About 12 percent of American children used some form of complementary or alternative medicine in 2007, says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The parents of these children tend to use these treatments themselves, have high education levels or have difficulty affording regular medical care. The children tend to be white, are adolescents and have numerous health conditions. Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that is sometimes alternative and sometimes complementary to Western medicine. Talk to your doctor before using ayurvedic treatments on your children.
The Children's Branch of Ayurveda
The ayurvedic health system is not specific to adults; children are also included. Ayurveda is comprised of eight different branches; one of them, Bala Tantra or Kaumarabhritya, is specific to children. Ayurveda attempts to use natural methods of prevention and healing instead of the pharmaceutical drugs that are often given to children in American culture. This branch of ayurveda includes natural treatments for many complaints common to children, including colic, constipation, skin trouble, fever and colds. Talk to your doctor before using ayurvedic medicine.
Ayurvedic Plans for Children
Generally, a plan for a child might include dietary changes and stress-relieving activities. The practitioner focuses on a healthy diet that reduces the sugar, additives and other unhealthy foods that many children eat. Further, children face a lot of stress, including from homework and bullying, so yoga, exercise and other stress-relief and healthy activities might be suggested. These lifestyle changes could also prevent and treat obesity in children, which is a problem in the United States.
Holistic Health for Children
Ayurveda focuses on preventing and treating health problems through a combination of mind, body and spirit. The Institute for Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Therapies explains that with a child, an ayurvedic practitioner would likely focus on school, friends, family, the child’s age and abilities, habits and other factors that would be specific to a child. The practitioner would come up with a treatment plan based on the child’s specific situation.
Warning
Herbs comprise a large component of ayurvedic medicine. Herbs can be especially dangerous for children. Herbal supplements can have side effects, and many herbs affect children differently than they do adults. Further, numerous ayurvedic supplements have been found to contain heavy metals, including mercury and lead. While this is dangerous for anyone, Health Canada explains that children are more sensitive than adults to heavy metal poisoning. Heavy metals were found in some ayurvedic herbs specifically made for children, including bala guti and bala sogathi.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States
- Blue Lotus Ayurveda: Ayurvedic Herbs and Home Remedies for Children
- Institute for Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Therapies: Ayurveda and Children
- Health Canada: Some Ayurvedic Medicinal Products Reported to Contain High Levels of Heavy Metals
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Ayurveda
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