Kids' Health

MaxLiving Perspective

Incorporating 5 Essentials™

Growing up today offers many unique experiences for children, such as being able to socialize online, play life-like video games, and complete homework faster with computers. Yet, kids today also face many health challenges: frequent stress, low physical activity, poor-quality food, and exposure to more toxins than kids from past generations.(1) As a result, children get sick often and suffer from more chronic diseases, including asthma, anxiety, and obesity.(2)  Keep your child happy, healthy, and balanced with these strategies. 
Core Chiropractic

Core Chiropractic

  • Take your kid(s) to the chiropractor regularly. Kids get injured often, and the trauma of birth alone can damage the integrity of the spinal column, which disrupt other regions of the body.(3,4) A chiropractor supports the musculoskeletal structure of the body.(5,6) 
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Reduce sugar and eliminate high fructose corn syrup.7 Read the Nutrition Facts on foods and avoid corn syrup, malt sugar, juice concentrates, and sugars ending in, “ose.”(8) Eating too much sugar leads to weight gain, obesity, metabolic issues, and nutritional deficiencies.(9,10,11)

  • Eat organic foods to avoid GMOs, like pesticides and fertilizers, in and on your food.(12) Look for the “Non-GMO” label. Long-term exposure to GMOs is linked to metabolic issues and cancer, especially in children.(13,14,15)

  • Include more healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water, wild-caught fish, raw nuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds.(16) Essential fatty acids are critical for growth and development, and brain development and function.(16)

  • Avoid packaged, processed, and fast food. These foods, like chips, frozen meals, French fries, and desserts, have little or no nutritional value and high in salt, bad fats, and sugar, which can cause obesity and other chronic diseases.(17,18)

Mindset

Mindset

  • Ensure your child gets enough sleep. Toddlers and preschoolers (ages 1 - 5) need about 9 hours of sleep; gradeschoolers and teens (ages 6 – 17) should get 8 hours of sleep.(19) Children require more sleep to support their physical and physical development.(19)

  • Turn off electronic devices 30 minutes before bedtime, especially at night. Blue light can interfere with the production of melatonin and impact sleep levels.(20)

  • Foster a positive mindset by teaching tactics to respond to stress, like helping others and goal-setting, and offering positive affirmations.(21) Seeing stress as positive develops kids’ emotional connections and improves learning and their physical health.(21)  

Oxygen and Exercise

Oxygen & Exercise

  • Get your child to be more physically active, for at least 20 minutes a day by having them participate in a team sport, offering equipment, like a jump rope or bike, and scheduling family fitness time. Regular physical activity supports kids’ physical health and a healthy weight, improves cognitive functioning, and foster’s self-discipline.(22,23) 

    Please make sure your child has had a sports physical examination by a healthcare practitioner before beginning any sports activities or intense forms of physical activity.   

Minimize Toxins

Minimize Toxins

  • Use BPA-free baby products, including baby bottles, pacifiers, teething rings, and cans. BPA can alter hormones, which impact growth and development, and has been linked to obesity in children and adolescents.(24)

  • Do not use sunscreen. Sun protection products contain ingredients that the FDA has not recognized as safe and havenot been thoroughly researched.(25) Dress kids in light clothing and hats, and have them play in shaded areas toprotect them from long-term exposure to the sun’s UV rays.(26) Chemicals like PABA and trolamine salicylate havereproductive, developmental, or carcinogenic effects.(25)

  • Do not use DEET-based insect repellent. Use insect repellents with natural ingredients, like citronella oil, lavender oil, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.(27,28) DEET is a chemical in many drugstore bug sprays that can have neurotoxic effects on humans, especially children.(28)

  • Only use chemical-free hair and skin products on your child. Avoid these ingredients: parabens, phthalates,formaldehyde, sodium benzoate, which are in lotions, creams, handwash, and bath products.(29,30,31) Children, whoare still developing, are more vulnerable to toxins, and long-term exposure damages organs, hormones, metabolism,and causes disease.(29,30,31)

Minimize Toxins

Nutrient Support*

Talk to your healthcare practitioner about including these and/or any other nutraceuticals in your dietary practices.

Kids' Health Nutraceutical Recommendations

Nutraceutical

Max Kids Multivitamin

Max Kids Probiotics 

Instructions for Use

1 tablet for ages 1-3 yrs, 2 tablets for ages 4+ yrs

1 scoop mixed in water/milk or sprinkled on food daily

Never modify any medications or other medical advice without your healthcare practitioner’s support.

*For optimal results, we recommend you perform a metabolic analysis profile test, which tests for key biomarkers that identify nutritional deficiencies, toxicities, bacterial overgrowth, and drug effects. Talk with your MaxLiving Chiropractor about the Metabolix Program to get tested and be able to obtain a more customized health plan.

References

1. Steinberger J, Daniels SR, Eckel RH, et al. Progress and Challenges in Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents. Circ. 2009;119:628–647. 

2. Bethell, C., Kogan, M., Strickland, B., Schor, E., Robertson, J. and Newacheck, P. (2019). A National and State Profile of Leading Health Problems and Health Care Quality for US Children: Key Insurance Disparities and Across-State Variations. Acad Pediatr. 2011;11(3-Supplement):S22–S33. 

