Many children often complain of abdominal pain. I don’t know about yours, but mine skillfully manipulate this fictitious ailment: the active phase of sincere “suffering” begins when they don’t want to finish their dinner or go to kindergarten, and even when their parents reasonably demand to finish cleaning the nursery as soon as possible.
But often childhood complaints of tummy pains are not so harmless. Especially if the child complains of abdominal pain immediately after eating. And especially if he does it systematically. And very especially, if the child has diarrhea and constipation, growls in the stomach, bad breath appears. All this should alert attentive parents at least. The baby may have gallbladder problems.
What problems are there
- Cholecystitis - inflammation of the gallbladder, accompanied by an appetite disorder, belching with a bitter taste and unpleasant odor, heaviness in the right side, dull or sharp pains, yellowing of the skin. The causes are hereditary factors, unbalanced nutrition, low mobility.
- Biliary dyskinesia - violation of the output of bile due to improper contraction of the gallbladder and the own muscle of this organ (yes, there is one!) - the sphincter of Oddi. The reasons for the appearance are stress, malnutrition with an abundance of fatty foods, food allergies, worms or other parasites, as well as stomach diseases.
- Lyamlioz - a disease that most often affects children from 1 to 4 years old. Due to lamblia (parasites that live in the small intestine), the child may have pain in the upper abdomen (in the navel), frequent bloating, constipation and diarrhea. Sleep, digestion are disturbed, the baby gets tired quickly. Giardiasis also leads to an inflammatory process in the gallbladder.
- Tumors of the gallbladder. Fortunately, they are extremely rare, and therefore we will not dwell on them in detail.
If your child often complains of abdominal pain, do not ignore it, visit a gastroenterologist. The doctor will be able to recognize a disease of the gallbladder by performing an ultrasound diagnostic procedure (ultrasound). The doctor will be able to objectively examine the contours and thickness of the walls of the organ if the patient comes to the office on an empty stomach.
In the next video from the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, you can learn more about biliary dyskinesia.
Primary visual findings are confirmed or refuted by laboratory test results. The child will have to donate blood, urine and feces. Only then will the probability of making a correct diagnosis increase to almost 99.9%.
If a pathology is found, get ready for a rather long treatment, the basis of which will be the appointment of choleretic drugs. I will note right away - only a doctor should prescribe them, the initiative in this situation is punishable by serious consequences for the baby.
What can children take
If you have been prescribed a cholagogue for children, you should understand what exactly this medicine is and how it works.
Choleretic drugs are agents that help the formation of bile and its further excretion into the intestines. They are plant and animal protein-based, as well as synthesized.
Special requirements are imposed on the "children's" choleretic. It is desirable that the preparation be in the form of a suspension or syrup. This will make it easier for the child to accept it. But the main thing is that the drug is plant-based. Then he will have much fewer side effects than synthetic choleretic.
Medications
Consider the most popular bile remedies suitable for children:
- Holaflux is a choleretic agent usually prescribed for chronic cholecystitis and dyskinesia of the bladder and biliary tract. Herbal preparation, which includes dandelion, thistle, celandine, etc. The medicine facilitates the outflow of bile. The instructions for use say that no side effects were found, therefore this drug is often prescribed to children. It is produced in the form of a dry herbal mixture for making choleretic tea.
- Holagogum is a drug that can be prescribed for the treatment of cholecystitis, dyskinesia, chronic pancreatitis, and to facilitate adaptation after treatment. Produced in capsules, it is of vegetable origin.
- Allochol is also a herbal choleretic drug that improves the outflow of bile and normalizes liver activity. In addition to plants, it contains dry animal bile. The child will have to take the drug for more than a month, the dosage will be determined by the doctor, taking into account the baby's age and weight. Usually, children under 7 years old are prescribed half a tablet 2-3 times a day, and children older than 7 years old are prescribed a whole tablet.
- Cholenzyme is a combined choleretic agent with choleretic and enzymatic properties, i.e. it contains enzymes that promote digestion. Release form - tablets. The composition contains dry animal bile and herbs. It is prescribed for children over 12 years old, 1 tablet three times a day. For children from three years old, the dosage is calculated by the doctor individually. The maximum course of taking cholagogue is 9 weeks.
- Flamin is a herbal preparation containing an immortelle. This herb improves the flow of bile. It is produced in the form of an ointment, powder for suspension preparation, choleretic tea, tablets. The remedy, according to numerous reviews of doctors and parents, shows high efficiency in bile stagnation. The doctor can prescribe the same drug to your baby with giardiasis. Flamin, at the request of the manufacturers, is not recommended for children under 5 years old and children with gastric ulcer.
- Berberine is a herbal medicine based on substances obtained by pharmacists from the roots and leaves of barberry. Effective antispasmodic and choleretic agent. Contraindicated only for pregnant women and phytoallergy sufferers. Available in pill form in pharmacies.
- Odeston is a herbal preparation that not only promotes the synthesis and excretion of bile, but also prevents the crystallization of cholesterol. This drug is contraindicated in children under 10 years of age.
In addition, Nikodin, Osalmid, Kormagnesin can be prescribed for children with impaired gallbladder and biliary tract function. Often, in addition to the choleretic, the doctor may prescribe a separate antispasmodic. As a rule, in pediatrics it is No-shpa.
