Keeping Children Healthy Through Cold and Flu Season

As the “Swine Flu” is sweeping through many local communities, and the symptoms of cold and flu season are upon us, I have been hearing from many parents asking about holistic and preventative options for their children. As a parent myself, I also feel the worry and stress of trying to keep my own son healthy and strong throughout this season. Luckily, there are a number of options for us to use that can help to strengthen our child's immune system and help to prevent or cut down on the number of times that they get sick.

As we all know, proper hand washing and a well balanced diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables can go along way to keeping our kids healthy. However there are a number of other holistic options that can prove quite helpful. Below is a list of the Core 3:

Probiotics: These are the “good” bacteria that reside in our digestive systems and help to form a major part of our immune system. Supplementing with a child friendly probiotic has been shown to cut down on the number of colds a child has each winter as well as to decrease the length and severity of symptoms.

Fish Oil: These Essential Fatty Acids form an important component allowing our bodies to create a proper immune response. Many companies now make Fish Oil for kids that comes in a variety of flavors that children find very appealing.

Vitamin D: Recent research has highlighted that children across the United States have low levels in their bodies. Vitamin D has a regulatory function in the Immune System and low levels have been shown to lead to more cold's and flu's. Cutting edge Doctors are now recommending that we keep our levels between 50-80 year round. Ask your pediatrician to check this at the next visit.

If your child does come down with a cold, herbal remedies can be very effective during this acute stage. As a practicing herbalist who works with children I have found herbal remedies to be very helpful in these situations and well tolerated by children. My own son who is a year and a half old will even say “herbs” when he is teething because he has come to know the quick relief they will offer him from pain and fever. Herbs for children come in liquid “tinctures” that can be easily squirted into your child's mouth.

If you are interested in working from a holistic perspective towards your child's health then it is always best to consult with a Holistic Pediatric specialist. It is most useful to create a relationship with your medical provider before your child gets sick. We recommend setting up an initial visit to go over your child's health history and set up an individual treatment program. In this way, if your child does get sick we will have a previous relationship with both of you and we will be able to provide quicker and more effective interventions. As always, be sure to be open and honest with your Pediatrician about any and all therapies that you may choose to use for your child.

~Jason Henson, Licensed Acupuncturist, Herbalist

ACUPUNCTURE IS PART OF THE BIG PICTURE

Acupuncture is one of the oldest medical therapies in the world, dating back over 3,000 years. At FirstHealth
of Andover PC, we use the increasing amount of research done on acupuncture to offer our patients the latest efficacy based treatments to find solutions for today’s healthcare challenges. Our acupuncturists often work in concert with your existing healthcare professionals to insure you receive the best quality care. This is an exciting time for patients seeking acupuncture. During this time in history, a growing body of acupuncture research has combined with educated and experienced licensed acupuncturists to offer the public quality options for their healthcare needs.

The practitioners of FirstHealth of Andover PC have been serving the communities of the Merrimack Valley for many years. We invite you to explore the acupuncture articles and research that we’ve made available to the right of this paragraph. Our Acupuncture brochure is in a convenient form that can be passed on to others or printed out. Feel free to explore the rest of our website. Please contact the office with any questions or to schedule an appointment.

Be well.

FirstHealth News Letter

We at FirstHealth of Andover hope this edition of our newsletter finds you and your family well. Flu and illness has gripped our community with an unusual ferocity this year. We have put together some helpful hints from our various practitioners, including a chart showing symptoms between cold, flu and H1N1, to assist you in making it through the next six weeks with an eye on health and happiness. Jason Henson, who many of you know, practices Pediatric Chinese Medicine, has written an article on Keeping Children Healthy During Cold and Flu Season, while Dr. Tara Greaves, our Naturopathic Doctor, offers advice on keeping healthy all year long by enhancing your immune system, including an immune boosting recipe for a hearty, healthy soup.

David Sollars, our Founder and Medical Director, is expanding his clinic schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays and has written Wellness Is a Team Sport. We are also pleased to introduce Jack and Sona Barakitis to you as our newest massage practitioners. Just click on Massage/ Bodywork Department on our Staff page and read why we are so excited to have them join our health team! They have shared Five Surprising Benefits of Massage with you. Rebecca Panzer, our registered dietitian and weight management coach, wants to help us all make it through the holidays (and every day) with some suggestions on Fighting Fatigue.

The practitioners at FirstHealth of Andover continue to have success in offering programs in our community. We have partnered with several companies to offer chair massage events, weight-loss programs, and inspirational speakers on health and wellness. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you believe would benefit from the knowledge and ask your human resources department to give us a call to inquire about our off-site programs.

Thank you for the trust and confidence in making FirstHealth of Andover a part of your healthcare team. We strive to always provide inspirational medicine to you and your family. Enjoy the Season ahead.