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Behavioural problems in children: could they be health related?

Children’s behavioural problems can be a huge challenge for parents. Especially when it seems that everyone else’s little darlings are the perfect model of good behaviour.

But there are many health factors which could contribute to children’s emotional wellbeing and behaviour. The positive? That once addressed, it’s possible to see a huge shift in your child’s disposition.

Food intolerance and allergies

Scientists have demonstrated the clear link between food sensitivities and behaviour. A study in the Netherlands revealed that when children aged 3-7 were given an elimination diet, 62% of them showed a 50% improvement in behaviour.

The biggest culprits? Dairy, gluten and food colouring.

Allergies and intolerance affect children’s behaviour, as they cause inflammation of the brain and digestive system, and can trigger emotional meltdowns, irritability, anxiety and depression.

Many children who are hyperactive, impulsive or inattentive also suffer from food intolerances. Itchy skin or breathing conditions that disrupt sleep can also contribute to low mood or behavioural issues.

If you’re concerned your child may be intolerant or allergic to something in their diet, it’s best to test. Our naturopaths can help diagnose asthma and eczema, and psychologists can diagnose whether hyperactivity or inattion is ADHD.

Nutritional imbalance

When kids’ bodies are imbalanced nutritionally, it causes them to exhibit mental and physical symptoms including tiredness, poor appetite or picky eating, stunted growth, irritability, poor co-ordination and conditions like anxiety or depression.

These symptoms are not uncommon among Hong Kong children, where issues of inadequate nutrition have been widely reported.

Factors like poor soil quality and long-haul food importation reduce the quantity of nutrients found in our fresh fruits and vegetables, contributing to this widespread problem.

In addition, modern diets are often loaded with refined sugars and processed chemicals, which actively deplete the body of nutrients which are critical for kids’ health.

Omega 3s, magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B complex are key for emotional and physical development, and deficiencies can cause an array of behavioural problems. Learn more about how nutritional imbalances impact behaviour.

If you’d like to check your little one’s nutritional profile, we can help clearly define any deficiencies.

Weakened immunity

Our immune system defends us against illness. A weakened immunity can cause fatigue and low energy in kids, causing them to be irritable.

One of the main causes of low immunity is an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in our gut.

Having insufficient levels of good bacteria in the gut can cause mood problems, as feelgood neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin are made in your digestive system. If the gut microbiome is imbalanced, it can influence neural development, cognition and behaviour. [1]

Other signs of an imbalanced gut are stomach aches, diarrhoea, constipation, gas and bloating. An unseen effect of poor digestive health is an inability to absorb nutrients from food or supplements, which in turn weakens immune health.

Sugary foods, antibiotics, diet, lack of sleep and stress can all weaken children’s immunity. Our naturopaths can give recommendations to boost your child’s digestive and immune health, as well as test for and correct any nutritional imbalances.

Digestive problems

Our gut is our second brain, and intimately linked to our emotional wellbeing. When the good bacteria in our gut is out of balance, it strongly impacts our mood.

An imbalanced gut microbiome can cause symptoms like gas, diarrhoea, constipation, which is often accompanied by pain, nausea and discomfort, impacting children’s behaviour.

Antibiotics, sugar, additives, stress and a poor diet can all kill the friendly bacteria in our gut, resulting in an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria and yeast.

Our gut lining may also be affected by this imbalance and cause conditions like leaky gut which allow toxins, undigested foods and pathogens to enter the body, affecting our brain chemistry, mood and cognitive function.

“Gut and Psychology Syndrome,” also known as GAPS, was termed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a British neurologist. She and many other clinicians have noted that microbial abnormalities, “leaky gut,” and allergies often appear together and are frequently the cause of hyperactivity and inattention in children.

Prescribed drugs, toxins, and heavy metals

We are living in an environment surrounded by synthetic chemicals completely foreign to human physiology. Some 296 pollutants are known or suspected developmental neurotoxins, which can affect kids’ behaviour.

Data has shown that infants born nowadays have measurable amounts of up to 200 of these pollutants. This is worsened by the poor air quality in Hong Kong.

We recommend that every child take a simple test for exposure to toxins (including heavy metals such as lead and mercury) so that if they do have high levels of toxins, they can be treated.

Emotional issues

The way our kids behave may also be a cry for help. Bullying, difficulties at school or ruptures in the family may all cause your child to act out.

Our counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists are trained to support children and help them through any emotional issues they may be experiencing.

