With the end of summer and the arrival of cooler temperatures, the kids have returned to school and are settling back into their school year routines. This means more time indoors with less sunshine and for many, the added stress of studies and classes. All these factors typically mean more colds and illnesses than we experienced during the more carefree months of vacation in the summer. While each of our kids' needs are unique in this regard, there are several things that should be considered for staying healthy during the busy school year.
One of the simplest, yet most profound considerations for ensuring health and well-being during the school year is sleep. This is perhaps the most underrated aspect of well-being, as getting a solid night of sleep is crucial for the body's restorative capacity, as well as ensuring the mind is sharp, while supporting balanced emotions and nervous systems. Depending on your kids' ages, they need anywhere from 8-12 hours of restful sleep each night, and for most families, this means some real time management. For teens it can be challenging to inspire this important point and ensure they are getting to bed early enough. My recommendations include first making sure dinner is happening no later than 7pm and that all technology is turned off at least an hour before bedtime. This makes it much easier for our bodies to be in "ready-for-sleep" mode at a reasonable hour. For more on this, check out "Virtues of Sleep," published in a previous issue of the Source Weekly.
The bustling social environment and associated stress during the school year is also a big deal for kids of all ages, both for mental and physiological well-being. A great starting point here is to be sure you are having transparent and non-judgmental conversations with the kids on a regular basis. Ask open-ended questions about how it's going with teachers and classmates, and listen carefully to what they have to say. You might find there are hidden points of stress and worry that you may be able to help find solutions to with a little compassion and creativity. These areas can be some of the trickiest to address with kids, so laying a foundation at home for regular and gentle conversations is the key.
How well our kids nourish themselves with food and water, and the overall health of their digestive systems, are also very important. While this topic is vast, some general rules apply. Hydration requires drinking water. Flavored drinks, sodas and carbonated drinks do not qualify when it comes to adequate hydration throughout the day. I recall this being an issue when my kids were young, and it is worth checking in about how much water they are getting during the school day. The basics of having healthy protein throughout the day, minimizing refined sugars and getting plenty of fiber and nutrients from vegetables and fruit is crucial. The blood sugar spikes that result from too many processed carbs and not enough protein and veggies wreak havoc on the brain and nervous systems, making every aspect of school and studies more challenging. When your child's system is not agreeing with something that is part of their regular diet, consider food sensitivity testing as an option to getting it figured out. More on this in last year's article, "Food Sensitivities and Your Health."
Keeping the immune systems healthy to minimize colds and flus is a priority for every parent, and every topic discussed thus far is relevant to achieving that goal. While nutrient supplementation for kids is unique to each of their individual needs, there are a few I am a big fan of for most. A reputable probiotic can be very supportive for both the digestive and immune systems. Vitamin D levels while living in Bend begin to decline this time of year without supplementation, and many kids do not get enough Omega-3 EFAs in their diet, so a high-quality fish oil supplement becomes the solution. Check in with your holistically minded doctor to get some recommendations for quality supplements along these lines. Here's to wishing the best to your family for a healthy and productive school year.
—Joshua Phillips, ND is a naturopathic physician and the director at Hawthorn Healing Arts Center in Bend, Oregon. He can be reached at docnaturecure@gmail.com with questions or comments.