows on the banned list is dairy (because it forms mucus), gluten (because of the bloat), potatoes and rice (because they are starches) and oil (because it’s oil).

Childhood coughs

Coughs and colds affect everyone, young and old. But at least an adult can tell you what’s wrong. Young children just suffer, some more silently than others. Here are some natural remedies that will help little ones recover from a nasty cough, so they, and the rest of the house, can sleep peacefully through the night.

Childhood eczema

Itchy, Hot and Irritable or Scratchy, Sore and Sorry, whatever way you look at it, eczema and children are a miserable combination. Eczema is one of a group of inherited conditions that includes hayfever and asthma.

What is naturopathy?

A history and guide to naturopathic medicine in Australia. Naturopathy endeavours to find out and treat the underlying cause of an illness, not just the symptoms. Naturopathic medicine aims to improve your sense of wellbeing in all areas.

Stress and the HSC

Stress not only affects adults, children and teenagers can also suffer it’s ill effects. Especially when studying for the dreaded HSC. Here are some suggestions to help your child cope with this difficult time.

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