Parents Write:
Feingold and Bedwetting

Since this is an understandably sensitive subject,
names have been omitted in the following stories.

Bedwetting Triggers While food additives and/or salicylates are frequent triggers, others can be very individual. Some parents say milk is a big offender. One mother reported she had tracked down the culprit, which turned out to be pesticides. Apple juice made with fruit which had been sprayed resulted in a wet bed, while organic juice did not. After several trials, all yielding the same result, she was convinced.

1. A mom of an 8-year-old writes:

   Our son did not want to be on the Feingold diet. He felt sorry for himself and made remarks that he was being cheated.

   As he realized that his father and I were dedicated to this diet and the help it could bring him, he slowly began to show less defiance. Of course, sticking with the diet resulted in improved behavior, and this helped to make our point clear.

   But the biggest benefit it brought him personally is the fact that now he no longer wets the bed.

   Being 8 years old with no friends, in trouble at school, working on Mom and Dad's nerves at home, bullying his little brother, being loud and obnoxious, were no small problems to deal with. But he has always considered the bedwetting to be the worst of his problems. He had even reached the point where he was having problems staying dry during the day. This always happened on high stress days.

   A check-up by our doctor identified nothing physically abnormal with his urinary tract. The doctor then gave us medication and a booklet to try to build his bladder's holding capacity. This was no help; in fact, it made the problem worse. (It's interesting to note the medication was bright red.)

   Now, however, our son can go camping with the scouts, or stay overnight at the home of a friend. He no longer complains about the diet, and he certainly doesn't feel deprived.

2. A mom from Colorado writes:

   Dear FAUS, Thanks for your help! In only 5 days my six year old son seems to be improving not only in behavior, but also has stopped wetting the bed - which was an every night occurrence!

   I had suspected a correlation between certain foods and his abnormal aggressive behavior because of the immediacy of the reaction, but had been told for years that I was an overly conscientious mother. And the allergist could find no reaction to the skin tests.

   I made it my New Year's resolution to get to the bottom of my child's problem, for his sake, before his problems at school and with friends became irreversible.

   I remembered reading about the Feingold Diet in Prevention Magazine years ago, but when I had asked my pediatrician about more information he had the usual skepticism of the medical profession.

   So I found some of the books on my own and like I said, have already seen positive results.

3. A delighted mom in Saskatchewan, Canada, wrote:

   I have a 4 year old boy who is currently on the Feingold Diet. At the age of 3 1/2 years, my son was not totally toilet trained and very active.

   After consulting with my family doctor, a pediatrician and a child psychologist, I decided to put him on the Dr. Feingold Diet. The first positive effect I noticed was he became totally toilet trained (day and night) within 1-1/2 weeks. Then he became quite calmer and was not going "haywire" all the time.

4. A letter from New Zealand:

   The Wellington Hyperactivity Association in New Zealand received this letter from a grateful parent:

   My younger son, just 11, has been on the Feingold diet for 8 months. I was very skeptical about the diet, as he had been on drug therapy, which was effective for a while. I didn't know if I had the patience to persevere with the diet as I have 5 children aged from 4 to 16. However, I love my son dearly, and he was still having trouble concentrating at school, and still having difficulty controlling his behaviour.

   Much to my surprise, after 3 or 4 days, he stopped wetting the bed permanently; he had wet it almost every day since he was born.

   His attention span has improved, along with his schoolwork. The teacher was not told anything about the diet, and she pinpointed when this happened.

   He seems less aggressive and irritable. He seems a happier boy. Before, he had often said he wanted to kill himself, as no one liked him and nobody understood his problems.

   BACK to Bedwetting
   

   Updated: 12/08/13