What a pain! Do your kids ever have growing pains?

February 7, 2020

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Have your kids ever woken up in the middle of the night crying, and you can’t figure out what’s wrong (ie it’s not hunger, illness, a nightmare)? And you don’t really know how to treat it because you don’t know what’s wrong?

In our house, we often put it down to “growing pains”, when we have no clue how to explain the tears. It doesn’t really happen to my 10-year-old son any more, but it was a common occurrence when he was a toddler, and he still gets the odd leg pains after very active days.

My three-year-old has started waking up about once a week crying, with no explanation. And generally only wants her dad to fetch her and take her to our bed – I fetched her a few nights ago, and she howled even louder, and wanted “Dada”, not me.

Anyway, growing pains is a real thing, and generally affects children between the ages of three and 12. Kids get throbbing pains in their legs and arms or shoulders, late in the afternoon but mainly nighttime. It can affect their sleeptime, and cause suffering in the daytime.

It’s not clear what causes them, and while some kids will never get them, others will get them occasionally and others almost every night.

So what is a parent to do, other than give your kids some painkillers (not ideal if it’s a regular occurrence), or just grin and bear it until it all passes.

There is though a new solution, Growing Pains, from Penpharm, a supplement to help prevent muscle and joint pain in kids.

The Growing Pains formula offers proven relief for these pains in young, energetic bodies, while also providing nutrients with nutrients vital to growth and recovery.

Its three main ingredients are:

Magnesium

Too many children don’t follow a magnesium-rich meal plan, which makes them more vulnerable to growing pains.

Magnesium is a core mineral contributing to the structural formation of bones; it also boosts bone mass in a child’s early years, and assists in the maintenance of joint cartilage. It helps transport calcium and potassium across cell membranes. It’s important to note that the more active a child is, the more magnesium they need.

Bonus – magnesium also has a calming effect on moods and helps combat anxiety and irritability.

Vitamin K2

Everybody knows just how important calcium is for healthy bones, but calcium doesn’t just get there all by itself – it needs vit K2 (and vit D3) to help with easy absorption and reaching bone mass.

Various studies have identified children as the group most deficient in vit K2. Sadly, many parents have never heard of this nutrient, which contributes to its absence even in healthy Western diets. 

It’s also a very difficult nutrient to get enough of from your diet, which means one has to actively pursue it.  Even so, few build their meal plans around foods such as chicken, duck or goose liver pate, or a daily intake of 3-4 large, pasture-raised eggs, or 2-3 slices of lamb liver, or emu oil, for that matter. If grownups neglect a healthy daily intake of vit K2, it’s only understandable that it will be missing from their kids’ diet.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)

MSM is a naturally occurring substance found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and dairy products high in full-fat milk. MSM is another magic nutrient and is made up of 34% sulphur – sulphur deficiency can cause a poor immune response, slow growth, weak joints and fatigue.

Studies have also confirmed that a variety of conditions are improved with MSM supplementation; such as inflammation, joint and muscle pain, oxidative stress, and antioxidant capacity, to name a few.

Good to know:

Growing Pains should be taken as part of a well-balanced children’s meal plan that includes lots of fresh fruit (for very active kids), leafy greens and above-ground veggies, fish high in omega-3, grass-fed beef and lamb (not glutted with hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals), free-range chicken, nuts and seeds, and full-fat dairy products. A plan like this should stay far away from refined sugars, processed foods, junk foods and an excessive starch intake.

For more info on Growing Pains, contact customer care: +27 (0) 86 173 6746 or visit http://www.penpharm.co.za. Growing Pains is available from Dis-Chem, and is available for xxx.

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