Do You Believe In....... - Lincoln,NE

Absolutely, holistic methods work! We use both holistic and Western medicine. It does not have to be one or the other.

Yes. What I wonder is why most medical doctors limit their practice and don't take advantage of whatever is out there that will help!

I think holistic medicine has a place in our therapies but we need to look closely at what we are getting to make sure it is actually better. My son has similar issues and is on a miralax/exlax regimen. The Ped Gastro actually recommended we increase the exlax from 1/2 square to 2 full squares a day so that he "could feel the urge" when he needed to go because of his sensory issues.

We could have gone the holistic route with probably similar results . . however, please consider the fact that the FDA does not regulate what goes in to "natural" remedies nor is there any real regulation as to how accurate the amounts of active ingredients are in any particular formulation.

The miralax is inert and is a bulking and softening agent in the bowel. The active ingredient in ExLax is senna which basically just irritates the lining of the bowel a bit to draw in water and create a softening effect and it stimulates the urge to go. You can buy a holistic laxative with senna but there is really no telling how much is going in there. (btw - generic medications have same problem: the FDA gives the manufacturers a 20% +/- error factor between their formulation and the brand name. It can be a big deal on something like a thyroid medication where the doc says you need 100mg a day and in effect you are getting 80mg one month and 120 mg the next).

To make sure dosing is accurate, I would follow your gastro's advice and also make sure she is getting plenty of water and other fluids as well as plenty of fiber. remember she can get plenty of fiber sources w/o having to chew anything crunchy. My kids love V8 Frusion, apple juice and you can always add fiber to any liquid or sauce in the form of powdered Benefiber without altering the taste. If your daughter will eat gummies, you can also buy fiber gummies. Also, dont forget to buy a good probiotic.

Absolutely.
My son at a year old was on inhalers,steriods etc with possible asthma. We didn't sleep for at least 6 mths because his breathing was no bad.
We brought him to a holistic center. Turns out he had lots of food allergies.
He is now nearly 4 yrs ,so healthy and we haven't used an inhaler since he went there.
So for our family we will be forever grateful that we gave the alternative route a try.
The great thing about holistic medicine that you don't lose or take much risk by giving it a try.
Wishing you and your daughter the best
B. k

Based on my personal experience with my son, yes. If not for a holistic approach, he could have been on Xantac, plus psych meds, plus in a special ed program. Today, he's on ... nothing. As in no drugs whatsoever. He's 5 and reading at a 2nd/3rd grade level. All because I consulted with a naturopathic physician, and she recommended getting my son off milk/dairy products 100%.

The thing is, holistic medicine really needs to be pursued holistically. It's not a question of replacing a prescription med with an herbal remedy, it's a question of looking at the whole body, at every single thing a child eats. It's often more important to subtract foods from the diet than to add an herbal remedy.

BTW, my son has low-ish muscle tone too; I'm going to read up on carnitine.

My son also had chronic constipation and was put on miralax for months. While he was on the meds, I started making him eat yogurt and then gave him a probiotic on top of the yogurt and increased his fiber-y foods (applesauce was/is his best friend. Grapes too). Slowly I started giving my son less and less of the laxative till he was all the way off and so far he hasn't had any issues. Go to your health food store and ask them where and which probiotics are the best. I can't remember the brand, but it was a white tub with a yellow lid and label is the one we used :D

I have a friend who is a Doctor of Holistic Medicine and I am a Reiki Practioner. I have studied herbs and othe forms of natural healing for almost 20 years.
If there is a Holistic Practioner in your area I would diffentialy look into it.

My biggest issue with Western medicine is the medications are all chemicals and do a lot of harmful things to the body. In may cases more harm than good. For instance anti-inflamatories over time they break down your kidneys, liver, stomach ect. So they cause liver failure we can give you medicines to combat that. You kidneys quit functioning take diuetics. All of that makes no sense to me. This is my body not a chemical waste dump. Through reading and research I have found that many of nature's gifts are really medicine. Instead of killing your dandelions -- eat them.

Sorry, I don't know anything about holistic medicine- just wanted to say that cooked carrots and applesauce can be constipating, so you might want to avoid those. You could try pureed pears instead.
Best wishes :o)

Yes Yes to holistic/natural/alternative types of medicine! We have had the greatest luck with my son - who went down the autism route! I encourage you to find someone whom you really like - even try a few!

Best of luck to you!

I would try it. I believe in it. I also believe in Western Medicine, but I think that both are needed, both work, and both should be practiced, sometimes together on the same issue. They are 'ancient' for a reason, right, it had to have worked sometime! ;) Check with your insurance b/c sometimes they will cover acupuncture.

