|
by
Konstantin
Monastyrsky
The wrong medical advice is behind chronic
constipation in toddlers. Recommended dietary changes not only do not
resolve constipation, but also may result in diarrhea, inflammatory
bowel disease, and development problems caused by the ensuing malnutrition.
Why Is My Toddler Suddenly Constipated?
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Transcript:
The primary cause of constipation in toddlers is pain
while moving the bowels. This pain is caused by stools that are either
too large or too hard to pass out effortlessly. Hard stools don‘t have
to be large to cause pain.
After experiencing pain, children commonly suppress and
withhold stools, which is usually self-evident from observing their
behavior. In turn, withheld stools dry out and harden up, making the
next bowel movement even more painful. All other causes of a toddler‘s
constipation are derivative from the moment of experiencing that first
pain.
If you follow the standard medical advice
—“Constipation is the result of behavior or a lack of fluids and
fiber in the diet [link]”, — and begin giving your child more water and fiber, —
you‘ll accomplish the complete opposite outcome: fiber will increase
stool size even more while excess water will dry out and harden them up.
In fact, this absurd recommendation — unheard of just
two generations ago — is the primary reason behind the raging epidemics
of autism and juvenile diabetes in the United States.
And there is absolutely no way you can change your
child‘s behavior or prevent constipation without first normalizing his
or her stools, and eliminating any source pain. Bathroom training, behavior
modification, diet change, and all other recommendations should come
next…
Remember, infants and toddlers don‘t move their bowels
consciously, but the bowels move themselves! The moment consciousness
kicks in for whatever reason, that‘s when kids run into problems…
To learn how to normalize stools without fiber and
laxatives, and to understand why fiber may cause autism and juvenile
diabetes, please visit my web site.
In turn, I wish you and your children good health and
good luck!
Recommendations
The transition from nursing (breast milk or formula) to
solid foods increases the prevalence of pediatric constipation from 3%
to 10%. It seems strange — how can solid food increase constipation more
than fluids alone — because most people assume that there is a
connection between foods and stools while there is none. I address this
paradox in the
Infant Constipation section.
So, what are the differences between nursing and a solid
food diet that may contribute to constipation?
— Reduced fat content. Solid food fat
content is usually lower than in breast milk or formula at 4.4%, or
about 20 g to 30 g daily. Among all the other nutrients, dietary fat
plays the key role in initiating bowel movements. I describe the
role of fat in this process
here.
— Introduction of dietary fiber.
Indigestible fiber disrupts bowel movements more than any other factor
because it increase the size, weight, and density of stools, and these
stools are painful to move. I describe the role of fiber in the
etiology of constipation
here. Fortified
morning cereals are the primary source of dietary fiber in children's
nutrition.
— Food allergies. Solid food,
particularly processed, such as morning cereals, pasta, bread, cookies,
ice cream, yogurt, and fresh fruits, vegetables, and juices introduce
children to a range of exceptionally allergenic nutrients, such as plant
proteins (gluten), soluble fiber additives to processed dairy, vegetable
oils, animal casein, aromatic oils, artificial flavorings,
preservatives, fillers, and the inevitable impurities related to mass
agriculture and industrial processing. In turn, these allergies often
cause diarrhea — the body's inflammatory response to allergens and an ensuing
inability to absorb digestive fluids. In turn, intestinal inflammation
damages intestinal flora, disrupts formation of normal stools, and leads
to an alternating pattern of diarrhea and constipation. I discuss
food-born allergies
here and
throughout this site.
— Increased consumption of fluids.
Toddlers are introduced to addictive and easy to over-consume fluids,
such as fruit juices, sweetened herbal teas, and soft drinks. These
drinks have a prominent diuretic effect because they feature a high sugar
content, extra volume of fluids, and lack minerals to maintain the proper
isotonic balance (osmotic pressure similar to all other intra-body
fluids.) In turn, excessive urination cause dehydration, that leads to
drying out and hardening of the stools. Drinking more, as doctors
recommend, only increases the problem, because the human intestines
aren't a straight pipe, and these fluids never reach the large intestine. I
discuss the role of fluids in bowel movements and constipation
here.
— Increased ability to withdraw stools,
particularly in response to pain. Toddlers are more adept at suppressing
the urge to defecate in an effort to avert a painful bowel movement. This
action, unfortunately, increases the size, volume, and density of
stools, and they become even more painful and difficult to evacuate,
making constipation only worse. You can determine if your child
suppresses stools by comparing their size and shape to the Bristol
Stools Form Scale described
here.
— The disruption of the daily pattern
related to growing up. Toddlers are likely to miss moving their bowels because
they are so much more active throughout the day, and physical activities
are more likely to suppress any defecation urge rather than stimulating it (as
incorrectly believed by many). I explain the reasons behind this paradox
here. Potty training comes in useful to overcome this problem,
because it conditions toddlers to move their bowels by the clock,
eliminating randomness and unpredictability.
As the page on
infant's constipation
noted, dietary changes aren't effective for 3/4 of all cases, and you are
better off dealing with this problem quickly and assertively, otherwise
it turns a random constipation event into a chronic and hard to manage
condition.
So when all else fails, and you are already confronted
with a hard-to-break constipation pattern, use
Hydro-C to normalize stools. If
you suspect disbacteriosis, break down a capsule of
Enterophilus, add the content to
lukewarm fluid (water or milk), and give it to your child to drink on
an empty stomach.
Obviously, to prevent constipation in your toddler in
the first place, you should address all of the above points: provide a
reasonable amount of dietary fat; avoid dietary fiber at all costs; stay
clear from allergenic food; never give a child sweet drinks and juices
regardless of health claims; and begin training your child to move the
bowels 'by the clock' as early as possible.
To understand all this— most of it counter-intuitive —
study this site as if your toddler's life depended on it. In fact, it
does, and so does yours!
Good luck,
Konstantin Monastyrsky |
