- Health advice
- Jul 27, 2015
We often read in the media, or hear from practitioners, that allergies like food allergies , skin allergies (eczema) and other long term health conditions are on the rise in children.
Some of the reasons cited include:
- Toxins and synthetic chemicals in our environment
- Foods that are processed with hormones, colourings and preservatives and more.
- Inadequate nutrients in our diet.
- Digestive issues.
I have another scenario that I want to add to the story
But first some statistics that you may find interesting, particularly if you had a child with a long term health condition. These statistics are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) about the Health of Australian Children. If you want to read more I’ve put a link at the end of this story.- In 2004-05, 41% of children aged under 15 years had a long-term health condition compared with 44% in 2001(footnote 1) (ABS 2006 & ABS 2002).
- Boys (44%) were more likely than girls (38%) to have a long term health condition.
- Diseases of the respiratory system were reported for 19% of children - the main conditions were asthma (12%), hay fever and allergic rhinitis (8%) and chronic sinusitis (3%)(footnote 2).
- Diseases of the eye and adnexa were reported for 10% of children - the main conditions were long sightedness (4%) and short sightedness (4%).
- Mental and behavioural problems were reported for 7% of children overall - these main conditions were behavioural & emotional problems with usual onset in childhood or adolescence (3%) and problems of psychological development (3%).