Children – behaviours, constipation & colonics

Children are tiny miracles, little treasures who are trying to find their way in the world. Like adults, children ranging from infants to teenagers can experience health issues. Depending on symptoms, these can be often be treated with a quick fix rather than looking deeper, to really understand what is happening and how it can be prevented. Some of these health issues can be behavioural or linked to a deficiency in micronutrition.

Behavioural issues including autism

When Bottoms Up Founder Sue Wilson worked in social work 22 years ago, she worked mainly with kids in care experiencing trauma. She was drawn to them and their vulnerabilities and really wanted to help. 

Therefore, when she first came into complementary therapies around 20 years ago, it was a natural progression for her to delve further into child behaviours and the impacts of nutrition, particularly micronutrition deficiency, and their resulting behaviour. 

At the time, ADD, ADHD and other behavioural issues were becoming more prevalent in diagnosis which is now commonly referred to as autism or on the spectrum. 

Possible treatment

She remembers reading that these behaviours could be minimised using high doses of vitamin B6 and magnesium. Interestingly, B vitamins are manufactured in the ascending colon, therefore if your gut bacteria are unbalanced or compromised then you will be deficient in these.

Constipation 

In the past ten years chronic constipation in children has increased. These increases have occurred at a time when we know more about gut health and how it affects mood and overall health than we ever have. Imbalances of bacteria and yeasts can lead to health issues such as leaky gut and auto immune issues. 

If you’ve never had to deal with constipation, you won’t understand the pain that comes with it. Yes there is a feeling of constant heaviness, pain, fullness, and an overall feeling of discomfort however, during times of crisis, the pain can be debilitating. 

It can leave you in a foetal position on the floor wanting to vomit and poo and unable to do either. When children are struggling with it, going to the toilet becomes very stressful and the pain and beads of sweat experienced while doing a poo is something I’m sure they choose to put off. 

Taking a pill or taking Movicol may work in the short term however, it doesn’t address the real, underlying issue – exacerbating  constipation in the long term. 

Colonics and constipation

One of the solutions Sue recommends is closed colonic hydrotherapy. Although the treatment is gentle it can cause some discomfort to your child initially. Children will get that feeling that they need to poo but know it’s going to hurt so their body quickly closes down, requiring more than one session. 

Unfortunately, we typically see children at a point of desperation which often makes it harder to resolve. Do we confront the initial pain or just prolong it while our kids live in a space of autointoxication with probable issues further down the track? Or even more invasive intervention treatments that will follow them around for the rest of their life? A colonic is going to be a lot easier for them now than years down the track when surgery seems like the only option. We can also offer nutrition support for good digestion and coaching for home enemas. 

Tips for preventing constipation 

We really don’t want our little miracles to get to this point so we strongly encourage parents to do the following. 

1. Check your child’s daily poo habit whether they are one or 12. We typically see it reduce in quality between 6 and 8 years. It needs to easily pass, be formed but soft and fat. 

2. Check your child’s water intake daily. If they don’t drink water they will get constipated. 

3. Check what they’ve eaten daily. One piece of fruit, vegetables and no packaged foods. Giving them white processed products is like giving them cement to make bricks resulting in pain.

4. Check that they have time to go to the toilet daily. It’s a consistent daily practice of sitting on the toilet. Don’t wake them, feed them and rush them out the door. Our body is not designed to do this. 

5. Don’t believe what your child says. See the evidence. Children crying on the toilet is a sign that things are not good. 

6. If your child is not eating, getting them to eat nuggets, pies or other fast food is not a way to give them nutrition. It really is not a matter of getting them to eat ‘something.’ This might make you feel better but doesn’t help their digestive system and subsequent ability to poo. They won’t die of starvation. Give them an apple, make chia puddings or give them quinoa fried rice. Let them eat good quality butter, their short chain fatty acids are craving it! Make your own ‘tomato sauce’ full of goodness or hide vegetables in the food you make them if required.

7. Add in fermented foods and drinks where you can. Even if you have to put into a dropper and tell them it’s medicine. Really it is medicine. Their body needs it. 

If you notice your child’s bowel habits are not good, that their behaviour is unsettled, they look dark under the eyes or are expelling odour from their body, please call us sooner rather than later.  

Whether its behavioural issues caused by nutritional deficiencies or constipation, we really want to help children overcome these issues so they can live a carefree life, free of toxic load where there are cleansed, energised and can better interact in society. Let’s help them by giving them the nutritional support they need or seeking help, sooner rather than later.