Probiotics Digestive Enzymes Can Help!!

[Anonymous]

I am not a doctor and am not claiming to cure or diagnose anyone. I am simply telling my story of what we found to help our children. I know that what works for one will not work for the other so although this helped my children it may not help yours. I do know of many babies, children, and adults that have found relief for their digestive problems with probiotics and enzymes, so it may be worth a try for you and your little one.

My first 2 children suffered badly from digestive problems. My oldest had blood in his stools before he was a week old and soon spent most of his time screaming in pain. He always acted hungry but very quickly threw up whatever he ate and he slept for only very short periods at a time. At a couple months of age his pediatrician labeled him “Failure to Thrive”. Eventually we figured out that dairy and soy were a big part of the problem. Until he was age one he drank Nutramigen, then we tried different milks with no success. He was on Prevacid until age 3. He was able to quit the meds when we started giving him alkaline water to drink. Although it did not cure him, he was quite a bit better with the water than the meds.

My second child was pretty much a rerun of my first except that I knew just a little bit more about reflux etc. He started taking Prevacid at 5 days old. At 9 months old I started making his bottles with alkaline water and by a year old he was off the meds.

Alkaline water helped with the reflux and pain, but did not make it so they could tolerate foods.

A year after starting them with the alkaline water, a friend suggested that I contact a well known nutritionist named Shan Stratton that specializes in digestion. I was surprised and impressed at how much he knew and how well he explained what was going on with my children. I will try my best to explain what I have learned from him along with some of what I have learned on my own through research. What I write is correct to the best of my knowledge, but it is possible that there is some incorrect statements and if so, I ask your pardon.

Before a baby is born, their digestive tract is sterile- meaning it is free from bacteria. The baby will pick up it’s first “dose” of good live bacteria (also known as probiotics or gut flora) from the birth canal. Whatever kind of probiotics mom has in there is what the baby will get. The next “dose” which is the highest strongest dose a baby will ever get, is from colostrum. Probiotics play a huge role in the health of the baby. They make up over 70% of the immune system and they are what line, coat, and protect the entire digestive tract.

Antibiotics kill not only bad bacteria but the good also. If a mother has been on many different antibiotics throughout her life it can alter her probiotics. This in turn will alter what kind the baby gets. If the mother has been on antibiotics while pregnant, for sure close to or at the time of giving birth this can severely alter the probiotics that baby gets. In fact, if on antibiotics at the time of birth, the mother may have no probiotics to pass on to her baby. And of course if baby has antibiotics at any given time it will kill off the probiotics. If the mother takes them while nursing, she will pass them on to her baby and it also will kill his/her probiotics.

If a baby is born by c-section, this can make him/her be behind in building up the probiotics. But if he/she gets plenty of colostrum it will certainly help.

Some babies who are born by c-section, are on antibiotics, get no colostrum, or all of the above, are not necessarily doomed for digestive problems. Some babies are really strong and healthy and their body has no problems making and building up its own probiotics. But for some, this can be the start to the digestive system not working well.

For some babies, they will greatly benefit from a probiotic supplement. When someone is low on probiotics, they are low on many, so the best supplement would be one that has at least 10 different strains in it. But the bottom line is that your child gets relief.

Another problem for some children can be a lack of sufficient digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are what are in all foods (before they are cooked or processed) to aid in breaking them down. They are especially needed for breaking down proteins. If a nursing mom eats a diet of mostly raw foods this can help some but unless the foods are organically grown, they are not very enzyme rich. The pancreas is what makes digestive enzymes and it will try to compensate for the lack of them in foods, but for some babies it can be difficult for their pancreas to keep up making enough to break down the food (proteins in particular) that they take in whether it be through breast milk, formula, or solids as they get older.

For some babies, they can inherit the problems of their body not making enough digestive enzymes, and for these children, they may carry this problem all of their life. Just like the diabetic doesn’t make enough insulin.

When “food” is placed in the stomach, the stomach will excrete a small amount of acid to activate the enzymes so they will start breaking down the food. If there are no or little enzymes, then the stomach will excrete a little more acid. Eventually the food is forced into the intestines even if it isn’t fully properly broken down. If the food isn’t broken down then it will very difficult for the body to be able to absorb and use it. For some children, this undigested food will sit in the intestines too long and the longer “food” stays in the intestines, the more moisture that is drawn out of it, and it can cause constipation.

