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Healing The Gut In A Child

Teffer

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Teffer Newbie
Teffer
Posted

My oldest son is now 6, and was d'xed with a wheat and gluten allergy through the ELISA test and Celiac through suggestive blood test by an environmental doctor. We declined a biopsy because he was very young at the time and started him on a gluten free diet (he's also dairy free). His symptoms were both physical (weight loss, sudden onset bedwetting, constipation/diarrhea, low ferritin and magnesium by blood test) and behavioral (ADHD symptoms, forgetting skills and memorized things like spelling of name, etc.), and they all came about after we all got H1N1 and a dose of Tamiflu. The environmental doctor believed this was the trigger for the Celiac and told us to put him on a gluten-free diet and his body would heal. It's been nearly 3 years, and every minute contamination of gluten brings on every symptom in full force. I feel as though we're constantly preventing and making no strides forward in helping his body heal.

So far, during the 3 week period following exposure, we're doing epsom salt baths to help with magnesium and probiotics to help with the gut, but I have no idea where to go from here. He's fully vaccinated at this point, but has gotten NO antibiotics (other than a whopping huge dose during my labor and his delivery) or any other sort of pharmaceutical since the h1n1. We use organic products on face and body, and homeopathics ONLY. All of my children are also completely food dye free. I'd love to hear even disparate ideas about healing his gut.

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Mom2J112903 Newbie
Mom2J112903
Posted

If he is a Celiac, he will always be a Celiac and always react to gluten. Celiac disease is life long, there is no cure minus staying away from gluten.

Teffer Newbie
Teffer
Posted
  • Author

I know that there is no cure for Celiac, but I have read in numerous places that it is possible to heal the gut and help reduce symptoms. He is what this forum would call super sensitive, and despite our best efforts, very often sick or symptomatic. He's only 6, and I have every hope that we can do something to heal the damage.

deb445 Rookie
deb445
Posted

I find that colloidal silver and Nordic Naturals Omegas help my boys when they've

been struck down. We too, have turned to homeopathics and consume organics when at

all possible. We are a gluten and dairy free household, and have seen dramatic

improvements with all the aforementioned changes in our lifestyle. Boy, was life

different before!

Mom2J112903 Newbie
Mom2J112903
Posted

You will be able to heal the damaged Celia but upon injestion of gluten, the symptoms will return.

SPJandE Newbie
SPJandE
Posted

You could also try a probiotic, which helps with all kinds of tummy issues. Culturelle for Kids is dairy and gluten free (and also has no wheat, dyes, flavorings, or preservatives). It comes in powder packets that you empty into a drink. For the baby, we just empty it into a bottle. For the big boys, just put in in a bit of watered down juice.

zsweetgirl Newbie
zsweetgirl
Posted

We've been doing the paleo diet and it seems to be helping. There are also enzymes you can take if you are in a position where you might get some cross contamination. I've used them and they help with the symptoms. You take them 30-40 minutes before you eat. I use them whenever we have company, eat at a restaurant or at a friends house. The enzyme is DPPIV. I know you know this, but with Celiac even cross contamination is dangerous for your child. So the enzyme should be used for those just in case situations, but never to intentionally eat gluten. Homeopathy should also be able to help with the symptoms. I took the celiac nosode and that helped me a lot too.

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      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

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      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

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      Son's legs shaking

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      @lizzie42, You're being a good mom, seeking answers for your son.  Cheers! Subclinical thiamine deficiency commonly occurs with anemia.  An outright Thiamine deficiency can be precipitated by the consumption of a high carbohydrate meal.   Symptoms of Thiamine deficiency include feeling shakey or wobbly in the legs, muscle weakness or cramps, as well as aggression and irritability, confusion, mood swings and behavior changes.  Thiamine is essential to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which keep us calm and rational.   @Jsingh, histamine intolerance is also a symptom of Thiamine deficiency.  Thiamine is needed to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine at the slightest provocation as is seen in histamine intolerance.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins and Vitamin C are needed to clear histamine from the body.  Without sufficient thiamine and other B vitamins to clear it, the histamine builds up.  High histamine levels can change behavior, too.  High histamine levels are found in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.  Thiamine deficiency can also cause extreme hunger or conversely anorexia.   High carbohydrate meals can precipitate thiamine deficiency because additional thiamine is required to process carbohydrates for the body to use as fuel.  The more carbohydrates one eats daily, the more one needs additional thiamine above the RDA.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses. Keep in mind that gluten-free processed foods like cookies and such are not required to be fortified and enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts are.  Limit processed gluten-free foods.  They are often full of empty calories and unhealthy saturated fats and additives, and are high in histamine or histamine release triggers.  It's time you bought your own vitamins to supplement what is not being absorbed due to malabsorption of Celiac disease.  Benfotiamine is a form of Thiamine that has been shown to improve intestinal health as well as brain function. Do talk to your doctors and dieticians about supplementing with the essential vitamins and minerals while your children are growing up gluten free.  Serve nutritionally dense foods.  Meats and liver are great sources of B vitamins and minerals. Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
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