Does your child (or you) complain a lot of a sore tummy, maybe has runny poo's, is farty, grumpy, or constipated, and maybe even a picky eater?

You might worry they have a food intolerance, and may even have been to the Dr to rule out celiac disease and allergies. But all the tests came back fine, and the Dr sent you away without answers.
In my practice I see a lot of children with tummy aches, runny poos and/or constipation. I rarely send kids for food sensitivity tests, as most “sensitivities” are a lack of digestive enzymes, low stomach acid, poor microbiome… or parasites.. When we are low in these, we struggle to process our food to it's tiniest particles and then can’t absorb the nutrients through our gut wall.
Secondly, we also end up with a range of problems, like chronic low grade inflammation in the gut wall, which leads to leaky gut. This is when the inflammation makes the cells in the gut lining swell, and the gaps between the cells are suddenly not as tight as they should be.

This is called leaky gut, as the gut literally leaks food particles through these gaps, which are not supposed to get through without further being broken down. The inflammation involved in this leads to neuroinflammation which exacerbates ADHD and autistic traits, and general mood, energy and ability to sleep is affected. As the body gets exposed to these bigger than intended molecules of food stuff (as they leak in between the swollen cells in the gut lining) we start reacting to these foods as a foreign element…
The sensitivity reaction
When these foreign elements are found by our immune system, which patrols our blood flow to protect us, our immune cells create antibodies designed to recognise and attack them. The flow on effect is that our body now starts to recognise these particular foods as "foreign matter" which needs to be attacked, even in the gut, and the body reacts by having even worse gut symptoms.
What do I provide in this situation?
Well, firstly we can do stool tests to exclude parasites, and ensure the body is producing enough stomach acid and digestive enzymes, and have enough bacteria in the microbiome to break food down properly. Stomach acid is very important. As most of my clients know, I am very passionate about stomach acid. We need it to start processing our proteins, and low stomach acid is often seen as reflux. But that will be a separate blog post...
So expensive!
We don't have to do expensive stool tests, we can provide a personalised treatment of pre- and/or pro-biotics, bitters before foods, and in rare cases a few dairy and gluten free weeks to trial if these are irritants. Sometimes that's all we need. The body quickly regulates especially in children, and all our gut cells are regenerated completely every 3 months!
Curious to hear more, and get help with your child's gut health (or your own), head over to my booking page and book in for a free 15min discovery call, or a child initial appointment (under 12yo). They are 45min and cost $140.
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