Paediatric integrative medicine
Whole-child, integrative and functional medicine for children and teenagers — with particular expertise in autism, ADHD and childhood anxiety, combining conventional paediatric care with a wider set of biomedical tools.
A whole-child approach to paediatric care
Paediatric integrative medicine combines conventional paediatric care with a wider set of evidence-informed, biomedical tools — functional testing, nutrition, nervous system support and, where appropriate, carefully chosen medication. The aim is to understand and support the whole child, not only to manage a single symptom or diagnosis. We have particular expertise in ADHD, anxiety and autism.
Our paediatric pathway is led by our medical director, Dr Dani Gordon, and our integrative paediatrician, Dr Pram Mainie. We care for children and teenagers across a wide range of presentations — from milder ADHD and childhood anxiety through to more complex, chronic pictures — and many of the neurodivergent children we see, including autistic children, respond well to these approaches. This is integrative family medicine: the whole child, understood in the context of the whole family.
Many families find us through word of mouth. That is especially true within the closely-knit autistic community — parents who meet through autism support and meetup groups — where one parent sees a real change in another family’s child and asks what they did. There is still very little integrative paediatric work of this kind available in the UK, so word travels.
More tools than medication alone
A central part of paediatric integrative medicine is that we have many more tools available for the child than medication alone. Alongside conventional prescribing, we draw on biomedical methods — testing, nutrition, the gut-brain axis and nervous system support — chosen for the individual child. Used together, these can support sleep, digestion, focus, mood and day-to-day wellbeing.
This matters especially in autism, where there is no medication that treats autism itself — so a wider toolkit is often what makes the difference. More broadly, this whole-child view suits neurodivergent children, who often experience overlapping physical and developmental symptoms and can respond well to a broader, personalised approach. None of this replaces conventional or NHS care; we work alongside it.
Looking at the whole child
In children with complex or overlapping symptoms, seemingly separate issues often share common biological roots. Areas we commonly consider include methylation and folate pathways, the gut-brain-immune axis, mitochondrial function, and nervous system regulation and sensory processing. Considering these together, rather than in isolation, can reveal contributors that a single-symptom approach may miss.
When ADHD runs in the family
ADHD rarely appears in one person in isolation. It is strongly heritable, so it is common for a child’s assessment to be the moment a parent recognises the same pattern in themselves. Where most clinics would treat the child alone, we can look after the whole family — matching a child’s plan with support for parents who are neurodivergent too, so the household works better together rather than one member at a time. This joined-up, cross-generational approach is what we mean by integrative family medicine.
For children, ADHD is never treated as medication alone. Alongside carefully personalised prescribing where it is appropriate, we address sleep, nutrition, the gut-brain axis, anxiety and nervous-system regulation — the factors that so often shape how a child copes day to day.
The tools we use with children
We choose from a range of tools, matched to each child and introduced gradually. Each is used as one part of a wider, personalised plan.
Functional medicine testing
Where it is helpful, we use non-invasive functional testing — such as stool, organic-acid, methylation and micronutrient analysis — to guide a personalised plan and identify biological contributors to a child’s symptoms.
Nervous system regulation
Gentle, child-friendly nervous system tools — such as breathing and vagal techniques, sound-based programmes and parental co-regulation — can help children who are easily overwhelmed or dysregulated.
Nutrition and nutraceuticals
Sensory-aware nutrition and targeted, clinical-grade nutraceuticals can support methylation, gut health and energy. Where clinically indicated, this can include specific prescription forms of folate, such as folinic acid.
Personalised medication
Where medication is appropriate, we prescribe carefully and at personalised doses, and consider it as one part of a wider plan rather than the only option.
Cannabinoid medicine
For children who have tried and failed other approaches, cannabinoid medicine can help with difficult-to-treat, treatment-resistant symptoms — treatment-resistant anxiety, sleep disturbances, difficult behaviours in autism, and OCD. With children we almost exclusively use oral high-CBD, low-THC preparations. Used correctly these do not cause impairment. It is a legal, prescription-only medicine, used selectively, at low doses and closely monitored.
Educational information about specialist-prescribed treatments; not medical advice or a recommendation to use any specific medicine.
Frequently asked questions
It combines conventional paediatric care with additional, evidence-informed biomedical tools — functional testing, nutrition and nervous system support — chosen for the individual child and used alongside standard care.
All paediatric consultations take place online, so your child can be seen from a familiar environment. The initial appointment covers your child’s history, current symptoms and a personalised plan.
No. We care for children and teenagers with a range of chronic and complex health issues. Neurodivergent children are one group we see often, and many respond well to these approaches.
No. We work alongside conventional and NHS care as part of a child’s wider support.