After living with kid(s) under your watchful eye for so many years, sending them off to college can be worrisome. Will they make nutritious food choices? Will they get the sleep they need to thrive both in the classroom and in life? And will they pay attention to signals from their bodies if the answer to those first two questions is no?
Dorm life can present some challenges to maintaining a nutritious meal plan and getting good sleep, especially for first-year students. But there are things you can do to help ease your mind (a little) and set your college-bound kid up for a healthy year. Here are three of them:
#1. Find a Chiropractor
Search online for chiropractors in the town your kid is headed to. Read the reviews, check out their website, and ask the same types of questions you asked to find your hometown chiropractor. Next, set up an account with them to cover the cost of adjustments. Or if you’re lucky enough to have insurance that covers chiropractic services, provide your insurance information.
Chances are good that your kid recognizes how beneficial regular chiropractic adjustments have been over the years, so they won’t be too resistant to going on their own. However, it’s still important to make it as convenient as possible. Right? Also keep your kid’s transportation situation in mind and look for a practitioner within a reasonable distance from their dorm. If it’s a challenge to get there, they’ll be less likely to go.
#2. Put together a Standard Process Support and First Aid Kit
There’s no way of knowing exactly what your kid will need, but, ideally, you’ll be working with a healthcare provider who can help. As your college-bound kid starts getting more independent, you may be less involved in their healthcare decisions. So just in case, do what you can and send them with some key things to cover the basics.
- Catalyn: This cornerstone supplement is where everything started for Dr. Royal Lee and Standard Process. With its complex forms of vitamins A, D, C, B6, thiamine, and riboflavin all “carefully chosen for the bioavailability of their nutrients” (meaning the body can easily utilize them), Catalyn can cover some gaps in your kid’s questionable food choices.
- Cod Liver Oil, Tuna Omega-3 Oil, or Hemp Oil Complex: These products offer up those omega-3s that are crucial for so many aspects of health. From supporting the immune and cardiovascular systems to maintaining a more even mood, cod liver oil can help establish a solid foundation for your student’s overall health. But work with your healthcare provider to determine which omega-3 supplement would be most beneficial for your kid.
- Herbal Throat Spray: This can come to the rescue pretty quickly when your student needs it. At the first sign of a scratchy throat or some nasal stuffiness, I hand our boys the bottle that’s always in our medicine cabinet. (And by now they’ll even ask for it on their own.)
- USF Ointment: This one is also key to have around just in case. It can help with acne breakouts, bug bites, cuts, etc. And like the throat spray above, it’s small enough to tuck away in a dresser drawer until your kid needs it.
#3. Help Your Kid Stock Up with Healthy Personal Care Items
From toothpaste to mouth rinse and shampoo to moisturizers, what we put on our bodies is just as important as what we put in our bodies (because that’s where lots of it ends up anyway). However, nontoxic products tend to be more expensive, so your kid probably won’t choose them on their own even if they wanted to. That’s why it just might be worthwhile to start them off with the better option. Stephanie Anderson’s Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is! offers lots of ideas on navigating the aisles of your market, including healthy personal care items.
There you have it. As your student puts the finishing touches on their packing list, consider the list above as well. You can help them restock throughout the school year with care packages (and don’t forget to include seasonal items such as Congaplex). Do this, and you’ll be setting up your college-bound kid for a healthy year. Oh, and remember that you didn’t always make the best choices in college either, but somehow you survived. It’ll all be okay. ;)
Images from iStock/XiXinXing (main), VLG (post).
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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