When my younger son was born, he, too, was “fussy” and “colicky”. He had an outright problem with nursing: he refused to.
When he would, he would shriek in pain or fill up so much (probably because he was starving) that he would throw it right back up. Read More→
Some of the first red flags I had from my older son were his failure to eat solid foods, his projectile vomiting any food or breast milk he did eat, and, later, his failure to thrive.
It was so sad to watch my baby dwindle from being born at the 40th percentile for weight down to the 3rd percentile at the age of 18 months.
He crossed three percentile curves on the way down; crossing two of them constitutes “failure to thrive”, but he also fit that definition by dropping below the 5th percentile curve. Read More→
Read about how Karen eliminated colic in her baby Sophia below.
Sophia was born full term with an APGAR score of 10. She seemed perfect and everything seemed to be going really well… until colic set in when she was about three or four weeks old.
She would cry and scream at the top of her lungs and it seemed like she was in pain. Sometimes she would scrunch her legs up.
I didn’t know what to do and the crying was driving me over the edge. I called my lactation consultant who suggested that I remove a few things from my diet to see if this would help.
At first I didn’t think that the colic could be related to something in my diet because she seemed to be okay when she was breastfeeding. It was later that the crying would begin . . . and it just seemed to go on and on. But, I thought I would follow the lactation consultant’s suggestions to see if it would help.
I started by pulling out all dairy products from my diet. This didn’t seem to make any difference. So my lactation consultant suggested that I pull out all the major food allergens: dairy, wheat, corn, soy, eggs. This was really hard to do!!
But I found alternative foods to eat (like duck eggs instead of chicken eggs, and hemp milk instead of regular milk). Sophia’s colic seemed to get better!
So after I had been off of these foods for a while, I slowly began to reintroduce them to see which foods might be bothering Sophia and which ones would be okay to eat.
It turns out that she was sensitive to dairy, wheat and eggs (but not corn or soy) so I just kept these foods out while I was breastfeeding, and the colic never returned.
I also gave her baby probiotics because the lactation consultant told me this would help her immune system. I’m not sure if the probiotics helped with the colic, but I do know that removing food was the key for Sophia.
I am looking forward to eating those forbidden foods again once I’m done breastfeeding, but for now, I’m just happy to have a happy, pain-free baby!
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This document is not a substitute for medical advice, treatment, diagnosis, or consultation with a medical professional. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on to make determinations related to treatment of a medical condition. Epidemic Answers has not verified and does not guaranty the accuracy of the information provided in this document.
Colic is a somewhat vague term used to describe when a baby cries excessively and tends to be inconsolable.
How do you know if your baby has colic? Many physicians and nurses use the “rule of threes”: If a baby cries inconsolably for three hours a day, three days per week for at least three weeks.
Dr. William Sears distinguishes between “all day colic” and “evening-only colic,” where “evening only colic” tends to happen in a tired/overstimulated baby, but “all day colic” may occur in babies who are reacting to something they are eating.
Colic has been around for a long time, and while many pediatricians admit that they do not know what causes colic, increasingly pediatricians, lactation consultants and others who care for newborns and their mothers find that colic can often be quieted by evaluating what the baby is eating.
If the baby is breastfed, then evaluating and changing what is in the mother’s diet can be of crucial importance. A formula fed baby may need to switch to a different formula.
Testimonials:
Read the story of how Karen eliminated colic in her baby girl, Sophia.
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This document is not a substitute for medical advice, treatment, diagnosis, or consultation with a medical professional. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on to make determinations related to treatment of a medical condition. Epidemic Answers has not verified and does not guaranty the accuracy of the information provided in this document.
Because of my experiences with my older daughter who had sensory processing disorder, allergies and eczema, I caught my second daughter’s biomedical issues at a much earlier stage.
My second daughter, Maggie, developed oral thrush within one week of birth. She was given Nystatin and unfortunately, she was also exposed to antibiotics early on (these were given to me to prevent an infection from breastfeeding with thrush).
Maggie developed colic-like symptoms shortly after exposure to the antibiotics. It was at this time that I began to do some research on the possible causes of colic.
I learned that people in many other countries use probiotics to address colic and also to restore gastrointestinal balance after exposure to antibiotics.
