Juvenile Arthritis, Nutrition and Gut Health - The Emerging Research

Each year the 18th March is World Juvenile Arthritis Day. And this year I am celebrating.

My life as a functional nutritionist came about quite abruptly when my daughter fell very ill with an autoimmune disease at the age of 2, juvenile idiopathic arthritis. She has been in unmedicated remission since June 2020 and symptom free since late 2018. You guessed it – we adopted a bio-individual approach centered on gut health and functional nutrition. Juvenile arthritis doesn’t get the same attention as other pediatric conditions. It’s usually invisible. It’s stereotyped as an "old person’s disease". And the power of gut health and nutrition isn’t widely spoken about, despite the volumes of research over the last 10+ years. I’ve developed a comprehensive program to support parents - A Functional Nutrition Approach: The Parents Roadmap to JIA (click here to learn more and register). This program fills a much-needed gap in the functional nutrition space for children with juvenile arthritis. I’m very proud of it. I wish it was around when we needed it instead of going around in circles and wasting time. You can learn more about my approach to JIA here:

• Hear from a Mom (Tasha) who has had great success on my program with her son. Click here to watch.

• Read my response to the Australian Government’s inquiry into childhood rheumatic diseases. You can read it by clicking here (I’m response #119).

• Listen to my conversation about JIA with Andrew Whitfield Cook (video below).

• Download my free eBook: The 5 Things I Wish I Knew When My Daughter Was Diagnosed with JIA eBook by clicking here.

• Join my comprehensive program to support parents - A Functional Nutrition Approach: The Parents Roadmap to JIA (click here to learn more and register).

If you know of another family impacted by JIA, please forward them this article.

Vanessa Vanderhoek is a functional medicine nutritionist specializing in the gut microbiome, biochemistry and nutrigenomics. She supports parents to help their children with JIA, so they can regain their health (whatever that looks like for them, it's different for each child) by taking an approach that's unique to their body.

Whilst based in Canberra (Australia), Vanessa sees clients around the world in her virtual clinic. To get started book an initial consultation by clicking here.