This excess acid that the stomach makes, can play a major part in some babies digestive problems. Too much acid will kill probiotics. And beings that probiotics are the protective coating for the entire digestive tract, then without it, the food, reflux, or stool will rub right up next to the esophagus and intestines themselves and can cause them to become raw, inflamed, and even bleed sometimes.

So, how have digestive enzymes and probiotics affected my children? Well, they have made a huge difference. Cure? No! They have been taking a supplement of them for 2 years and today they are able to eat any and all foods. But they have to take a pill with every meal and any snack that does not have enzymes in it. I still try not to let my boys a lot of dairy though. But if the ask for a glass of milk I normally let them. They were not used to drinking milk when they were younger so it is not something they like terribly well. One evening awhile ago, when I let them have a glass of milk, I reminded them to take a pill with it. I put them to bed, read them stories, then sat in there for a few minutes with them. After Quinton fell asleep, I noticed how restless he was. Soon he sat fully up he was so uncomfortable but he didn’t wake up. This reminded me so much of how he used to be and I got to thinking that he had probably not taken a pill. So I went and got 2 of them with a glass of water and woke him up and made him take them. I was impressed how in about a minute he completely settled down and peacefully slept the rest of the night.

There are many different brands and companies out there that sell probiotic and enzyme supplements. We use a product called “Digestive Health” sold by Core Health Products. It contains 13 different strains of pH stabilized probiotics, prebiotics (which are food for the probiotics), over 20 types of broad spectrum plant based digestive enzymes, and several different types of soothing herbs. If you wish to look for a different brand then here are some things to look for that I persona
lly feel are really important because of my own research that I have done.

Probiotic supplements should have at least 10 different strains in them. And they should be stabilized meaning that they have gone through a process that keeps the probiotics alive but dormant, they are in a capsule, and don’t have to be refrigerated. When probiotics have to be refrigerated to stay alive, it is more likely that they will die in our warm bodies too quickly and won’t be of as much value and benefit. If probiotics are pH stabilized it means that each strain will become activated only when it reaches the correct pH level in the body where it is needed. A lot of probiotic supplements are heat activated, meaning when they reach a certain temperature they are activated.

Prebiotics are also important in a probiotic supplement because if they are not in there, then the probiotics will derive the body of the “food” that they need.

Digestive enzymes supplements should be plant derived. If they are pancreatic or animal based then they are the same kinds of enzymes that our own body produces. This can cause the pancreas to become dependent on them and stop making its own all together. Whereas plant derived ones are the same as what we would get through our food and not something the body will become dependent on. Enzyme supplements should also be broad spectrum. This means that there are not only the major enzymes that break down protein, fat, carbs, but also the minor enzymes that help out with the different stages of digestion.

As I have said before, the key is finding something that works! So, if you try one kind and don’t get results then don’t give up. But as I said in the beginning… what works for one may not work for another. And not everyone will get help with probiotics and/or enzymes.

If you decide to try probiotics and/or enzymes, be aware that it can possibly make symptoms worsen for a day or two. This is called Herxheimer Reaction. The Herxheimer Reaction is an immune system reaction to the toxins (endotoxins) that are released when large amounts of pathogens are being killed off, and the body does not eliminate the toxins quickly enough. Simply stated, it is a reaction that occurs when the body is detoxifying and the released toxins either exacerbate the symptoms being treated or create their own symptoms. The important thing to note is that worsening symptoms do not indicate failure of the treatment in question; in fact, usually just the opposite.

If you have time please look at my blog.
http://help4acidreflux.wordpress.com/ I have created it in hopes of being able to help others. There is a lot of different information and links to places with information about digestive problems. Happy Mom2013-04-19 12:09:03

[hellbennt]

martha,

this is great! now you can provide a link to this post when you’re answering people .

I’m the ‘Link Queen’ to help give info as fast/best as possible

[Anonymous]

BUMP… to hopefully help others!