Against our pediatrician’s advice, we gave Maggie some infant-formulated probiotics in breastmilk and within a few days, the colic symptoms were completely gone. After this, all seemed well with Maggie’s health. There was no constipation or other signs of ill health.
Shortly following her nine-month check-up, however, Maggie developed a 105 degree fever after receiving her routine vaccinations. Shortly after this, Maggie’s stools began to get looser and looser.
When I stopped nursing Maggie at around 13 months old, the loose stools turned into chronic diarrhea. Maggie had diarrhea everyday for months and our pediatricians and gastroenterologist only suggested that we feed her less fruit and take her off of dairy (neither of these suggestions were helpful in stopping the diarrhea).
Maggie was also chronically sick with green running mucus and a cough. Luckily, for Maggie, it was around this time (when she was approximately 15 months old) that we began seeing functional medicine specialists for our older daughter and we were able to determine what was at the root of Maggie’s chronic diarrhea and immune dysregulation.
Like her older sister, Maggie had diagnostic tests that revealed gut dysbiosis, immune dysregulation and food intolerances (to wheat, dairy, and a several other foods).
Further tests revealed that she had significant inflammation in her gut (obvious to the eye because her abdomen was severely distended) and had biomarkers predictive of Crohn’s disease.
Her gastroenterologist could not believe that a child not even two years old could be developing Crohn’s disease (a disease traditionally diagnosed in teenagers and adults) but he couldn’t argue with the diagnostic tests she had been given.
How could such a young child develop Crohn’s disease? We immediately started Maggie on the same healing diets and protocols as her sister, and within a short time her chronic diarrhea was completely resolved.
Overtime, her distended belly and irritable behavior (another symptom) and cough and mucus went away. By the time she was 3 1/3 years old, most of her symptoms were gone and she was eating all of the foods to which she was previously intolerant.
Today, at 5 years old, she is happy, symptom-free and thriving. She went from being a chronically irritable and miserable child to one that laughs, sings, plays and enjoys life.
This document is not a substitute for medical advice, treatment, diagnosis, or consultation with a medical professional. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on to make determinations related to treatment of a medical condition. Epidemic Answers has not verified and does not guaranty the accuracy of the information provided in this document.
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My oldest daughter, Avery* began to show signs of gut dysbiosis shortly after birth.
About a week after she was born, Avery developed oral thrush (overgrowth of Candida in the mouth, a sign of gut dysbiosis) that was treated with Nystatin. This appeared to resolve the problem.
However, at about 7 weeks old colic set in; she would scream, writhe, and couldn’t be consoled for hours and hours each day.
This colic lasted until she was 4 months old. This is when I began to notice Avery’s constipation.
Her stools were hard and difficult to pass–a sign that something was not right in her gastrointestinal system. Many times while trying to have a bowel movement should would cry or scream in pain. This chronic constipation lasted well into her third year.
Through the thrush, colic, and constipation, our pediatricians assured us Avery was “fine,” “normal,” and that I myself was “too anxious” about my daughter’s health. Read More→
Gastrointestinal symptoms are often the first sign that a child has underlying gut dysbiosis and/or immune dysregulation. If your child shows any of the following symptoms with persistence, consider having him/her evaluated for gut dysbiosis:
And the following signs may indicate malabsorption or inadequate diet- – an issue of the gastrointestinal tract:
How do I know if my child has gut dysbiosis?
Ask your healthcare provider for a comprehensive stool analysis where a laboratory will look for signs of gut dysbiosis.
You may also ask your healthcare provider to order an “organic acids test” for your child which may provide some insight into whether or not your child has gut dysbiosis.
Back to “Soft Signs” and Symptoms
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This document is not a substitute for medical advice, treatment, diagnosis, or consultation with a medical professional. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on to make determinations related to treatment of a medical condition. Epidemic Answers has not verified and does not guaranty the accuracy of the information provided in this document.
Allergies–both food and environmental are perhaps the most ubiquitous symptom of this epidemic of chronic illness. In fact, very few children these days show no signs of any allergies or allergic-type sensitivities. There are many subtle signs of allergies that are oftenc missed by parents and pediatricians.
