Question
How to address children’s spleen and stomach deficiency? The child has been suffering from spleen and stomach deficiency, with sticky, thick stools every day, 2-3 times a day, and poor digestion and absorption. What methods can be employed?
Answer
Children have different ages, diets, and defecation habits, which result in varying numbers of bowel movements per day. The nature of stools also differs depending on the feeding methods and methods for infants. For breastfed infants, normal stools are yellow or golden in appearance, uniform in consistency like cream, with a sweet-sour smell but no odor, without obvious mucus, and occasionally contain granular milk residue or are slightly green. They defecate 3-5 times a day, and some infants may defecate up to 6-7 times a day, but the amount each time is not much, and the shape is good. Their weight increases normally, and their nutritional status is excellent. This is not pathological and does not require any treatment. If an infant’s bowel movements suddenly increase from 1-2 times per day to 5-6 or more times a day, with more water content or containing indigestible food residues, it is necessary to seek medical attention at a hospital.