Organic NZ – September 2019

Advocate • Connect September/October 2019 39

Health and Food

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Behavioural, sensory, skin and sleep issues
At age three she started developing many behavioural problems
that became so hard to deal with. She hated clothes and tags and
had many sensory issues. To get her to wear anything was almost
impossible. She had itchy skin and sore red eyes every night and
sometimes during the day that made her scream. She had sleep
issues, waking through the night, often angry and screaming.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) also started with doors
needing to be closed and wiping her feet six times. She started a
tic with her mouth and if we went into a car park or somewhere
enclosed she would spit and cry and say it tasted yucky.
Her anger became so bad you couldn’t really have a conversation
with her. She was so anxious that when she was four I started her
at kindy so she would be ready to leave me when school started.
It took her three terms going three half days before she was OK to
leave happily.
We got to a dark place as a family – there was always yelling
and crying, and I didn’t know where to turn. My daughter had little
moments where she cried and said, “I’m so sorry mum, I don’t know
why I’m like this”. That made me think this is not my little girl,
something is wrong. I knew another mother with a child similar
and she put her on medication. Something in my mother’s gut said
no, that is not the way!

A safe diet and home environment
When she was aged five, I was given the card of a naturopath who
dealt with a lot of children. We were at breaking point, so I booked
a consult. After seeing her we immediately made the changes she
recommended, including changing her diet to real whole foods,
reducing sugar as much as possible, lowering dairy and removing
gluten. We had to avoid any stressors such as chemicals in cleaners
or body care products, and moulds. We swapped to organic
products where we could and started reducing chemical products
in the home.
Within two weeks, her anger was gone, and after restoring her
nutrient deficiencies, our little girl returned to us. We targeted her
hypothyroid (underactive thyroid) and supported her naturally
with supplements that the thyroid needs such as iodine, selenium
and zinc.
It took about a year of making changes. Sometimes we went
back to old ways, but little flare-ups would remind us, and the fear
of going back there was always enough to make us sort ourselves
out. Change is hard to do overnight, maybe impossible, but starting
on a journey one step at a time is OK, and in that year we had taken
many, many steps. So just start any way you can.

PANS and PANDAS

My daughter had something called PANS (paediatric acute-onset

neuropsychiatric syndrome) or PANDAS (paediatric autoimmune

neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal

infections).

These are two infection-induced autoimmune conditions

that disrupt a patient’s normal neurologic functioning – see

more at pandasnetwork.org/medical-information. She also had

hypothyroidism and was deficient in nutrients. There was so much

inflammation and her body couldn’t cope.

Being an allergy kid, she naturally and genetically had more to

deal with than healthy children. I like to explain it as a child has

a cup half full of water, and for kids with allergies or other health

issues their cup is three-quarters full. Then if you add stress,

sickness, antibiotics, poor diet, pesticides and harmful chemicals

etc., the cup overflows and the body reacts by producing things

like anxiety, allergies, poor immunity, poor gut health, behavioural

issues and other health concerns.

Strategies to reduce toxins

So this is where we need to reduce their load: start introducing

organic and spray-free foods and products, get fresh air into the

Above: Nicole and Desiree with herbs for use in the Wild and Free

balms.

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Reached a puzzling

point with your

health issues?

Could it be from

the environment,

parasites or toxins?