Chinese version 中文版

孩子的行為問題與他們的健康有關嗎？

兒童行為問題：是否與健康有關？

孩子的行為問題對父母來說是一個巨大的挑戰，但有許多健康因素可能會影響兒童的情緒健康和行為。一旦解決了這個問題，孩子的個性就有可能發生巨大的轉變。

食物不耐受和過敏

科學家已經證明了身體對食物敏感性和行為之間有明顯的關聯。 荷蘭的一項研究顯示，當 3-7 歲的兒童接受食物排除方式來去除過敏原飲食，62% 的兒童行為表現改善了 50%。

最常見的致敏源是乳製品、麩質和食用色素。

過敏和食物不耐受會影響兒童的行為，因為它們會引起大腦和消化系統炎症，並可能引發情緒問題、煩躁、焦慮和憂鬱。

許多過動、衝動或注意力不集中的兒童也患有食物不耐受症。 皮膚發癢或呼吸困難會幹擾睡眠，也可能導致情緒低落或行為問題。

如果您擔心您的孩子可能對飲食中的某些物質不耐受或過敏，最好進行測試。 我們的自然療法師可以幫助診斷氣喘和濕疹，心理學家可以診斷過動或注意力不集中過動症。

營養失衡

當孩子的身體營養不平衡時，就會反應於他們的精神和身體症狀包括疲倦、食慾不振或挑食、生長發育不良、易怒、協調能力差以及焦慮或抑鬱等狀況。

這些症狀在香港兒童中並不罕見，營養不足的問題已被廣泛報導。土壤品質差和長途食品進口等因素減少了新鮮水果和蔬菜中的營養成分，從而導致了這個問題更普遍。

此外，現代飲食通常含有精製糖和加工過的化學物質，這些物質會消耗兒童體內對健康至關重要的營養素。

Omega 3、鎂、鐵、鈣、鋅和維生素 B 雜是情緒和身體發育的關鍵，缺乏以上營養素有機會導致一系列行為問題。 詳細了解營養失衡如何影響行為。

如果您想詳細了解孩子的營養狀況，我們可以透過測試幫助您尋找出任何營養缺乏。

免疫力下降

我們的免疫系統可以保護我們免受疾病侵害。 免疫力下降會導致孩子容易疲勞和精力不足，導致他們易怒。

免疫力低下的主要原因之一是腸道中好菌和壞菌的不平衡。腸道中的有益細菌水平不足可能會導致情緒問題，因為消化系統會產生 GABA 和血清素等讓人感覺良好的神經傳導物質。 如果腸道微生物群失衡，就會影響神經發育、認知和行為。

腸道不平衡的其他症狀包括胃痛、腹瀉、便秘、脹氣和腹脹。 消化系統狀況不佳的一個看不見的影響是無法從食物或補充劑中吸收營養，從而削弱免疫健康。

含糖食物、抗生素、飲食、睡眠不足和壓力都會削弱兒童的免疫力。 我們的自然療法師可以提供建議，以促進孩子的消化和免疫健康，以及測試和改善營養失衡。

消化問題

我們的腸道是我們的第二個大腦，與我們的情緒健康密切相關。 當我們腸道中的有益細菌失去平衡時，就會強烈影響我們的情緒。

腸道微生物組失衡會導致脹氣、腹瀉、便秘等症狀，通常伴隨疼痛、噁心和不適，影響兒童的行為。

抗生素、糖、添加劑、壓力和不良飲食都會殺死腸道中的有益細菌，導致有害細菌和酵母菌過度生長。

我們的腸道內壁也可能受到這種不平衡的影響，並導致腸漏症等疾病，使毒素、未消化的食物和病原體進入體內，影響我們的大腦、情緒和認知功能。

“腸道與心理綜合症”，也稱為 GAPS，由英國神經學家 Natasha Campbell-McBride 博士命名。 她和許多其他臨床醫生指出，微生物異常、「腸漏症」和過敏經常同時出現，而且是兒童過動和注意力不集中的原因。

處方藥物、毒素和重金屬

我們所處的環境充滿了合成的化學物質。 大約 296 種污染物是已知或疑似的發育神經毒素，會影響兒童的行為。

數據顯示，現今出生的嬰兒體內可檢測到多達 200 種此類污染物。 香港的空氣品質使情況更加惡化。

我們建議每個孩子都進行一次簡單的毒素測試（包括鉛和汞等重金屬），了解他們體內的實際毒素含量，從而提供相應支援以改善整體健康。

情緒問題

孩子可能會以行為形式去表達自己需要幫助。不同的學校問題或家庭環境因素都可能導致您的孩子表現不佳。

我們的心理治療師和心理學家接受過專業培訓，可以為兒童提供支持並幫助他們解決可能遇到的任何情緒問題。