It's Not All the Same

Today, I am going to use the Blog to advance my readers education. I recently found out that there are different kinds of starvation and malnutrition. I don't think this is even covered in pharmacy school in developed nations, so I've had to plead ignorance until recently.

Cristina, like a good number of our babies at Casa Jackson, came to us very underweight for her age. She had "pocket gopher cheeks," a very swollen tummy and feet, and matchstick legs. This is a condition known as Kwashiorkor. The funny name means "the disease an older baby gets when the new baby comes."

Typically, this is when kids in poor countries are weaned from the breast and put on a diet of mostly carbohydrates. The symptoms are caused by an almost total lack of proteins and trace elements, often coupled with exposure to some type of grain fungus. It causes irritability, anorexia, liver failure and death. Doh, enter Casa Jackson.


At CJ, the nutritionist prescribes a reintroduction of protein, along with supplemental trace elements. I have sometimes heard volunteers at CJ complain that some babes are "still hungry" after finishing their meals. This is because of the SLOW reintroduction of proteins, along with moderate carbohydrates necessary to achieve a healthy liver. Taxing the liver too much in the early days of recovery will put the child in liver failure.

Here is an early picture of Alberto. He was starving from a total lack of nutrients. He was

very thin and frail, unable to sit or even lift his head when he arrived. Babies like this often have trouble keeping ANY food down. Beto made several trips to the hospital for diarrhea, vomiting etc, before we got him on the road to recovery.


Other babies we care for are twins and premies. Some lack the ability to suck because they were born too soon. These babies have to be coaxed with a dropper, then gradually fed tiny amounts with a bottle several times a day.


Lastly, there are babies with physical disabilities. I am sure you have noticed little Enmanuel who has Down's Syndrome. We've also taken care of Sylvan who had a collapsed breastbone, and lots of babies with asthma like problems that made eating difficult.


It doesn't take long for the appetite and the diet to balance out, and that's when we seen the irritability subside and little personalities emerge. As the swollen tummies and feet resolve, LOTS of CJ kids learn to walk while recovering. That is a great perk for us. I hope the parents don't mild too much.

 Have a great week in Blogland. I am thinking of you.
Love, Noanie/Joanne