Ep. 411: Kids, Teens, and Mental Health: What Every Parent/Practitioner Should Know about Their Child’s Gut-Brain Connection
What You’ll Learn:
The current, concerning statistics of our kid’s state of health (1 min)
Dr. Song’s bio (2 min)
An overview of Dr. Song’s new book (6 min)
How the gut-brain link and microbiome are related to children’s mental health issues (7 min)
What are psychobiotics and how that relates to the gut-brain link (9.50 min)
What is the difference between microbiota and the microbiome (11.30 min)
Why the microbiome is the hub for better mental health and solving chronic health problems (16 min)
How antibiotics can have a long-term impact on kids’ health due to microbial disruption (17 min)
What is the single, most immediate microbial mischief maker and why (19 min)
Symptoms that are outside of the gut that are really gut-centric (22 min)
Some common, daily microbiome disruptors in our world (23 min)
How reading food labels can be a powerful tool to help our kids physical and mental health (26 min)
The most significant disruptor to our kids’ microbiomes (29.30 min)
The vicious cycle of mental health issues and stress related to the gut-brain link (30 min)
The important question to ask your doctor to determine if your child needs an antibiotic (32 min)
How to restore your child’s microbiome if an antibiotic is needed (36 min)
Should you take probiotics with antibiotics? (37 min)
Why managing the stress response is the “best medicine” for a healthy gut-brain link and microbiome (41 min)
Why we need to do “Vagus Nerve Work” (43 min)
Some essential oils for supporting the vagus nerve and a healthy microbiome (47.30 min)
A deep breathing exercise that is convenient and can engage the vagus nerve (50 min)
A DIY hack on how kids can use essential oils in school (52 min)
How essential oils support the microbiome and overall health (53 min)
What essential oil eradicated pathogens, enhanced microbiome diversity, and healed leaky gut in an animal study (54 min)
How supporting the gut-brain may help with anxiety and other emotional issues (55 min)
The three other “microbiome magic” ingredients for kids and adults (59 min)
Closing thoughts (1.03 min)
Bio of Dr. Elisa Song, MD
Dr. Elisa Song, MD is an internationally acclaimed Stanford-, NYU-, UCSF-trained integrative pediatrician, brilliant pediatric functional medicine expert, formulator, lecturer, educator, children’s health advocate, and author. She earned a master’s degree in public policy from UC Berkeley, is board-certified in pediatrics and holistic medicine, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Song has also been trained in the Defeat Autism Now! biomedical approach to autism and has additional expertise in functional medicine/holistic nutrition, homeopathy & homeopathic detoxification, acupuncture, herbal medicine, essential oils, and flower essences.
Dr. Song is an esteemed authority in holistic pediatric care. She has not only provided integrative care to children with some of the most complex medical issues, but she also provides training in her various specialties to healthcare professionals. She is the current chair of A4M’s pediatric education and has lectured around the world at leading integrative and functional medicine conferences and premier parenting events. These include the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), The Forum for Integrative Medicine, Integrative Medicine for Mental Health, Fx Medicine Australia, BioCeuticals Australia, Center for Education and Development of Clinical Homeopathy, Academy for Pain Research, Center for Advanced Acupuncture Pediatrics, and Holistic Pediatric Association. She has also been featured in hundreds of top podcasts, online health summits, and print and online media outlets. These include the Wellness Mama podcast, BloomTV, Forbes, Healthline, MindBodyGreen, National Geographic, PopSugar, Parents, Motherly, Parade, Verywell Health, and New York Post.
Dr. Song started her integrative pediatric practice, Whole Family Wellness, in 2005. It was a labor of love with a mission to offer the best holistic pediatric care possible. Throughout her years in practice, she has gained experience in successfully treating everything that could impact a child’s health. As a result, Dr. Song has effectively mitigated frequent colds, ear infections, asthma, eczema, autism, ADHD, PANS/PANDAS, anxiety, depression, and autoimmune illnesses.
Wanting to reach more parents and children than she could in a brick-and-mortar setting, Dr. Song created Healthy Kids Happy Kids (www.healthykidshappykids.com). Today, it is a celebrated go-to online holistic pediatric resource that is evidence-based, pediatrician-backed, and mom-approved.
Dr. Song also recently published the best-selling book Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrative Pediatrician's Guide to Whole Child Resilience. It is available for pre-order and set to be released on May 14, 2024. This book is an invaluable guide that highlights how to support the gut microbiome, which holds the key to lifelong wellness and a balanced mind and body. Healthy Kids, Happy Kids also provides parents and health providers with holistic, safe, natural, evidence-based resources to build a practical plan for enhancing physical and emotional resilience in kids and teens, from the inside out.
Through her various outreaches, Dr. Song has worked with 1000s of kids to get to the root causes of their health concerns. Simultaneously, she has empowered their parents and practitioners to understand how to help children thrive in body, mind, and spirit. Her gentle, fierce, smart, and fun approach has eased the worries of many concerned parents and shone light on the innate healing power within both kids and adults alike. As importantly, she walks her talk. She is the loving mom of 2 thriving children, Kenzi and Bodi, and wife to her husband, Peter. Every day, Dr. Song continues to live up to her mission to teach the world how children deserve to be happy, healthy, and flourish. Not only is she addressing complex problems, but she is also providing solutions to them. Dr. Song is making our world a safer, healthier, and happier place for our children and all the adults who love them. Find her at www.healthykidshappykids.com.
Links to Learn More About Dr. Song, MD and Her Healthy Kids, Happy Kids Resources and Offerings:
Website: Healthy Kids Happy Kids
Practice site: Whole Family Wellness
FB: @drelisasongmd
X: @ElisaSongMD
YT: @drelisasongmd
Dr. Elisa Song, MD’s Resources:
Dr. Elisa Song’s Book:
Health Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrative Pediatrician's Guide to Whole Child Resilience
Previous Episode with Dr. Elisa Song, MD:
Ep. 387: Using Essential Oils for Healthy, Thriving, Happy Kids with Integrative Pediatrician Dr. Elisa Song, MD (Additional Show Resources Here)
Additional Resources from the Show
Common Acupressure Points
Dilution Guides for Essential Oils
Previous Episodes Mentioned in the Show
Links to Learn More About My Offerings and Education on Essential Oils:
Hi! I’m Sarah!
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