While I do not have suggest on what to try and I would encourage a hollistic route. Both with my family and my pets I use a combination of hollistic and modern medicines. Both my vet and family doctors use a combination of treatments and diets. I feel I am getting the best of both worlds, without the higher risks of going just one way or another.

ABSOLUTELY!! And most Holistic-homeopaths are even covered by most insurances. You may want to go to a health food store and see iof they have an featured Drs or if they might refer you to one.

Miralax may be part of the reason your daughter has not improved. I've known a few Moms who swear it's caused their kids with autism and other sensory issues to decline further... just something for you to look into.

I believe in whatever works. If my child were ill, I wouldn't stop pursuing traditional western medicine. I would add to what her team of drs were doing by also pursuing less traditional methods. I would make sure all practitioners were aware of what treatments I was seeking, in order to avoid a conflict of medicines or something detrimental. I wouldn't rule out holistic healres, and i wouldn't rule out good old fashined prayer! There's something to be said for faith. I hope that answer helps you in some way.

Hello,
I applaud you for trying to find a natural remedy to Miralax! We've used Flax seed oil in our house to great effect. You can find it in any healthier type of market and you can mix it into any kind of beverage, yogurt, etc. Pretty much tasteless.

Please ignore the suggestion I made for magnesium! I was thinking about someone with the opposite problem!

yes!....i go natural with anything before i consult a doctor, unless its life threatening. Most of the time we have at our disposal everything we need to handle anything that happens.

Unfortunately most natural medicine is preventative. A health plan to planning to remain healthy.

For us an integrative physician (an MD - actually 2 of them) was the best of both worlds.

We made little to no headway with mainstream peds.

We also had good results with carnitine for low muscle tone. Obviously you will want professional, competent advice on supplements and dosages.

Good luck - my heart goes out to you guys.

My family eats organic and uses homeopathic or other natural medicine. Thankfully, just eating organic/right usually means we don't get sick. But we also use supplements/vitamins to ensure that our bodies are getting what they need to have.

My daughter has Sensory Processing Disorder and also suffers from hypotonia and constipation. She is now 11 and has been through OT/PT. We also went the route of Miralax when she was younger, before we got on the bandwagon of eating and living better. She also had/has issues with eating food/food tastes, etc. Now that she's older, she's getting more adventurous and trying out new foods. But she doesn't have an issue with swallowing, either.

She and I both suffer from constipation; if we eat enough fiber/roughage, then we're okay. But she has more issues than me, making sure she eats enough veges, just because she doesn't really care for veges. So she sometimes needs help.

I've been giving her a natural product called CALM, which is a powdered form of magnesium that helps encourage the colon to eliminate, but it's safe and slow (as in, not explosive). Because it's natural, the body doesn't get used to it or "need" it forever like a prescription drug (which was why I wanted to get my daughter off the Miralax). You put CALM into some water and drink it down, and it comes in flavors like orange and cherry. My daughter doesn't like taking it, but she will when she hasn't gone a couple days (she's 11).

If you can get your daughter to try/take CALM, I think you'll be very happy with the results. You can find it at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, probably Co-ops, etc. Or you can buy it off the Internet.

Yes, I think homeopathic and alternative medicine can be very complementary to western medicine. Alot of times if I get sick or my children do, we will use homeopathics. Works great for us. We don't get sick very often.

M

I'm all for it for myself. But I wouldn't seek it out for my kids. I would pray like heck and ask God daily for direction. But I wouldn't take the chance of something going wrong with my children.

I do believe that we should be a lot healthier and that God gave the world all the plants and medicine needed. I also believe God has guided the surgeons to learn all they have and that he gives insight and new info all the time. It probably sounds like I hate doctors. I do not. I do respect them. But the human body is so complicated and I don't think enough doctors are able to blend medical science with the spiritual side of things.

If you are interested in Holistic medicine, try and find a doctor that is interested in those things and STILL is respected in the field you need. That's a TALL order. I'm unable and unwilling to go there because I've given up and made a decision to never again put my dollars there...for ME. My kids are another story.

My father had leukemia for 20 years as well as other forms of cancer due to treatment/radiation. My father was also on a liquid diet and also feed through a feeding tube in his stomach. He did a lot of juiced food, with protein included and many herbs as well. Also, a strict regiment of ensure and osmilite.

He obviously had western medicine, but he also did holistic medicine. He needed both to survive as long as he did. The holistic medicine he did helped improve his quality of life, even if it was minimal.

Absolutely! Not everything works every time and often a holistic, natural remedy will work for one person and only medicsl intervention for another. In many cases it won't hurt anything to at least try the holistic approach first. Ask her doctor. I've always found the best doctors combined the two.