help for my daughter

[carlin]

There is so much information on this site--thank you for putting it out there! I have been struggling for years to help my daughter with her problems with digestion and have had no success so far. This is the story: she started to have problems with chronic constipation when she was about 20 months old, when my milk dried up because I was pregnant and she had to begin rely mainly on solid food. Up until then, she had been wonderfully healthy. I did the typical recommended things--offer more fruit, foods rich in fiber, water, and we avoided cheese and rice. When this didn't seem to help, I offered prunes, prune juice, prune muffins, anything with prunes. This also was not enough, so around the time she turned 3 and a half I started to give her half a cup of prune juice every day in a systematic way. This helped a little for a while, but not enough, and after a while it seemed to work less. The doctor suggested increasing the quantity of prune juice, but it was hard enough for her to drink half a cup, so we started to give her mineral oil, which she preferred. The doctor kept saying she would grow out of it. When she turned 5 I heard that the problem might be due to food sensitivities, so she was tested for food allergies and the report came back with some 26 or so food reactions (she reacted to eggs, coconut, citrus, legumes, all the grains except corn, and more). We tried to avoid those foods religiously for a while and I noticed some improvement, but not alot--she still needed to either drink prune juice or mineral oil. Eventually we gave up on the diet--it was simply too burdensome and it wasn't helping enough. So now she is about to turn 7 and still takes mineral oil everyday. I hate to think what that might be doing to her, but so far it is the only thing that works and that she can bear. I've recently started making food the Nourishing Traditions way, working on obtaining some kefir grains, making sourdough bread, pickles, etc. but I have to admit I feel quite hopeless, and I wonder to what degree any of these dietary changes will help to heal her gut given the amount of mineral oil she needs to take everyday.
If you have any ideas that can give me hope that she will get better I will be so grateful...

--Carlin
(By the way, I've deleted my first name from my profile because it is somewhat unusual and I'd rather not have my daughter's health history so easily google-able--I hope that's OK)

[Pat Robinson]

Basically, the gut is 70-80% of the immune system. It all starts with nutrient-dense foods, effective digestion (with adequate stomach acid), absorption of nutrients (in the gut with balanced microbials), and detoxification of the chemical byproducts of foods and environmental toxins by the liver, with adequate bio-available nutrients to support the detox pathways.

I would do whole food probiotics, cod liver oil, magnesium, vit. C, zinc, coconut oil, bone broths, green juices. Support the immune system.

Gut health Where to start? Help 101. http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1096747


Here is an old post with alternatives related to constipation.

Quote:
Here are a few ideas. Be sure that he is getting plenty of fluids before and during outdoor activities.

The binding foods to avoid are BRAT: bananas, rice, apples and toast. Prune juice increases motility, but just use a little!

You could increase animal fats, butter, coconut oil, magnesium, bone broths, vitamin C, probiotics (specifically Lactobacillus casei Shirota). Try aloe tea, Rhubarb root extracts, carrot juice 1:1 with spinach juice, plantains, dandelion tea, coconut, Blackstrap molasses, cabbage juice, almond oil with milk. All have stool softening properties, or increase motility.

Additionally, foods high in potassium help bowel function as it improves peristaltic movements of the colon: kale, cabbage, yellow tomatoes, spinach, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, alfalfa sprouts, goat milk, sesame seeds, wheat germ brewers yeast, flax seed, green peppers, pineapple, beets, potatoes with skin, Blackstrap molasses.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/constipation/a/constipation.htm

Rubbing the abdomen clock-wise gently with lavender essential oil helps to increase motility also.

Epsom salt baths, or a itsy bitsy pinch of Epsom salts (has magnesium) in water or juice will often help constipation. Or a larger dose of vitamin C has a tendency to cause loose stools. Warm drinks also trigger a peristalsis movement of the bowels in some folks. So, just a warm tea might do the trick. Or warm soup.

I trust that one of these possibilities will be agreeable to her. And if she is uncomfortable, you could try a glycerin suppository. (not my first choice) But, I'd just add some whole food probiotics on a regular basis and that will help her gut health, all around. :-) I just add a tablespoon of kefir to juice. That is a ton of beneficial probiotics. I wouldn't waste money on bottle probiotics. Dairy is constipating for many though, in quantity.

I'm unclear about the allergy testing. Was it "Skin Prick Testing", or a blood test, or muscle testing? If SPT, that indicates IgE allergies and those foods MUST be avoided for health.


HTH, Pat

[carlin]

Thank you for your help, I have so little time to research this on my own, I really appreciate having someone who is so well-informed share their knowledge with me.

It was a blood test, the sheet says "IgG Standard Food Sensitivity Assay by Immuno Laboratories." Avoiding all 26 of these foods helped a little--she still had to take mineral oil in order to stay regular. Now that we are no longer avoiding them she has to take more. I hope we can somehow live with eating these foods, she was found to be sensitive to all of the grains except millet, quinoa, and corn, and try as I did to make do with these, it just wasn't working for her. If necessary, she might be persuaded to avoid them for a short time again in the future, but for now she has no will in favor of a restricted diet, especially since she couldn't see much of an improvement.

For a while we tried using just prune juice and Vit C and magnesium supplements, instead of the mineral oil--that worked (not very well, but enough) but it soon became simply more than she could bear. I've always offered her yogurt, though she never really took to it. She loves the Bubbies pickles though, so we always have those around, and I'm working on learning how to culture other veggies myself.

