By Stephanie Ray, Board Certified Naturopath, Herbalist, & Mom

Kids are naturally sensory. They learn by touching, exploring, playing, climbing, digging, holding pets, and putting their hands on everything around them. This is healthy and normal. It is also one of the reasons children are so easily exposed to unwanted organisms through playgrounds, pets, shared devices, sports equipment, and nail biting.

Research shows most children and adults still are not washing their hands properly or long enough to fully clean them. One of the most commonly missed areas is under the fingernails and around the cuticles, exactly where unwanted organisms can linger.

As a Chinese Herbalist and Naturopath, I have found that exposure is only one part of the picture. The body’s internal terrain matters just as much.

Why Sugar Cravings Matter

One of the biggest clues I often see once unwanted organisms are present? Sugar cravings.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we look at the body’s terrain. When digestion and elimination are sluggish, the body can become a more hospitable environment for imbalance. Processed foods, environmental toxins, stress, and excess sugar can all place additional stress on the system.

Unwanted organisms tend to thrive in a more acidic environment. Mineral rich foods, hydration, healthy elimination, and supportive herbs help support a healthier internal terrain and pH balance.

The good news is there is so much we can do naturally to support children’s digestion, elimination, emotional balance, and overall resilience.

Common Signs The Body May Need Extra Support

Every child is different, but some common signs we see include:

• unusual angry outbursts
• emotional imbalance
• itchy rectum
• dark circles under the eyes
• grinding teeth
• waking frequently during the night
• strong sugar cravings
• inconsistent bowel movements

Many of these symptoms reflect Dampness and stagnation within the digestive system. When digestion is not functioning optimally, the body has a harder time clearing what it no longer needs.

We have found that supporting the body’s terrain is one of the most important things we can do for children today.

Proper elimination, mineral rich foods, less sugar, healthy hygiene habits, hydration, sleep, and supportive herbs all work together to help the body maintain balance naturally.

Healthy Elimination Matters

One thing I talk with parents about often is bowel movements because they matter far more than most people realize.

The body should be eliminating daily. Ideally, we want to see 1 to 3 healthy bowel movements each day, especially while the body is clearing unwanted organisms.

A healthy bowel movement should be:

• light to medium brown
• easy to pass
• formed but soft to loose
• approximately 12 to 14 inches long
• free from excessive odor or straining

Two Simple Ways To Help Support Your Family

1. Teach Kids How To Properly Wash Their Hands

Most people think they are washing their hands correctly, but research shows otherwise.

The average handwashing time is only a few seconds, far below what is recommended.

Here’s how to properly wash hands:

1. Wet hands with clean, running water and apply soap.

2. Rub hands together thoroughly, including the backs of the hands and between fingers.

3. Clean carefully around cuticles and under fingernails. This is one of the most commonly missed areas.

4. Continue washing for at least 20 seconds.

5. Rinse well under running water.

6. Dry with a clean towel or air dry.

Simple daily habits really do matter.

2. Support Healthy Terrain With Herbs

At BIORAY®, we focus on supporting the body’s terrain.

When the body is overloaded from environmental toxins, processed foods, stress, poor elimination, and excess sugar, the internal environment can become more hospitable to imbalance.

This is why supporting healthy internal pH balance, digestion, elimination, and drainage pathways is so important.

NDF Happy®

Created to gently support children while helping maintain microbial balance, emotional balance, and healthy detoxification pathways.

NDF Happy® helps support:

• reduced angry outbursts*
• fewer sugar and carbohydrate cravings*
• less teeth grinding and rectal itching*
• improved sleep quality*
• stress relief*
• gentle support for children with sensitive systems*

It also includes NDF® (Natural Detox Factors) to help support the body’s removal of environmental toxins, heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides that can burden healthy terrain.

Life Is Peachy for teens

Created for older kids and teens who need support with elimination, emotional balance, and microbial balance.

Life Is Peachy for teens helps support:

• reduced unexplained anger*
• the body’s natural ability to remove unwanted organisms*
• fewer sugar and carbohydrate cravings*
• the body’s response to stress*
• gentle binding and removal of environmental toxins*
• Flower Essences to support emotional balance, calm thinking, feeling more self assured, and the ability to respond more rationally to everyday stressors*

When bowel movements are sluggish, waste can sit in the body longer than it should. We want things moving daily, comfortably, and completely.

Microbe Slayer®

For adults, Microbe Slayer® was created to support microbial balance, digestive health, and the body’s natural detoxification pathways.

Microbe Slayer® helps support:

• a healthy balance of intestinal microbes for optimal gut function*
• healthy liver function and natural detoxification*
• healthy adrenal function, resilience, and energy*
• reduced signs of internal imbalance such as irritability, teeth grinding, and dark circles under the eyes*

Together, these formulas support the body in doing what it was designed to do naturally: clear what does not belong, restore balance, and maintain a terrain where unwanted organisms are less likely to thrive.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “When and How to Clean Hands.”
https://www.cdc.gov/global-water-sanitation-hygiene/media/pdfs/When-and-how-to-clean-hands-poster-508.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Handwashing.”
https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html

Borchgrevink, C. P., Cha, J., & Kim, S. “Hand Washing Practices in a College Town Environment.” Journal of Environmental Health. 2013.

World Health Organization. “Soil-transmitted helminth infections.”
https://www.who.int

Common Questions Parents Ask About Unwanted Organisms

1. What are some common signs of unwanted organisms in children?

Some common signs can include sugar cravings, teeth grinding, itchy rectum, emotional imbalance, unusual angry outbursts, dark circles under the eyes, digestive discomfort, waking during the night, and inconsistent bowel movements. Eve ry child is different, which is why looking at the overall picture matters.

2. Can unwanted organisms contribute to angry outbursts or unexplained anger?

Yes. Unwanted organisms release byproducts, essentially their poop, which are toxic to the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we say these toxins can skew the emotions and make someone feel unlike themselves. It can feel like someone is constantly stepping on your last nerve.

This is one of the reasons we often see unexplained anger, irritability, emotional imbalance, and emotional reactivity improve when digestion, elimination, and microbial balance are properly supported.

3. Why do sugar cravings matter?

One of the biggest clues we often see with internal imbalance is strong sugar and carbohydrate cravings. Unwanted organisms tend to thrive in a more acidic environment, while mineral rich foods, hydration, healthy elimination, and supportive herbs help support a healthier internal terrain and pH balance.

4. How often should children have bowel movements?

Healthy elimination is extremely important. Ideally, children should be having 1 to 3 healthy bowel movements each day. Regular elimination helps the body clear waste efficiently and supports overall digestive balance.

5. What does a healthy bowel movement look like?

A healthy bowel movement should be:

• light to medium brown
• easy to pass
• formed but soft to loose
• approximately 12 to 14 inches long
• free from excessive odor or straining

6. Why is hand washing so important?

Children naturally touch everything around them while they learn and explore. Proper hand washing helps reduce exposure to microscopic unwanted organisms and their eggs commonly found under fingernails.

7. How can I naturally support my child’s internal terrain?

Supporting the body’s terrain starts with simple daily habits:

• healthy elimination
• mineral rich foods
• reducing excess sugar
• hydration
• healthy sleep habits
• proper hygiene
• supportive herbs for digestion, detoxification, and microbial balance