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Is It a Behavioral Issue or an Appetite Problem ?
I had seen plenty of poor eaters in my practice, but this one had left me with no doubts that he was the worst amongst all. . With a history of bird’s appetite, this time he was breaking all records. It was nearly three days since he had taken a morsel. It looked as if he had taken recourse to some kind of Satyagraha. Any attempt to feed him forcefully would end up in a vomit. The young parents were nearly on the verge of a breakdown, when on the fourth day he ended his fast.
When kids don’t eat, why is it that they don’t eat? What makes them a poor eater?
The Eating disorders are complex disorders. It could be a simple behavioral disagreement to food or as some Research shows that its origins can have more than one reason – Biopsychosocial. A neurobiological brain disorder with a strong heritability component is also under investigation. Some individuals with eating disorders have an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remains under investigation. Behavioral disagreement occurs if the child is force-fed or over -fed.
When kids don’t eat, it can be very distressing for their parents, but is this disorder treatable?
Yes, but first it is important to understand the relationship between the child?s total family environment and his eating disorder. The individuality of each child is an important factor in assessing the most suitable approach for dealing with food refusal. It would simply be illustrated by a case that I treated without any medication. A child of two had developed a very obstinate food refusal. It was assessed that the disorder had no biological angle, but was a case of behavioral disagreement. The mother was feeding the child at an inappropriate time, seven thirty in the morning, as she had to leave for her job by eight, which had resulted in an overall refusal to food. A simple adjustment in the feeding time gave the desired results.
In another case a little one had developed disgust for food after her mother used harsh punishment for not finishing meals in time. Such a situations can become a psychological deterrent and the child may sub consciously develop a contempt for food.
Homoeopathic medicines are very helpful in treating eating disorders.. Antimonium Crudum, Lycopodium, Nux Vomica are a few of the important homoeopathic medicines. Antimonium crudum is very helpful for infants who vomit milk immediately after breast-feed. Some peculiar mind symptoms easily identify the child who requires this medicine along with a very weak appetite he is Cross and contradictive; whatever is done fails to give satisfaction. The little one is Sulky; does not wish to speak. Child cannot bear to be touched or looked and gets angry at every little attention.
Lycopodium has a very strange indication. Although the child may be very hungry, eating ever so little satiates him easily. Nux vomica is often an abused appetite stimulant. Nux should only be used only when it is indicated. It should not be used as an appetite panacea. Homoeopathic medicines should only be used with the advice of an expert homoeopath.
Eating disorder can result out of general ill health as in chronic disorders like asthma and recurrent coughs and colds, also at times a result of over or an improper medication. Such children need to be treated with a constitutional and holistic approach where the root cause is identified and remedied.
The child being referred as ?he? in the above feature is just a grammatical connotation. It does not favour any sex.
my baby three years old doesn’t want to eat rice; curry; etc. he doesn’t eat mothers milk. we are facing fatal problem. all day long he has no demand to eat anything. always he tells i will not eat i am not hungry. but he is very active and meritorious. now how we can enrich his appetite?
my grandson age 18 months weighying 8.9 kgs for 10 months. he takes feed only from his mother. he eats very little extra eatables. please suggest some medicines for his blowing nose due to cold. he has white spots on his which some doctors say are due to deficiency of calciam. pls. reply this maile at your earliest.
I am a U.S raised Indian working at a day care center in California with children from 14-24 months old. Non-Desi children LOVE to eat for the most part and will actually run to the tables in excitement when we announce the words snack time and lunch time. They can all self feed finger food by one year old and most can work a spoon quite well by 18 months. Yes, it’s a mess; about one third of the food ends in in their mouth, one third on the floor, and one third on their face but the end result is the enjoy eating and we clean up after them. Meal and snack time is the calmest part of the day as the children sit at the tables and gulp down their food in excitement. We do NOT force them to finish and accept the fact that some will finish all their food while others will finish one item and reject another item while others will eat a few mouthfuls of each item. But everyone eats something and every kid loves meal time because we let them have control over their food.
Indian parents force their kids to eat even if the kid says he’s full; this causes physical pain and makes the kid vomit resulting in food aversion. It saddens me when I go to a Desi party and see children have the totally opposite reaction to their food saying their not hungry, crying, and taking minutes to chew and gulp one mouthful that is handfed by parents. Non-Desi kids self feed completely by age 18 months and a common complaint among non-Desi parents is that the kids wake up at 6AM demanding breakfast. I believe Desi kids hate food because they associate food with force and pain as the parents make them eat. Non-Desi kids view eating as a pleasant sensory experience of picking up food and putting it into their tummies to satisfy their appetites.
my son is turning 17 months next week and he recently started by vomiting one night n next he had an active bowel movement for 4days,he would poop 4times a day.now today is day3 with him jus drinking water,eats a little cereal for breakfast and that is it for the day. Please Help.he cries so much.
my grandson is not taking food.he wommits food or milk taken. he is not much interested in taking food.he is 134 months old.kindly tell me homeo treatment for this problem.
