Leea has been suffering with chronic constipation since she was two.
My husband and I consulted with a specialist when she was 2 ½ years old and she prescribed a high dose of MiraLAX, a non-stimulant based laxative. Our struggle went back and forth for three years without discovering a permanent solution and without any improvement for Leea.
We happened to switch health insurance around this time and with that came the options of other specialists. So, we decided enough was enough and it was high time we got a second opinion. The new specialist prescribed Lactulose, which is a synthetic sugar solution used to pull water from the body and promote bowl movements. To our relief this seemed like it was working great, and on the doctor’s orders she was taken off the medication. However, after being off the medications for about 6 months her chronic constipation issues came flooding back with revenge.
Fearing the obvious we took her to her general practitioner and confirmed that she was indeed right back where we had started, she was completely backed up.
Fast forward to 2020 and Leea is now 8 years old and has learned through this frustrating journey to understand her body along with the feelings she gets from the medication. She tells us often how terrible they taste and she suffers from painful cramping and vomiting from the medications as well. As a mother in desperate search of a solution, I just felt like the path we were on was causing her body more harm than good and I kept searching for a better alternative. I was so concerned as Leea was not gaining weight, her hair was thin and straw like and she just looked so unhealthy. Surely there must be a solution for chronic constipation in a child, but what is it?
After doing some research and talking with Kimberly at Charcoal House, my husband and I decided to give charcoal a try. Per Kimberly's suggestion, every morning she would drink a glass of warm water. Then at night we would do a charcoal poultice all the way around the trunk of her body. The first couple mornings when we took the poultices off, they smelled horrific, so I knew it was working for her and helping her body get rid of all the toxins that had built up from so much medication over the years.
We also let her soak in a charcoal bath when she wanted to, and she told us they "make my tummy feel better," which was music to our ears! We went back to her health care provider after a week to be told everything was moving through her just as it should be. We have incorporated applying charcoal poultices every other night before she hops in bed as a means to stay on top of Leea's health condition. We have also included a Slippery Elm as a daily supplement in Leea's daily routine, which was suggested by Rachel Weaver in the “Be Your Own Doctor” book. We are almost a month into our new charcoal routine and so far, she is doing great! This simple natural remedy has been so much easier to get Leea to cooperate with as she actually asks to take the charcoal baths and will soak for a good hour up to her chin, not to mention that it is far, far better for her, than taking the prescriptive medications.
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Have you ever tried alpha lipoic acid? ALA helps the liver. ~25 mg should be sufficient for a small child.
Vitamin C and magnesium are both mild laxatives... so you could easily use those. Both will also help with detoxification.
The fact that she's chronically constipated (assuming a decent diet with plenty of probiotics) suggests some kind of underlying problem.
You could also try pancreatic enzymes (lipase, amylase and protease). Enzymes will improve digestion.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. It's helpful to know how people are using their charcoal.
:-)
From Sunyani, Ghana(West Africa)