Can we talk about digestive enzymes?

[ilovedogs]

Lately, my 12 year old ds has been having some digestive issues and I've finally realized it's when he eats beef like cheeseburgers or meatball subs, etc. He gets really full and then has trouble eating for a few days and can't finish a meal. He also has been clearing his throat a lot and he's been drinking more cow's milk instead of the rice milk he used to take so I think I need to switch him back to rice or almond milk. And, on top of all that he also has been complaining about chest tightness, has allergies that are getting worse, and has trouble adapting to the heat(it was 95 here yesterday and he felt sick when he was outside). Anyway, I need to find a new doctor because our naturopath has expanded his practice and he's harder to get in with. I think I really need to find a DAN specialist, quite frankly, but my husband is fighting me on the cost. He just doesn't see the big picture. So, in the mean time I think ds might benefit from the use of enzymes. Any thoughts?

[ameecram]

My son has had many issues with throat clearing in the past, that has probably been the tic we have seen most of. We kept him off dairy for one year, and now we allow it maybe once a week. When we first had his allergies tested, both beef and milk tested positive, and I remember reading that some who test positive for milk can also test positive for beef. I can't really remember the exact details of it all. He has been on digestive enzymes for almost 2 years now, and takes them with every meal. He always drinks rice milk, so you may want to switch your son back to that strictly. We use Trienza as our enzyme and it has really helped. We also strictly keep him off gluten and soy. Whenever my son has his throat clearing tic, I think maybe too much dairy?? My son's tics are very much related to allergies, and he can go months without tics, but spring and summer are harder on him. Good luck!

[Chemar]

Hi Bonnie

 

we used Digest-ease from Vitamin Shoppe, which had a blend of fruit derived enzymes

 

Honestly, since my son went dairy and gluten (wheat) free for his Crohn's, he has seen his tics diminish to almost non existent

 

Be sure your son is getting enough B vits (we recently found a perfect complex that we can take without the digestive woes that others have caused....by Thorne research, available through iherb.com. Jarrow also makes one that is good and well tolerated)

 

Have you tried quercetin for the respiratory allergies? Highly recommended!

[ilovedogs]

Thanks for the recommendations ladies. Yes, Chemar, we've tried quercetin for over a year and didn't see any results. Actually, neither one of us did and I was using both a nasal spray and capsules while ds was just using the nasal spray. I'll look into the enzymes, though.

[ilovedogs]

Now he's having trouble with stomach problems right at bedtime. I have been resorting to Tums at bedtime and he only takes one, which usually takes care of the issue for him. He says he feels bloated but also hungry at the same time along with some nausea. I know that the enzymes will help with meals but what else can I do at night? I guess one Tums every night isn't that big of deal. I know parents who give Tums to their kids just to get them more calcium. Any thoughts?