by Dr Jason Mallia Reg Acupuncturist Sydney Naturopath Pediatric Naturopathy. Integrative Medicine
With chronic disease on the rise it’s important to consider what could be the drivers of such conditions and causes of the sudden incline in the past 50 years. With the industrial revolution came great innovation and development to make our lives more comfortable but to what expense? Furthermore the industrialization of medicine in the search of “life saving” interventions have also featured but have they offset the the simultaneous surge in chronic disease?
Cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease and cardiovascular disease are all on the rise with no sign of slowing down soon. Many of these chronic diseases have now been found in children and are on the rise. In the US children have more type 1 diabetes than any other country in the world, with a prevalence in children and adolescents that grew by 21% from 2001 to 2009. So why the sudden incline in the US?
Research shows environmental factors play a significant role in the development including two of the most widely discussed environmental candidates are dietary factors and viral infections suggesting that poor nutritional status in mums preconception play a vital role along with pathogens as a hidden cause.
So what are the main drivers of Chronic disease
Natural medicine seeks to understand the cause of illness. Research has shown that most
chronic diseases have a driver connected to the disease.
These drivers include toxicity, stress, pathogens, inflammation, and poor nutrition.
These drivers have all been linked to the progression of certain chronic conditions. For example, in the
chronic autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, certain microbes have been shown to be
present in sufferers, leading to a dysregulation of their immune systems. It is important to
understand the existence of these drivers so that you can implement a plan to counteract them
and improve these conditions.
Toxicity and our Kids
We have more people on the planet than ever before and with this comes much impact on the environment and ultimately human health. This also means higher waste accumulation, more car pollution, more food packaged in plastic to feed the masses, more chemicals to keep up with food demand, more technology and EMF and the list goes on. No wonder why chronic disease is on the rise with 50% of the Australian population reporting a chronic disease of some kind. This has made toxicity one of the major concerns of the 21st century.
So how do we keep our kids toxin levels down?
Of course the best way to prevent toxicity is to prevent exposure to the above by leading a clean lifestyle, but one of the simplest most effective ways to help kids rid their body of toxins naturally is getting them to drink clean filtered and mineralized water. This helps prevent heavy metals and other impurities accumulate in their little bodies and flush out unwanted toxins naturally. Try adding some organic lemon juice to the water to help with the process. The second most effective way is by way of natural detox through food.
Feed them the The Clean 15 and Remove the Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen™ is a trademark term used to define the twelve foods that farmers typically use the most pesticides on, versus, the Clean 15™ which is also a trademark term to describe the fifteen fruit and vegetables that have the lowest amount of pesticide.
The Dirty Dozen Foods (highly sprayed, organic recommended)
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
The Clean 15 Foods (lower levels of spraying eat non organic if need be, please note some may be GMO so eat organic to avoid possibility)
- Avocado
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapple
- Onion
- Papaya
- Sweet Peas Frozen
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Cantaloupes
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwi
Whilst we can’t be perfect with food the little changes make all the different with our kids and help their little bodies stay low toxic and healthy.
By Dr Jason Mallia Acupuncturist Sydney Naturopath Integrative Medicine Pediatric Naturopathy