Puberty Onset and juvenile illness

Puberty Onset and juvenile illness

Apologia: I use the terms “he” and “she” alternately where indicated to remove discrimination, and the use of either term against a particular issue does not signify a greater tendency for either sex to contract a particular illness.

My decades of experience with acne and fatigue has led me to the conclusions that are listed below.

I will post case studies and other hard evidence from the research of others to support the connections that I have made.

And of course I will relay to you the solutions that we have devised over many years and the outcomes that we have experienced.

Starting with myself as a case study – never really well since puberty and “discovered” by a naturopath in our Manly pharmacy at around 35 YO – I regained energy and vitality relatively quickly.

This led me to establish the Sydney Acne Care Centre, where a GP said he would “send you all my chronic fatighe cases” when I was initially dealing specifically with acne, using only nutritional approaches coupled with lymphatic drainage.

This approach led me to formulate what is now ZinAc that I use as a foundation for what we are discussing in this blog.

So, in my finding, Puberty Onset can weaken your system and may make you prone to illness.

How does this happen?

Because your body grows so fast, this rapid growth process literally drains available reserves of health-giving micronutrients from your cellular storage depots and not only impedes the normally expected growth potential in the child but also reduces your immune system’s effectiveness.

My major supportive evidence base for the above comment can be found below, that features a link and a table that details what we mean.

Meanwhile, can I highlight what ill health conditions may happen as a result of such deficiencies. Later on we will discuss solutions.

Puberty Blues – why do things go so wrong?

Many illnesses happen around puberty. These are common observations.

  • Some people develop anxiety,
  • others – fatigue,
  • many acquire glandular fever with accompanying sore throat
  • some develop acne,
  • boys are susceptible to Osgood Slatters syndrome,
  • girls may develop scoliosis,
  • most will develop mood swings,
  • many develop juvenile diabetes,
  • others – juvenile arthritis,
  • some girls and boys will develop non-arthritic joint calcification – especially over-trained so-called (ridiculously) elite athletes.
  • girls may develop painful periods … some – no periods.

So I asked myself – why can so many things go wrong just at this time of life. There has to be a reason – and not just the hackneyed throwaway line – “hormones”.

Something deeper is happening – and undernutrition may play a key role. That means to you that it may also hold a key solution – even pre-emptively.

Undernutrition

So what is the reason?

The common underlying cause is undernutrition according to the Australian Health Survey, highlighted below.

Let me explain about the Survey.

It contains a section called “usual nutrient intakes”.

It transpires that the charts show clearly that most teenagers are subjected to being deprived of the usual nutrient intakes that are most needed to support the rapid growth of sex organs, other organs and of course the accelerated growth of skeleton and musculature.

What that means to you is that the growth and development of some systems within the body may be deprived of the needed quantity of micronutrients – that they clearly need to mature healthily and function normally – possible in favour of other systems that may function well right throughout this time.

For example, a teenager with acne may have a terrific pancreas and the reverse may be true. This may almost put juvenile diabetes in the category of being “acne if the pancreas”.

It is not always that clear cut of course – some people may have several systems that are all deprived at once.

So next, we will take these issues one at a time – and meanwhile, please note that the survey notes that “calcium deficiency is the number one cause of scoliosis”.

We can then determine just how much the above conditions may be affected by this simple need and just what to do to correct the issue.

My favourite “go to” is our Wades Smoothi and Wades Oils.

See link: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/australian-health-survey-usual-nutrient-intakes/latest-release#essential-minerals

To see what I mean, scroll down the Survey table and open that up at Essential Vitamins and ssential Minerals.

Then open each vitamin and mineral in turn. They will often display a table as follows:

Quote commences: Calcium is a mineral required for the growth and maintenance of bones and teeth, as well as proper functioning of the muscular and cardiovascular systems. Milk and milk-based foods are the richest sources of calcium in the Australian diet, although it is also found in other products.¹ Calcium requirements are higher for adolescents undergoing bone mass growth. Bone mass stabilises for adults, until deteriorating after about age 50 for men and after menopause for women. Low calcium intake is linked to osteoporosis, a low bone density condition particularly affecting post-menopausal women.²f

Proportion of population with inadequate calcium intakes (estimated as % below the EAR), by age

Age (years) EAR (mg)(a) Prevalence of inadequacy (%)
Males Females Males Females
2-3 360 360 0.7 2.4
4-8 520 520 11.0 20.8
9-11 800 800 #45.5 #54.1
12-13 1050 1050 #67.0 #84.4
14-18 1050 1050 71.0 90.3
19-30 840 840 44.2 71.3
31-50 840 840 43.2 67.2
51-70 840 1100 63.0 91.2
71 and over 1100 1100 89.5 94.3

Source:
a. National Health and Medical Research Council and New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/calcium, last accessed 22/01/2015

# proportion has a margin of error >10 percentage points which should be considered when using this information

Over half of the Australian population aged two years and over had inadequate usual intakes of calcium. Males and females have the same requirements (EAR) in all age groups except the 51-70 years. However, the prevalence of inadequate calcium intakes was higher amongst females than males, with almost three in four aged two years and over (73%) not meeting their calcium requirements compared with one in two males of the same age group (51%).

