Michelle Wolford, ND
The greatest gift we can offer our little ones is natural medicine. Not only for acute care, but more importantly for the chronic disposition with which our pediatric patients enter into this world – the combined expression of their parents’ genes and energetic imprinting.
The root of naturopathic medicine focuses on miasm (immune expression), temperament (mental-emotional expression) and constitution (genetic expression).1 In chronic cases, all 3 aspects of the human physiology and energetic being must be addressed for cellular restructuring. It is only when the cells are properly aligned that the natural maturation process of each organ system happens correctly, enabling optimal function of the human body.
When cells become misaligned due to trauma, toxins, illness, environmental factors, genetic disposition, the emotional experience of life’s events, the foods we eat, and more, a disordered physiological state begins. This pathophysiology expresses itself with signs and symptoms in a patterned expression (miasm) until it’s given a diagnostic name. Both allopathic and naturopathic medicine treat the expressed condition. In most cases, allopathic medicine focuses on suppressing the symptoms, while naturopathic medicine focuses on strengthening the organism. In my experience, the real magic and strength of naturopathic medicine is in taking this process 1 step further by supporting the elimination of disease. Through the use of combination homeopathic and botanical medicine, you can drain the cells of their chronic or acute imbalances to restore proper cellular alignment. When the cells are reminded how to release their daily and residual toxic load, they can function more efficiently. This then allows for optimal cellular communication, and it is only now that true healing and balance occurs.1
Lets start with Acute Care, briefly touch on the importance of Parental Cellular Drainage prior to conception, and finish with highlighted points regarding Chronic Pediatric Care – what chronic care is all about and why it’s vital to a healthy maturing cellular system.
Pediatric Acute Care
When the cellular system is out of balance, a space is created for opportunistic and invading pathogens. If the internal environment is healthy, these bugs cannot survive. However, if the imbalance is great enough, they will seed and harvest within the cells. A healthy system will mount a proper response, whereas a dysfunctional system will respond inefficiently. The first response is usually a fever, followed by other specific signs and symptoms depending on the pathophysiology of the invading microorganism.
When a kiddo comes into my office and has the flu or a cold with or without a fever, a cough, hand-foot and mouth, tonsillitis, ringworm, bronchitis, pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, appendicitis, a sore throat, sinusitis, diarrhea, an ear infection, or a suspicious rash, I focus on:
- strengthening their internal environment with antimicrobial herbal teas and tinctures
- optimizing their own immune function with fever-producing tricks (eg, herbs, warming sox, oligo elements like MnCu)
- supporting the removal of pathogenic waste through herbal tinctures, homeopathy, gemmotherapy, castor oil packs, and oligo elements
- supplementing their system with necessary nutrients, such as fish oil, minerals, probiotics, and vitamins
Drainage Therapy
I primarily use drainage therapy and phytogens in my practice and have found them to be profoundly impactful in treating acute and chronic conditions. Drainage therapy involves preconstructed tinctures of combination herbal and homeopathic remedies designed to target the afflicted organ system and remove toxic waste through the primary emunctories (liver, kidney, bowels, lungs, emotions). In acute cases, our focus is on optimizing the immune response by supporting a fever and eliminating waste, primarily through the kidneys. Some of the tinctures are made with a physiological dose of metals such as copper, gold or silver, to aid in their antimicrobial effect and the delivery of nutritive substances into the diseased cells.3
Drainage remedies are administered at 5 gtt 6 times daily, unless the patient is under the age of 5, in which case the treatment calls for the number of drops based on the age of the child; eg, a 2-year-old will receive 2 gtt of each tincture 6 times daily. As for phytogens, they are harvested at the first sign of life, which makes them very magical, just like kids! This young bud contains a concentrated dose of both the biochemical and energetic signature of its mother tree. Three of my favorite herbs, especially in combination, include: sea buckthorn – an excellent herb for increasing the organism’s defense mechanism, as it’s rich in bioflavonoids, iron, vitamins A and E; dog rose – an herb specific to the ENT region and that increases gamma globulins within 3-6 months of treatment; and English walnut, known for balancing the intestinal flora while also stimulating non-specific immunity.2
The pre-constructed combination homeopathic and botanical tinctures (drainage remedies) and phytogens are all liquid-based, which is excellent for dosage adjustments and administration within our infant pediatric population.
