Encouraging your child to make simple dietary changes — such as eating more fiber-rich fruits and vegetables and drinking more water — can go a long way toward alleviating constipation. If your child’s doctor approves, it may be possible to treat a child’s constipation with laxatives.

Constipation is very common and the most common cause of it is functional. Meaning you absorb the water too fast in the bowel and push your contents of the bowel out too slowly. The main constipation treatment is related to the diet and the belief is that most of the time constipation is caused by a diet that is insufficient in fibre. 

Often seeing a local family physician for a referral to a Psychiatrist, psychologist or a councilor    in conjunction with a registered dietitian  is a great option to take control of this condition. Smart Food Now and exercise is also optominal for overall health.    

In addition, water or fluid consumption is very critical and so is physical activity, especially for older people. If you do not move, nothing moves well as they say! In the minority of cases there is an underlying cause of constipation, so it’s important to visit your physician for an assessment if you’re suffering from chronic constipation.

If you have questions about constipation causes, contact your local Family physician or gastroenterologist.

Presenter: Dr. David Israel, Pediatrician, Vancouver, BC

Now Health Network Local Practitioners: Pediatrician

Constipation is more difficult to treat when the child has changes in behavior because of pain and because of soiling. It does take much longer to treat. Usually, the treatment of chronic constipation takes a lifetime. For children with soiling or stool withholding, we have different treatment stages. To get them to the point that they have a more simple problem, one can cut three or four phases into management of those children.

Since constipation treatment is a long-term process, clearly one needs more than one player and I think that it works well when we have a team. And, the team would be the patient and the child first, and then the dietitian and the Family Physician 
There is no cure for chronic constipation. So, I think that having a team approach including the child or the patient within the team and going through the different treatment stages and empowering the family to feel free and safe in managing the plan is very important.

If you have questions about long term constipation in children, contact a local pediatrician or gastroenterologist.

Presenter: Dr. David Israel, Pediatrician, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Pediatrician

The diagnosis of constipation mostly relies on the patient's history and the physical examination. Many people wouldn't know whether they are constipated or not, and it's more difficult for a parent to know how constipated a child is. This is where a good history with a family physician can help. A physical examination is usually an abdominal exam, which is putting the hands on the abdomen. With the patient's history and a good physical examination, very little else is needed.

These can be very inaccurate and often lead to mismanagement and misunderstanding, so they should be utilized by your family physician only after a thorough exam and history. If you have questions about the constipation diagnosis, contact your local physician or gastroenterologist.

Presenter: Dr. David Israel, Pediatrician, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Pediatrician