The fact that the intestinal microflora is extremely important for the body is known to any doctor. Bifidobacteria promote the absorption of calcium, iron, vitamin B; they do not tolerate harmful microbes from the lower intestine to the upper; participate in chemical reactions that are important for the health of the baby. If the bifidobacteria is not enough, the baby develops a complex of protein-mineral-vitamin deficiency. This is manifested in slowing growth, in problems with the skin, nails, hair. Immunity falls, the baby has problems with digestion. Lactobacilli neutralize harmful bacteria. If they are not enough, the child violates the motility of the intestines, constipation occurs, immunity decreases. There are other components of normal intestinal flora that play an important role in the synthesis of nutrients from food and the withdrawal of unnecessary from the body. And there are bacteria that do not perform such useful functions, but begin to colonize the intestines, if there are not enough useful bacteria, in this case, you feel bad, unpleasant symptoms of digestive disorders appear.
Where do bacteria come from in the intestines of the baby? Passing through the birth canal, the crumb gets a set of mother's bacteria - both useful and not very much, especially if the mother has diseases that have disrupted her own microflora. When the baby is put to the chest, useful bacteria and other substances from the mother's colostrum come to his digestive tract. When contacting medical personnel, furnishings, etc., he gets a lot of bacteria, mostly not the most useful for health, but this is life. So what allows the crumb to resist the onslaught of harmful bacteria? First of all, breastfeeding. In the first feeding, which ideally should occur within 30 minutes after birth, the crumb gets a lactic acid flora from the mother's nipples and from the colostrum. In the first 7 days after delivery in colostrum, there is everything necessary for colonization of the gastrointestinal tract of crumbs with a useful flora. The longer the first feeding is postponed, the less often the baby is fed with milk, the more he receives artificial nutrition, the harder it is to form the correct flora.
Reasonable approach
If you analyze the dysbacteriosis - bacteria in the intestines of the baby, it can be seen that the crumbs have less useful bacteria and more harmful ones. Usually this leads to problems with stools, abdominal pain, and in a neglected state, all the metabolism suffers: the baby grows poorly, it has little energy, the skin is dry, the hair and nails are weak. Such a child is whimsical , inactive, anxious. There is a problem, however, we recall: many modern doctors consider dysbacteriosis not an independent disease, but a syndrome.
How do doctors find flaws? Usually, they act on the principle of "fighting the enemy." At the first stage, the child is given antibacterial drugs and bacteriophages that must kill the proliferating harmful bacteria.In the second stage, sorbents are actively absorbing harmful substances in the intestine to "cleanse the site" for beneficial bacteria. In the third stage, drugs containing beneficial bacteria are recommended. All this looks quite logical, when it comes to laboratory capacity, but when the same strategy is applied to a small child, it can lead to additional problems. And in particular, to an even greater imbalance of flora in the body, to allergies and various problems with immunity.
Worse, often doctors believe: the more potent antibiotic therapy, the more reliable. And this can give an extremely negative result. How else can one approach the problem of dysbiosis - bacteria in the intestines of a baby?
Alternative?
First of all, understand that this is not a local bowel disease, which can be easily eliminated. This is a complex problem in which the entire body is involved. Moreover, the flora of the intestine is variable and adapts well to harmful effects. For example, if you take the test, when the baby is sick with ARI, has transferred some time ago poisoning, received as a complementary food a new product that he could not cope with, the results may look frightening. However, if you do not panic, but just keep crumbs on a diet (or breast milk without complementary foods), then the flora can normalize itself and the analysis will be better in a week.
It is important to assess the condition of the baby as a whole. A competent pediatrician and immunologist does not just look at the indicators of the analysis, but observes the crumbs, studies the family history, the history of childbirth, the baby's diet. Simply put, it regards its organism as an integral system.
We treat on the principle of "do no harm." First of all, the doctor normalizes the diet of mother and baby, and also gives recommendations that relate to the way of life in general.It is known that physical activity, gymnastics, tempering stimulate immunity in general and affect the flora in particular.
It is also important to consider a strategy for treating a baby with colds, viral infections - that is, discuss with the doctor all that directly or indirectly affects the flora of the crumbs. Then you can proceed to treatment.
1. One of the methods is homeopathic. The homoeopathic physician assesses the symptoms of crumbs as a whole, takes into account the characteristics of his body as a single well-coordinated mechanism and is indirectly interested in the results of the analysis. The baby is picked up an individual drug that stimulates his immune system.
2. Another method: without the use of bacteriophages, remove part of the colonies of harmful bacteria with a sorbent and then assign a course of beneficial bacteria. This method is very effective.
3. The third method is the introduction into food of preparations containing useful bacteria. It should be used in infants, whose flora is easily restored by natural feeding. In a word, one should consider the flora of the intestine as part of the body of the crumbs and act cautiously. So it is more likely to restore the intestine and metabolize without aggressive therapy.