Children behaviour

When a child suddenly becomes anxious, irritable, withdrawn, restless or unable to concentrate, it is natural to look first at what is happening emotionally or psychologically.

But sometimes there may be another part of the story.

A child’s brain does not work in isolation from the rest of the body. The immune system, nervous system, gut, sleep, metabolism and brain are constantly communicating with one another.

This means that, in some circumstances, changes in behaviour or emotional wellbeing may occur alongside physical or biological changes — particularly following an infection or a period of significant immune activation.

In my clinic I have noticed in the last few years an increasing number of children suddenly or gradually developing behaviour, mood, sleep, dietary preferences changes. Quite often parents’ comment that their child “is different” and they cannot point to a clear cause or factor that caused this change.

Your child’s behaviour may be communicating something

Children do not always have the words to explain what is happening inside their bodies.

Instead, the body may communicate through changes in:

• mood
• sleep
• concentration
• appetite
• energy
• digestion
• emotional regulation
• sensory sensitivity
• movement
• behaviour

This does not mean that every behavioural or emotional difficulty has a physical cause. Children can experience anxiety, lack of attention, tics, emotional difficulties and many other conditions for a wide variety of reasons.

I take a whole-child approach. This means looking beyond the behaviour itself and asking whether there are physical, physiological or environmental factors that may be contributing to how a child is feeling. The body is interconnected and an illness can affect many systems at the same time. So rather than looking at behaviour in isolation, I look at the child as a whole.

Can infections affect the brain and behaviour?

When we develop an infection, the immune system becomes activated. This is a normal and necessary response designed to identify and deal with a threat.

Inflammation is part of that process.

The problem is not inflammation itself. Inflammation is essential for fighting infection and repairing tissue. The question is what happens when immune activation is particularly intense, prolonged or associated with an abnormal immune response.

In these circumstances, several events can happen, eventually leading to behavioural changes:

• Cell to cell communication can become impaired
• The neurotransmitters synthesis and clearance can become affected
• Nutrients absorption, digestion and toxins elimination can be altered or impaired
• Autoimmune processes can be set up. For example, some molecules found on infectious organisms can resemble molecules found in human tissues. An immune response directed against an infectious organism may potentially cross-react with structures in the body’s own tissues and affect any part of the body. It can affect part of the brain (for instance) that regulate attention, movement, speech, etc…. this is the so-called molecular mimicry.

If you wonder what kind of infection can have these effects on the child, the answer is any infection but most commonly Streptococcus infection, viral and parasitic infection and infection following mould exposure.

Why might some children be affected while others are not?

Children experience infections without developing sudden behavioural symptoms.

So why might a particular child respond differently?

I think there is a number of possibilities, including:

• individual immune responses
• genetic susceptibility
• previous infections
• inflammatory pathways
• interactions between the immune system and nervous system
• environmental influences
• the child’s overall physiological state

This is another reason why a whole-child assessment is fundamental to address the various factors contributing to the child well being.

Looking at the whole child

It is important to look at patterns and relationships within the individual’s health.

Depending on the child and their symptoms, this may include considering:

• nutrition and nutrient status
• digestive health
• gut–brain communication
• sleep
• immune function
• cell to cell communication
• energy and metabolism
• environmental exposures
• allergies or sensitivities
• previous infections
• stress and emotional wellbeing
• physical and structural factors

The purpose is to understand what factors may be relevant to this particular child and support the healing process.

Functional Medicine + Osteopathy + kinesiology: bringing the pieces together

This is at the heart of my approach.

Drawing on Functional Medicine principles I look closely at digestion, hormones, toxicity, inflammation, immune function, and nutrient balance. Using kinesiology and lab testing, gentle detoxification, nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle guidance to bring the body back into a better equilibrium.

Where does osteopathy fit?

Children’s bodies are constantly adapting and developing. Physical tension, movement patterns, posture, breathing mechanics and the relationship between different parts of the body can all influence how a child feels and functions.

I may consider areas such as:

• posture and movement
• musculoskeletal tension
• jaw, cranial, spinal mechanics
• Organ’s mobility / tension
• patterns that may be associated with sleep or digestive difficulties

Osteopathic treatment is fundamental in these cases, to support healing and bring the body back to a self-regulatory/ self-healing capacity.

Your child is more than their behaviour. Your child is not their symptoms.

• A child who is suddenly anxious is not necessarily “an anxious child”.
• A child who cannot concentrate is not necessarily “lazy”.           
• A child who becomes irritable after being unwell is not necessarily being difficult.   
• And a child whose behaviour changes deserves to be understood rather than simply labelled.

Symptoms are expressions of underlying imbalances.

How I can help

My aim is to understand the child behind the symptoms.

I combine functional medicine thinking with osteopathic assessment and treatment to explore how different aspects of a child’s health may be interacting and how to bring balance and support healing.

If you are looking for an osteopath and functional medicine practitioner in Edinburgh who takes a whole-child approach, book your consultation here

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To your health,

Paola

Paola Pizzuto is a registered Osteopath and Certified Functional Medicine practitioner in Edinburgh with a commitment and dedication to helping people achieve better health.