Folk remedies
In addition to pharmaceutical preparations, it is possible to treat diseases of the gallbladder and its ducts using folk methods. The best fighters against bile stagnation are birch buds, corn stigmas, rowan fruits, burdock roots, rose hips. There are several ways to prepare drugs with a choleretic effect:
- Choleretic juices
- Choleretic decoctions, teas.
- Dandelion juice. It is prepared from dandelions along with the roots. It perfectly removes the stagnant volume of bile, has a slight antispasmodic effect. It is taken twice a day for 20-25 ml. The course of treatment will be 3 weeks.
- Rowan juice. Remember how at school, back in the USSR, we collected mountain ash and handed it over to the pharmacy? So, it was only many years later that I learned that the main use of these astringent red berries is in the manufacture of drugs that "disperse" bile. The bunches, "nailed" by the first frosts and having undergone temperature "shock therapy", must be collected and carefully squeezed out. Take 15 ml. twice a day. The course of treatment is three weeks.
- Radish juice. It is easy to wring out, it does not need a special recipe. Take 30 ml. three times a day. It is important to know that such juice is contraindicated for children with gastritis and a high level of acidity in the stomach.
- Pear juice. Delicious and very healthy choleretic juice. You can take it as much as you like in quantity and duration. Pear juice is a rather weak choleretic, it is better to use it after the main phase of treatment as a prophylactic agent. Children will like this medicine very much, both at the age of one, and at 2 years old, and at 4 years old.
For decoctions and homemade tea with a choleretic effect, knotweed, St. John's wort, anise fruits, corn silk, rose hips, immortelle are suitable.
Infusions with a choleretic effect should be given to children with great care - allergies to herbs are possible. The most popular infusion for gallbladder problems is Mint. Take celandine, mint leaves, and cinquefoil. Everything should be in equal proportions. The total weight should be no more than 2 grams. Pour the herbal mixture with a glass of boiling water and let cool slightly. This infusion perfectly "disperses" bile and helps to normalize the liver. Mint infusion is taken hot, like tea, twice a day. The general course of admission is at least two weeks. This tea should not be given to children under the age of 6.
Below in the video are some effective recipes for choleretic decoctions and infusions. But before preparing the broth, check if a child at this age can drink such an infusion.
Mineral waters or Tyubazh
The gallbladder is washed strictly in the morning. A few days before her, you do not need to eat salty, fatty foods.
You will need half a liter of still mineral water ("Essentuki" or "Borjomi"). The water must be heated to 40 degrees Celsius.
Add a tablespoon of Magnesia (powder) to a glass of hot liquid. Instead of magnesium sulfate, you can use the choice of "Sorbitol" or "Cholosas". The resulting solution must be taken orally. Lying on your right side, apply a warm heating pad to the hypochondrium. This therapeutic "lying" should last at least 2 hours. After this, it is advisable to empty the intestines. The most difficult thing here is to make the child lie for so long in one position. But try to combine tubing and watching cartoons. Tubage is carried out on the recommendation of a doctor and in no way more often than once every 6 months.
If your child has problems with bile, then table mineral waters of alkaline composition "Essentuki" and "Borjomi" should be present on his table almost every day.
Choleretic oil
Linseed oil is considered a strong choleretic folk remedy. But the store version of this product will not work. Make your own butter. Grind 100 grams of flaxseeds in a coffee grinder or blender, place in a liter jar, and top up with refined (odorless) sunflower or olive oil. Your flaxseed oil should be kept in the refrigerator for a week, and then it can be given a teaspoon of it to your child before meals.
General requirements for taking choleretic drugs
- Never give your child cholagogue on an empty stomach. Have something to eat before taking the next dose. Candy won't work. It’s good if it’s something that creates a larger volume of food in the stomach - fruit, cake.
- When preparing choleretic juices, the main condition is that the juice must be squeezed out immediately before use. It is impossible to store the squeezed juice, it quickly loses its medicinal properties.
- When taking choleretic, it is important to follow the schedule prescribed by doctors. Make sure your child does not miss any medication.
- Never prescribe a cholagogue, no matter how attractive its composition may seem to you, to a child on your own! This should be done by a doctor.
- The child during treatment and for a fairly long time after it must adhere to the diet prescribed by the doctor. It will be reduced to a decrease in the amount of protein-based fats, as well as carbohydrates, especially "fast" ones. The child will need to eat at least six times a day - fractional and balanced.
And finally. Introduce foods with a choleretic effect into the child's diet. Your baby can and should be given bran, vegetables and vegetable broth, oranges, pears, melons, watermelon and prunes more often. It is desirable for him to "make friends" with vegetable juices, which contribute to the formation of bile - with cabbage and beetroot.
And remember that soda, ice cream, smoked sausage, chocolate, fries, fatty meats, and even onions and garlic interfere with the flow of bile.
Diseases of the gallbladder and its ducts are quite dangerous and unpleasant. To avoid long treatment, it is better to do the best possible prevention of these ailments from birth. Feed the baby in a balanced and correct way, make sure that the child leads an active lifestyle, does not sit for hours at the computer after eating. And, of course, listen to his complaints.
Watch Dr. Komarovsky's program on the problems of the gallbladder and pancreas.
