This year my son was back to school for three days before he got sick. Three days! At the start of the school year young minds are put to the test, and their immune systems are similarly challenged.
 
I was looking forward to the start of the school year, but I was also worried about what germs awaited my little one as he walked through the classroom door. We had a tough winter. After a slew of ear and bronchiole infections, he was subject to an alarming amount of doctor’s visits, along with antibiotics, steroids and other medications.
 
As a first time mom, I was distraught and consulted friends and family to vent and to look for support. But what surprised me was the number of people urging me to look into herbal or holistic medicine as an alternative or adjunct to pharmaceuticals.
 
Now, in my professional life I am constantly reading market research and expert insights describing how consumers are being turned on to all things natural, clean-label and holistic. Yet, I was still somewhat shocked to see how pervasive this school of thought was in my personal life outside the health and wellness industry.
 
But the numbers are clear—consumers’ commitment to natural health remedies is no passing fad. According to Nutrition Business Journal the $1.2 billion homeopathic supplement category grew 5.1% in 2014, with herbs and botanical featured as key ingredients in many over-the-counter remedies. 
 
In addition, three quarters of consumers believe certain nutritious foods can help manage health issues, according to Health Focus International (2013) with 65% believing some foods can reduce the risk of disease and improve long-term health. Furthermore, more than half (54%) said food could be used to help reduce the need for pharmaceuticals such as drugs or medical therapies.
 
Recently, the International Food Information Council presented research that sounded a lot like the mom friends I consulted. The IFIC Foundation’s 2015 Food and Health Survey suggested that parents, and especially moms, were highly suspicious of “chemicals,” especially those in food. Moms were resoundingly weary of chemicals that were additives, and perceived them as dangerous to health, despite the fact that they may serve an important role in preventing foodborne illness.
 
The take away is that many people now believe that natural ingredients are healthy, and see significant risks with things considered synthetic. Additionally, consumers, and especially parents, are looking for common-sense, low-risk solutions to help them manage their health.
 
My concern is that there are risks associated with herbs and supplements too, and medicine prescribed properly can be life saving. No doubt, antibiotic overuse is leading to huge problems in the medical community, but I was not comfortable with, as my one friend recommended, substituting amoxicillin for lavender oil drops to treat my son’s serious ear infection. Consumers should know that there might be side effects and risks to taking supplements too. For example, I explained to my well-meaning friend, that lavender and tea tree oil, while natural and possessing health benefits, could have a negative impact on the hormonal balance of young boys. Also, if I was going to switch up my kids prescription, or add a new supplement, I’d definitely check with our doctor first.
 
That said, I’m going to consult our pediatrician at my son’s upcoming two-year-old check up for recommendations for supplements to protect and encourage a healthy immune system. Tons of research supports the use of supplements—ranging from vitamin C, to probiotics, to a variety of herbs—for immune support, and the market for kid’s immunity supplements is thriving. Apparently, I’m not alone in my search for immune-boosting kids supplements either—Gallop reported 70% of moms are looking for specialty supplements benefiting their child’s immunity.