How to Care For Chronic Constipation Naturally

Chronic constipation affects about 30% of children and tends to worsen during the preschool and toddler years. Contrary to common belief, kids do not simply outgrow constipation; they often develop other digestive issues later in life.

If you’ve already tried prebiotics, probiotics, prune juice, pureed prunes, and other natural remedies without success, this guide is for you. Even if you’ve resorted to over-the-counter or prescription medications like Miralax—which often come with side effects such as behavior issues and meltdowns—and are still seeking a natural, drug-free option, keep reading.

As a neurologically focused pediatric chiropractor, I want to share the number one missing link found in over 80% of children with constipation who visit our clinic. Please share this information with other parents who may be struggling with constipation in their children, as it could help their little ones too.

The Root Causes of Chronic Constipation

Our clinic doesn't just treat symptoms with medications like traditional pediatricians. Instead, we address the root cause by working closely with the nervous system. Chronic constipation may appear to be a gut issue related to diet and nutrition. If you’ve already tried nutritional changes, supplements, and probiotics, you’re on the right track! But if your child is still struggling with constipation, it’s time to consider neurology and science.

Through a real-life case study, I’ll explain how neurologically focused chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate constipation in children. Our natural, drug-free approach focuses on the nervous system to tackle the root of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms.

Chronic constipation in children is rarely caused by a single factor. Multiple stressors can impact the child's nervous system and body early in life, including stress during pregnancy, delivery interventions such as C-sections, forceps, or vacuum, and exposure to environmental toxins. This stress can cause the nervous system, or neuro-digestive system, to slow down and become constipated. So, if you’ve struggled to identify the exact cause of your child’s constipation, it’s usually a combination of factors.

Stress on the Nervous System Affects Digestive Motility

Most patients try to address chronic constipation through nutrition and supplements. However, the root cause often stems from stress on the nervous system, known in chiropractic care as subluxation, which means stress stuck on. The sympathetic fight-or-flight side of the nervous system, which we call the gas pedal, can cause various issues when it gets stuck on, including constipation, ADHD, anxiety, and sensory issues. Many patients who struggle with these issues later in life also experienced constipation as children.

When the nervous system is stressed, it steals energy from the gut, slowing down digestive motility and leading to neurogenic constipation. In our clinic, four out of five cases of constipation are neurogenic, caused by stress on the nervous system. We can usually determine this by reviewing the child’s case history, seeing if the family has tried everything else, and measuring the stress, or subluxation, on the nervous system using our INSiGHT scans.

Juniper’s Story of Hope

One example of chiropractic care helping with chronic constipation is the case of a baby named Juniper. At just five or six months old, Juniper was going days without pooping. Her diligent mom had tried everything, from probiotics to dietary changes. However, after seeking chiropractic care, Juniper’s constipation improved significantly.

I’m going to delve into Juniper’s first neurothermal scan, a technology we use to measure stress on the nervous system. The neurothermal scan allows us to quantify and locate stress, identifying subluxations or misalignments in the spine. Juniper’s first scan revealed two significant subluxations: one at the top of her spine in the brain stem or upper cervical area (C1-C2, Atlas, and Axis), and another in the mid-spine at T5-T6.

When the upper cervical area is subluxated and stressed, the vagus nerve—the "rest and digest" nerve crucial for digestion—is most affected. This nerve starts in the cervical spine and extends down to the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and diaphragm, regulating heart rate and breathing while enhancing digestion. In Juniper’s case, subluxations in the upper area were blocking the vagus nerve’s proper function, causing her constipation.

The second subluxation was in the mid-neuro gastric stomach area, responsible for getting food digested into the top and middle portions of her digestive system. If food isn’t properly broken down in the initial stages, it can’t be eliminated later, leading to constipation.

Although this didn’t appear in Juniper’s scan, it’s common for children with chronic constipation to have significant subluxations around the sacrum. The sacrum houses another plexus of parasympathetic, or "rest and digest," nerves. Many children we see in our clinic have both upper and middle subluxations similar to Juniper’s, along with lower subluxations.

How to Care For Chronic Constipation Naturally

Chiropractic care doesn’t aim to treat or cure constipation directly. Instead, we focus on caring for the nervous system by removing stress and subluxation through gentle, easy Neuro-Tonal adjustments. This helps relax the nervous system and improve the tone and coordination of the neuromuscular system, which is essential in cases of neurogenic constipation—the most common type.

While factors like poor nutrition and excessive toxins contribute to chronic constipation, many families are already making positive changes in these areas by incorporating good foods and supplements while limiting or eliminating toxins. However, subluxation can still occur during pregnancy, delivery, and early life stages, making neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractic care crucial.

To learn more about natural care for constipation, please read this article. We encourage you to share this information with other families who might benefit. If you’re ready to explore pediatric chiropractic care and the role of subluxation in digestive motility, please contact us to schedule an appointment! We can provide customized adjustments tailored to your child’s specific needs, leading to better gut health, improved immune system, sleep, and motor tone.

We want to help families find answers to their chronic constipation concerns before resorting to heavy medications with potentially harmful side effects.