I'm working on getting some kefir grains, but it might take me a while since the places I've looked don't want to ship during the summer (and it's over 100 here in Phoenix now) and I haven't been able to find someone locally who is able to share some with me. I also wonder if she will take to kefir given that she doesn't like yogurt. Still, I think it should be easy enough to dress it up somehow, sugar is always a big seller...What about kombucha? Is that OK for children?

We are putting so much effort (and money that is so scarce) in healing her through food, and I wonder how much of it is going to be effective given that she takes mineral oil every day--it's probably really messing up her gut, and yet she simply will not go unless she takes a few spoonfulls of mineral oil, or ALOT of prune juice (which she really dislikes). I had thought of trying enemas, and she is willing to give it a try, but our conventional doctor and the naturopath we saw both only recommended the kind that are bought over the counter (if at all)--which if I understand correctly, have all kinds of bad for you phosphates, chemicals etc. The GAPS book recommends saline enemas every day, and I've seen instructions for them on the internet, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable doing something that goes against the recommendation of the conventional doctor and the naturopath (she said everyday would be way too irritating). Any thoughts on this?

--Olalla

[Shannon]

Have you tried just eliminating gluten and dairy? They're two big triggers of gut problems, and it might be easier to avoid a shorter list?

Also, how is her omega 6:omega 3 ratio?

[Sarah Thompson]

Is it possible to switch to cod liver oil and maybe olive oil instead of mineral oil? Just so it's an oil that's less toxic?

How much vitamin C does she take, and in what form? I don't have a situation on this level, but I do get constipated, and high doses of sodium ascorbate do help me.

[carlin]

For a while we tried eliminating gluten and dairy (this was before the blood test) and there was no difference. After the blood test we avoided all the grains except corn, quinoa, and millet (so no gluten) and since she doesn't usually care for milk or dairy products (except ice cream) she was in great part dairy free.

She takes cod liver oil (she likes it!)--one teaspoon a day.

We tried taking large doses of Vit C and magnesium as per the naturopath's recommendation, I don't remember how much, but it didn't help, or at least not enough. She really didn't like how strong it tasted, I think I mixed it with pineapple juice. It was a powder--I think it was sodium ascorbate.

Even though the cod liver oil and olive oil are good for her I don't think they could replace the mineral oil--mineral oil isn't really a food, it comes from petroleum, and the reason it is recommended for children is because it doesn't get absorbed. It's supposed to keep food moving through the intestines. There are concerns that it prevents nutrients from being absorbed. And it just looks awful to me. My daughter doesn't love it either, but she'd rather take four spoonfulls of mineral oil rather than 15 or 20 of prune juice. :(

It's such an intractable problem--everything that seems to work for others just doesn't work for her. I'm hoping to get up to speed on the food side with fermented veggies, dairy, bone broths, etc. and then see if she'd be willing to try prunes and/or enemas for a while to see if we can start the healing process.

--Olalla



I don't think

[Lauren]

Only one thought--I make cultured veggies from scratch at home, and have noticed extremely laxative effects when I eat these (moreso than when I eat the bubbies pickles, which I adore!) I make them Body Ecology Diet style, (http://www.bodyecology.com/cveggies.php) with little to no salt, and if I eat 1/4 cup 3 x a day, it really gets everything moving moreso than usual. (I like to do a blend of cabbage, carrots, ginger, onions, garlic and radishes--delicious! But definitely an aquired taste! ;) What about REALLY upping the fermented food intake? Just to try? And just from my experience w/ my homemade cultured veggies, I really think homemade can make a big difference--at least in this department!

Good luck--this sounds like a very difficult situation!!!

Lauren :)

[Kathy Brown]

Just a word of note on the IgG tests. They were very accurate for my son and my daughter, however, for both of them, corn came up safe, and it wasn't (it was my daughter's worst trigger food). Now that she's older, could you tell her it's an experiment, and try taking out the foods again (along with corn)? My brother was on mineral oil most of the time growing up....

[carlin]

We may try the elimination diet again some day, but at the moment, it is way more than she can bear--so many of her favorite foods are on the list... How long was your brother on mineral oil? Did he really grow out of it? One of my fears is that she will need to medicate for the rest of her life. On the one hand I feel guilty because I think that if I had been more pushy with her about fixing the problem from the start it would have been solved sooner, on the other hand, I don't want to kill her desire to get well and take care of her health by forcing her to do things she's really against.

I think upping the intake of cultured veggies is a good idea, and mixing cabbage with other veggies might work too.

I'm curious about bone broths--is it possible to make a bone broth out of a chicken that has already been roasted? is it just as beneficial? I'm trying to think of ways of saving money.

Also, what are good sources for recipes for unusual grains like millet and quinoa? Any favorites?

--Olalla

[Lauren]

carlin said:

I'm curious about bone broths--is it possible to make a bone broth out of a chicken that has already been roasted? is it just as beneficial? I'm trying to think of ways of saving money.

Absolutely! I used to do it all the time! Just remove the leftover chicken for use in other dishes, and then throw the bones in a pot and make it (add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice etc. to help pull the calcium out of the bones--at least I think that's what it does! ;) Then simmer for a LONG time, I've done it in the crockpot for 24+ hours, or you can also do it in a pressure cooker (very controversial though) for a/b 1.5-2 hours as described here: http://everythingfreeeating.blogspot.com/2007/05/why-bother.html

HTH!

Lauren :)

[Julie]

My daughter also had chronic constipation problems from a young age. She's now 12 and what has helped her is the magnesium, but it has to be in citrate form, and now she drinks Total Tea which is a detox tea that contains senna. I guess the senna is what gives a laxative effect. I believe you can give a small amount to a young child.

Julie :)