Childhood Upstream

11/05/2022

Here is the direct link to my chat with the amazing and like-minded Functional Medicine coach Krisler. Was such an enjoyable and authentic convo. If you want to learn more about the functional medicine approach and how it can truly help on the journey towards healing have a listen. Enjoy!!

As a mother to 4 children Rebekah Zonosky is passionate about the health and wellbeing of families. Rebekah is the founder and CEO of Childhood Upstream. She...

11/02/2022

Recent conversation with the amazing Health Coaching with Krisler
Really love chatting with like minded folks who share the passion for helping people live well and be well ❤️

As a mother to 4 children Rebekah Zonosky is passionate about the health and wellbeing of families. Rebekah is the founder and CEO of Childhood Upstream. She is a registered advanced practice nurse and certified pediatric nurse practitioner with over 15 years experience. Rebekah received her Functional Medicine training through The Institute for Functional Medicine. She’s also certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. She specializes in identifying the of disease and developing personalized treatment plans integrating nutrition and lifestyle changes. Rebekah firmly believes if you take the time to dig deep into dis-ease you will find the path to restoring balance.

My conversation with Rebekah is a reminder that there’s qualified folks out there who are ready to help your family thrive! Her story is one of , resilience, self-advocacy, desire to serve, and love of learning.

Click https://youtu.be/xkjySm4TZE0 to watch our convo on my channel. so you don’t miss anything!

Will you join the conversation?

11/02/2022

Did you know that a gratitude practice for kids has the same benefits as it does for adults? I would even argue the benefits are greater because you are setting up a habit early on in life that will seriously benefit their well being as they age.
Studies suggest that benefits of a gratitude practice in childhood range from improved sleep, more optimism, less depression and aggression, decreased stress, strengthened immune system, and overall increased resilience. I know I want ALL of these for my littles. So how do we start?
I really want to work on this in my own kiddos, and what better time than . One of the easiest and most practical ways I have found is to incorporate it into our bedtime routine. As I am tucking each little one in, I quietly ask what their favorite part of the day was. It not only gets their wheels turning about what was great about the day, it also ends their day on a positive note, AND sends them off into dreamland thinking about what makes them happy.
I challenge you to give it a whirl in the next day or two. Let me know in the comments below how it goes!

04/06/2022

Currently the World Health Organization estimates that 1 out of 100 children are diagnosed with ASD. There is no known “cause” of autism. The evidence suggests there are multiple factors, including genetic and environmental factors, that increase the possibility of a child being diagnosed with ASD. Bringing awareness to the idea that some of these factors can be treated and managed is an important role of integrative and functional medicine. Because it truly is possible!! Addressing food sensitivities, improving gut health, optimizing nutrient levels, and effectively managing detoxification - all of these have the potential to make a significant impact. I will be sharing what we know about how to implement some of these changes over the next few days. Ultimately the first step is to look for a provider who is experienced in managing patients on the spectrum and is open to an integrative approach. www.IFM.org has an excellent database of providers if you need a place to start.
💙Rebekah

04/01/2022

April is Autism awareness month, and for sure one of my favorite quotations surrounding Autism is “if you have met one person with Autism, you have met one person with Autism”. It reminds us that you can’t assume everyone is the same, period. Whether you are looking at a diagnosis, ethnicity, race, gender - none of us are the same. Each and every one of us is our own individual with a different set of strengths and challenges.
This is actually one of the reasons I love functional medicine so much. It brings personalization back to medicine. There is no cookie cutter answer that will work for everyone. Everyone’s journey in health and wellness is unique.
With it being Autism awareness month I want to use this space to share some of the thoughts and perspectives Functional medicine brings to the table as it relates to ASD. As with everything, none of what I share will be applicable to everyone. But maybe I can help shine a light on some of the aspects of care that aren’t always talked about. And maybe, just maybe, we can realize, once again, that life is nuanced and complicated, and like most things in life, this deserves a personalized approach.
💙 Rebekah