3. Stanford Children’s Health. Accident Statistics. Stanford Children’s Health. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=accident-statistics-90-P02853. Accessed June 13, 2019. 

4. Birth Injury Guide. Causes of Birth Trauma. Birth Injury Guide. https://www.birthinjuryguide.org/birth-injury/types/birth-trauma/. Accessed June 13, 2019. 

5. Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy: Safety and Benefits. American Pregnancy Association. https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/chiropractic-care-during-pregnancy/. Updated November 8, 2017. Accessed May 10, 2019. 

6. Chiropractic care for children: Controversies and issues. Paediatr Child Health. 2002;7(2):85–104. 

7. Bray GA. How bad is fructose?. Am J Clin Nutr . 2007;86(4):895–896. 

8. American Heart Association. Sugar 101. American Heart Association. Updated April 17, 2019. Accessed June 13, 2019. 

9. Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL. Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001;357:505–08. 

10. Sturm R, Powell LM, Chriqui JF, Chaloupka FJ. Soda Taxes, Soft Drink Consumption, And Children’s Body Mass Index. Health Aff. 2010;29(5). doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0061 

11. Frary CD, Johnson RK, Wang MQ. Children and adolescents' choices of foods and beverages high in added sugars are associated with intakes of key nutrients and food groups. J Adolesc Health. 2004;34(1):56-63. 

12. Benbrook CM. Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally. Environ Sci Eur. 2016;28(1):3. doi:10.1186/s12302-016-0070-0 

13. Verma C, Nanda S, Singh RK, Singh RB, Mishra S. A Revie on Impacts of Genetically Modified Food on Human Health. Open Nutraceuticals J. 2011;4:3-11. 

14. Salbego J, Pretto A, Gioda CR, et al. Herbicide formulation with glyphosate affects growth, acetylcholinesterase activity, and metabolic and hematological parameters in piava (Leporinus obtusidens). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2010;58(3):740-5. 

15. Children. Pesticide Action Network. http://www.panna.org/human-health-harms/children. Accessed May 10, 2019. 

16. Uauy R, Castillo C. Lipid requirements of infants: implications for nutrient composition of fortified complementary foods. J Nutr. 2003;133(9):2962S-72S. 

17. Monteiro C, Cannon G, Moubarac J, Levy R, Louzad, M, Jaime P. The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing. Public Health Nutr. 2018;21(1), 5-17. 

18. Braithwaite I, Stewart AW, Hancox RJ, et al. Fast-food consumption and body mass index in children and adolescents: an international cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2014;4(12):e005813. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005813 

19. National Sleep Foundation. How Much Sleep Do Babies and Kids Need? National Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/excessive-sleepiness/support/how-much-sleep-do-babies-and-kids-need. Accessed June 14, 2019. 

20. National Sleep Foundation. The Sneaky Ways That Blue Light Can Interfere With Your Kids' Sleep. National Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-blue-light-affects-kids-sleep. Accessed May 10, 2019. 

21. McGonigal K. The Upside of Stress. New York, NY: Penguin Random House, LLC; 2015. 

22. Fedewa A, Cornelius C, Ahn S. The use of bicycle workstations to increase physical activity in secondary classrooms. Health Psychology Report. 2017;6(1):60-74. 

23. Bidzan-Bluma I, Lipowska M. Physical Activity and Cognitive Functioning of Children: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5923842/. Updated April 19, 2018. Accessed May 10, 2019. 

24. WebMD. The Facts About Bisphenol A, BPA. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/children/bpa#1. Updated December 5, 2017. Accessed May 10, 2019. 

25. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use: A Proposed Rule by the Food and Drug Administration. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/02/26/2019-03019/sunscreen-drug-products-for-over-the-counter-human-use. Published February 26, 2019. Accessed June 14, 2019. 

26. Linos E, Keiser E, Fu T, Colditz G, Chen S, Tang JY. Hat, shade, long sleeves, or sunscreen? Rethinking US sun protection messages based on their relative effectiveness. Cancer Causes Control. 2011;22(7):1067–1071.

27. Griffin RM. Safer Bug Spray: Natural Bug Repellents. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/safer-bug-spray-natural-bug-repellents#1. Updated June 9, 2009. Accessed June 25, 2019. 

28. Koren G, Matsui D, Bailey B. DEET-based insect repellents: safety implications for children and pregnant and lactating women. CMAJ. 2003;169(3):209-212. 

29. Landrigan PL, Goldman LR. Children’s Vulnerability To Toxic Chemicals: A Challenge And Opportunity To Strengthen Health And Environmental Policy. Health Affairs. 2011;30(5). doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0151 

30. Grigg J. Environmental toxins; their impact on children's health. Archives of Disease in Childhood. https://adc.bmj.com/content/89/3/244. Updated March 1, 2004. Accessed May 10, 2019. 

31. Siti Zulaikha R, Sharifah Norkhadijah SI, Praveena SM. Hazardous Ingredients in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products and Health Concern: A Review. Public Health Res. 2015, 5(1):7-15. 

Disclaimer

This content is for information purposes only. Any statement or recommendation in this publication does not take the place of medical advice nor is meant to replace the guidance of your licensed healthcare practitioner. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. MaxLiving information is and products are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease or provide medical advice. Decisions to use supplements to support your specific needs should be considered in partnership with your licensed healthcare practitioner.