Detoxification methods for kids

When a child has a health problem, parents should consult a qualified healthcare practitioner to make or confirm a diagnosis, to clarify a confusing or unclear diagnosis, to rule out complications, and to deal with any life-threatening emergency. Any sudden or unexpected change in a child's condition should immediately be investigated.

Parents who learn about natural medicines are able to be more involved in their child's healthcare. They become more sensitive to their child's physical and emotional temperament and can recognize early warning signs of illness. Because parents are the guardians of their child's health, they must also monitor the child's exposures to toxins, as well as helping to determine the need for and overseeing detoxification procedures.

Children are exposed to toxins daily, and if the natural detoxification processes in their body cannot handle the load, they can develop bioaccumulation. Children with toxic overloads need detoxification and cleansing just as adults do.

Saunas, baths, and hydrotherapy

Heat depuration helps to mobilize chemicals in children's fat cells. Children have used saunas safely in Sweden and Finland for hundreds of years, with shorter exposure times and lower temperatures than for adults. If a child does use a sauna, monitor the heart rate, which should not exceed the suggested maximum pulse (220 minus child's age x 0.85 = maximum pulse). Twenty minutes is the maximum sauna time for a child.

Detox baths are also an effective detoxification method for children. Plain water baths, Epsom salt baths, and apple cider vinegar baths have all been used safely, with beneficial results.

Children do well with hydrotherapy, with the exception of cold baths, which should not be used. A full-body cold pack is also not recommended for children.

Nutrients

Because children often do not eat a balanced diet, supplementation with nutrients is recommended. A good multivitamin/mineral is helpful for many children. For children who cannot swallow capsules or tablets, chewable vitamins, and to a limited extent, liquid vitamins, are available. Reading labels carefully is essential as many of them contain added sugar to make them more palatable. Healthier versions containing fruit juices or molasses are preferable.

Vitamin doses are usually recommended at one-third to one-half the adult dosages, depending on the child's body weight. This can be estimated using a typical adult body weight of 120 to 140 pounds. Children may take extra nutrients for special needs, but there are limits that should not be exceeded.

For children, no more than 5,000 to 10,000 units a day of vitamin A are recommended, as it can be toxic in excessive doses. However, beta-carotene is the precursor of vitamin A, and it is not toxic at all. The only side effect from beta-carotene is a yellow or orange tint to the skin, known as carotenemia. This does not cause any clinical symptoms and can be reversed simply by reducing or stopping the excess intake of beta-carotene. Babies who eat large amounts of carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes have a tendency to develop carotenemia.

Vitamin B3 (niacin) is frequently used in sauna programs. It may cause transient tingling or flushing if taken in excess amounts.

A small dose, such as 100 mg, can be used and built up as tolerated. If children take larger doses of vitamin B3, their liver enzyme levels should be monitored.

Vitamin B6 is safe for children in doses from 25 to 100 mg a day. It has been reported to cause peripheral neuropathy (numbness in the extremities) when used in excessive doses, such as 1,200 to 2,000 mg a day for extended periods of time.

Vitamin C has been recommended in doses of 20 mg per pound of bodyweight per day, but can be taken by children in doses close to bowel tolerance level. Doses close to bowel tolerance are encouraged for children with allergies.

Excess amounts of vitamin D (over 400 IU in non-deficient states) can cause excessive calcification of bones or organs of the body, but rickets (a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency) is more common in children. Premature babies are prone to develop rickets, and various diseases of calcium metabolism can also cause rickets.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and can be used safely in proper doses to combat excess free radicals. No more than 400 IU of vitamin E daily should be given to children.

Special nutrient combinations are helpful to prevent and treat metal poisoning in children:

• Aluminum: selenium supplementation is helpful for aluminum poisoning. When children are given selenium, doses have to be monitored closely and should not exceed 125 micrograms a day.
• Cadmium: children eating a diet high in whole grains and vegetables will ingest extra vitamin C, thiamine, and zinc, which decreases cadmium absorption and retention. They will also get adequate amounts of copper, fiber, and vitamin E. Because most children do not eat enough of these foods, a multivitamin is recommended. Pectin is found in fruits and helps protect against cadmium poisoning.
• Lead: extra vitamin C, thiamine, and zinc (15 to 20 mg a day) helps protect children against lead toxicity and deposition.
• Mercury: children can take extra nutrients, including vitamin C, glutathione, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, to help combat mercury poisoning.