Females aged 12 to 18 years and 51 years and over have higher requirements than other ages, and were most likely (nine in ten) to have inadequate intakes. Similarly, males aged 12-18 years and 51 years and over were more likely to have inadequate intakes. About two in three 12-18 and 51-70 year old males had usual intakes that were below their requirements (67% of 12-13 year olds, 71% of 14-18 year olds and 63% of 51-70 year olds), as did 90% of males aged 71 years and over.

Children aged 2-3 years were much more likely to meet their calcium requirements (1% of males and 2% of females with usual intakes below their requirements). This is likely to be a result of lower requirements for calcium and higher consumption of milk products amongst children aged 2-3 years (dairy foods being a rich source of calcium).³  End Quote.

A similar table exists for other essential minerals and vitamins.

Let me show you the table for zinc:

Quote commences: Zinc is a mineral involved in a variety of body processes and found in a broad range of foods. Zinc’s biological functions range from helping maintain the structural integrity of proteins to regulation of gene expression. Sources of zinc in the Australian diet include meat, cereals and dairy.¹ There are numerous factors that can affect the absorption of zinc in the human body, for example the presence of protein and iron in the food consumed. The former increases absorption, particularly for proteins from animal sources, and the latter decreases it when present in high levels – such as those found in some dietary supplements.²

Proportion of population with inadequate zinc intakes (estimated as % below the EAR), by age

Age (years) EAR (mg)(a) Prevalence of inadequacy (%)
Males Females Males Females
2-3 2.5 2.5
4-8 3.0 3.0
9-13 5.0 5.0 0.3 2.1
14-18 11.0 6.0 27.4 10.0
19-30 12.0 6.5 37.4 13.5
31-50 12.0 6.5 39.3 10.1
51-70 12.0 6.5 51.4 7.8
71 and over 12.0 6.5 66.3 12.1

Source:
a. National Health and Medical Research Council and New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/zinc

– nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
 

Persons aged 2 years and over – proportion of population with inadequate zinc intakes

Bar chart with 2 data series.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying Age group (years).
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Proportion of persons (%). Range: 0 to 100.
Age group (years)Proportion of persons (%)MaleFemale2-34-89-1314-1819-3031-5051-7071 and over020406080100

End of interactive chart.

More than one in three males (37%) and one in ten females (9%) had inadequate usual zinc intakes. From age 14, male requirements (EARs) for zinc are nearly twice those for females of the same age group. This corresponds with more males having inadequate intakes of zinc than females, despite males’ median intake of zinc being higher than females’ for every age group. The greatest prevalence of inadequacy was among males 71 years and over, where 66% had inadequate zinc intakes.

In contrast to the considerable proportion of adult males who had zinc intakes below the EAR, toddlers of both sexes were much more likely to exceed the UL for zinc. 63% of 2-3 year old males and 40% of 2-3 year old females exceeded their applicable UL.

The National Health and Medical Research Council and New Zealand Ministry of Health noted that there was no evidence of adverse effects from naturally occurring zinc in food.³ FSANZ considers that the usual zinc intakes for young children are not excessive and are unlikely to represent a health and safety risk to young children. Another way of assessing whether zinc intakes are excessive is to compare them with the Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (1 mg/kg bw/day), an alternative health based guidance value. In a separate analysis conducted by FSANZ, zinc intakes in young Australian children were found to be within this health based guidance value.⁴

Endnotes

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014, Australian Health Survey: Nutrition First Results – Foods and Nutrients, 2011-12, ‘Table 10: Proportion of Nutrients from food groups‘, data cube: Excel spreadsheet, cat. no. 4364.0.55.007
  2. National Health and Medical Research Council and New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/zinc, last accessed 4/2/2015
  3. National Health and Medical Research Council and New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2005, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, Evidence Appendix, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
  4. Food Standards Australia New Zealand, 2011, 23rd Australian Total Diet Study, http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/pages/23rdaustraliantotald5367.aspx, last accessed 20/2/2015.    End Quote
  • As you can see there is also a bar chart attached to the above extract that displays the deficiencies per age group in both cases in graph form, illustrating in graph form the numbers displayed in the columns.
  • This will not copy, but you can see the point when you simply look at the figures.
  • Feel free to open up the website yourself and note the numbers.
  • Then note the earlier introduction that – to my mind – implies that everything is OK as long as you eat fresh food.
  • Well, all I can say is the numbers non’t back up this statement.
Observation
  • While only eight minerals have been surveyed in this manner, a lot more minerals are required for healthy growth.
  • That means to you that unless we intervene with a well-balanced natural therapy supplement, not only do “normal” foods contain insufficient micronutrients to maintain adequate cellular reserves in adults – but also the deficiencies may catastrophically inhibit growth of a child’s skeleton and organs – especially during the growth process.
  • This process particularly “spurts” after birth and during puberty.

