Can microbes be the superheroes your family has been looking for?

Choose gentle soaps over anti-bacterial soaps

Last but not least, choose soaps that are super gentle on the skin. Save the anti-bacterial soaps for those occasions where they have accidentally landed on dog poo or touched that particularly gross thing. Children don’t need to soap their bodies every time they shower, as it washes away the good bacteria on their skin.

Signs and symptoms that your child’s microbiome might be out of balance include recurrent colds, infections, skin, gut issues, and repeated use of antibiotics.

When should you see a health care practitioner?

Signs and symptoms that your child’s microbiome might be out of balance include recurrent colds, infections, skin, gut issues, and repeated use of antibiotics. Every person has different reasons behind microbiome imbalance, so it is essential to find out the underlying cause. If your family is experiencing this, make an appointment with a naturopath or nutritionist to find out how best to support your child’s health and microbiome.

References:

Blum, W. E. H., Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S., & Keiblinger, K. M. (2019). Does Soil Contribute to the Human Gut Microbiome? Microorganisms7(9), 287. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7090287

Di Rienzi, S. C., & Britton, R. A. (2020). Adaptation of the Gut Microbiota to Modern Dietary Sugars and Sweeteners. Advances in Nutrition11(3), 616-629. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz118

Duvallet, C., Gibbons, S. M., Gurry, T., Irizarry, R. A., & Alm, E. J. (2017). Meta-analysis of gut microbiome studies identifies disease-specific and shared responses. Nature Communications8(1), 1784. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01973-8

Kunpeuk, W., Spence, W., Phulkerd, S., Suphanchaimat, R., & Pitayarangsarit, S. (2020). The impact of gardening on nutrition and physical health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Promotion International35(2), 397-408. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daz027

Lowry, C. A., Hollis, J. H., de Vries, A., Pan, B., Brunet, L. R., Hunt, J. R. F., Paton, J. F. R., van Kampen, E., Knight, D. M., Evans, A. K., Rook, G. A. W., & Lightman, S. L. (2007). Identification of an immune-responsive mesolimbocortical serotonergic system: Potential role in regulation of emotional behavior. Neuroscience146(2-5), 756-772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.01.067

McDonnell, L., Gilkes, A., Ashworth, M., Rowland, V., Harries, T. H., Armstrong, D., & White, P. (2021). Association between antibiotics and gut microbiome dysbiosis in children: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Gut Microbes13(1), 1870402. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2020.1870402

Noble, E. E., Olson, C. A., Davis, E., Tsan, L., Chen, Y.-W., Schade, R., Liu, C., Suarez, A., Jones, R. B., de La Serre, C., Yang, X., Hsiao, E. Y., & Kanoski, S. E. (2021). Gut microbial taxa elevated by dietary sugar disrupt memory function. Translational Psychiatry11(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01309-7

Robertson, R. C., Manges, A. R., Finlay, B. B., & Prendergast, A. J. (2019). The Human Microbiome and Child Growth-First 1000 Days and Beyond. Trends in Microbiology27(2), 131-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2018.09.008

Singh, R. K., Chang, H.-W., Yan, D., Lee, K. M., Ucmak, D., Wong, K., Abrouk, M., Farahnik, B., Nakamura, M., Zhu, T. H., Bhutani, T., & Liao, W. (2017). Influence of diet on the gut microbiome and implications for human health. Journal of Translational Medicine15, 73. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-017-1175-y

Van Ende, M., Wijnants, S., & Van Dijck, P. (2019). Sugar Sensing and Signaling in Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. Frontiers in Microbiology10, 99. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00099

Wells, N. M., Meyers, B. M., Todd, L. E., Henderson, C. R., Barale, K., Gaolach, B., Ferenz, G., Aitken, M., Tse, C. C., Pattison, K. O., Hendrix, L., Carson, J. B., Taylor, C., & Franz, N. K. (2018). The carry-over effects of school gardens on fruit and vegetable availability at home: A randomized controlled trial with low-income elementary schools. Preventive Medicine112, 152-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.03.022

Zhang, Y.-J., Li, S., Gan, R.-Y., Zhou, T., Xu, D.-P., & Li, H.-B. (2015). Impacts of Gut Bacteria on Human Health and Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences16(4), 7493-7519. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms16047493


Laila Helena BHSc is a qualified naturopath who specialises in helping busy couples ditch fatigue and nagging health issues to confidently optimise their fertility and pregnancy. Ultimately, making and raising healthier babies. She supports infants in their first 1000 days of life – from the moment they are conceived until they have reached two years of age. She is also passionate about fertility and preconception because infertility and chronic health conditions among children are steadily rising, most of which are preventable. Laila uses her holistic investigative skills to find the root cause of any disease and treats it with naturopathic medicine and functional nutrition. Supporting the health of parents, parents-to-be and infants. Her mission? To improve global health one baby at a time.  

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