03/31/2022

Helloooo Instafam!! It has been a LONG time since I put my face up on here! There are multiple reasons I took time away, but I am excited to come back and share all the things I have been working on behind the scenes with y’all!
The health and well being of our children continues to be the driving factor in what I do day in and day out. And the more I learn the more I want to share with YOU! I am looking forward to using this space as a place to share, learn, grow and challenge what we know about how to help our kids live healthy and vibrant.
I am on this journey with you being a mama to 4 littles myself, so I absolutely understand the importance of giving you practical information that can be applied at various ages.
Here’s to growing & learning together, one step at a time, for the health and well-being of our family!
Rebekah xoxo

01/08/2021

A couple weeks ago, I chose my word for 2021, or maybe it chose me. I didn’t post about it because it’s the cliche thing to do, and honestly, the word was for me and this year, not everyone else. Or so I thought.

PERSIST - to continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure. The word originates from the Latin “per” - through, steadfastly, and “sistere”- to stand.

The events over this past week have weighed heavy on my heart, as I’m sure they have yours. What keeps coming back to my mind again and again is this word. And I have realized that it isn’t just about me and my goals for this year, it is about what is required of humanity, what has always been required. In order to grow, learn, adapt, and become better, we MUST persist. And right now we need to do that with an abundance of HOPE.

Some of us have lost hope...so for those of us who are still clinging to it, we need to send out as much of it into the world as we can. NO MATTER WHAT.

If you take some time to review American history, and world history for that matter, you will clearly see that it has felt like this before. It’s uncomfortable, it’s painful, and it’s terrifying. But it’s how we change for the better.

We CAN do better. We WILL do better. We MUST do better. Our precious children are watching us, so if not for us, for them. They deserve it, and they need it. PERSISTENT HOPE.

We have a lot of work to do. I have a lot of work to do. So, let’s get back to work and start healing.

12/31/2020

ONE STEP AT A TIME. As we are embarking on a new year, I want to remind all of us that it isn’t about all or nothing. The space between wellness and illness is a continuum. We don’t go from one to the other with the flip of a switch. Every day we are making choices that move us towards wellness or illness. One decision at a time, one step at a time.

These are just a few suggestions you could implement together as a family to move you in the direction of wellness. No matter where you are starting from. It’s the daily small steps that become habits, that become mindsets, that become living with more health & vitality.

Cheers to 2021! 🥂

With love & vitality ❤️🌿,
Rebekah

@ Dallas, Texas

12/31/2020

FARM TO TABLE? Doesn’t really get any better than ONE step from farm to table, am I right? We made these super tasty carrot fries a few nights ago from a gigantic carrot grown in our kid’s school garden.

Knowing exactly where our food comes from isn’t that common these days unfortunately. And no, I don’t mean which grocery store it came from 😉 When you think about life and food sourcing before the industrial revolution, knowing where your food came from was pretty standard.

One of my personal goals this year is to take a deeper dive into our food systems. I very strongly believe that regenerative farming and sustainable food systems are a key aspect in securing the health and wellness of our kids and future generations. If 2020 has taught us anything about our food systems, it is that we have a lot of work to do. From food deserts, to being over fed and undernourished. We need to work on fixing it. Our health depends on it.

The closer we can get to one step from farm to table the better.

With love & vitality ❤️🌿,
Rebekah

@ Dallas, Texas

12/29/2020

When children feel free to let their true selves shine, that’s when the magic happens, for us and for them. Thankful for a year full of these special moments where we all became a little more free to be our true selves, and learned to make the most of our time together 😉❤️

12/28/2020

QUERCETIN A POWERHOUSE ANTIOXIDANT. This super cool flavonoid is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Here are just a few that our kids love and eat on a regular basis.

Quercetin has a number of health benefits due to its antioxidant capabilities. When you look at how it is described in the literature, it is considered anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic!!! So needless to say it has a positive effect on health & wellness overall.

Many recent studies and anecdotes really highlight how beneficial it is for seasonal allergy sufferers. So if your kiddos (or you) suffer from allergies try adding some Quercetin rich foods to your diet on a daily basis and see what happens. Just one more way food can be used as medicine 🌿