CranioBalance (an upgrade of CranioSacral Therapy) treats all aspects of the child’s life and well-being. In this post, I will discuss the emotional and nutritional aspects to optimize your child’s health.

CranioBalance (an upgrade of CranioSacral Therapy) treats all aspects of the child’s life and well-being. In this post, I will discuss the emotional and nutritional aspects to optimize your child’s health.

8) Allow your Child to Express Freely

A child who is free to express his/her needs , wants, desires, feelings, and creativity will not only be healthier emotionally but physically as well. I have treated children with asthma who were not allowed to express their thoughts and feelings at home, with neck pains and headaches who were not allowed to express their creativity and imagination in the school setting, with pelvic pains and dysfunction who were not allowed to express themselves fully through playful dance and movement.

We as adults can facilitate the child’s expression by first listening and trying to understand the child’s universe. This begins in infancy when the child’s only means of expression is crying. I have seen all too often parents trying to make the baby stop crying by putting a pacifier in the baby’s mouth, endlessly rocking him, and telling him to be quiet or “hushing” him without really knowing why he is crying.

 Before we try to stop making the baby cry, try to listen and understand the cry. I have noticed 5 general types of crying in the infant, and if we listen closely , we will be able to recognize them and  provide a feeling of love, support, safety, and comfort for the infant. My observations have been confirmed by the ground breaking work by Priscilla Dunstan who studied and researched over 1000 babies and found that babies express themselves and communicate with us through 5 universal sounds. Here is an overview of the 5 universal sounds which are made as the babies begin to cry:

1) “Neh”- “I am hungry”

2) “Owh” – “I am exhausted and overstimulated”

3) “Heh” -“I am not comfortable”

4) “Eair” – “I have lower gas pain”

5) “Eh” – “I need to burp”

Imagine yourself in a foreign country where nobody speaks your language. When you ask for the nearest bathroom, you get a cup of water; when you want to find a  good hotel,you are met with blank expressions; or when want to buy food, you are shown the local shoe store. Eventually, you will be hungry, uncomfortable, and frustrated if you don’t find a way to communicate with your surroundings. Now think about the infant who communicates through his/her tears. If we don’t reach out and listen to the subtle messages that each cry transmits, we will leave the baby feeling like that frustrated traveler in a foreign country. Listen to your baby’s sound and you will be able to meet his/her needs as you begin to understand the communication of the  5 universal sounds.

As the child gets older, try to see the world through the child’s eyes. If we allow ourselves  to enter the child’s universe, we will find that we can hear with them all the colors of the rainbow and see the sounds of nature. To the child, not all roses are red,  lines and borders on a canvas are opportunities to scribble around and outside of, puddles are meant to jump into and get muddy, and “imaginary ” friends are more real to them than their classmates.

 Children who are forced to see the “real” world of adults , draw within the lines,  or judged negatively when creating, playing, being silly, and imagining are left frustrated, saddened, and lose tremendous vitality and joy for life and living. I have seen cases of  children forced to be and think like adults develop learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and even scoliosis as their  heart center gets closed off, causing a twist of the curve of the spine.

Remember, children are really a lot closer to the source of spirituality and their natural state is one of Love and Joy. Let’s listen to them and perhaps we can learn get back in touch with our own Divine True selves  together with them!

9) Diet- Limit  white,  processed, sweetened foods (but don’t make your kids crazy)

 

In my research and experience , I have found much debate among dietitians, Naturopaths, and Pediatricians. Cow’s milk versus Soy or Rice milk? High fat versus low fat milk? Vegetarian versus animal protein ?More grains or fruits and vegetables? Is organic really necessary?

In short, I will list the basic guidelines of child nutrition that are agreed upon by all health professionals.

1) For  white flour or white  rice use a  healthier alternative such as whole grains, or quinoa.

2) Avoid  white sugar as much as possible. A few healthier alternative sweeteners are  date syrup, honey (after the age of one),  and Demerara sugar. Furthermore, children that are brought up not given sweets and sugars in infancy and childhood will not  crave overly sweetened foods.

3) Sweetened carbonated beverages simply are not healthy! First get your children used to drinking water when they are young (you may need a good filter to remove dangerous chemicals found in the water supply). For flavor,  fresh squeezed juices are delicious and extremely healthy. A good juicer is  a wise investment and orange, carrot, apple, or some combination of the three are excellent substitutions for sweetened beverages.

4) In general, dairy products from a cow should be limited. Goat’s milk and cheese are an alternative if your child has allergic tendencies as well as soy , rice, and almond milk.

5) Cut up fruits and vegetables  provide healthy snacks as opposed to processed, fried snacks such as potato chips, doritos, etc.

6) Make food an event. Let your children partake in the growing , preparing and serving of meals. They will feel empowered and take great pride when you provide them with a patch of land in a garden to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

7) And finally, don’t be a fanatic. Food and eating should , when all is said and done, be a pleasurable and enjoyable experience. If your child is invited to a birthday party, let him/her partake of the pizza, french fries and cola, with the ice cream cake for dessert. The damage that is caused by excluding your child from his friends far outweighs the benefits of denying him/her of these “forbidden” foods.  Furthermore , if your child is used to eating a healthy diet, he/she won’t really desire or like that much these overly sweetened or processed foods.

I have included several useful links if you are interested in further information about nutritional advice from various health professionals:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/habits.html#

http://www.johncollinsnd.com/home/resources-for-vegan-child-nutrition

http://www.artofhealing.com.au/articles/our-kids-are-sweet-enough/

http://www.quantumhealingandsoul.com/vip6/files/drbruce-feeding.pdf

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=825

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT

Founder and Developer of CranioBalance

CranioBalance (an upgrade of CranioSacral Therapy) treats all aspects of the child’s life and well-being. In this post, I will discuss the emotional and nutritional aspects to optimize your child’s health.

