By Dr. Alina Olteanu, Whole Child Texas
By Dr. Alina Olteanu, Whole Child Texas
Anxiety is a widespread problem among children and adolescents at Whole Child Texas. More than 20% of visits to a pediatrician's office are due to behavior issues, and many of these patients have anxiety. More than 1/3 of adolescents have anxiety, and children as young as 6 years or even younger can experience feelings of anxiety.
Childhood should be a time of happiness and laughter. Unfortunately, we live in a world where even young children experience incapacitating fears that rob them of joy and playfulness. Anxiety disorder is not just being a little bit nervous on the first day of school. It is extreme fear and constant worries even about minor life challenges.
Anxiety can affect a child's school performance, family life, and, last but not least, can cause physical symptoms. Children with anxiety can have constant aches and pains, tummy aches, headaches, poor sleep, no appetite, and they can refuse to go to school. Anxiety can cause a child to be irritable or withdrawn but also sometimes aggressive and irritable. If you think your child has anxiety, don't wait for it to go away on its own. Most of the time, it will not resolve without help.
Stress and the "fight or flight" response:
Diagnosis and ruling out medical problems:
Conventional treatment for anxiety :
Integrative, Spirit-Body-Brain treatment for childhood anxiety:
#1 Healthy Lifestyle:
#2 Nutrition & Supplements:
#3 Herbs for childhood anxiety:
#4 Mind-Body Techniques & Stress Management:
Remember:
Free Resources:
Guided visualization: Kaiser Permanente, Health Journeys podcasts created by Belleruth Naparstak
Anxiety and stress relief programs for children:
Pediatric anti-inflammatory pyramid:
References:
1. Gillies, Sinn, Lad, Ross 2012: "Polyunsaturated fatty acids for ADHD in children and adolescents" Cochrane Database Syst Rev
2. Mayer, Tillisch, Gupta 2015: "Gut/brain axis and microbiota" J Clin Invest
3. Singh et al., 2011: "Chamomile: an overview." Pharmacogn Rev
4. Muller and Klement 2006: "A combination of valerian and lemon balm is effective in the treatment of restlessness and dyssomnia in children" Phytomedicine
Contact Dr. Alina Olteanu at 214-736-1954, info@wholechildtexas.com, or visit http://www.wholechildtexas.com to find out more about treating your whole child so they can enjoy their best possible health.
Dr Olteanu is located in Frisco, Texas, just outside of Dallas, and is an integrative pediatrician specializing in integrative and functional medicine as well as natural treatments for Autism, ADD, ADHD, Anxiety and Depression, Asthma, Allergies, Eczema, Constipation, Headaches, and other chronic childhood conditions.
Please note that this Whole Child Texas blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed healthcare provider. Whole Child Texas, located just outside of Dallas, Texas, is an integrative and functional medicine pediatric clinic that treats the whole child, spirit-body-brain, using a variety of treatment modalities (nutritional counseling, vitamins, herbs, homeopathy, meditation ). We specialize in integrative and functional treatments for Autism, ADD, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Asthma, Allergies, Eczema, Headaches and other childhood chronic or acute conditions using traditional medicine combined with holistic, natural supplements, and stress management.
Contact Dr. Alina Olteanu at 214-736-1954, info@wholechildtexas.com, or visit http://www.wholechildtexas.com to find out more about treating your whole child so they can enjoy their best possible health.
Dr Olteanu is located in Frisco, Texas, just outside of Dallas, and is an integrative pediatrician specializing in integrative and functional medicine as well as natural treatments for Autism, ADD, ADHD, Anxiety and Depression, Asthma, Allergies, Eczema, Constipation, Headaches, and other chronic childhood conditions.
Please note that this Whole Child Texas blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed healthcare provider. Whole Child Texas, located just outside of Dallas, Texas, is an integrative and functional medicine pediatric clinic that treats the whole child, spirit-body-brain, using a variety of treatment modalities (nutritional counseling, vitamins, herbs, homeopathy, meditation ). We specialize in integrative and functional treatments for Autism, ADD, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Asthma, Allergies, Eczema, Headaches and other childhood chronic or acute conditions using traditional medicine combined with holistic, natural supplements, and stress management.