155 lines
7.4 KiB
XML
155 lines
7.4 KiB
XML
import Article from "@/components/Article";
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const ArticlePediatricDigestiveProblems = () => {
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return (
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<Article
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title="Digestive Problems"
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author="Richard A. Feely, D.O., FAAO, FCA, FAAMA"
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>
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<p>
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Newborn babies are frequent sufferers of gastrointestinal complaints.
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That shouldn’t come as a surprise when one considers that the digestive
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system had no job to do in those first nine months in utero but is asked
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to be responsible for the entire sustenance of the body after birth.
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Digestive system troubles can range from spitting up to projectile
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vomiting and reflux, from mild difficulty burping to the hours of daily
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crying of a colicky baby. Although these problems do lessen as the
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digestive system matures, waiting for relief can be very hard on infants
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and parents.
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</p>
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<p>
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Osteopathic manipulative treatment, which improves body function through
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correcting body structure, can have a significant role in assisting in
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the resolution of the digestive system distress of infancy. The troubles
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often have their origin when a difficult birth experience irritates the
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vagus nerve which controls much of the digestive system. When the bony
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misalignment and tissue tensions affecting the nerve are removed, the
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baby can handle its feedings and resultant gas better. Osteopathic
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treatment can also address connective tissue tension present around the
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abdominal organs, especially in the umbilical area and near where the
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esophagus meets the stomach. In infants who suffer from spitting up,
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vomiting or reflux, the normal clockwise motion of the abdominal fascia
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may be impaired and need corrective treatment.
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</p>
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<p>
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Occasionally the digestive distress of breast-fed babies can be traced
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to foods in the mother’s diet. When these offending foods are removed
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from her diet, the improvements in the baby can be dramatic. In the same
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way, babies who are bottle-fed may find relief in switching to a
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different formula.
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</p>
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<h2>Healthy Choices</h2>
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<p>
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Opinions vary on the topic of introduction of solid foods into a baby’s
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diet. Most babies are not ready before six months and demonstrate their
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readiness by the presence of teeth and a keen interest in their parent’s
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eating. Many physicians agree that wheat, dairy, eggs, citrus and honey
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should be avoided until after 12 months of age and introduced cautiously
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thereafter. Introducing only one new food at a time allows one to watch
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for allergic responses, often seen in the form of digestive upset or
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skin rashes, especially around the mouth and anus.
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</p>
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<p>
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It can take up to five days of eating a new food before a negative
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reaction is seen. A food which results in an allergic type response
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should be removed from the diet and not tried again for at least several
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months. Because continued exposure to an allergic food fosters a more
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severe level of allergy, exercising this level of care when solid foods
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are introduced reaps benefits in a wider choice of foods later in life.
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</p>
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<p>
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“You are what you eat” is a caution that is perhaps more relevant now
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than ever before. Depletion of topsoil has resulted in vegetables,
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fruits and grains lacking essential nutrients. The economic demands on
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farmers have resulted in the widespread use of pesticides, artificial
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ripening agents and fertilizers containing waste products which should
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not be recycled into our soils.
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</p>
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<p>
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Dairy products and meat are contaminated by animal feed containing
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antibiotics, hormones and animal by-products. Organically grown and
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naturally processed food is free of potentially health damaging
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additives. Making healthy dietary choices during infancy and childhood,
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when all parts of the body are developing, is a crucial step in
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fostering healthy growth of every vital organ, bone, muscle and brain
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cell of the body.
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</p>
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<p>
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A wide spectrum of health care practitioners agree that infancy is not a
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time to receive a diet high in sugar, salt and fat content found in most
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processed foods. Offering ourselves and our children healthy diets is a
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big challenge but one worth taking.
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</p>
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<h2>Childhood Complaints</h2>
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<p>
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Vague, non-specific digestive complaints are commonly seen in childhood.
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Tummy aches and nausea are the cause of days home from school for many
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children and rarely does a standard medical work-up determine the cause.
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</p>
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<p>
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Osteopathic evaluation often reveals that the fascia (connective tissue
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layer) which covers the abdominal organs is pulled in a counterclockwise
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direction. For healthy digestion this motion should move clockwise,
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compatible with the peristaltic motion of the intestines as it moves
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food from mouth to rectum. When the facial motion has reversed,
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complaints such as constipation, nausea and stomach aches are common.
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Osteopathic treatment assists the body in correcting the motion of this
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fascia and restoring normal function.
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</p>
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<p>
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Both the vagus nerve and nerves originating in the lower portions of the
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spine are essential to a healthy digestive system. Children who have
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suffered injury, especially to the lower back or sacrum (at the base of
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the spine), may be experiencing digestive problems as a result of this
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trauma. Injury to the pelvis, either traumatic or surgical, can result
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in poor function of the sling of muscles at the lowest part of the
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pelvis, called the pelvic diaphragm. This sling of muscles operates like
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the thoracic diaphragm and, when functioning normally, moves up and down
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with respiration. This diaphragm-like motion is essential to the health
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of the digestive system, and it is vital to restore it in children
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suffering from constipation, recovering from pelvic injury or after
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surgery in this area. A hard fall to the lower back, sacrum or groin can
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be enough to impact gastrointestinal health.
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</p>
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<h2>Urinary Problems</h2>
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<p>
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Restoration of motion in the pelvic diaphragm is also an essential part
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of the osteopathic management of problems such as bladder infections and
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menstrual cramps. The problem of nighttime bed wetting is a complex one
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which may or may not respond to osteopathic manipulative treatment. In
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some children, treatment can help to normalize the neural control
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relevant to bladder emptying and may be very helpful in this clinical
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problem.
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</p>
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<p>
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Some children are genetically predisposed to the problem and don’t “grow
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out of it” until the age at which the problem resolved for their
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affected parent.
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</p>
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<p>
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The less common problem of bladder reflux may respond to osteopathic
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treatment of the facial strains which are present where the urethra
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meets the bladder.
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</p>
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</Article>
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);
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};
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export default ArticlePediatricDigestiveProblems;
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