Using Natural Remedies to Help Your Child to Stop Wetting the Bed

Wetting the bed is not just a phase that your child "has to go through". While some children rarely wet the bed, other children wake up with wet sheets regularly. If your child does wet the bed, you know the frustration he or she feels; let alone the extra washing you have to do. Don't just let the situation go on. While your child may eventually "grow out of" wetting the bed, there are natural remedies you can use that can help to solve the problem.

Before you try any of the other remedies that may work, you need to know why children will sometimes wet the bed. When you sleep, your breathing will naturally slow down, until the body's carbon dioxide levels rise high enough to trigger a sudden shudder, which is called the phrenic reflex. You will then naturally take a deep breath and start breathing normally again. However, if the phrenic reflex does not work properly, either because it is underdeveloped, or blocked by a vertebral misalignment, the high level of carbon dioxide in the blood will make the smooth muscles of the body, including the valve at the end of the urinary bladder to relax. This will cause your child to wet the bed involuntarily with any fluid in the bladder.

Once you understand why children will sometimes wet the bed, you can try several different remedies. If the phrenic reflex, which is also a spinal reflex, is not yet matured, your child may well grow out of the phase when that section of the body develops. On the other hand, a vertebral subluxation - or spinal misalignment - may cause an obstruction of this nerve, and affect the function of the bladder. Only a qualified chiropractor will be able to assess whether this is the problem. Therefore, by consulting a qualified chiropractor your child may be able to overcome this embarrassing issue.

As your child continues to grow and develop, any subluxaton will put pressure on the spine and keep it from making the correct responses as your child sleeps. This is why some children do not grow out of wetting the bed. If your child wets the bed regularly, it is definitely worth having your child checked by a chiropractor. A chiropractor will be able to diagnose if there is a subluxation causing problems for your child's spine. If this is the problem, the chiropractor can make gentle adjustments to the spine that can help straighten your child's spine and possibly prevent other childhood health problems, including wetting the bed.

Consulting a chiropractor could be the first step in designing an all-natural health treatment for your child to help him or her to stop wetting the bed. Although it may take several sessions over a few weeks with the chiropractor to stop the bed wetting episodes completely, you can use other natural remedies in the meantime that can reduce the chances of an episode.

Some of the best natural remedies for helping a child to stop wetting the bed include:

• Give your child two walnut halves and a teaspoon of raisins before retiring to bed;


• Stop your child drinking water or fluids two to four hours before bedtime to reduce the amount of fluid available in the bladder;


• Provide a stress-free environment or counselling to help your child learn how to cope with stresses;


• Try to avoid all caffeine and dairy products (natural diuretics), so avoid all colas, milks, and chocolates, especially before bedtime;


• Avoid preservatives in the diet, as some preservatives and artificial colours can act as diuretics.


• Encourage your child to go to the toilet and stay there until passing urine to empty the bladder before going to bed;


• Try adding the following herbs to foods or create a tea by steeping the herbs in boiling water that the child can drink when the mixture cools (just not immediately before bed): wormwood, cinnamon bark, lycopodium, bearberry, horsetail, and lemon balm; or


• Feed your child with green leafy vegetables, parsley, and brown rice, as these are all high in fibre and may help to prevent your child wetting the bed.

Using these natural remedies in conjunction with a course of specific chiropractic treatments could solve the problem of bedwetting for your child forever. Why wait until your child "grows" out of the problem, especially as your child will suffer mental anguish related to his or her inability to stop wetting the bed in the meantime? Consult your chiropractor about your child's bedwetting problem and you will have taken the first step towards achieving dry nights using natural therapies.

By Dr Maria Ananakis (Chiropractor)