homeopathic remedies + virgin gut

[Boot]

my 4 month old is teething I think. She is ebf. Will homeopathic remedies mess up her virgin gut? I'm thinking particularly of boiron camilia which is water based. Thoughts?

[memz]

[linchi]

I just started using it this week and I think it's great. I tasted it and I prefer it to other pellet remedies as it's not sweetened.

[Boot]

Well, I went ahead and used it. It's basically only purified water so I decided I was over-thinking things as usual. I can't say it seemed to help much but at least I tried something for her. I'm still interested to know whether to avoid other remedies with more ingredients. Anyone got any links?

[angelachristin]

I used the purified water Boiron ones only until she started solids around 7 months. I'm not sure of the exact answer on that but for me I felt more comfortable holding off on the lactose-based sweetened ones until she started solids, in the interest of virgin gut.

[Bokonon]

From KellyMom:
Gripe water, fennel tea or other herbal remedies
Herbal remedies have been used for gassy babies for a countless number of years. I prefer to avoid using herbal remedies for gas in young babies. Here are my reasons:

In a healthy baby, anything other than breastmilk is more likely to cause problems rather than solve them.
Giving baby substances other than breastmilk can alter the intestinal flora and reduce the protective qualities of exclusive breastfeeding, thus making baby more susceptable to illness and allergies. See Why Delay Solids? for more on this.
Many of these products contain mixtures of herbs or other substances, thus putting baby more at risk for adverse reactions. Some contain alcohol, so read labels very carefully.
Most of these products have not been tested in infants for safety or effectiveness.
It is more effective to look at treating the causes, rather than simply trying to treat the symptoms.
Note: Star anise has been associated with illness ranging from serious neurological effects, such as seizures, to vomiting, jitteriness and rapid eye movement.

Mint tea is sometimes used for gas and gas pains. Peppermint oil and tea can be dangerous if given directly to babies. Large amounts of peppermint or spearmint are known to decrease milk supply, and mint tea is traditionally used for decreasing milk supply - breastfeeding mothers should avoid drinking mint tea regularly or in large amounts.
Simethicone drops (Mylicon, Ovol)
This medication is considered quite safe, as it is not absorbed by the body. It breaks down bubbles of gas trapped in the stomach and the intestines. Whether this treatment is effective is a different story, however. In clinical trials, simethicone drops have been shown to be effective in reducing the total amount of gas passed. However, they have not been shown to be more effective than a placebo when the study focused on baby's total crying time and the severity of colic-like episodes.

Garrison MM, Christakis DA. A Systematic Review of Treatment for Infant Colic. Pediatrics. 2000;106(1):184-190.
Lucassen PL, et al. Effectiveness of treatments for infantile colic: systematic review. BMJ 1998 May 23;316(7144):1563-9.
Metcalf TJ, Irons TG, Sher LD, Young PC. Simethicone in the treatment of infant colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Pediatrics 1994 Jul;94(1):29-34.
Sferra TJ, Heitlinger LA. Gastrointestinal gas formation and infantile colic. Pediatr Clin North Am 1996 Apr;43(2):489-510.
Simethicone Is No More Efficacious Than Placebo for Infant Colic from the Evidence-Based Pediatrics Web Site
Pharmacology information on Simethicone from FamilyPracticeNotebook.com
Colic by Prashant G Deshpande, MD

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html

[Boot]

Thanks for the link but it doesn't refer to homeopathy specifically. There is something about homeopathic remedies for teething here but I think it is assuming that the baby is older than 6 months.

[linchi]

Well, I'm not worried about homeopathic remedies as I know the very first thing my son got right after delivery was a dose of arnica. This was in France.

[2boyzmama]

I don't know how it effects a virgin gut, but I was worried enough about it that I didn't use anything. My two older kids have food allergies, and I wanted to keep this guy's virgin gut for as long as possible, so I didn't give him anything.