life stages 129
sugar, especially hidden sugars like those in cakes, pastries, and chocolate.
These can complicate and exacerbate conditions such as hyperactivity and
attention defi cit disorder.
Some 80 percent of children who have a combination of physical,
intellectual, and emotional diffi culties are simply affl icted by food-related
allergies or childhood candidiasis. These cause a range of symptoms,
including stomach, liver, and bowel disorders; chronic fatigue; eczema;
aggression; and specifi c learning diffi culties. Food allergy testing will help
you identify foods that should be avoided, but a good rule of thumb is to
avoid pesticide-laden vegetables, steroid- and hormone-fed meat, dairy
products, and wheat products altogether. Some professionals believe that
these diffi culties may be due to the observed trend that children’s blood
grouping is changing. Many are now type A or AB, rather than the more
common type O of their grandparents. This means that they have less
hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, and this defi cit, in turn, produces
allergies if mishandled. Over time the digestive capacity of the child can
be built up by using herbs like meadowsweet leaf and fl ower, gentian root,
and slippery elm inner bark, with a range of foods that boost intestinal
fl ora. Eventually the child should be able to process a wider range of
foods with little or no reaction.
Immunization, the overuse of antibiotics, and an increase in junk food
have radically altered the health of children, and there are now visible
consequences of these changes. Children will especially benefi t from
fl axseed oil and other foods rich in essential fatty acids, which will support
neurotransmitters, thus supporting the brain. (For more detailed
information, refer to the section on the nervous system in chapter 9 and
the dietary advice given in chapter 4.)
Zinc levels, so important for building up the immune system, are also
often diffi cult to maintain in children because they use so much for
growing. To help calm and soothe children on all levels, whether they are
overworked at school or generally hyperactive, use the following formula:
equal parts of lemon balm leaf, vervain leaf, lavender leaf or fl ower,
dandelion root, chamomile fl ower, skullcap leaf, lobelia leaf, red clover
fl ower, catmint leaf or fl ower, and Chinese licorice root.
general childhood illness
Children can be quick to get sick but equally quick to recover, and
essentially they have the potential for greater resilience and strength if
every illness is treated correctly. Those who are supported with herbs,
baths, massage, and good food, and left to fi ght out their illnesses without
antibiotics and invasive, suppressive medicines, will build up better long-
term defenses and consequently require less nursing in the long run.
129 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition