Early or precocious puberty is characterized by an advanced bone age, growth spurt, appearance of underarm hair, early onset of periods in girls and even acne and body odor. It can close the bone plates early preventing the child from reaching the desired height. Kids as early as 6 are hitting puberty these days. Girls are developing breasts around the age of 5 and growing pubic hair at 7! All these are great matters of great concern for not just the parents but the society as whole. In today’s guide, we will study some natural remedies to slow down puberty. We will also consider which foods to eat and ones to eliminate from the diet to prevent such early puberty.
1. Stop feeding dairy to the child
Cow’s milk is full of growth hormones, pseudo estrogens and heavy metals all of which can cause breast enlargement in boys and girls and trigger other signs of puberty in early age. You can replace milk with powdered whey to ensure that your child gets adequate protein. Cashew, Almond and Rice mild are also great alternatives to dairy.
2. Choose organic
Industrialized poultry farming is causing the Omega 6 essential fatty acids to be way over Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Our Paleolithic era ancestors ate more omega 3 compared to omega 6 which led to healthier body weight and fewer puberty related issues. Today, many proponents of the paleo, ketogenic and vegan diet believe that this could be the main reason why more and more kids are hitting puberty at an earlier age. The key to slowing down puberty could lie in this fact. Buying USDA certified organic, grass fed meat and dairy could help balance the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. A healthy diet for stopping early puberty includes consumption of healthy organic lean meats, fish, and fruits and vegetables along with reduced carbohydrate consumption. Talk to your doctor whether any specific diet could help your child slow down puberty naturally.
3. Reduce carbohydrates
The reason why more kids today are experiencing early onset puberty is because of the massive explosion of availability and consumption of packaged snacks. The very fact that we all believe that ‘breakfast’ is the most important meal of the day and end up feeding tons of sugar through it to our children means that we have got our facts all wrong. A healthy meal should consist of greater amount of lean proteins with organic fruits and vegetables. Parents concerned with early puberty might also do well by cooking without sugar, salt, white or refined flours etc.
4. Chelate heavy metals from the body through detoxification
Detoxification from time to time is the key to slowing down puberty. This process helps in removing heavy metals like mercury and lead from the system. A few ways of detoxification include fasting and chelation therapy. Talk to a trained herbalist or Ayurvedic practitioner.
5. Remove fluoride
As long as our water is fluorinated, we really cannot do much to stop early puberty. You can switch to healthier herbal toothpastes which do not contain fluoride and other chemicals.
6. Detox supplements to slow down puberty naturally
- Indole 3 carbinole is a natural supplement for stopping early puberty. It balances pseudo estrogen and hormones in the body. Indole 3 is naturally found in most cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli. Feed your kids these vegetables but always buy organic.
- Selenium displaces mercury so talk to your doctor whether they are safe for children and get recommendations for the ideal dose based on the child’s age.
- S-Adenosyl methionine or SAMe is proven to remove excess estrogen from the body. 200 mg per day is considered a safe dose for kids under 10 years old. Methionine with B12 and folic acid is also necessary. A good daily multivitamin/mineral supplement can help.
- Chlorophyll, black walnut tincture and colloidal silver are some other detox supplements.
- Add ¼ tsp of disodium EDTA to a liter of drinking water to remove all kinds of toxins from the body. Also add a pinch of Borax to water to remove fluoride.
- Evening primrose oil supplements can help with early onset of periods in girls. Talk to a herbalist about dosage.
- Maca root, wild yams, Ginseng, kelp and lugols all contain adaptogens which normalize hormones in the body.
- 10 grams of organic cold pressed Coconut oil, 5 grams sesame seed oil, milled flax seeds or flax seed oil supplement daily.
- Activate charcoal powder-This chelates toxins from the body, especially heavy metals. Add a teaspoon of the powder to a glass of water and drink daily.
7. Change your cooking utensils
Many plastic and Teflon coated utensils can cause stray metals to enter our bodies. Replace them with stainless steel, cast iron or copper and glass ware as far as possible. Avoid heating food in plastic containers in the microwave. Even if you use BPA free vessels, their alternatives are equally bad. So avoid plastics completely as far as possible.
8. Check the child’s Vitamin D levels
Get your child’s vitamin D3 levels checked. Some researchers believe it is the key to preventing early puberty in girls.
9. Oil pulling
Teach the child to pull oil every morning. Oil pulling helps chelate toxins from the blood and saliva and is a simple remedy that can detoxify the body easily.
10. Eat Parsley and Cilantro
Both these herbs help in chelating toxins and heavy metals from the body. Make green juices containing parsley and cilantro and feed it to the child every day. Enhance the taste by adding organic green apples, cucumbers and other fruits.
11. Avoid Soy
Soy products contain pseudo estrogen and are linked to early puberty in boys.
Nature does not have a one size fits all policy. Some kids develop earlier than others but that does not necessarily indicate that there is a problem. If you are concerned about your child’s growth spurt, talk to a pediatric endocrinologist to guide you further.