![]() Using reflux medicines favors microbes that are not ideal – such as Clostridia difficile (linked to seizures and autism like features in tests on rats) and fungal infections (Candida or other yeast species). They help us digest food, communicate with our immune systems, and help fight off invading infectious microbes that can make us sick. The microbes we carry in our intestines do a lot for us. Changing the acid level of a human digestive tract means you change which microbes can grow there. Anxiety becomes prominent – and this is not surprising, as we learn more about how gut bacteria are linked to mood and anxiety.īut that’s not all. Other nutrients become harder to absorb too, especially vitamin B12. Effects from using these for more than a few weeks? Examples from my own practice include linear growth grinding to a halt (kids can’t grow taller), delayed bone age (kids’ bones are not growing normally), and fractures of hip, wrists, or spine – in kids. The ability to digest and absorb food is gradually weakened. Yuck! Imagine all this going on in a tiny infant’s gut, which is just getting started in learning to digest and absorb food.īasically, these medicines weaken stomach acid – and thus, make the stomach less capable of digesting anything. seizures under certain predisposing conditions.cause Clostridia difficile infections, a hard to treat bacteria that causes diarrhea.cause bacterial infections of the small intestine.reduce the helpful bacteria in the gut (which makes digesting food even harder) while encouraging pathogenic bacteria.enhance fungal (yeast) infections in the gut or esophagus.impede absorption of vitamin B12, and reduce serum levels of B12.reduce uptake of iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.Try these instead – because reflux medicines have been found to have these negative side effects: Obviously, it’s all too easy for your pediatrician to hand you a prescription instead and say “try this”.īefore you try that, you should know that there are many drug-free options that work well, and leave your child’s digestion in tact. Infants may need sedation and hospitalization to get through this procedure. A probe is stuck down the baby’s throat in “dip-stick” fashion so that a reading on the stomach’s acidity can be taken. Even if actual reflux was the issue, the only way to know for sure is to put the baby through an invasive procedure with something called a pH probe. Reflux medicines are not FDA approved for use in infants (kids under a year old) but are routinely prescribed anyway. But this may not be what is happening in a baby or toddler’s digestion. These medicines were created and approved for use in adults who may actually have too much acid gurgling up from the stomach into the esophagus. Reflux medicines (“proton pump inhibitors” or PPIs) are the second most prescribed drug for infants and children, behind antibiotics. The whole point of these medicines is to weaken stomach acid – presumably because too much acid is irritating the esophagus. After a few years on reflux medicines , it’s common for me to be looking at a stunted child who is barely getting taller who is epically picky, cranky, or anxious who is struggling to learn, behave, or develop normally and who is so stuck on Miralax even at ever increasing doses, it doesn’t work so well anymore. After a few months, we have a fussy eater who is having tantrums about feeding, who is dependent on Miralax to have bowel movements, and growth pattern has slowed down. Feeding gets harder, not easier – and the reflux medicine dose goes up. Then the baby becomes more picky, appetite more sluggish, stools more constipated and slow, belly more bloated. Most parents report to me that reflux medicine seems to help a little at first, especially for quelling colic and crying. From fractures to fecal impactions, it’s not pretty. This creates a domino effect of trouble! Just click through this FDA powerpoint presentation to the Pediatric Advisory Committee to see what I mean. The weaker your baby’s digestion becomes, the harder it is to absorb food and nutrients. Why? Because the longer reflux medicines are used, the weaker a child’s digestion becomes. This is one of my least favorite findings in a little one’s history. If your baby or toddler is using reflux medicine, maybe it’s time to quit.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |