CHILDREN’S LOSS OF APPETITE

CHILDREN’S   LOSS OF APPETITE – COMMON CHILDHOOD DISORDERS WITH HOLISTIC APPROACH

Loss of appetite is not feeling hungry or having a desire to eat. Child may experience a loss or decrease in appetite during times of slower growth or for a variety of other reasons. Most of the time, an occasional loss of appetite is nothing to worry about. If child appears to be losing weight or talking about wanting to be thinner, then special  care should given for these child’s. These can be signs of a physical illness, or anorexia, a condition that often requires both physical treatment and counseling to resolve. Parents can try several approaches to help their child regain his appetite.

The reasons for child's loss of appetite may vary, but asking children what they wants to eat--making sure they includes some healthy choices in their list- and encouraging them to help you prepare meals and snacks may help them feel like eating more, according to the United Kingdom's Great Ormand Street Hospital. Young children in the toddler age group may not eat much if they are distracted during meal times, but even children at this age can pique an interest in cooking and are likely to eat more if they made their meal or snack "all by themselves."

Anorexic children have a distorted body image; they are obsessed with being thin and hence refuse to eat even the minimal calorie intake. Most of them live in denial regarding suffering from the disorder.

Causes

The poor appetite of their children’s is a common complaint among mothers. Some children eat more during the winter and less during the summers. While others may be finicky eaters who convert the dining table into a battleground. In most of the cases, kids make up for their poor diet by eating more at the next meal.

·        Slow Growth Rate: Changes in growth can cause an appetite slump in children. During the first year, children grow rapidly. But after the first birthday the growth of the child slows down, and she may eat less food now. During this time, a decline in appetite is perfectly normal.

·        Sickness: Illness can often cause a significant loss of appetite in children. If your child is suffering from fever, rash, cough or runny nose, then she may eat lesser than what she normally eats. Thankfully, most of the children recover their appetite when they get better.

·        Stress: Stress can have many negative effects on children, including loss of appetite. If you find your child is losing interest in eating or having a hard time sleeping, then she may be suffering from stress. To cure the poor appetite of your kid, you need to identify the cause of her stress and alleviate it. Some common causes of stress during childhood are: family issues like a death in the family, death of a pet or the birth of a sibling. Bullying. Inability to cope with academic pressure and the impractical expectations of parents.

·        Anorexia Nervosa: Sometimes, in a bid to ape their screen idols children develop a psychological aversion to eating. They try to go without eating as long as possible. Even when they eat, they choose a low-fat food and later feel guilty about eating it. If you can relate your child to this food fad, she may be suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. You must take her to an eating disorder specialist. The specialist will tell you how to help your child regain a healthy appetite

·        Depression: Depression can be another reason for child loss of appetite. Most of the parents mistake depression for sadness. But sadness and depression are not the same. It is important for you to understand the difference between sadness and depression so that your child can get the help she needs. Feelings of sadness go away with the passage of time, but depression does not.Depression not only makes the child sad, but also interferes with her normal life. If your child shows a lack of interest in activities that she previously enjoyed performing, then chances are that she may be suffering from depression. A change in eating habits is a strong indicator of depression. You may need to seek medical care to help your child come out of depression.

·        Medications: Several medications can take a toll on your child’s appetite. If the pediatrician prescribed antibiotics for your child recently, chances are she may be suffering from a poor appetite. A loss of appetite is a common side effect of antibiotics

·        Anemia: Anemia is another possible cause of the decline in appetite among children. A low iron count is common in kids who don’t consume an iron-rich diet. Children suffering from anemia seem weaker, tired and irritable than others. If left untreated, anemia can interfere with your child’s development and school performance. Get  blood test done if you suspect anemia in your child.

·        Intestinal Worms: Intestinal worms can cause loss of appetite in kids. Worms enter into the kid’s digestive system and live there like a parasite, causing intestinal bleeding, loss of appetite, dysentery, etc.

·        Constipation: Irregular bowel movements in children can lead to constipation. A loss of appetite is a classic symptom of constipation

MANAGEMENT

Some tips to avoid loss of appetite

Parents and other caregivers can play an important role in helping children build healthy eating and physical activity habits that will last a lifetime.

·        Do not argue or scold the children during the mealtime, Adjust the meal schedules so that you serve food only when your child is hungry

·        Encourage your child to make healthy food choices, Allow your child to snack between the meals, Serve small portions at regular intervals

·        Encourage your child to be more physically active, Do not force your child to eat if she is not hungry, As a parent, demanding that she finishes the food on her plate is a bad idea.

Home remedies:

·        Lime – this is a cheap home remedy for loss of appetite. When mixed with fruits as well as ginger, appetite can be restored.

·        Garlic – aside from being an antioxidant, garlic helps the digestive system and improved appetite. When making soup, try to incorporate increased amounts of garlic, this has been a helpful ingredient for patients with anorexia.

·        Aloe Vera – a proven way to stimulate appetite, Aloe Vera also helps with bowel problems and issues with mucous areas.

·        Ginger – as mentioned above, with ginger appetite can be restored. This can be administered by grounding the ginger and licking it daily with salt.

·        Alfalfa – the Chinese was the first ones to use this herb for digestive problems. This also stimulates appetite when taken daily. Aside from appetite, bowel problems are also relieved by this herb.

·        Stress – Although this is not a home remedy, parents must also be aware that stress can trigger loss of appetite. If a child has problems with subjects, is getting bullied or is simply unhappy in his environment, loss of appetite may occur. So aside from herbs and other natural home remedies, being hands on and attentive with what’s going on with your child is also considered as a natural remedy.

