Reflux and Silent reflux is sadly very common today. It is even more common today to see toddlers at two and even three years old, still suffering from bouts of severe, silent reflux. But the key thing to remember is Acid Reflux is not the cause, it is a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be corrected. The lines can get blurry when we look at reflux as the cause of the actual pain. So where does food intolerances come in?. Cow’s milk protein intolerance is a very common cause for silent reflux in babies. However, Its not that simple, there can be many many more, I now know that ALL food intolerances and sensitivities are linked to imbalances in the gut.
When my son was 15month olds and I had already removed dairy, I could not understand why he was still suffering from #silentreflux. At that point he had then developed a number of other intolerances and sensitivities, which continued to cause inflammation. I struggled with what to feed him and ended up taking more and more food out, increased his medications, which inadvertently lead to further intolerances and poor gut health.
I know how you feel, frustrated, exhausted and just so sad that your toddler still has not got past this stage and just desperately want to find a solution to bring you closer to the normal family life you thought you’d have started by now.
Simply treating the symptoms will not eradicate the issue. Sadly, many doctors do not study nutrition, and this is why food intolerances can be overlooked. It is a complex problem. Truth is that food intolerances are a major factor for many kids with reflux. The most difficult part is that food intolerances will not show up on a standard allergy test because it is on non IGE immune response as it does not affect the immune system. You will be sent from doctor to doctor and all with the same response that you need to “wait for them to grow out of it”
There are a lot of different kinds of IGG tests today, which could show up multiple and every kind of food possible. I personally don’t find them very accurate as what your sensitive too at that point in time can be very different several months later. You definitely do not want to be removing 50 over foods for you or your child’s diet and risk nutrition deficiencies. The only true way to identify food intolerance is through an elimination diet to cut out the suspected food for a short period and slowly reintroducing.
The good news is that you can completely overcome reflux and intolerances without medications through using gut healing nourishing food and actually start adding these important food in down the road. My son went from not being able to tolerate ( gluten, dairy, eggs, some fish, nuts, #salicylates, #histamines, avocados, tomatoes, and many more. With inside out approach, we worked through the acid battle and got him off all medication, eradicated his silent reflux and he can now eat almost everything. We still eat a gluten and mostly dairy free diet for health reasons, however he is happy healthy and thriving.
Silent Reflux is torture for both the baby and Mother, is it also what lead me down the path to studying nutrition and Gut health. To all the mums who now understand why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, I see you!
When you hear someone say sleeping like a baby .. you are wondering what the hell that even means!!!
Here is my list of what I wish I knew when I had my first baby.
Cow’s milk protein intolerance, #CMPI or #CMPA is a very common cause for silent reflux in babies. However its not that simple, ALL food sensitivities are linked to imbalances in the gut.
Acid Reflux is not the cause, it is a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be corrected.
Medications such as Proton-pump inhibitors simply mask solutions and are intended for short-term relief. They are not FDA approved for long term use in infants or toddlers. These drugs can set kids up for a lifetime of digestive and intestinal issues. They diminish healthy stomach acid overtime, which encourages fungal microbes to grow in the digestive tract, cause gas, even more reflux, picky eating, malabsorption of minerals to name a few. You may read my other blog post on dangers of PPI’s in infants.
There are a number of holistic approaches you can do today to relieve symptoms including cranial osteopathy and chiropractor.
Ensure a tongue tie was not overlooked as an infant
So even if your toddler or child is still suffering from reflux, the window of opportunity is not gone, it just means even more reason to work on their gut. There is still so much you can do by nourishing their little body’s with fruit, vegetable, whole grains, ferments to feed the good bugs and ensure your child is happy, healthy, pooping sleeping and thriving.
Remember food intolerances and gut health is a Journey not a race! If your child has food sensitivities or intolerances it is so important to feed them food that nourishes deeply and not food that will chronically inflame.
When I work with toddlers who are still suffering from silent reflux, we work on addressing the root cause, replenishing imbalances minerals and nutrients and most importantly repairing the gut through a whole food and supplemental approach.
Set up a free consultation call today, to see how I can help your child get off medications and be free of the allergy cycle. Feel free to join by Facebook group in button on homepage.
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