Children's Digestive Health Overview  Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Children

Your Child's Digestive Health... Childhood Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

By Jo Jordan and Jim Danna, M.A.

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According to the IBS Treatment Center, some physicians are reluctant to give children with the same symptoms as adults a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, often downplaying the significance of childhood digestive problems.¹

Yet, according to The Journal of Pediatrics, roughly fourteen percent of high school students and six percent of middle school students report IBS-like symptoms.²

The IBS Treatment Center notes that children's digestive problems – and their causes – are generally identical to those of adults.³ Symptoms include,⁴

• A change in the appearance of stool color or shape, including stools that are loose, hard, thin, or pellet-like
• A sense of urgency when having a bowel movement
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Intestinal bloating
• Irregular bowel habits, including diarrhea, constipation, or both
• Mucus in the stool
• The need to strain to have a bowel movement
• The sensation of not completely emptying the bowels

Specific Treatment for Childhood Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Some researchers suggest that people with IBS may not have sufficient levels of good bacteria in their digestive tracts. Some studies have shown that probiotics may relieve IBS symptoms.⁵
• Regular exercise can help to relieve stress, which can trigger symptoms.
• Fiber supplements such as psyllium may help to control constipation.
• Over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medications can help control diarrhea.
• Eliminating high-gas foods such as carbonated beverages, salads, and raw fruits and vegetables — especially cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower — may help to control gas.
• Common trigger foods such as fatty foods, dairy products, and caffeine ought to be avoided.
• Several small meals rather than three large ones may minimize symptoms.⁶

Finding Solutions: Protecting Your Child's Digestive Health

While there are many digestive ailments that can afflict kids from a very early age, there's good news; parents can do a lot to protect their child's digestive health for today…and for the rest of their lives.

Starting kids down the right track early in life with natural, kid-friendly supplements as well as dietary and lifestyle changes is the right thing to do. Under the advice of a health care professional, such as Puristat's Nurse Vickie, supplementing a child's diet with multi-vitamins, digestive enzymes, and probiotics can help alleviate the symptoms of childhood digestive problems, and may even prevent serious digestive problems later in your child's life.

Additional Treatments for Childhood Digestive Disorders

Many childhood digestive problems affect vitamin and nutrient intake. A digestive health-specific multi-vitamin is vital to digestive health. Together, along with digestive enzymes and probiotics, the symptoms of many digestive ailments can be greatly alleviated. Modified dosages of these natural, digestive health products are recommended and considered safe for children by many physicians.

Puristat is here to help. The information contained in this Children's Health section of our website provides specific steps you can take to relieve your child's digestive issues. And as always, our digestive specialists and staff nurse are only a phone call or Live Chat away!

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Notes:
1. IBS Treatment Center, "Children and Digestive Problems," http://ibstreatmentcenter.blogspot.com/2011/01/children-and-digestive-problems.html (accessed August 8, 2011).
2. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), "Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Children," http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibschildren/index.aspx#who (accessed August 8, 2011).
3. IBS Treatment Center, "Children and Digestive Problems," http://ibstreatmentcenter.blogspot.com/2011/01/children-and-digestive-problems.html (accessed August 8, 2011).
4. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), "Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Children," http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibschildren/#symptoms (accessed August 8, 2011).
5. Mayo Clinic, "Irritable bowel syndrome," http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome/DS00106/DSECTION=alternative%2Dmedicine (accessed August 10, 2011).
6. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), "Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Children," http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibschildren/#treatment (accessed August 10, 2011).