Aiden trying out The Firebreather Challenge Indoor Event in Mobile AL
I have a 19th month old son named Aiden who has been under Dr. Eric’s care since he was 3 days old. While we’ve never given him medication or vaccinations, we still take him to his well check appointments. At our 15 month well check, they tested his blood and found that his hemoglobin level was low. The pediatrician suggested an iron supplement and wrote a prescription for it because she thought his hemoglobin level was too low to simply add iron-rich foods to his diet.  Although they gave me a list of iron-rich foods, Aiden’s diet already consisted of foods largely from that list, such as green vegetables, grass fed beef, etc.
Immediately, I knew that the iron supplement would not be our first mode of attack. We left the pediatrician’s office and went to Healthsprout to get adjusted and talk to Dr. Eric.  Because of Aiden’s diet, we decided his low hemoglobin was most likely caused by his body was not absorbing iron efficiently. We began giving him Juice Plus and probiotics mixed with applesauce each morning.
At his 18 month appointment, the pediatrician tested his blood again. She was hoping for a small increase in his hemoglobin level. Instead of having a small increase, Aiden’s hemoglobin level had risen to normal. At that moment, I was more thankful than ever for the education about health and nutrition that I’ve gotten at Healthsprout. Whenever a “medical issue†arises, I know to ask questions about the causes of the issue instead of just accepting treatment for the symptoms. Aiden is healthier because he didn’t take an iron supplement that has potential digestive side effects, as well as others. Rather, his body is absorbing iron from his food … the way it was meant to!