As a chiropractic studio we love to live in harmony with nature. Every day, we get to meet with parents and patients who prefer to take care of their family’s health in a “more natural” way. This typically means taking a conservative and low-tox approach to health and healing to avoid – as much as possible – the need for artificial or invasive methods such as pharmaceutical drugs or surgery.
As families who value these principles, we tend to turn to natural remedies such as supplements, vitamins and herbs or plant-based medicines for either prevention or treatment of symptoms. But something that seems to be poorly understood and certainly not spoken about often enough is the potential waste and harm that a concoction of even the most pure and natural products can create.
When “Natural Remedies” becomes too much
Today we’re here to say what many others won’t:
More is not always better,
Natural is not always harmless and,
The human body thrives most when we remove noise rather than add to it.
The Hidden Load on a Child’s Nervous System
We’ve seen intake forms from parents and patients that indicate a child (or adult) is taking as many as five or more “natural products” every single day in the form of pills, powders, topical creams and so forth. From herbs to help the gut, to methylated vitamins to support genetic pathways, melatonin for sleep, CBD for anxiety, mushroom extracts for focus, vitamins and minerals for immunity and everything in between… in some cases the list is longer than 10 potions per day, all natural and non-toxic.
And that’s before the long list of therapies and appointments happening on a weekly basis (or more). Speech, OT, play therapy, kinesiology, spinal flow and sports practice. It’s… A LOT!
The point here is not to criticise or call out any of these remedies or therapies, and most certainly not to shame anybody for putting in so much effort towards getting well. We know and understand the inherent value in each of these methods when they’re considered independently of one another.
But where we see the major problem to be is in the compounding effect of doing it all at once. More often than not, it is just way too much for a child’s body to handle, and especially if they’ve already got significant compromise or imbalance in their nervous system. Instead of being positively helpful, the sheer load and volume of “things” or stimulus coming into that child’s body every day is actually quite stressful.
And that’s why all this effort (and expense) can be rather wasteful and potentially detrimental to progress and healing. When the central and governing system (the nervous system) of all other bodily functions (muscles, organs, glands, etc.) is out of balance and does not have the capacity to handle any extra load then it becomes even more challenged and overwhelmed when all this (seemingly good) stuff is thrown at it.
Reducing the Load Without Adding More
So, what can you do about easing the burden of this heavy load if you find yourself in this situation?
Firstly, the advice below is general in nature and should never replace individualised recommendations from your trusted healthcare provider.
A 1-in-1 out policy can be worthwhile. Usually, patients end up in this situation of having a “whole stack of things” that they take because the list accumulates over time. The naturopath said “take this” and then a post you read online suggested “take that”, while your best friend’s kid got better with another supplement so you’ve added that to the roster, all while not stopping with any of the existing remedies.
Having a 1-in-1-out policy helps you to pause and consider if this new thing you’re going to add will be better or more worthwhile than something that you’re already using. If it is, then wean off something to make room for the introduction of this new remedy. If you don’t know, then you should seek professional advice to help you better understand that compounding effect of your complete list.
At Being Chiropractic Studio, we assess and analyse the neurological health of all our patients – children and adults. We can clearly see when a nervous system is lacking in capacity to handle load, thanks to the way we explore your health and trauma history and our utilisation of INSiGHT scan technology. The care plans we provide help to restore nervous system integrity which increases your capacity to handle stressors.
You can learn more about how we do this by exploring the information on our website, or you can contact us directly to ask questions. If this article has resonated with you, take action by giving us a call or sharing it with a friend who you think might benefit too!