Diet, fasting, and juicing

A wholesome diet is very important to a child's health and for detoxification. Although fast foods and processed foods are appealing to many children, these foods are high in fats, salt, sugars, additives, and preservatives, and are low in nutrition. Peer pressure and advertising hype seem to draw children to this type of food.

Creative cooking and serving can help combat these pressures. In most cases, an acceptable and healthy substitute can be made at home or obtained at a health food store. However, you must read labels even at a health food store, as its place of purchase does not guarantee the quality of a food.

Some children do well on a macrobiotic diet, particularly when the whole family participates. A macrobiotic diet is wholesome and free from chemicals, simple sugars, saturated fats, and processed food. On the macrobiotic diet, children will:

• eat more complex carbohydrates and fewer simple sugars.
• eat vegetable protein instead of animal protein.
• reduce the intake of fat and have less saturated fat in their diet.
• have a better balance between vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
• use fewer artificially processed and chemically treated foods.
• use more foods in whole form than in refined or partial form.
• increase the amount of foods eaten with natural fiber.

Studies show that children on a balanced vegetarian diet grow adequately and remain healthy.

Cleansing diets are helpful for children, and can be used on a short-term basis. A child will self-select a diet of from one to three puréed fruits or vegetables from cleansing diet choices offered by the parent.

Exercise and bodywork

Children can do many forms of exercise, including walking, running, swimming, bike riding, aerobic dancing, and cross-country skiing. However, children should not be forced to exercise. They seem to be motivated most effectively if their parents exercise regularly and serve as positive role models. Children should be encouraged in the aerobic exercises that they enjoy, rather than the activities in which the parents want them to participate.

Bodywork is helpful for children, and gentle stroking massage techniques are recommended for all ages. Massage techniques have been used effectively even with premature babies, resulting in better neurological development and weight gain.

Massage stimulates the skin, which in turn increases cardiac output, promotes respiration, and develops the efficiency of the gastrointestinal tract of infants. It has positive benefits for many hormone levels, promotes bonding, and eases tension and physical discomforts. Massage also teaches babies ways to relax their bodies when stressed.

Parents can use simple bodywork techniques on their children at home. The physical contact of gentle massage is beneficial to both the parents and the child. For maximum benefit, parents must be relaxed as they massage their children.

Use natural cold-pressed fruit and/or vegetable oils for massaging infants and children. Apricot kernel and almond oil are two recommended oils. Baby oils have a petroleum base (mineral oil), which is distilled from crude petroleum and is toxic.

The use of essential oils for parental massage of children and babies can be very effective, but these oils should be diluted with a base or carrier oil, such as almond oil. For babies under one year old, use only the plain almond oil. For children over one year, add one drop of essential oil to 25 ml of almond oil.

Other types of bodywork that are safe for children are:

• Acupressure: helps to release tension in specific areas.
• Acupuncture: safe, but the child should be old enough not to be frightened by the acupuncture needle.
• Manual lymph drainage: very effective, but should be done with less pressure and for a shorter time than with adults.
• Reflexology: can be very relaxing, especially if a child is too excited to fall asleep at bed-time.
• Shiatsu: the gentle finger pressure improves muscle tone and circulation.
• Therapeutic Touch: helpful for children of all ages and can be used to calm crying babies.

Rolfing is not recommended for young children. For all types of treatment, it is important for children to be comfortable with the practitioner. If they are nervous, they may giggle or act silly, rather than relaxing, and so lose the benefits of treatment.

Breathing and oxygen

Breathing exercises are safe and effective, and can be used with all age groups. When children are old enough to understand the directions, these exercises can be both fun and helpful for them. Infants automatically do abdominal breathing, which is said to be the ideal way to breathe. Children can perform yoga when they are capable of under- standing the directions. Guided meditation can help calm a troubled or disturbed child, enabling relaxation and helping the child to sleep.

Oxygen therapy can be used for children who have diseases such as asthma and pneumonia. It can also be used with premature babies, but must be monitored carefully. If the oxygen level in the blood is too high, premature babies can develop retinopathy of prematurity (an eye disease), which can lead to blindness. The more premature a baby is, the higher the risk for this disease.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for children with carbon monoxide poisoning, most commonly caused by leaking gas stoves and improper ventilation. Carbon monoxide poisoning can also occur in children who ride in the back of a pickup truck. Hyperbaric oxygen may be used for older children who have decompression sickness (the "bends"). It may also be used for treating other conditions, such as tissue injury, at the discretion of the physician.

Hydrogen peroxide should not be taken orally by children or given to them intravenously. It can be used topically on small areas of skin. Hydrogen peroxide can be safely used for skin or nail fungal infections. Hydrogen peroxide can also be used as a diluted mouthwash when children are old enough to be able to gargle.

Ozone can be used topically for children in a bath, but should not be used by them in any other manner. Stabilized oxygen therapy can be used for localized skin care in children, but should not be given internally.

Allergy treatment and chelation

Neutralizing doses for foods, pollens, molds, danders, and chemicals can be given sublingually or by injection. Sublingual extracts are very effective for children and there is no danger of anaphylaxis (allergic shock). Sublingual allergy extracts can be used safely even for infants. Traditional injectable allergy extracts must be administered in a physician's office, as there is a risk of anaphylaxis. These shots are usually not tolerated well by children until age five or older because of the frequency of the injections.

Children respond well to extracts and hands-on treatment for pollens, terpenes, mold, dust, dust mites, and animal danders. Allergy extracts and hands-on allergy treatment can be used to treat and detoxify bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi in infants and children. They can also be used to cleanse and balance neurotransmitter sensitivities and imbalances.

Chelation therapy for atherosclerosis is not used in children. Atherosclerosis is thought to be rare in children, but it has been found in autopsies of 18- and 19-year-olds. Chelation therapy has been used in children for metal poisoning, particularly lead poisoning. Intravenous EDTA and intramuscular BAL help remove lead from the kidneys. Succimer (DMSA) was approved for use in children in 1991, for treatment of lead poisoning, and it can be given orally.

DMSA has also been used as an oral chelation agent for mercury poisoning. For mercury poisoning, children can be treated with BAL, penicillamine, or DMSA.

Homeopathy and Bach Flower Remedies

Homeopathy is extremely safe for newborns, infants, and children. For babies, a poppy seed-sized pellet can be placed in the mouth and will rapidly dissolve. Even if children spit out a homeopathic remedy, they receive a dose if it touches their mouth. For infants and children, a 6X dose is usually recommended. In acute conditions, 30C doses may be used. However, for an acute condition or an emergency, any available strength would be acceptable.

Caffeine, camphor, menthol, and peppermint, including peppermint toothpaste, can cancel or antidote homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathic remedies to treat organisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi are well tolerated by infants and children. Children who need to detoxify from medications, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, vaccinations, and dental work can also be helped with homeopathic remedies.

Children are more frequently bitten by venomous insects and arachnids than are adults. They respond well to the homeopathic remedies for treatment of insect bites.

Bach Flower Remedies are very effective for children and are valuable in dealing with children's emotional difficulties. To choose the remedy, the child's state of mind is assessed and physical symptoms are not considered. Both the negative and positive aspects of the emotions are taken into account.

Children should be treated before complex emotional patterns are established. The response to Bach Flower Remedies varies in acute and chronic cases. In acute cases, such as temper tantrums, changes will occur rapidly. In chronic cases, a child may be more in touch with his or her emotions, and may be able to help choose the proper remedy. However, an improvement in the child's condition may take more time.

A dropper bottle of 20 to 30 ml is filled with spring water or boiled tap water, and two to three drops of each Bach Flower Remedy is added. For children, it is recommended not to give more than four remedies at a time. Two to four drops of this dilute form can be given directly under the tongue, or added to food or drink four times a day.

The lips of a breast-feeding infant can be moistened with the remedy. A small quantity of a dilute Bach Flower Remedy applied to the bottom of the feet will be absorbed immediately, and a few drops on a tissue or cotton ball placed next to a child's nose will also give an adequate dose. Children respond more rapidly to treatment than adults, and do not have to be treated as long or as often.

Herbs and aromatherapy

The many herbs that can be used safely for children should be chosen with care. For the untrained person, consultation with an expert in herbs is recommended, as some herbs have a very narrow range of safety. In many cases, these herbs have also been prepared as homeopathic remedies, and for children the homeopathic remedies are recommended. Rarely, a child may be sensitive or allergic to a particular herb. If a child shows an unusual reaction after taking an herb, stop the treatment and consult an expert.

For children, the standard dose of a dried herb is one-quarter to one-half the adult dose, either in a capsule or as an infusion. For chronic conditions, the dose is three times a day, and for acute conditions, the herbs may be taken every two to four hours. The dose for infants is 1 tsp. daily of an infusion tea or decoction. A breastfed infant will ingest herbs taken by the mother.

Tinctures should never be given undiluted because the alcohol can bum a child's mouth. Tinctures should be mixed in 2 to 3 ounces of tolerated water, stirred, and slowly sipped by the child. The herbal tincture dose for children is two to four drops in water three times a day. For infants, one drop in water three times a day is recommended.