[Anonymous]

What dosage for babies though?

[Anonymous]

It depends on what brand you use but if you are using Digestive Health, then here is a page on my blog that explains dosage.

http://help4acidreflux.wordpress.com/dosage/

[hellbennt]

 

I’m ‘Laura Link’ , so here goes:

best EXPLANATION OF FOOD ALLERGIES/INTOLERANCES and their RELATION TO REFLUX that I have found, to date: https://www.infantreflux.org/forums/topic/mspi-what-i-have-learned-allergy-info/#post-11630

probiotics, brands used:
https://infantreflux.org/forums/topic/probiotics-70/

rather than gripe water or colic calm, maybe try probiotics?
I think if you would like to pursue the ‘colic’ route, then read here:
Wondertime article, Colic Solved

page 2 of the article tells what probiotics help babies

More recent post –TED and success also using probiotics
https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15293&PN=1

erin posts that mentions enzymes:
https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12781&KW=enzyme

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12610&KW=enzyme

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12227&KW=enzyme

Post from me:
https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12200&KW=enzyme

Exposure to foods & blood testing:https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12993

allergy/intolerance explanation: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10223&PID=87638#87638

Another Sheri explanation- intolerance/allergy post:
https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11579&PID=97442#97442

Accuracy of allergy testing
& great post by sherri explaining
IgE and IgG (intolerance/allergies) https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10815

Reasons a breastfeeding mother might think her baby is reacting to something in her milk:
*poop that is not ‘normal’ mustardy yellow, seedy breastfed baby poop
*mucous in poop; mucous can look like: snot, jelly, cottage cheese, stringy like the inside of a banana
*foul-smelling poop
*stinky, foul-smelling painful gas
*straining and grunting to poop and, when baby finally does poop, it’s soft

the TED (the Dr. Sears Total Elimination Diet) takes two weeks and then you start adding foods in to see what you CAN eat.
Research all you can! You are your baby’s best advocate!

Look for all posts by Erinntx! (be SURE to read her ‘sticky’ – the link is below)

Erin’s sticky: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12948&PID=105126#105126

More Erin: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13175&PID=106395#106395

Erin post: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13576

Great anne post: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9242

MSPI ‘Main’ page:
https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2697

hellbennt2013-06-17 09:54:22

[hellbennt]

here’s about enzyme dosing – I forget, are you breastfeeding or formula feeding?

I think this is for breastfeeding mamas? https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12781&KW=enzyme

from the links above, if there are brand names- contact the company itself for infant dosing

[Anonymous]

Thanks Laura for helping me out with this. 🙂 I recommend Digestive Health because it is what has helped my children and many others. But I am sure there are other brands out there that are good too.

The most important thing that I can say about dosage is to start out slow (like 1/4 pill a day and increase by 1/4 pills every few days) because the enzymes will not only break down the food that is being eaten but any undigested proteins that have stayed in the system. When this undigested food starts getting broken down, it can cause cramping and gas. Everyone is different though. When I started my boys, I gave them 3 or 4 whole pills a day. I didn’t know about possible side effects at that point but luckily they didn’t have any that I can remember. Happy Mom2013-06-25 23:57:14

[Anonymous]

So I added about 3/4 the pill to milk and he had to burp every 20 ml :(. And there were bubbles forming in the actual milk… So next time I read somewhere else is to try 30 min before feeding

[Anonymous]

I finally read through the responses… Thanks for your help.. Crossing my fingers it works

[Anonymous]

Adding enzymes directly to milk will cause it to start digesting fairly quickly. In truth it is interesting to be able to “watch” something be digested before your very own eyes. 🙂 My experience was that the milk will become very watery because it is being broken down but then after 30 minutes or an hour it will start to become lumpy and sort of hard because it is already digested.

A lot of people find it works better to mix with a 2 or 3ml or water or milk and give with a dropper before giving a bottle. Yes, at first baby will probably not like it but after a week or 2 will most likely get used to it and not mind it.

I too have read about giving it 30 minutes before eating and I personally haven’t tried that. We always take right before or while eating. I also am crossing my fingers and hoping it helps your little one!! 🙂 Happy Mom2013-06-19 19:37:01

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