Overcoming this weakness.

You can overcome this growth-derived weakness to your body’s immune system as well as prevent many other problem health issues. (ib)

Those effects may be resolved in many cases – be they blood sugar disorders, glandular fever, scoliosis (as aform of osteoporosis), osteoporosis itself, reactive joint pain, depression, chronic tiredness disorder, constant tonsil infection, heart conditions, sinus discomfort, swollen thyroid gland, acute menstruation pains, lack of menstruation, mood swings, mental & personality health,Acne,Acne, and any other illness that mysteriously appears around the time of the puberty growth spurt.

For a start, let us make a few simple observations. Firstly, poor nutritional input from food sources and the water supply mean that every one of us exposed to such conditions is constantly on the verge of deficient mineral and vitamin reserves. These can and will impact on bodily systems that depend on them. So, if you go through any stage of growth as a child, much less a sudden growth spurt, such as happens at puberty, then various systems in your body will “donate” their reserves in favour of normal healthy growth of the long bones, muscle and organs including the rapidly-developing sex organs. That means to you that you may experience temporary system failure. One of the most fallible systems is your immune system. So, if it suffers, then you may become susceptible to illness, including glandular fever (Mononucleosis or Eppstein Barr virus).

Our solution

Restore mineral balance.

We suggest that the most efficient way to do this is with our Wade’s Mineral Capsules and/or Wades Green Smoothi. These capsules and the mineral part of the tasty Smoothi base have been formulated to provide all 72 of the minerals or trace elements that your body may need – not just a few that are seen in popular “multivitamins”.

And the capsules and Smoothi are made in our own lab.

Good mineral capsules should give you your daily, balanced calcium needs as well as the multiple “trace” elements that drive your body’s myriad of chemical “systems”.

Along with ultra-trace elements, they activate protein enzymes within your cells that are critical to health.

Importantly, they need to be balanced in the proportion that the body needs them, as over-dosing minerals can cause some toxic symptoms, similar to deficient supplies.

And different soils feature different amounts of trace minerals – from none at all to abundant.

Treat leaky gut.

A simple lab test determines whether or not you have this condition.

If you do, it is well worth finding out.

If positive, our naturopath may consider treating it with Healthy Gut Mix is also made in our lab. This is a special “recipe” of ingredients that is designed to treat and restore your gut to normal.

It may enable normal digestion.

This allows for assimilation of vital nutrients from your diet, if present. Incidentally, pathology labs charge over $100 for this test. Our price? $26.00.

We usually waive the fee if done during a consultation.

Eliminate possible food allergy.

Food allergy can be a major cause of leaky gut and you may be prone to this issue when your immune system is at a low ebb.

Food allergy will be exacerbated by leaky gut.

Test for low zinc reserves.

Zinc can be deficient in your diet. Your body needs lots of it at this time of rapid growth.

Replinishing deficient zinc reserves.

Zinc supplements must be accompanied with five select nutrients that work along with zinc in your body.

Supplementing with zinc on its own may be dangerous.

That’s why we manufacture our own ZinAc capsules in the lab, so that deficient zinc reserves may be replenished safely.

Assess for vitamin deficiency.

One of the causes of what I call “teenage schizophrenia” is deficiency of certain of the B group vitamins and other dietary elements.

We can go a long way to determining if your child or you are suffering from a dietary deficiency of these by filling in our “Nutrition Assessment” questionnaire.

You can obtain one of these by contacting our office.

If you believe that supplementing with vitamins is necessary for your child or you, we make a pleasant-to-take vitamin powder that is fizzy when you dissolve it in water.

The fizzy stuff is all natural.

It is popular with children and adults and – you guessed it – is balanced.

And it is balanced in the macro elements, trace elements, ultra trace elements and of course vitamins.

Children and supplements.

These are certainly recommended in the case of vitamin or mineral defocoency.

Always accompany them with adequate water.

To order forms and supplements, or to arrange for a consultation, contact us.

(ia) http://www.emedicinehealth.com/growth_failure_in_children/page2_em.htm

(ib) lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss10/nutrition.html

(ii) http://www.naturalhealthmag.com.au/content/vitamins-and-minerals-%E2%80%93-what-should-you-take

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