Constipation in kids: how to relieve this problem.(natural solutions for common problems)

Three-year-old Rebecca was brought to the office, complaining of constipation. Her mother reported that Rebecca had had trouble with constipation off and on for the past year. Rebecca had a small, hard stool one or two times a week accompanied by stomach discomfort and irritability.

Childhood constipation is most commonly due to functional causes--rather than an organic, physical abnormality--that include intestinal flora imbalance, a lowfiber diet, low fluid intake, food allergies, irregular bowel habits or emotional stresses. Most often, constipation occurs in combination with other digestive disturbances, including stomachache, cramps, loss of appetite and gas. Moodiness and irritability are also seen.

There are several important factors that should be addressed initially: dietary fiber, fluid intake and regular bowel habits.

Dietary fiber plays several roles in digestive health. Primarily, it provides a bulking agent, which keeps the stool soft and moist, and it encourages growth of beneficial flora. Good sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and whole-grain products. Processed-grain products have little fiber content and should be avoided. Encourage your child to eat foods such as nut meals or ground flaxseeds added to hot cereals, figs, prunes, blueberries, raisins, apricots, rhubarb, applesauce, wholegrain cereals, oat bran and beans. Keep it child-friendly by pureeing beans or using bean flours, which are easier to mix into recipes.

Adequate fluid intake keeps dehydration from being a contributing factor to constipation. Water, of course, is No. 1. Good choices for fruit juices, which should be diluted 50 percent with water, are black cherry, blueberry or prune. Avoid giving too much fruit juice, and don't substitute juice for fresh fruit.

Herbal teas offer a variety of flavors and can be sewed as warm or cool drinks. A favorite blend is equal parts of spearmint, chamomile flowers, fennel seeds, catnip and lemon balm. Give it several times a day warm, or, for a delicious herbal punch, mix it with an equal amount of blueberry juice.

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