INDIGESTION/DYSPEPSIA FAQS

1. My child is having fever, what type of food will make him feel better?

Ayurved recommends the following for relieving the symptoms of fever in your child:

• Ginger is recommended as it lessens excess kapha and refurbishes agni. Other spices that help include cinnamon, liquorice, basil and cloves.
• Children with fever can have steaming vegetable soups, or steamed vegetables with little or no spices in them.
• Food that is difficult to digest such as cheese, yoghurt, milk, oily and spicy foods and sweets should be avoided.
• Vegetable Soup is recommended.
• Other food recommendations include whole grains and steamed vegetables and fewer meats, dairy products, oily foods, nuts, pastries and sweet fruit juices.

2. How to manage fever in babies?

One of first steps to managing a fever in a child is to keep them hydrated by giving them plenty of cool water to drink. Babies should be given plenty of liquids, such as breast milk or formula. Baby can be kept is a warm and comfortable environment. To treat fevers, Paracetamol is preferred, however, it should be given in a dosage recommended by Paediatrician.

Fever as a symptom of a more serious underlying condition should be identified and treated accordingly. Risky symptoms include shortness of breath, vomiting, loss of consciousness, fits or seizures, rashes etc. Seeing such symptoms you should immediately consult your doctor.

3. How do I know if my baby has diaper rash?

The typical presentation of diaper rash is –

• Diaper rash is generally red, tender-looking skin in the diaper region or at the genital region, buttocks and thighs of the baby
• The baby might be irritable and uncomfortable especially during diaper changes. A baby with a diaper rash often cries when the diaper area is washed or touched.
• In severe cases of diaper rash that may be a symptom of something more serious there may be other symptoms such as itchy, bleeding or oozing lesions. There may be burning or pain with urination or a bowel movement. There may be a fever in the child.

4. What is causing my baby diaper rash?

Diaper rash can be due to several reasons. Some of these include –

• Irritation from stool and urine over the sensitive baby’s skin.Delays in changing diapers or frequent bowel movements or diarrhoea can lead to a more propensity to diaper rash. This is because faeces are more irritating than urine
• Chafing or rubbing due to tight fitting nappies or diapers can rub against the skin and can lead to a rash
• Irritation from a new product or allergies. The baby’s skin may react to baby wipes, disposable diapers, or a detergent, bleach or fabric softener used for cloth diapers or to baby lotions, powders and oils
• Bacterial or yeast infections may cause the rash. The area covered by the diaper is warm and moist and thus acts as a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. These rashes can be found within the creases of the skin.
• Diaper rash can occur after introduction of new foods. New foods change the pH and contents of the stool that increases the likelihood of diaper rash. If the baby is breast-fed, he or she may develop diaper rash in response to something the mother has eaten.
• Babies with skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis or seborrheic dermatitis (eczema), may be more likely to develop diaper rash
• Use of antibiotics raise the risk of diaper rash

5. What can I do to manage diaper rash?

Ayurveda recommends following tips to better manage diaper rash in your baby:

• Keeping diaper area clean and dry.
• Certain products, such as petroleum jelly work well to protect the skin from moisture. These can be applied after the region is cleaned and dried
• Increasing airflow by exposing the diaper region. The baby may be allowed to go without a diaper and ointment for short periods of time, perhaps three times a day for 10 minutes each time, such as during naps
• Avoiding tight fitting plastic pants and diaper covers
• Until the rash clears up, giving the baby a bath daily. Warm water is to be used with mild, fragrance-free soap
• Cocoa butter, coconut oil or olive oil can help

6. My baby cries for long, what could be the reason?

The excessive, frequent crying in a baby who appears to be otherwise healthy could be due to colic. This is seen in at least one in five babies.Colic tends to begin when a baby is a few weeks old and normally stops by four months of age. At the latest it is gone by six months. Colicky babies are usually fussy and difficult to calm.

In Ayurveda, pain in and around the navel is called colic. It is generally associated with constipation. In infants the digestive fire (Agni) is supposed to be low (mand). This means that they cannot digest everything that is eaten by the mother or the formula food that is given to them. Thus the mother has to be very careful about what she eats while she is breastfeeding.

Colic is usually caused by the distended gas that an infant has swallowed while feeding. It is suggested that the digestive system of the baby is still growing so it may lead to muscle spasms. Colic also develops due to hormonal changes or due to sensitivity to foods or to light and noise.

7. What can I do to avoid excessive crying in my baby?

Some of the tips to prevent and ease colic include –

• Feeding the baby correctly to reduce gas ingestion
• Burping the baby after meals eliminates the ingested gas and eases the colic
• Mother should not panic and try to manage the handle the baby calmly.
• Some babies seem to be soothed by rhythmic, steady movements, like rocking gently or by gentle sounds
• Baby massages and worm baths also help ease the colic

8. My child regularly catches cough and cold, what diet I can give him to prevent from this?

Diet is a major part of building up immunity. Good immunity can be built up according to Ayurveda by several means –

• Taking rejuvenating foods such as chyavanprash, khushmanda, Ashvagandha avaleham, swamala compound etc.
• Taking adequate amounts of water. It is recommended that at least 1.5 litres of water is to be taken daily. Taking water on an empty stomach in the morning also helps build immunity.
• Some foods and remedies include betel leaf, honey, pepper corns, tulsi, ginger, gur or jaggery, cloves etc. help 

9. My child has ear pain. What diet can I give him?

Ayurveda suggests that imbalance between the doshas cause ear pain and ear infections like otitits media. In every kind of ear infection there will be a kind of discharge (mucus that is produced from the virulence of the infection). A kapha-reducing diet is helpful in removing this mucus during the infection itself, and can expedite the healing.

• Give fresh, well-cooked, easy digestable food.
• Barley, in light preparations such as in soup, crackers, unleavened bread is recommended as is rye in crackers.
• Oats cooked with water to make a light porridge and steamed or boiled millets also help.
• Wheat, in crackers, biscuits with low fat and sugar, toasted light bread, unleavened flat breads (chapati), couscous, semolina helps.
• Frying the rice in a pan without oil, then steam or boil it into a soup helps.
• Green or yellow mung beans or red lentils (dal) are recommended.
• Vegetables should be well-cooked, and prepared with large quantities of water.
• Green, leafy vegetables, white pumpkin, asparagus, artichoke, cabbage, zucchini, eggplant (peeled), celery (not the root), carrots (in small amounts), spinach, chicory, tomato (peeled) and tender white radish (prepared in oil), green papaya are recommended.
• Low fat milk, goat’s milk, buttermilk, yogurt mixed with water 1:1 (lassi, or Ayurvedic buttermilk), small amounts of clarified butter (ghee) are recommended.
• Fruits should be sweet, ripe and in season: grapes, pomegranates, papayas, figs, apples (peeled), guava. The juice of these fruits is also good. Raisins are fine in small amounts, if presoaked and chewed well.

10. What are the causes of indigestion in children?

Indigestion has many possible causes. Some of the common causes include –

• Overeating or eating too quickly
• Eating heavy meals
• Taking too much fatty or greasy or spicy foods
• Anxiety
• Excess of carbonated or fizzy drinks
• Having some antibiotics, or iron supplements
• Gastritis
• Peptic ulcers
• Constipation
• Celiac disease
• Gallstones