I know it is not something we like to talk about. But, lets face it we all have to do it and it is a necessary body function for health. So, getting down to the nitty gritty. Many kids and people are constipated. Why? Well, in my opinion it is our westernized diet that is toxic to our GI tract. We, especially babies and kids are just not able to process it. Looking at the causes of constipation. Your immune system is located in your GI tract, it is the brain of your body. Vaccines, antibiotics, pesticides, food additives... these all bog down your immune system/GI tract. The body views them all as foreign and tries to fight them off as they aren't supposed to be there. Sugar is also detrimental to your GI tract. When your body is unable to keep up with the "toxins" it becomes chronically inflamed as it is trying to protect itself. This inflammation makes it hard for the immune system to get the fighter cells where they need to go and also hinders the nutrients from being absorbed into the body. Over time the inflammation causes the intestines to not be able to contract and therefore stool begins to slow and eventually become stagnant in your intestines. When stool becomes stagnant it provides an ideal environment for bacteria and yeast to grow causing further harm. If this goes on for a long period of time eventually the intestines forget they contracted at all and you are now dependent on laxatives ie:miralax. Okay, so that is the skinny on constipation. What to do about it? Well we have seen many, many GI specialists. No one was interested in figuring out the cause they were only interested in making the stool move, ie miralax. So what do you do?
First off, you HAVE to get the stool moving. There is no way to help heal the digestive tract if the stool is not moving. And I don't mean by the use of miralax. Miralax is a plastic polymer. It is not absorbed into the system and does not make the intestines contract. All miralax does is make the stool slippery enough to squeeze out. If I may put it bluntly. It will, by no means, ever make the intestines regain normal function. It is a band-aid. We have tried many supplements to support digestive function but the best we have found is a herbal tea called Smooth Move Herbal Tea. It has senna in it and it helps to force the intestines to contract. This can be painful, however being constipated is painful and if you take it slowly over the course of a couple weeks you should start seeing movement. We used 1-2 tablespoons per evening for about 2 weeks. Even with Lochlan's severe dysmotility his intestines started contracting and things started moving within 2 weeks. It is imperative that you get the stool to move and make the intestines contract. Over time the muscle memory will return and the intestines will remember how to contract.
Secondly, you need to remove offenders. When I say offenders, I mean foods that are negative to the digestive tract. I HIGHLY recommend a diet called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. This diet is designed to heal the digestive tract and over time create an environment in which bacteria and yeast cannot thrive. Another great diet is the GAPS diet. You will have to get rid of the yeast and bacteria in order to have the intestines function on their own. These diets are very complex yet if you are dedicated you can have lasting success. If you are unwilling to do one of the two diets listed above please consider to remove food coloring, preservatives, pesticides, dairy, wheat and processed and artificial sugar. I know that's a tall order but all of these affect the digestive tract negatively. Our dairy today is highly processed and contains loads of hormones and antibiotics. The proteins in dairy are actually changed in the processing making them small enough to cross the blood brain barrier.Wheat/gluten protiens are the same. You can start small, but remember that yeast and bacteria will grow almost 10 times faster than the length of time it takes to kill it.
Third, once you've got the stool moving and your tackling one of the two diets listed above, which are very detailed and specific even regarding vitamins and supplements. I recommend seeing a chiropractor. Having your body in line is crucial to its ability to heal itself. We have had huge success with chiropractic and all 3 of my kiddos LOVE going.
This is just a beginning baseline. I encourage everyone to read Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gotchall. She is a wealth of knowledge and she breaks down why and how her diet is healing.
Remember we didn't get this way overnight and we can't reverse the symptoms overnight but Gastrointestinal Health is possible.
Please feel free to contact me for more info. More to come about Leaky Gut.
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