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Avghi Constantinides DHom HMC MA
11-01-2006
| Your Child’s Health Care By Avghi Constantinides D.Hom HMC MA
05-02-2010
Why on earth would you take your child to see a homeopath?
The Times May 1st 2008 London, England.
Roger Daltrey (lead singer “The Who”) “Homoeopathy saved my baby's life”
“I had a very, very dramatic experience with my son when he was nine months old. He had gastro difficulties, started throwing up, could not keep any food down and turned into skin and bone. At the hospital, they did every test to him, and in the end they just handed him back to me. My wife and I were in bits. My poor baby. The kid was dying. It was terrifying. I thought, there's got to be something. I'd heard of homoeopathy, so I found a local guy in the Yellow Pages and took my boy there. He gave him some powders. Within two weeks he was putting weight on, keeping the food down. The trouble recurred periodically for a couple of years, but he's now 27, a fit and healthy young man.”
“The bizarre thing is that I've got a chiropractor friend in LA whose baby landed up in exactly the same state. He thought he was about to lose him. But I recommended homoeopathic remedies, and he recovered too. That's God's honest truth. Now I bet doctors would say, ‘Oh they'd have got better anyway'. But I can't believe that.”
Treating Reflux (GERD) in Infants
Impaired digestive function is one of the most common problems of the first three to six months of life. Reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD) and colicky symptoms often plague infants and parents, disturbing the harmonious interactions of families. The symptoms of night waking, crying, spitting up and painful feeding can be worrisome. If severe, these problems can also impair growth. There are several forms of treatment that can soothe the symptoms and normalize digestive function.
Homeopathic treatment
Treatment of these infants is simple and straightforward. Since the problem involves impaired stomach and intestinal function, treatment is directed at encouraging a healthy digestive tract while relieving symptoms.
Homeopathic treatment will address the underlying cause through constitutional treatment (e.g. nosodes, Lycopodium) and/or the relief of symptoms through more acute/symptomatic medicines (e.g. Colocynth, Nux vomica) as determined by a qualified practitioner.
All of these children should also receive a probiotic supplement: A Lactobacillus bifidus supplement if solely breastfed, or a more broad -based formulation for those infants fed any supplemental formula.
Parents can also sooth infants with other techniques such as rocking, applying abdominal pressure, swaddling, using a sling for the baby, and propping positions during feedings and at night. Colicky symptoms may also respond to elimination of some aggravating foods from the mother's diet. Please email for a list of these. avghi@homeopathyforlife.com
Standard treatment
Conventional medical treatment for reflux typically includes drugs that inhibit gastric acid production. The theory is that if stomach acid production is blocked then acid will not irritate the stomach and esophagus. However, stomach acid is there for a reason, i.e., to help in digestion and inhibit harmful bacteria. The drugs used to treat reflux fall into two categories: H2-blockers such as ranitidine (Zantac) or famotidine (Pepcid), and proton-pump inhibitors such as omeprazole, (Prilosec) or lansoprazole (Prevacid).
Unfortunately, these drugs do not address the underlying problems of reflux, an impaired digestive tract, they may cause other illnesses and digestive problems. A study published in May 2006 in the journal Pediatrics has shown that infants prescribed gastric acid inhibitors of either category have an increased risk of pneumonia and digestive system infections during and after treatment, compared to healthy children. This study of children aged 4-36 months treated by gastroenterologists revealed that those children treated with Zantac or Prilosec had an increased risk of pneumonia and gastroenteritis during treatment and in the 4-month period following drug treatment. The incidence of these diseases was attributed to the inhibition of white blood cell function as a direct result of these drugs, and to the change in gastrointestinal microflora induced by the drugs. For example, children given gastric acid inhibitors have an increased number of bacteria (beta hemolytic Strep) that cause pneumonia.
Homeopathic treatment of reflux in infants, children, and adults is a far better alternative than the use of these drugs that do not address the problems and result in impaired digestive function and consequent disease.
Canani, RB, et al. Therapy with gastric acidity inhibitors increases the risk of acute gastroenteritis and community-based acquired pneumonia in children. Pediatrics May 2006; 117(5): 817-820. Idea’s taken from Randall Neustaedter information.
For more information please contact Avghi Constantinides D.Hom HMC MA 310 279-5010. www.homeopathyforlife.com. For new patients, if you mention this newsletter you will receive a 10% discount on your first visit in the month of July!
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