Five Healing Strategies To Reverse Chronic Conditions In Our Kids

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A few weeks ago, I received the text from my older son that I had been dreading for years.

“Mom, I think I need ADHD medication.”

My son is nearly 20 now, away at university in another state, and free of any medical interventions since he was diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD at age 5. The irony wasn’t lost on me — I had written about this very fear in my book, in a chapter on mental health, over a year ago.

Remaining calm, and silencing the screaming in my head so as not to elicit the rebellious streak in my son to do the opposite of what I might advise, I asked him why he had come to this conclusion.

“I can’t focus” was the reply “and so many kids around here take Adderall and are able to stay up all night studying.”

I proceeded to calmly remind my son of what amphetamines do to the brain and the body, and we explored other strategies he could employ to support his brain, get all his studying done and still get enough sleep so as not to wreck his overall health. They are the same strategies we have embraced for the past 15 years for both my kids, and while one had official diagnosis labels that might be put in the mental health category, these strategies work for all kinds of chronic conditions in our kids and will work to keep the “undiagnosed” healthy.

My younger son was 3 when his brother got his labels and set our whole family on a journey of discovery as to what really generates health. Having just turned 18, my younger son is a picture of health, never gets sick with colds or flu, and employs these strategies voluntarily, having done his own research and choosing health.

STRATEGY 1: Avoid Toxins as much as possible. Our modern world has us swimming in toxic chemicals daily, many of which we can’t avoid, but we have control over what we directly put into our bodies. The two biggest culprits wrecking the health of our kids are pharmaceuticals and ultra-processed foods. Powerful marketing messages downplay the harms and enhance the reported benefits of both products. Many parents understandably lean toward quicker, more convenient solutions, even if it means postponing research into potential ill-effects for later.

As a busy working mom and a single parent until my older son turned 10, I understand how challenging it can be to find the time and energy to go the extra mile. Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that I made the effort to research and advocate for my children. Whether it was swapping out Halloween candy for healthier alternatives, having tough conversations with pediatricians and schools about vaccination requirements, or exploring non-medical strategies to address my older son’s impulsiveness, lack of focus, and gastrointestinal challenges — it was all worth it in the end.

STRATEGY 2: Prioritize nutrition. What your child eats in their first 18 years will impact their health for the rest of their life. While the genes they were born with can indicate their susceptibility to certain conditions, what they ingest and are exposed to flips those genetic switches on or off; we call it the process of epigenetics. The first 10 years are the most critical, particularly for brain development and laying down healthy synapses and metabolic pathways, let alone a healthy appreciation for real food that comes from nature.

While the genes they were born with can indicate their susceptibility to certain conditions, what they ingest and are exposed to flips those genetic switches on or off.

As soon as my son was diagnosed, we eliminated all fast food, managing to carry snacks and packed meals wherever our crazy schedules would take us: soccer practice after school, music lessons, rehearsals for the school play and even play dates and birthday parties. Friends would marvel at how my 6 and 8-year-olds selected fruit off the party platters instead of the unnaturally colored cupcakes and packaged foods. It’s worth the initial cajoling and substitution-figuring out. A few months of pain will become a way of life. You’ll immediately see the benefit when the next flu season comes around and your kid(s) sail right through.

STRATEGY 3: Get outside daily. There are streams of science showing how important being in nature is to our mental and physical health. We were created to interact with nature. Boys in particular are a rough and tumble crowd, and can feel restricted inside. All children need physical exertion at least once a day but preferably more. Sunshine generates vitamin D in their bodies, and playing in the dirt boosts their microbiome and overall immunity.

I miss the days we would walk down to our local YMCA, and the boys would scamper around the play structure. We’d seek out different playgrounds and go on biking adventures. As they got older and one became a Boy Scout, we went hiking and camping, fishing, swimming, and eventually ATVing, which is our preferred family adventure to this day. Both boys have ended up as gym rats for daily exercise, but still appreciate the wonders of nature for mental and overall health.

STRATEGY 4: Sleep is non-negotiable. Sleep is a magical part of human physiology. Did you know your brain waves during sleep are often more intense than when you are awake? There is so much going on in your body during a good night’s sleep. One of the most important functions of sleep is to detoxify your brain. A sleep deficit (of even 1-2 hours a night) has been shown to impair your ability to learn and retain information, and is associated with an increased risk of many neurological disorders including schizophrenia, depression and ADHD.

REM sleep (when you’re dreaming) is especially important to our teenagers as it has been shown to regulate social and emotional comprehension of the world. Contrary to popular opinion and practice, teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep a night, while younger school-age children need up to 12.

We have always prioritized sleep in my house. When the boys were little, they were taught not to get out of bed before the clock indicated 6am. Bedtime was strictly 8pm in middle school, and only increased to 10pm in high school, by the time they were naturally sleeping later. This was a battle with my older son in his last years of high school as he’s a night owl, and we shut off the internet at 11pm, but again, the battles were totally worth it looking back. He recognizes if his brain is not working well, he needs to prioritize 8 hours of sleep a night as a minimum. Fortunately, college classes can start on a later schedule.

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We shut off the internet at 11pm, but the battles were totally worth it looking back.

STRATEGY 5: Limit Technology. I saved the hardest until last, but it can make an incredible difference to your child’s mental and physical health. I’m not even talking about the perils of social media, which are very real and insidious. Before we even get to what they are doing on their devices, realize that mobile phones, laptops and gaming devices emit electro-magnetic frequencies (EMFs) that interfere with the body’s own mechanisms. The phone companies have worked hard to downplay any concerns, but their research methodologies do not come close to the realities of young children and teenagers holding devices close to their bodies for hours a day.

My children were 12 when they got their first cell phones with very strict limits as to how they could use them and when. Phones remained downstairs overnight away from the bedroom, for example, and no phones were allowed during mealtimes. Looking back, I wish I were stricter. Nowadays I see children as young as 2 staring at a cell phone in a restaurant. Aside from the curtailed social development caused by excessive cell phone use, the EMF damage done to children’s brains, given their skulls are so much thinner than adults, is incalculable.

My Aspergers/ADHD young adult son is definitely addicted to his cell phone at this point. But even he acknowledges that he feels better when he takes a break and leaves his phone behind to go to the gym or walk across campus. It may be virtually impossible to limit technology to a healthy level in today’s society, but we should still do what we can and postpone the reliance on that shiny little computer in our pocket as long as possible.

Whatever the chronic condition in your child, popping a pharmaceutical pill is not going to make them any healthier. It may temporarily appear to ease some symptoms but at what cost? Medication should be a last resort, and ultimately a temporary stop-gap measure to a healthier life.

Try these five strategies. Not just for a week or even a month. Really commit to a new way of doing life, perhaps starting with one and adding in others over time. If you already have a diagnosis, you may need a little more help in the form of high-quality supplements or vitamins the body may be deficient in; whole foods alone may not always address your issues. Making the added effort while they are still living in your house will pay untold dividends in their future lives.

Emma Tekstra is an actuary, global health consultant and author of How to Be a Healthy Human: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know about Health and Longevity. As a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Emma is deeply rooted in the data and science of the human body and what makes it tick or break down. For twenty-five years, she held executive positions at one of the leading global consulting firms, working with some of the world’s largest employers on their health and benefits programs. Originally from Leeds, England, she now resides in Southern California with her family. 

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