One of my kiddos struggled with constipation from the day she started eating solids. Sadly, we had been to her pediatrician at least 4 times for constipation. On top of that, we paid $500 out of pocket to see a so-called “GI specialist.” That specialist didn’t even looked at her. He just rattled off, “Come back if she doesn’t outgrow it in a year.” A year?! You’ve got to be kidding me. This kid was in such pain when it was time to go. It was excruciating for her, and I felt her pain vicariously.
When she was 18 months old, she had a particularly painful bowel movement. With all the pain, strain, and crying, she was so exhausted that she went limp and feel asleep in my arms when it was finally over. I remember lying on the floor in the middle of the room, tears in my eyes too, awkwardly holding her how she had fallen asleep because I knew she needed that recovery rest, and I couldn’t stand to wake her.
I’m sad to say, we gave that baby Miralax daily from about 6 months to 18 months old. I’m careful not to feel guilty – we did the best we could with the knowledge we had. Countless “experts” had recommended Miralax despite the bottle itself warning not to give it to children or use it long term. At the time, I was not aware of any other option. I know there are many people and parents out there in the same situation now, thinking they have no choice other than Miralax.
Fast forward several years later. After much trial and error struggling with my own gut imbalance and constipation, I have a much better solution to recommend. Instead of a man-made, petroleum-based product that we all intuitively know doesn’t belong in our bodies; Magnesium Glycinate is a very healthy stool softener PLUS a nutrient that our bodies very much need and our food supply is being depleted of.
Benefits of Magnesium Glycinate
Approximately half of us are deficient in magnesium because the standard diet in the United States only contains about 50% of the magnesium we need.*
Supplementing with Magnesium Glycinate has all these benefits:
- Helps with sleep disorders
- Helps with muscle pain and tension
- Supports health of blood vessels
- Helps calm the adrenals
- Helps cleanse liver and intestinal tract
- Helps with neurological symptoms (Miralax frequently causes neurological disorders. Isn’t it miraculous there’s an option that not only doesn’t cause neurological issues, but helps heal them!)
- Calms liver spasms and agitation
According to WebMD, “Adults who get less than the recommended amount of magnesium are more likely to have high levels of inflammation markers. Inflammation has been associated with major health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers….
There’s some evidence that eating foods high in magnesium and other minerals can help prevent high blood pressure in people with prehypertension.
Doctors prescribe intravenous or injected magnesium to treat other conditions, such as eclampsia during pregnancy and severe asthma attacks. Magnesium is also the main ingredient in many antacids and laxatives.”
Risks of Miralax
According to Healio.com, “[MiraLAX] has been the focus of significant parental apprehension due to concerns that its active ingredient, polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350), may be linked to tremors, tics, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and aggression in children following its use.”
There are at least three large Parents Against Miralax groups on Facebook with upwards of 122,000 members. If we can avoid what they’ve experienced simply by choosing Magnesium Glycinate instead, why wouldn’t we?
Read more about Magnesium Glycinate on the Medical Medium website here
Which specific brands/products to buy
Remember when purchasing supplements, brand/quality makes ALL the difference as to whether it’s helpful or harmful and whether you’ll see improvements or not.
VIMERGY
I often recommend VIMERGY-brand supplements, and this is one of those times. VIMERGY supplements are vegan and gluten free. They are formulated with pure, potent ingredients – no GMOs, artificial colors or dyes, or unnecessary fillers. Their Mag Glycinate supplement includes ginger and turmeric to help your body easily digest it without any stomach upset.
Pure Encapsulations
While I don’t recommend all Pure Encapsulations products, their Magnesium Glycinate is one that I do. It has all the benefits listed above: vegan, gluten free, pure and potent ingredients. It’s free from common allergens, unnecessary binders, fillers, preservatives, and GMOs. Unlike VIMERGY, it does not have the added ginger and turmeric to help your stomach, but it is a bit more budget-friendly.
Give it to your kids in juice
Magnesium glycinate is safe for both children and adults. Ideally, take it before bed if you’re looking to have it help lull you or your kids to sleep. (Note: If nighttime is difficult for your routine, earlier in the day is fine. It will not cause anyone to fall asleep.)
For children, open the capsule and mix it into juice (100% juice with no added sugar or other ingredients, ideally organic). if your kids are adept at sniffing out anything unusual in their drinks, opt for the Pure Encapsulations version, instead of VIMERGY.
Don’t be afraid of juice! The sugars in “100% juice with no added sugar” are not the kind you have to worry about. They’re glucose which is what fuels all the systems in our bodies. One to one-and-a-half glasses of high-quality juice per day can be good for them, and you!
How to discover the ideal dose for your unique bodies
Using self-kinesiology, you can determine the exact supplements and dosages you and your children need. I would love to teach you how to do this – it can be surprisingly easy and incredibly life-changing! Just shoot me a note at lindsey@superhumanhealing.org to let me know you’re interested.
Still constipated?
There is so much more we can do to support you and/or your child. For individualized help, email me at lindsey@superhumanhealing.org. We will access my and your inner wisdom to find the optimal solution for you personally, and you will have success!
Please note I will receive a small chunk of change for purchases from this page, but it will never be my motivation. Helping others heal is what drives me. I use my experience and intuition to identify and actively seek out the products and services that I believe in, that I know work, and that I recommend from conscious companies that I trust. Never the other way around.
Reference:
*Researchers find low magnesium levels make vitamin D ineffective (news release) Chicago, Ill. Feb, 28, 2018. EurekAlert! Accessed July 27, 2020
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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