Pre-conception and Prenatal Care
Acute support for kiddos is easy! The unwinding of a chronic condition can be beautiful to watch; however, the development of chronic conditions can be avoided in our pediatric population with proper parental preconception drainage therapy.
Some chronic conditions are a result of the child’s exposures during life, but the susceptibility – the innate imbalance or expression of imbalance – is a direct reflection of mom and dad’s combined genetic code. This is one reason why preconception and prenatal care is so important. Balancing out the parents Miasm, Temperament, and Constitution (MTC), strengthens the offspring and is the first step in preventing frequent acute and chronic imbalances in your child.
For some, this can be a hard concept to grasp. But for the moms and dads out there, how many times have you looked at your kids and said, “She gets sick just like her mother” or “He has more of his dad’s disposition.” Science has already established that we are a complete combination of our maternal and paternal genetic makeup. But what makes people assume that the energetic experiences (whether emotional or physical) that mom and dad hold in their cellular matrix are not also all wound up in the DNA and temperament of the child?
Balancing the MTC of both mom and dad prior to conception is ideal for encouraging a more cellularly-balanced offspring. The greater the alignment of mom and dad’s cellular expression at the time of conception, the greater chance the offspring has of having a highly aligned cellular system. This means that the offspring begins life in greater balance, which is the building block for preventing acute and chronic disease. If mom and dad’s system is not in alignment – eg, maybe mom has Crohn’s and chronic sinusitis while dad has chronic eczema, and neither is really being addressed at the root because the parental immune expression (miasm) is out of balance – the offspring’s cellular miasmatic combination at the time of conception will be misaligned. This creates greater opportunity or susceptibility for the offspring to express its own imbalances similarly to its parental cellular expression, and at a much younger age. This goes for mental-emotional expression as well!
So, lets talk about chronic care for children.
Pediatric Chronic Care
The same principles apply to pediatric chronic care as are used in addressing acute expressions and decongesting the parental cellular matrix: support, strengthen, optimize, supplement, and drain the cellular system. The key to true healing and optimal health is drainage. You must balance the MTC. The cells must be drained of their toxic load, creating room for proper cellular communication. This restores balance, which restores the natural function of the body. As a result, the physiology is no longer pathogenic or disorganized, and has room to thrive, not just survive.
Miasm
The easiest pattern to identify is Miasm (immune expression). Does your child express as Psoric (ie, skin afflictions, digestive issues, and CNS imbalances)? Or possibly Sycotic (ie, constipation, warts, and all expressions of “itis”)? Or maybe Tuberculinic (ie, ear infections, autoimmune conditions, anergy, and chronic respiratory ills)? Or lastly, does your child express as Luetic (ie, ulcers, bone disease, and premature aging)?1,3,4 Once you have determined the immune expression, you can then more specifically treat the child by palliating symptoms, if needed, while more importantly, reeducating the cells to function properly.
Temperament
The second expression I evaluate is Temperament (mental-emotional expression). There are 4 main categories: melancholic, choleric, sanguine, and lymphatic.1,4,5 Each temperament has a physical expression as well as a mental-emotional expression, which further facilitates balance and healing. The child’s constitution usually reveals itself once the layers of imbalance have been resolved and the core of the child’s being is expressed. Oftentimes, the constitution cannot really be determined until the child (or adult) has truly experienced “the 7 doors”: life, death, money, sex, disease, power, spirituality, and love.1,6 An authentic expression of each major life experience will help the prescriber determine the individual’s constitution.
Clinical Example
Ok! Here’s a hypothetical clinical example… A 5-year-old child presents to clinic with a previous diagnosis of asthma, history of constipation, occasional anxiety with some attention issues, and chronic ear infections, with a vaccine history and use of antibiotics.
