How to optimize your child’s health for academic and athletic performance
If you have ever made a conscious effort to deeply understand your DNA and your body’s full potential, you have already begun biohacking.
What is biohacking? Well, it’s essentially hacking your body’s chemistry and physiology so that it can work, feel and perform better. Biohacking is based on the underlying philosophy that we don’t need to accept our bodies’ shortcomings, pain or disease. We can engineer our way past them using a variety of tools.
It’s a powerful concept that puts the power of health back in your hands, which is why biohacking has gained so much popularity in recent years. On a basic level, biohacking comes down to something we can all relate to, the desire to feel better. And I assume the reason you’re reading this is the desire for your kids to feel better and reach their highest potential.
BRAIN BIOHACKS
As parents we all want to give our kids that extra edge that will allow them to perform better in academics and athletics. Here are a couple key things you can do.
Get good sleep:
Generally kids ages 6-13 need a solid 10-11 hours of sleep every night. The brain relies on sleep to clear out metabolic waste. If your kids have trouble falling or staying asleep, Brain Tap can help. Brain Tap is a guided meditation headset that kids can listen to for about 15-20 minutes, with audio tracks specifically made for kids. The brain tap increases blood flow to the brain, improving mental clarity, calm, concentration, information recall, memory and so many essential components of learning and sleeping well.
Power up with oxygen:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber sessions provide the brain and body with increased levels of oxygen to help recover and repair tissue, increase proliferation of neural stem cells, improve cognitive function and neuroplasticity. We generally recommend 1x per week per therapy, and they can be booked back-to-back with the Brain Tap.
Listen to brain music:
Music has several therapeutic benefits for our brain. The “Mozart Effect” has proven to enhance student performance on exams by up to 12%. Listening to binaural beats and theta brain wave music right before bed can enhance quality of deep sleep and relaxation. Here is one that is popular with our family.
Get regular chiropractic adjustments:
Brain based adjustments that we do in our clinic are specifically targeted to helping increase blood flow and communication to the brain from all your organs. By identifying the points of subluxation (misalignment) in your spine and restoring alignment, our adjustments re-establish communication between your brain and body. Chiropractic adjustments awaken your autonomic nervous system and brain function.
DIET BIOHACKS
Now that the cafeteria is your own kitchen, this is a great opportunity to educate your children on healthy eating habits and choices.
Eat nutrient dense foods:
Instilling healthy eating habits in kids can be challenging, but modeling conscious eating habits goes a long way. Remember, kids do as you do, not as you say. Encourage your kids to step into the kitchen and experience the fun that goes into cooking a healthy meal. Make sure to include foods rich in nutrients: wild-caught fish, organic leafy greens, colorful veggies and fruits, and grass-fed beef are a good starting point! Fill your kids up on fat and protein first. For example, instead of fruit as a snack, try PaleoValley beef stick, raw nuts, or antibiotic free salami.
Supplement where needed:
Studies show that nutrient deficiencies are alarmingly common in children. This may require supplementation with specific nutrients to support healthy development and function. In my family, we have found that these four supplements work great for getting our focus back on track!
- NeuroSyn by Systemic Formulas for improved neurocognitive function and memory support
- Neuro Effect by Paleovalley for mood stabilization and neuro-supportive superfood blend
- DV3 by Systemic Formulas for major immunity boost
- IonBiome for restoring and strengthening the gut microbiome
BODY BIOHACKS
Exercise daily:
Exercise allows us to increase blood flow of nutrients to the brain, giving us a natural antidepressant! Spend time outside being active. Remember sweating is a natural detox pathway and is great for kids. If you can get out in nature, even better. My family loves to explore hiking trails near our home!
Practice “grounding”:
New experiences and changes like distance learning can trigger stress in kids (and adults!), turning on their body’s fight or flight response, leading to an imbalance in the body. Having kids take off their shoes and go barefoot in dirt, water or grass can have an almost instant calming effect on the body. We recommend doing this at least 30 minutes every day.
Take advantage of our clinic:
We have several amazing biohacking tools that can help boost immunity, overall wellness, as well as common childhood challenges such as ADD, ADHD, hyperactivity, concussions, sports injuries and performance.
- Red light therapy. One of my favorites is the Joovv Light, which is a red light therapy device. The Joovv Light supplements the light we need from our environment by delivering concentrated wavelengths of LED red and near infrared light to our skin and cells, without the dangerous UV rays or excess heat. It can help with immunity, circadian rhythm (sleep issues), injury recovery and overall helps your body produce more cellular energy and reduce oxidative stress.
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) is like a giant battery charger for our body’s cells and can increase cellular energy by as much as 500%. This is not only helpful for muscular or injury recovery, but special settings using a specific frequency of 7.8Hz and higher can be used to help reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression -which are becoming increasingly common amongst kids and teens.
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber is not only great for oxygenating the brain, which we talked about above, but oxygen also helps support the aerobic bacteria that encourage a healthy microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is so key to general health and wellness, as well as a strong immune system since 70% of our immunity resides in our gut lining.
If you are looking for more help on how to begin biohacking with your kid(s), visit our website or call to speak with our staff to book your biohacking appointments today.
