Gut Health for Kids & Teens with Dr. Elisa Song
Written by 
Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on
October 18, 2023
How the Gut Develops in Childhood May Impact Immune and Mental Health
Maintaining good gut health for kids and teens is crucially important to overall health.
Today my guest, Dr. Elisa Song, explains how the developing gut impacts other body systems that are also in development like:
-Immunity
-The brain
That means that however we support (or don’t) kids’ gut health may have profound effects on their current and future health.
Please join us for a fascinating conversation about the significance of good gut health for infants, children, and teens.
Featured Studies
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36382780/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36563089/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36501205/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37071174/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36909732/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32190365/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23035863/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19652109/
Related Sources
- How to choose a kids probiotic: https://drruscio.com/kids-probiotic/
- Courses, free guides, and more: https://drruscio.com/resources?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=drruscio.com_resources
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
03:46 Setting the stage for health
07:41 Childhood antibiotics & mental health
13:00 Considering antibiotic alternatives
17:58 Probiotics
27:30 Prebiotics
31:44 Mom’s diet & health matters
36:50 Infant formula
46:20 Adult vs. infant elemental formulas
50:15 Meeting kids where they’re at
1:02:44 Teenage mental health
Dr. Elisa Song, MD is a Stanford-, NYU-, UCSF-trained integrative pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine
expert, and mom to 2 thriving children. In her integrative pediatric practice, Whole Family Wellness
(www.wholefamilywellness.org), she’s helped 1000s of kids get to the root causes of their health concerns
and empowered parents to help their children thrive – body, mind, and spirit – by integrating conventional
pediatrics with functional medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils. Dr. Song
created Healthy Kids Happy Kids (www.healthykidshappykids.com) as an online holistic pediatric resource
to help practitioners and parents bridge the gap between conventional and integrative pediatrics with an
evidence-based, pediatrician-backed, mom-approved approach.
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DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment.
Music featured in this video: “Modern Technology” by Andrew G, https://audiojungle.net/user/andrew_g
*Full transcript available on YouTube by clicking the “Show transcript” button on the bottom right of the video.
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Dr. Michael Ruscio is a DC, natural health provider, researcher, and clinician. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Bridgeport and has published numerous papers in scientific journals as well as the book Healthy Gut, Healthy You. He also founded the Ruscio Institute of Functional Health, where he helps patients with a wide range of GI conditions and serves as the Head of Research.
➕ Dr. Ruscio’s Notes
Gut Health for Kids
➕ Resources & Links
Getting Started
Discussion
I care about answering your questions and sharing my knowledge with you. Leave a comment or connect with me on social media asking any health question you may have and I just might incorporate it into our next listener questions podcast episode just for you!