Hey
My baby born in 28 weeks & now 16 month old.she is very fussy to eat & under 4th percentile her weight , so please suggest me what can I do or can I give any medicine . Did all investigation al came normal. So please suggest me.
My mother in law who is about 72 years old has suddenly developed loss of appetite. Due to this she is loosing weight and feeling very week. She even finds it difficult to stand and walk. Feeling sleepy all day but she do not feel to eat anything.
I am thinking to offer her nux vomica to see if things can be improved. Please advise.
Thanks.
Regards
Vinay
My child is five and half years boy .he drink milk 3 times a day about 600 ml per day.but not eat foods and fruit .some times he eats chips and half chapati but not daily.he never ask for food.he active in playing and study.so please sugest a good remedy to over come this problem day by day he is becoming very thin
Hi Doctor!
I have a 2 and half yr old kid who dose not like to chew his food. The only food he has properly is dal and rice because that he can sollow. As for chapati or any kind of fruit he will keep it in mouth for about 10-15 min (each bite) untill i scold and thereten him and force him to finish his bite. He dosent even finish 1 chapati at night.for 1 banana in evening it takes about an hour and there is no other fruit that he will eat.
If i make him drink one glass of milk at a time he pukes that along with a burp…I feal It takes me entire day to just fead him 3 times.
Please help.
Hi Doc,
Would require couple of advise from you, firstly for my daughter who is 16 years but is low weight and hight with little healthy diet apart from junk food we are worried about her. other then that she is very active and inteligent too.
Secondly, my spouse who is having excess fat on thigh and buttock area apart compare to upper body. heard about Natrum Mur kindly advise.
Thirdly, I have my tummy as only part of the body with excess fat and is giving a bad look and have heard about Calcarea Carbonica for this please suggest.
Regards
Jitendra.
Hi Doctor. My son is 16 months old and he does not want to ear solid at all. Otherwise he is very cheerful, but when we start to feed him, he starts to cry and resist strongly. Doctor had given Bestozyme syrup, but it does not work at all. what should we do ?
Hello Dr.
my baby 2 yars older she is not eating full day , in night give her bottle milk , not eating food rice ,fish , meat etc… i am in big problems now , if you have any medicine baby eat food plz. reply me
thanks
nazrul
Sir
I am 21 year old boy I don’t have any type of problems and diseases but my appetite is very poor I do exercise daily but there is no improvement in appetite please suggest me good advice I want to gain wait
Thanks and regards
Brijesh kumar
Hi Doc,
I am a mother of 20 month baby and having the same problem. He is having another peculiar habit of vomiting when he sees the food is being served or is fed with 1 or 2 spoons which thus led us to go for an endoscopy for GERD check based his pediatric suggestion. After the report came out that scenario also ruled out.
Medically he has no challenges but he is not interested in food. My problem is not only he eats less but also his throwing up. Please guide me.
Thanks in advance,
Deepti
Dear Doctor, Good a/noon.my grand son of 14 years old was a healthy and up to the 7 months he was having a good eating habit ever since he is not taking any solids, any force he spits out very little milk and a little ragi preparation in liquid form now he is surviving.some times he gets gas in stomach we tried all things but he is not eating can you suggest some thing for him doctor. With warm regards
a.m.raj
Dear Dr,
my 18 month old daughter is the most troublesome toddler ive ever seen. There’s nothing she will ever eat willingly. This has been the case ever since. Even her milk intake as an infant was very meagre. She is under weight n weighs only 9 kgs at 18 months. She is very active n runs n plsys, however as soon as she sees food, she starts to cry. Meal times are the most horrid experience for us all cause we have to literally hold her face n push the spoon into her mouth. Thtat too she spits it out. Be it cereals or anything edible, food is her worst enemy
please enlighten me on how to deal with her or what needs to be done
thank you
sir,my 2 year baby is underweight,only 9.30kg. .she dont like to eat anything.i forcefully let her eat something.what medicine can i give her and how much quantity?
sir,my 2 year baby is underweight,only 9.30kg. .she dont like to eat anything..what medicine can i give her and how much quantity?
Dear Dr.Sharma
My daughter is 25 months and doesn’t eat her meals properly. few days back sh would eat her meals properly without a fuss but after her cough and congestion she has stopped eating her food completely. i am really worried about this cos she is underweight she weighs about 10.700kgs.
also i wanted to ask that since she is underweight will it later cause any further physical development problems. could u also recommend any homeopathic medicine which can help her in increasing her appetite.
Hi,
My 18month son does not want to eat anything. If he take the food onsode his mouth, he sollow the food for long time and after that he used to spit the same.
Should i go with Antimonium Crudam? If yes then plese sugggest me about its doses.
Ajit Kumar Sharma