If your child demonstrates any of the following signs or symptoms with frequency, it is likely that he or she has some sort of allergy or food/environmental sensitivity:
How do I know if my child’s symptoms are related to a food or environmental allergy?
There are several tests or methods for determining whether or not your child has allergies or sensitivities. Find an integrative physician, allergist, nurse practitioner or other healthcare provider to help you determine your child’s particular sensitivities.
1) Ask for an IgE skin prick or scratch test for suspected allergens. This requires “scratching” the skin and exposing your child to particular allergens to look for a response. Alternatively, you may ask for an IgE RAST or serum test.
This is a blood test and requires a blood draw. IgE tests are considered the “gold standard” among allergists, but typically only test for a dozen or more allergens. To test for a wider variety of substances, you may need to ask for an IgG panel. See below.
2) Ask your practitioner for an IgG test for at least 100 of the most common foods your child eats or allergens he/she is exposed to. There are several different companies who produce IgG panels (where you can test for hundreds of different allergens).
The IgG panel is not 100% accurate, so it is not always utilized or accepted by many allergists. Although it does not provide definitive results on a child’s sensitivities, it can be a useful tool in finding many troublesome food or environmental allergens.
An IgG panel can be done using a blood draw or by a single finger prick, depending on the company and the test.
3) Consider asking for a celiac panel. Celiac disease is significantly underdiagnosed, but it is worthwhile determining whether or not your child is allergic to wheat/gluten.
4) Keep a food log. Write down everything your child eats for a period of several weeks; also write down any observations you make with regard to your child’s behavior/symptoms (e.g., record whether or not your child’s cheeks become red after eating particular foods, notice behavior after particular foods, etc.)
5) Consider doing a food challenge test. Remove a suspected allergen (e.g., dairy or wheat) for a period of several days. Notice whether there is any improvement in symptoms. Reintroduce the food and pay careful attention to any symptoms that arise.
For more information see:
Is This Your Child by Doris Rapp
Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Dr. Kenneth Bock
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This document is not a substitute for medical advice, treatment, diagnosis, or consultation with a medical professional. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on to make determinations related to treatment of a medical condition. Epidemic Answers has not verified and does not guaranty the accuracy of the information provided in this document.
Do you have an infant who exhibits any of the following signs or symptoms:
If your infant shows one or many of these signs or symptoms, he or she may be sending you ‘red flag’ warning signs that they are affected by this epidemic.
Often times these symptoms can be alleviated or ameliorated by identifying and removing food allergens or intolerances in the mother’s diet (if breastfeeding) or in forumla or baby food.
Many breastfeeding mothers find that they can reduce or eliminate the above symptoms by taking particular foods out of their own diet.
The most common food allergens are: dairy, wheat, egg, and soy, but other foods known to cause problems include citrus, shellfish, nuts or any other food that is eaten on a regular basis.
If your child has colic, reflux or other apparent GI symptoms, it may be the foods that you eat everyday causing the problem.
If you do decide to remove foods from your diet or your baby’s diet, be sure to work with a qualified nutritionist/dietitian who can help ensure that you and your baby are receiving proper nutrition.
If your physician recommends putting your infant on Prevacid, Prilosec or another reflux medication, use extreme caution.
Use of these medications in infants may have long term consequences including gut dysbiosis, food allergies, and immune dysregulation.
Before putting your infant on a reflux medication, consider trying a diet elimination protocol first.
Consider removing the foods you typically eat everyday (e.g., cereal and milk, coffee, orange juice, bread, eggs, etc.) and replace them with foods that you do not normally eat (e.g., quinoa, millet, vegetables and meats that you do not usually eat, etc.).
See if this improves the severity of your infant’s symptoms.
If the symptoms improve while on the elimination diet, then you know that you are dealing with a food sensitivity/intolerance/allergy.
Read about how one mom eliminated colic in her baby.
Sign up for our newsletter and find out why this epidemic of children’s chronic illnesses is occurring and what you can do about it.
This document is not a substitute for medical advice, treatment, diagnosis, or consultation with a medical professional. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on to make determinations related to treatment of a medical condition. Epidemic Answers has not verified and does not guaranty the accuracy of the information provided in this document.
EPIDEMIC ANSWERS
The rates of chronic illnesses like autism, ADHD, allergies and asthma in American children are skyrocketing.
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