Technically, the asthma diagnosis is false, as the lungs do not reach maturation until after the age of 7.1 Lung inflammation is a reflection of liver congestion and intestinal inflammation. The chronic ear infections are typically a result of food sensitivities. The constipation could be due to emotional issues, history of antibiotic use, food sensitivities, or another non-discussed reason. The behavioral issues are a reflection of cellular intoxication from antibiotic use, vaccines, lack of daily defecation, environmental factors, and/or food intolerances.
If the child is in an acute phase, I will treat the appropriate acute illness. Otherwise, the first place I start is with probiotics to support the digestive tract. Castor oil rubs on the liver and abdomen are administered at night to support liver/bowel detoxification and elimination. Drainage tinctures are used to stimulate phase 1 and 2 detoxification of the liver, with added support (through the kidneys) for eliminating the chronic cellular toxic load, especially from vaccine administration. Removing the residual toxic load will help balance the immune expression and reduce systemic inflammation.
Phytogen combinations of Rosmarinus (rosemary), Juglans regia (English walnut) and lingonberry will support lung, liver and GI function. Rosmarinus supports liver detoxification and regeneration, in addition to its nervous system tonic properties. English walnut helps balance the gut flora, while lingonberry helps reduce mucosal inflammation and stimulates repair of the digestive tract and bronchioles. To further support the child’s eliminatory needs, I also love using Ribes nigrum (black currant), a natural anti-inflammatory and adrenal tonic; Juniperus, a supportive kidney herb to aid in the removal of toxic waste; and, again, Rosmarinus to decongest the liver and support healthy bowel function.2 Phytogens can be administered as singles or in unique combination, as shown above. The drainage tinctures are dosed at 5 gtt TID, and the phytogens at 5 gtt BID.
An IgG4 food sensitivity test would be run to aid in the removal of any inflammatory foods that are adding to the child’s inflammation.
The child would return to the clinic in 1 month for a follow-up evaluation, at which time I would most likely use a different set of drainage remedies that target the cellular matrix of the digestive tract, in particular the small intestine, to further address the constipation, behavioral health, ear infections, and asthma.
Summary
It has been my clinical experience that with the removal of intracellular toxins in the liver and digestive tract, ear infections, asthmatic presentations, and behavioral issues will naturally be remediated. I still encourage drainage of those systems individually to remove any unexpressed toxic load. In addition, I also prescribe homeopathy in a 4CH-7CH/30K potency, Monday through Saturday, for additional physical drainage, and Sunday rotations of 9CH-15CH/200K potencies for mental-emotional support.4 Temperament balancing is important, as our mental-emotional state can significantly affect our biochemistry and physiology as well.
I would like to remind all doctors that the gift of naturopathic medicine goes beyond treating the symptoms naturally and strengthening the cell. It’s also in discovering and balancing the root cause of illness. Drainage therapy restores the natural physiology of a cell miasmatically and temperamentally, which prevents chronic disease and offers lasting results for happy, healthy kids!
Michelle Wolford, ND, graduated in 2010 from NCNM in Portland, Oregon. She is currently the owner and head doctor at Life In Motion, Naturopathic Medical Care, in Encinitas, CA. The focus of Michelle’s practice is acute and chronic illness in adult and pediatric patients, with a treatment focus on cellular drainage through the use of natural medicine and physiological principles of cellular excretion and revival. Through her studies with Panamanian, Native American and Peruvian shamans, in addition to Paramhansa Nithyananda, Michelle has incorporated a spiritual essence into her treatment modalities.
References:
- Gueniot G, Tondelier P. From Natural Medicine To A Medicine of The Individual. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Amyris; 2010.
- Ledoux F, Gueniot G. Phytoembriotherapy: The Embryo of Gemmotherapy. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Amyris; 2012.
- Thom D. UNDA Numbers An Energetic Journey To Homeostasis and Wellness. Portland, OR: JELD Publications; 2009.
- Abell R. MTC 1 – Clinical Patient Evaluation, Miasms, Temperaments & Constitutions. Information presented at: Seroyal continuing education seminar; May 2014; Calgary, Canada.
- Rolfe R. The Four Temperaments: A Rediscovery of the Ancient Way of Understanding Health and Character. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company; 2002.
- Coulter CR. Nature and Human Personality: Homeopathic Archetypes. Arlington, MA: Ninth House Publishing; 2000.
