The Naturopathic Well Child

By: Dr. Erin Sharman

I just took my kids into the pediatrician for their "well-child" check in. I have to put the term "well child" in quotation marks because there's nothing about the modern day "well-child" to me that speaks about wellness. Don't get me wrong, there is merit to making sure your kids heart and lungs and basic functioning is intact (check - my child poops, pees and sleeps). But what about all the other parts of childhood wellness? What about optimizing those functions?

In my previous pediatric focused practice, I had the pleasure of performing hundreds of pediatric well-child exams. However, we talked about EVERYTHING going on in the child's life. Do they have reflux? Do they suffer from occasional constipation? Do they go to sleep easily? Do they get sick more than expected? Do they have skin issues? Do they have a sensitive stomach? Do they have chronic ear infections? You get the idea. I loved helping each caretaker navigate these issues and find resolution to some of these health issues that can relatively easily be fixed by dietary and lifestyle changes. I loved that I was helping the child AND parents have a better quality of life!

It's crazy to me that when we talk about our child's immune status, the predominant question is, "is your child up to date on their vaccinations?". Again, don't get me wrong, immunizations have their place in medicine, but again, what about all the other components of a child's immunity? What about all the other things in the child's life - like their food, chemical exposure, nutritional status, emotional status, physical expenditure, sleep habits and gut health? And, most importantly, what can we do to improve upon the aforementioned so that our kids don't get super-duper scary sick?

I believe that it is time to reinvent the "well-child" exam to truly reflect all that a well-child should be.

Book a Pediatric Intake with Dr. Sharman through the month of September for $200 (Regularly: $300)