222: How Does My Child's Gut Health Affect Their Mental Health with Dr. Elisa Song

In this episode of The Soaring Child Podcast, we are continuing our Summer Series by sharing another fan favorite episode with special guest, Dr. Elisa Song!  "We are in a state of emergency for children's mental health." Dr. Elisa Song In this episode of the Soaring Child podcast, discover the most up-to-date information about children's mental health and how gut health directly impacts mental health. Dr. Elisa Song joins the show to share what parents can do to build resilience in their children. Elisa Song, MD, is an integrative pediatrician and pediatric functional medicine expert, and most importantly, a mother to two thriving children. She has dedicated her career to helping parents and practitioners bridge the gap between conventional and holistic pediatrics with an evidence-based, pediatrician-backed, parent-approved approach. Dr. Song has lectured around the world at leading integrative and functional medicine conferences and premier parenting events. She has also been featured in hundreds of top podcasts, print, and online media outlets. Her book, Healthy Kids, Happy Kids, is available now. To watch this episode on YouTube, go here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLwZaCIcie4  LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW ADHD Symptom Reduction Tool – http://adhdthriveinstitute.com/tool Dr. Elisa Song's book, Healthy Kids, Happy Kids – https://www.healthykidshappykids.com/book/ KEY TAKEAWAYS [3:39] The current state of children's mental health [6:53] The gut-brain connection and how it relates to mental health [17:16] The most common factors that disrupt our kids' microbiomes [26:16] Tips for creating gut-brain resilience in children [37:12] Healthy Kids, Happy Kids – Dr. Song's  book [40:28] Where to find Dr. Elisa Song online MEMORABLE MOMENTS "We are in a state of emergency for children's mental health." "By the time kids are 18, 1 in 2 will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder." "When we are talking about our children's mental health…we always need to look at their guts." "Antibiotics given to infants…can significantly increase – by up to 50% – the risk of that child having mental health concerns by the time they are older kids or teenagers." "The vast majority of neurotransmitters are made by our gut microbiome." "If we do not have a healthy balance of all of these beneficial bacteria that make our neurotransmitters, there's no way we can have optimal or healthy brain development or brain functioning." "One of the single most insidious and persistent and ever-present disruptors are our ultra-processed foods." "Not only do these ultra-processed foods affect our gut microbiome, they also affect our kids' brains." "It takes only 2 months of a steady diet of ultra-processed foods to change our brain, we can reverse that trend with a steady diet of gut-nourishing, brain-nourishing food." "Psychological stress can disrupt your gut microbiome in the matter of an hour." "Stress is not necessarily a bad thing." <p dir="