Friday, September 13, 2013

Natural Strategies that Can Help Students Academic Abilities and Behaviors

More and more children are being medicated for school based problems related to attention and learning issues, and families are concerned about the short term and long term effects.  In addition, most caregivers don’t want to mask the presenting symptoms.  Instead, they want to get to the root cause of the problem.   

What are Some Possible Causes that can be Addressed Naturally?
There are three possible causes that can addressed without medications.  First, there are increasing amounts of toxins and unhealthy, synthesized substances in our environment that have impacted our food chain and water supplies.  For instance, toxic levels of mercury are often reported in many types of fish and professionals are continually warning us about the dangers of pesticides and genetically modified foods.  Second, many available foods contain preservatives, additives and other chemicals that can negatively impact on our bodies and brains.  A common additive, monosodium glutamate or MSG, is used by restaurants to make patrons feel full.  However, this substance can also cause headaches, intestinal distress and other unpleasant symptoms. Third, in our fast paced society, many kids do not have a well balanced diet and therefore struggle with nutritional deficiencies.  An imbalanced diet can impact physical development, organs, and because the blood feeds the brain, poor nutrition can affect cognition. 

What are Some Common Symptoms that Indicate Nutritional Deficiencies?
     1.     Rough dry skin
     2.     Cracked lips
     3.     Dry or dull hair
     4.     Pasty skin
     5.     Excessive thirst

What are Some Common Symptoms that Indicate Toxins are Present in the Body?
     1.     Rashes
     2.     Irritability
     3.     Intestinal issues
     4.     Mental fog
     5.     Inflammatory conditions
     6.     Head aches
     7.     Sinus problems
     8.     Difficulty sleeping

What Can We Do?
     1.     Use natural cleaning products without synthesized agents and heavy perfumes.
     2.     Clean your house with hot steam instead of chemicals.
     3.     Drink plenty of clean water.
     4.     Eat organic produce and meat.
     5.     Eat detoxifying foods, like fruits and vegetables.
     6.    Take a high grade fish oil supplement.  Here is a great video on the benefits of fish oil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ477yo1IXY
     7.     Take high quality vitamins.
     8.     Avoid processed foods – particularly white flour and sugar.
     9.     Exercise your body 3-5 times a week.
    10.    Allow your body to have some down time.

I hope you found this helpful!  I would love to hear your thoughts.


Cheers, Erica

Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning and Dyslexia Materials.  She is also the director of Learning to Learn, in Ossining, NY.  To learn more about her products and services, you can go to www.goodsensorylearning.comwww.dyslexiamaterials.com & www.learningtolearn.biz  

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