·        Vitamins – just like the doctor ordered, multi vitamins and appetite stimulant supplements can be taken. Aside from these, eating food that are rich in Vitamins C, D, Calcium, B12 and Zinc are in line with what children need for proper growth and development. Ask your doctor about the best vitamins for your child.

·        Powdered root of Horseradish – this powder increases the production of gastric juices. When gastric juices are increased, a healthy appetite is stimulated.

·        Peppermint – aside from fresh breath, appetite is also revived when peppermint is taken. One great way to get this into the system is by drinking peppermint tea.

·        Fennel – if you are unfamiliar of this, it looks like caraway. It helps in digestion and relieves stomach problems. Of course it helps in reviving appetite.

·        Angelica root tea – this is one of many effective natural home remedies for loss of appetite in children.

·        Apple juice – like the powdered root of horseradish it stimulates production of gastric juices like pepsin which stimulates appetites especially in children.

·        Adjust medications – when children are under medication, ask your doctor about its side effects. There are some medications like Ritalin that causes a significant loss of appetite within minutes.

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HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Homoeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homoeopathy is not only to treat childhood loss of appetite but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several remedies are available to treat loss of appetite in children that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints. For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. A holistic approach considering the lifestyle, personal habits, food habits, inclusion of nutrients and diet, etc. along with homoeopathic treatment helps in overcoming loss of appetite in children’s. The medicines given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the treatment of this condition.

Medicine	Indication
Arsenicum alb.	Extreme fastidiousness especially about germs and dirt. Anorexia coupled with fear of being poisoned. Fear of getting certain diseases so they starve.
Andrographis Paniculata:	It is an excellent remedy for the treatment of liver diseases. It is recommended for digestive disorders in children. It helps to improve appetite in children by stimulating the functioning of the liver.
Carcinosin	Obsessive compulsive disorder. Perfectionism, fear of becoming fat, fear of rejection. Etiology: abuse, grief or fears, often related to weight. Chronic insomnia, workaholics.
Carduus Marianus:	This is an excellent homeopathic remedy for the treatment of diseases of liver. It helps to give relief from swelling of liver. It improves the appetite in children by boosting up the functioning of the liver.
Chelidonium Majus:	This homeopathic remedy is one of the best remedy for jaundice and enlarged iver. It is recommended for children who suffer from loss of appetite due to constipation. There may be vomiting and diarrhoea due to weak liver.
Hyosyamus	Anorexia plus mania, insanity, fear of being poisoned. Could have pathological jealousy, over concern about weight and getting fat.
Hydrastis Canadensis:	It is recommended for jaundice and other diseases of the liver. It is an excellent remedy for loss of appetite in children. It also helps to improve the digestion. The tongue is coated. There may be fullness of stomach due to digestive disorder.
Ignatia	Perfectionism, fear of becoming fat, fear of rejection. Hysteria – loss of control of emotions, fainting. Etiology: grief or big disappointment, often related to weight.
Ipecacuanha:	It is the best remedy when there is nausea and vomiting. It helps in relieving the gallstone colic. This helps to improve the liver functioning by boosting up the energy.
Natrum mur.	Most often indicated remedy in anorexia, a lot of guilt. Fear of being rejected, hurt easily, very self conscious. Dry lips, emaciate, dry skin, constipated, loose appetite. Behind this is perfectionism and fear of becoming fat. Nat mur have more confidence.
Podophyllum Peltatum:	This homeopathic remedy is indicated when there is jaundice of liver along with constipation. There is extreme pain on the right side. Area on the right side may be sensitive to touch due to liver colic.
Phosphoric acid	Etiology: grief with loss of appetite with emaciation, pining away from loss of love, second stage they get indifferent to all emotions and food. Deadness inside (Sepia, Aurum met). Grief – anorexia than some chronic disease.
Platina met.	Obsessed with their appearance, fear of becoming fat. Very obsessive and impulsive personality, egocentric and arrogant, all tied up with their sexuality, religious mania.
Pulsatilla	Feeling of worthlessness, unloved, loneliness, fixed ideas about. Food especially certain foods are bad, than amount of foods that are bad grows, fear of gaining weight, pulsatilla’s gain weight easily, they can eat a pastry and swear they gained weight. Ignatia, Puls. and Nat. mur. are constantly weighing themselves. Scanty menses.
Sepia	Anorexia plus hormonal problems, nausea, sensitivity to smell. Disgust for food, worse since childbirth, hormones causes lack of appetite.
Stapysagria	Acute of Carcinosin, more visible, visibly upset. Carcinosin can control it more, Staph. may it more. Deep sense of worthlessness and depression, even suicidal. Humiliation, mortified, put down, criticized, zero confidence.
Tarentula	Mania could be religious mania. Underneath you have a fear of being poisoned. Obsessiveness about weight, very restless and hyper energy people, they do everything fast – talk, move.
Taraxacum:	This homeopathic remedy is recommended for liver obstruction. It helps to improve the digestion in children. It acts on the liver cells and helps in improving the functioning of the liver. It also helps in removal of the renal and gall stones.
Thuja occid.	Fear of being impure, dirty blood, anxiety about health, obsessed with idea of have to clean themselves out.
Veratrum alb.	Religious mania, loquacious, end of world is coming. Punish themselves, fast to appease god. Behind this you see guilt.