CranioBalance (an upgrade of CranioSacral Therapy) treats all aspects of the child’s life and well-being. In this post, I will discuss the emotional and nutritional aspects to optimize your child’s health.

8) Allow your Child to Express Freely

A child who is free to express his/her needs , wants, desires, feelings, and creativity will not only be healthier emotionally but physically as well. I have treated children with asthma who were not allowed to express their thoughts and feelings at home, with neck pains and headaches who were not allowed to express their creativity and imagination in the school setting, with pelvic pains and dysfunction who were not allowed to express themselves fully through playful dance and movement.

We as adults can facilitate the child’s expression by first listening and trying to understand the child’s universe. This begins in infancy when the child’s only means of expression is crying. I have seen all too often parents trying to make the baby stop crying by putting a pacifier in the baby’s mouth, endlessly rocking him, and telling him to be quiet or “hushing” him without really knowing why he is crying.

 Before we try to stop making the baby cry, try to listen and understand the cry. I have noticed 5 general types of crying in the infant, and if we listen closely , we will be able to recognize them and  provide a feeling of love, support, safety, and comfort for the infant. My observations have been confirmed by the ground breaking work by Priscilla Dunstan who studied and researched over 1000 babies and found that babies express themselves and communicate with us through 5 universal sounds. Here is an overview of the 5 universal sounds which are made as the babies begin to cry:

1) “Neh”- “I am hungry”

2) “Owh” – “I am exhausted and overstimulated”

3) “Heh” -“I am not comfortable”

4) “Eair” – “I have lower gas pain”

5) “Eh” – “I need to burp”

Imagine yourself in a foreign country where nobody speaks your language. When you ask for the nearest bathroom, you get a cup of water; when you want to find a  good hotel,you are met with blank expressions; or when want to buy food, you are shown the local shoe store. Eventually, you will be hungry, uncomfortable, and frustrated if you don’t find a way to communicate with your surroundings. Now think about the infant who communicates through his/her tears. If we don’t reach out and listen to the subtle messages that each cry transmits, we will leave the baby feeling like that frustrated traveler in a foreign country. Listen to your baby’s sound and you will be able to meet his/her needs as you begin to understand the communication of the  5 universal sounds.

As the child gets older, try to see the world through the child’s eyes. If we allow ourselves  to enter the child’s universe, we will find that we can hear with them all the colors of the rainbow and see the sounds of nature. To the child, not all roses are red,  lines and borders on a canvas are opportunities to scribble around and outside of, puddles are meant to jump into and get muddy, and “imaginary ” friends are more real to them than their classmates.

 Children who are forced to see the “real” world of adults , draw within the lines,  or judged negatively when creating, playing, being silly, and imagining are left frustrated, saddened, and lose tremendous vitality and joy for life and living. I have seen cases of  children forced to be and think like adults develop learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and even scoliosis as their  heart center gets closed off, causing a twist of the curve of the spine.

Remember, children are really a lot closer to the source of spirituality and their natural state is one of Love and Joy. Let’s listen to them and perhaps we can learn get back in touch with our own Divine True selves  together with them!

9) Diet- Limit  white,  processed, sweetened foods (but don’t make your kids crazy)

 

In my research and experience , I have found much debate among dietitians, Naturopaths, and Pediatricians. Cow’s milk versus Soy or Rice milk? High fat versus low fat milk? Vegetarian versus animal protein ?More grains or fruits and vegetables? Is organic really necessary?

In short, I will list the basic guidelines of child nutrition that are agreed upon by all health professionals.

1) For  white flour or white  rice use a  healthier alternative such as whole grains, or quinoa.

2) Avoid  white sugar as much as possible. A few healthier alternative sweeteners are  date syrup, honey (after the age of one),  and Demerara sugar. Furthermore, children that are brought up not given sweets and sugars in infancy and childhood will not  crave overly sweetened foods.

3) Sweetened carbonated beverages simply are not healthy! First get your children used to drinking water when they are young (you may need a good filter to remove dangerous chemicals found in the water supply). For flavor,  fresh squeezed juices are delicious and extremely healthy. A good juicer is  a wise investment and orange, carrot, apple, or some combination of the three are excellent substitutions for sweetened beverages.

4) In general, dairy products from a cow should be limited. Goat’s milk and cheese are an alternative if your child has allergic tendencies as well as soy , rice, and almond milk.

5) Cut up fruits and vegetables  provide healthy snacks as opposed to processed, fried snacks such as potato chips, doritos, etc.

6) Make food an event. Let your children partake in the growing , preparing and serving of meals. They will feel empowered and take great pride when you provide them with a patch of land in a garden to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

7) And finally, don’t be a fanatic. Food and eating should , when all is said and done, be a pleasurable and enjoyable experience. If your child is invited to a birthday party, let him/her partake of the pizza, french fries and cola, with the ice cream cake for dessert. The damage that is caused by excluding your child from his friends far outweighs the benefits of denying him/her of these “forbidden” foods.  Furthermore , if your child is used to eating a healthy diet, he/she won’t really desire or like that much these overly sweetened or processed foods.

I have included several useful links if you are interested in further information about nutritional advice from various health professionals:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/habits.html#

http://www.johncollinsnd.com/home/resources-for-vegan-child-nutrition

http://www.artofhealing.com.au/articles/our-kids-are-sweet-enough/

http://www.quantumhealingandsoul.com/vip6/files/drbruce-feeding.pdf

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=825

Written by Stuart (Shmuel) Berger, PT

Founder and Developer of CranioBalance