Madiha Saeed is on a mission as the Holistic Mom to help children live healthier, happier, more mindful lives. Learn about the inflammation epidemic that is afflicting children today and what we as parents can do to help our children make more rational, healthy decisions by choosing nutrient-rich foods, focusing on gratitude and optimism, and creating a home environment where they can thrive. [0:40] What can we do as parents to raise mindful and resilient children with a combination of functional medicine and parenting? That’s the question that Madiha’s new book tries to answer. [1:25] Because of widespread chronic inflammation, children are unable to make rational decisions today which are resulting in a number of societal issues. [3:10] Madiha’s mission began after seeing her newborn child struggle to simply breathe. She started her journey of self-healing and put those lessons into practice to help her children as well. [5:35] Chronic disease has quadrupled amongst children since the 1960s. Now 1 out of 2 American children has a chronic health condition. By 2025, the projection is that 80% of children will be diagnosed with a chronic health condition. ADHD has increased 167% and by current projections 1 in 4 children will be diagnosed with autism by 2033. [8:35] By understanding the why and the what, we can understand the root cause of suffering, which is that our children are living unbalanced lives. The decisions children make every day are determined by their brain, and studies have shown that inflammation reduces the connection between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, both of which are needed to make rational decisions. [10:30] During a research study, they found that children with behavioral issues had high levels of key inflammatory markers. Inflammation can impact babies in the womb. Society lives unbalanced lives and the chronic inflammation that comes as a result is passed from mother to child. [12:30] Endocrine disruptors have been found to be closely linked to inflammation, hormone imbalances, and gender confusion that we are seeing now. Medications that were commonly prescribed to pregnant women in the past decades are being found to have multi-generational impacts and increased suffering. [16:10] There are thousands of chemicals that are released on a regular basis and we have no idea what their long-term impacts are. BPA is a common culprit that is found in most plastics, including baby bottles. [18:00] We need to be more mindful of what is going into our children’s bodies and what they are wearing. As parents, we need to empower our children to make positive changes to their daily lifestyles and improve the future. [21:00] Our consumer choices matter. Science has proven that gratitude and optimism strengthen the link between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala and improves overall health and wellbeing. [22:15] When a child has a chronic health condition, it can become hard to focus on anything else, but if you can shift the focus to the lessons they can learn and what is going right in their lives, it can help them optimize their brain, body, and health simply by reducing the overall stress level. [23:20] Devices and social media are addicting for children. We need to incorporate stress management practices like nature and physical play to balance out their daily routine. [24:55] There is a direct connection between our gut and our brain. The microbiome is vital to helping a child’s brain develop fully and reduce inflammation. Nutrients regulate every single chemical reaction in a child’s body. [26:25] Madiha uses a diet framework that starts with vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats. Make it easy and fun for your children to eat healthy food and teach them at a young age how it helps them keep their hormones in balance. [28:10] During the pandemic, diabetes has doubled in children. [28:55] Unfortunately, children today are deficient in a number of nutrients, and this causes a cascade of health issue