|
by
Konstantin
Monastyrsky
Older children are affected by constipation just
as often and just as badly as adults, and for all the same reasons —
bad medical advice, dietary fiber, over-hydration, addiction to
laxatives, environmental pollutants, and stress. There is only one way
to prevent and reverse it — do everything the opposite to what pediatricians
and nutritionists recommend.
What Are The Causes Of Constipation In Older Children?
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Transcript:
Pediatric constipation can be functional — a passing
condition just like a cold or flu. When constipation is related to a
permanent pathology, such as nerve damage or enlarged hemorrhoids — it
is called organic. So, please consult your child‘s doctor immediately to
rule out or treat organic causes. Fortunately, they are very rare,
especially in children.
On the other hand, functional constipation among teens
and pre-teens is just as widespread as among adults. I have identified
the following major causes of functional constipation among older
children:
● The first place belongs to incorrect medical and
dietary advice, particularly regarding a high fiber diet;
● Next are large and heavy stools, or hard stools regardless of
their size;
● Straining while moving the bowels is a common
contributor as well;
● Pain and bleeding which results from straining
while moving the bowels usually follows it;
● Next prominent factor is related to antibacterial
medication and mercury fillings;
● Then, of course, conscious withholding of stools
because of pain or concerns over hygiene;
● Crash diets are big among teenagers, particularly
young girls;
● Next is chronic stress, which is, unfortunately, so
common among children today;
● Naturally, medication for depression and attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorders follow stress. And it also may play a
very strong role in teenagers' constipation. [Illicit drugs may cause
constipation as well, so make sure to screen out this factor as well —
KM];
● Addiction to over-the-counter laxatives is also a
prominent factor;
● Finally, food allergies that cause inflammatory
bowel disease, manifested by an alternating pattern of diarrhea and
constipation are a factor.
This list covers the majority of reasons behind
functional constipation in older children. All other causes are mainly
derivative from this list. Assuming you know what to look for, what to do, and
what not, functional constipation in children is relatively simple to
prevent and reverse.
The good news is: it is easier to reverse
[constipation] because children enjoy robust digestion, supple intestines, undamaged
bowels, good muscle tone, highly sensitive nerve endings, a steady
schedule, and aren‘t yet as inhibited by social mores as are adults.
Well, the bad news is: the dominant medical advice to treat
constipation with more fiber, more fluids, and more exercise is grossly
incorrect. If your child follows it, the constipation will get only
worse, because fiber enlarges and hardens up stools even more, excess water dries them
up, and exercise only increases straining and pain. From that point on,
your child will be at the mercy of laxatives, drugs, and doctors for the
rest of his or her life — something I don‘t wish on any child or parent.
If you doubt my words, please consult the Federal Drugs
Administration web site. It is against the law to claim that the fiber
in food or laxatives prevents or relieves constipation. So, anyone
recommending fiber for constipation, is, in fact, violating federal law,
and, of course, I didn‘t make that law, the FDA did!
Functional constipation has a natural tendency to turn
into a chronic, life-long affliction, and it may significantly impact on
the self-esteem, development, growth potential, health, and quality of
life of your son or daughter. So, don‘t let it fester unattended and
ruin the rest of their promising lives…
To learn how to anticipate, prevent, and overcome all
of the above causes of constipation, please review this page.
Good luck!
Recommendations
The recommendations to overcome constipation for older
children (3+) are similar to my recommendations for adults, except you
have to be extra vigilant with children because not fixing up
constipation quickly may lead to irreversible life-long auto-immune
inflammatory bowel disorders, such as celiac disease, Crohn's disease,
ulcerative colitis, as well as 'mechanical' disorders, such as enlarged
hemorrhoids, the loss of anorectal sensitivity, enlarged bowel, and
others.
If your child is already affected by constipation, please
follow my recommendations here:
No Downside,
Just Upside-down. It will guide you to all other relevant sources of
information.
If you are too busy to read and study all of the above,
depending on the degree of severity and your child's age, use all or some
of the components of the
Colorectal Recovery Kit to relieve and eliminate the mechanical
(large, hard, or dry stools, pain)
and physiological (disbacteriosis, inflammation, nerve damage) causes of constipation.
If caught early, constipation
rarely becomes a chronic condition in children simply because they enjoy
the ability to recover from disease far fully than grown
adults.
To get a better retrospective (going backward to seek
out probable causes) and
prospective (going forward to eliminate potential causes) analysis on what may have precipitate constipation in
your child and what you should expect if you fail to heed my warnings,
please review the following sections:
Retrospective:
« What Is The
Connection Between Infant Constipation, Diarrhea, and Autism
« Why Is My Infant
Constipated?
« Why Is My Toddler
Suddenly Constipated?
Prospective:
» BSF Scale: Form Follows Dysfunction
» The Bulls' S..t
In The China Shop
» All That Goodness
Gone To the Rats
Finally, note that constipation is a 'familial'
condition, meaning it is all too often passed from parents to children
simply because they all share think-a-like doctors, similar attitudes
towards 'bathroom duties,' an identical diet, and the same bad habits.
My mother, for example, taught me to withhold bowel
movements even before I entered elementary school because she didn't
want me to use any bathroom, but at home. Not surprisingly, I was
already affected by enlarged hemorrhoids by the time I was 18, first
experienced the brunt of chronic constipation in my twenties, but still
— not knowing any better — kept withholding stools waiting for the
'right bathroom' or 'better time' until one day, in my mid-forties, I
stopped experiencing the urge to move my bowels altogether.
Lo and behold, for as long as I remember my mother, I
recall her endless obsession with laxatives medicines, herbs, and teas,
oatmeal, laxogenic juices, and fiber. Later on I learned that she was
affected by severe rectocele — a condition occurring when a wall of
fibrous tissue that separates the rectum from vagina — bulges into the
vagina.
Rectocele in older women, whose tissues are no longer
as elastic, results from the continuous presence of large formed stools
in the rectum, and the pressure from straining to expunge them.
Normally, the rectum is supposed to be free of any stool. If you don't
wish anything like this to happen to your daughter or yourself, never
teach children to withhold stools.
Thus, if your child is getting constipated, there is a
good reason to suspect that you too may be affected by 'latent
constipation.' Straining and large
stools are the primary symptoms of this condition, and it affects
most adult Americans who diligently consume a fiber-heavy diet to
“improve their health.” By learning to help your child, you will also
help yourself to enjoy "good eats, great health, and long life" without
the dreadful anticipation of bathroom breaks!
Good luck!
Konstantin Monastyrsky |
