As the sun finally starts to shine again, we all worry about our childrens’ skin. The real issue, as i see it is this: coating your child in potentially toxic chemicals versus the risk of sun damage. The standard advise is that you should not use sunscreen on babies less than six months old, but I firmly believe, despite my usual stance against non-natural skin products, that the potential negative chemical effects of sunscreen are OUTWEIGHED by the risk of sun damage, at ANY age. In fact, The AAP now states that it is probably safe to use sunscreen on younger children ( even under six months) especially if you just use it on small areas of your baby’s exposed skin.

Still, the best protection is to avoid the sun as much as possible. And the younger the child, the more vulnerable they are!

Some tips to keep your kids safe from the sun:

MOST important of all: Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before your child will be exposed to the sun. Sunscreen only works after it has had time to be absorbed, unless you are using the zinc oxide type. So if you know your child is going out in the sun, lather him up early!
If your child will be swimming or running around a lot, use a water resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 that provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.
Cover them up!!! Clothing, hats and sunglasses are still much more safe than all the chemicals.
Even if it is cloudy outside, clouds don’t absorb all of the UV radiation so get your child in the habit of applying sunscreen every day.
Finally: as soon as your child is inside for the night, give them a bath- get that sunscreen off them- and moisturize their skin after the bath to prevent the dryness and sensitivity reactions that often accompany sunscreen use.
Tell your child why you are concerned and forcing them to apply sunscreen- that the sun is very very powerful and their skin is a very very important organ system they have for their whole lives! the sooner they learn to take care of it, the better!

for recommendations about the safest brands go to www.ewg.org

Thanks, Natalie

As a pediatrician trained in both western (M.D.) and alternative (Ayurvedic) medicine, I am always careful to ask the families in my practice what vitamins or supplements or herbs they have added to their daily health regimen so that we can work together to insure the health and safety of their child.Unfortunately, despite an exponential rise in the number of people in the USA using herbal supplements and dietary supplements, less than half of these people feel comfortable talking to their regular doctor about their use.

Why?

Many conventional doctors are still not comfortable recommending herbal products, often because they have had no formal training in the discipline and feel unsure or insecure about admitting that!

And, many patients come to the doctor’s office having read more about supplements than their doctor, but what is potentially dangerous is that what they have read is not necessarily the most unbiased or accurate information. Remember that herbal products and dietary supplements are unregulated- which means they are widely available but their production, sale and use is not supervised.

For example, herbal products, unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, there is no guarantee of purity and some products may contain toxic contaminants including drugs and heavy metals. Furthermore, the claims made on the packages are not regulated, because they are not considered “drugs”so a company can write information about their product that has not been substantiated. Finally, the recommended doses are not held to FDA regulatory standards and can often be dangerously vague.

So, lets review some common herbs that are widely available:
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