Aromatic herbs, which contain volatile oils that give them an agreeable odor and stimulating qualities, can be put in a vaporizer for inhalation.

Because a child's skin is more porous than an adult's, herbs can be absorbed through their skin:

• A tincture can be rubbed into the skin of the abdomen at three times the dose recommended above.
• A tincture can be rubbed on the bottoms of the feet at the recommended dose.
• An herbal preparation may be put in the bath water at 10 to 20 times the normal dose.

Children have a stronger response to aromatherapy than do adults. The neural pathway to their brain is shorter than in adults, so that they respond more rapidly to scents. A small amount of dilute essential oil on a tissue or a cotton ball placed next to the child's nose for a few minutes will give rapid absorption. A child can also be treated by simply inhaling the fumes of a bottle of dilute essential oil. However, essential oils should never be used directly on the face of a child under 10 years of age, and only qualified aromatherapists should use essences for infants.

The aromatherapy baths can be used for children, but with only three drops of essential oil to an averaged-sized bath.

Topical detoxification

Compresses, packs, and poultices are a useful, effective treatment for children. Children usually do not need to use these treatments for as long as an adult would. However, garlic poultices (garlic crushed and mixed with oil) can be used overnight on the sole of the foot for coughs.

Cold and hot compresses can be used for children, but the temperature must be carefully monitored.

Mustard plasters can be used on children if the amounts of materials used in the plaster are reduced. For children, use 1 Tbsp. powdered mustard to 8 Tbsp. flour, and for infants, 1 Tbsp. mustard to 12 Tbsp. flour. Remove the plaster at the first sign of redness or discomfort.

Calamine lotion and colloidal oatmeal packs or soaks can be used for children who have poison ivy, oak, or sumac rashes. Soda and starch soaks are also helpful.

Charcoal therapy is very effective for children. Mini poultices are helpful for injuries, and topical charcoal poultices will help to relieve the pain of earache.

Organ cleansing

Children who are in need of detoxification may need organ cleansing prior to beginning detoxification measures. However, strict organ cleansing regimens are not recommended for children.

Diets containing adequate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables will help cleanse organs, as will omitting all dairy products from the diet. Lemon juice in water will help cleanse the liver, and is safe for children to take.

Baths and aromatherapy will also contribute to organ cleansing in children. Homeopathic remedies, both single and complex, can greatly aid organ cleansing.

Energy balancing

Children enjoy color therapy. They will choose the color that they prefer, and it frequently is the one that they need and that will help them. Useful materials are crayons, colored pens, toys, clothes, construction or origami paper, marbles, or colored stones.

Children also enjoy gem therapy and it works well for any age. Children can choose polished stones that they like and carry them in a pocket or in a special pouch. The gemstones can be worn as jewelry or used on the chakras (energy centers) also.

Sound therapy can be helpful, as well as fun, for children. Marching or dancing to music are favorite activities. Singing touches the mind and spirit and can change moods, calm emotions, and make children more receptive to listening and learning.

Children should not sleep next to electrical appliances. If possible, a child's bed should face north or east. Other children have improved when a magnet was placed under the pillow. Lay the magnet on the bed, under the pillow, and place the north side of the magnet toward the child.

Both diodes and tachyon beads are effective for children. However, because they tend to lose them, they may have to be placed in a small pouch or purse and pinned in a pocket or under the waistband of the child's clothing.

Detoxification for mind and spirit

Toxins of the mind and spirit have no age boundaries or limits. Unfortunately, most children experience toxins of the mind and spirit because of the way they are treated or because of toxic mental and emotional exposures.

Art therapy and color therapy can be very effectively used to help children cleanse this type of toxin. Laughter and hugs can help to heal many wounds.

Guided play therapy can substitute for formal counseling for younger children. Older children generally respond well to counseling.

• HERBS FOR BEAUTY
• HERBS FOR KIDS
• HERBS FOR WOMEN
• HERBS FOR MEN
• HERBS FOR DOGS
• A GARDEN OF HEALING HERBS
• DETOXIFICATION
  • Early methods of detoxification
  • Phases of detoxification
  • Minor routes of detoxification and excretion
  • Responses to toxins
  • Organs of protection and detoxification
  • Organ cleansing
  • Detoxification baths
  • Detoxification saunas
  • Detoxification diet, fasting, & juicing
  • Detoxification exercises
  • Detoxification herbs
  • Detoxification nutrients
  • Topical detoxification