Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional therapy for children
How our therapy can help you
There is a great deal of evidence which links brain function to gut health and what we eat and drink. What a child eats and drinks can have an impact on ADHD and autism. While nutrition is not necessarily the cause, it can change mood, behaviour and learning.
Research has shown that children with ADHD may have lower levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. These neurotransmitters help with memory, motivation, mood, and attention. By making changes to your child’s nutrition, we can support the gut to change the messages to their brain. For example, if we can increase the amount of fibre fruit and vegetables in your child’s diet, this will help the microbiome to diversify and help your child to focus more and improve their mood and memory. Children with ADHD have also been shown to have more trouble digesting gluten. When the gut cannot digest gluten, found in wheat or even casein from milk effectively, it creates a substance called Casomorphin. This has a similar effect to opiates on the receptors in the brain which can impact on behaviour and learning.
Simple nutritional changes create a big impact. At Harley Row Clinic, our specialists will work with you and your child to introduce small, manageable changes that can be enjoyed by the whole family, without need for separate menus. By working to create healthy habits you can create an inner sense of balance and wellness through dietary changes and supplements, helping your child to feel calmer and more confident and improve their memory function and learning.
What to expect
At Harley Row Clinic, the team is governed by strong professional principles when it comes to the practice’s young patients, insisting on seeing children face-to-face in the clinic for an assessment. This ensures each child is assessed comprehensively, with their behaviour, attention and how they function in various settings taken into consideration.
There are many nutritional approaches we can use to improve mental health; it is about providing a bespoke plan of support to suit your child’s individual needs. It is worth noting that “healthy” is unique to each person’s diet, and a one-size “balanced diet” does not fit all. For example, with nutrition for ADHD we are not seeking to cure ADHD but find ways that nutritional therapy can help a child to cope and feel better through different eating habits, focusing on certain foods, other nutrients and vitamins. It’s important that we each find our own version of a healthy lifestyle and understand that nutritional therapy can help with the prevention and management of symptoms.
Nutritional therapy falls under the functional medicine pathway. We encourage a threefold comprehensive treatment path for mental health intervention, considering both allopathic and naturopathic treatment – alongside psychological intervention and, if appropriate, medications.
Functional medicine practitioners treat the whole person in an integrative approach to mental health. This approach addresses the root causes of mental health issues.
Meet our team of experts
The team at Harley Row Clinic all come from diverse backgrounds and specialties, yet we have a shared belief in a holistic approach to mental health.
What our patients say
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Frequently asked questions
What does a nutritional health plan look like?
How long does the nutritional assessment last for my child?
What happens in the nutritional assessment?
Price List
Children’s Nutritional Therapy
per session
