Supporting children through the Fall and Winter

Fall is in full swing and like many families my kids are all over the place in school, after school activities, and hanging with their pals. I have four kids, and when one of them brings home something— everyone goes down. So as an acupuncturist, what do I do?

For my kids, I prioritize rest and try to support healthy habits. To me, this means making the choice to stay home and have quiet time if I notice everyone is really tired or starting to get cranky.

I also try to provide a variety of nourishing options for food, and model being mindful about my health choices for them. With the weather cooling off and becoming more damp, I be sure their have their sweatshirts and dry shoes and socks.

I am absolutely not the parent that will say “no sugar ever”, but I do try to explain to them the importance of balance and explain what certain foods do for them. Protein gives them energy and grounds them, veggies support them with different vitamins and help them have smooth digestion, and sugars taste yummy. I have shown them diagrams of how different foods effect their blood glucose levels, and talked about what that means. So instead of saying no treats, we talk about did we have veggies or protein before our sugar? How many other sugary items have we had today and would that be a lot for our bodies? In TCM, sugar creates dampness— and in these darker and more damp seasons, we want to be more mindful of this.

I also use herbal medicine to support their immunity and to promote a speedy recovery when they do catch a cold. There are child friendly formulas, and most of the time the kids are happy to have a simple option to help them feel healthy.