Commonly known as rickets, also called soft bone disease, it is a common childhood illness caused by vitamin D deficiency leading to systemic calcium and phosphorus metabolism disorders and skeletal changes. Most commonly occurs in infants under one year old who grow rapidly, are premature, twins, or artificially fed. Symptoms include impaired bone development, muscle relaxation, easy startle, excessive sweating, etc. Main preventive and therapeutic measures are as follows:
Prevention Before Illness
1. Ensure maternal and lactating mother health care. During pregnancy, maintain proper lifestyle and engage in outdoor activities, sun exposure. Consume foods rich in vitamin D and minerals such as bone marrow, animal liver. In the last three months of pregnancy, orally supplement vitamin D and calcium.
2. Promote breastfeeding. Although breast milk contains little vitamin D, its calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is ideal and easily absorbed. The incidence of rickets is lower among breastfed infants compared to formula-fed ones. Timely introduction of complementary foods: add egg yolk at 3 months, animal liver and meat paste at 5 months.
3. When weather permits, frequently take infants outdoors and expose them to sunlight. Infants can begin outdoor activity after one month, starting with 15 minutes daily and gradually increasing to over 2 hours.
4. Prevent various diseases; avoid drug overdose. Use potent and drastic medications with caution.
(II) Drug Prevention
1. Traditional Chinese Medicine: Longmu Zhuanggu Granules, 7g per dose for children under 2 years, three times daily, dissolved in warm water.
2. Western Medicine: Begin vitamin D supplementation 2 weeks after birth, 400–800 IU daily for 1–2 years. Alternatively, give concentrated fish liver oil, starting with 2 drops daily and increasing to 5 drops. For preterm and low-birth-weight infants, and those fed artificially, daily intake should contain 2,000–3,000 IU vitamin D, combined with calcium supplements. Use multivitamin calcium tablets, one tablet each time, three times daily. Or use vitamin D3 3 million IU monthly via intramuscular injection, repeated 2–3 times.
Prevent Progression After Onset
1) Dietary Therapy:① Astragalus 30g, Schisandra 3g, Pig Liver 50g, Pig Leg Bone (with marrow) 500g; first crush the bone marrow, boil with Schisandra and Astragalus, then simmer gently for one hour, filter out bones and residue. Cut liver into slices and cook in the broth until done. Add salt and a little monosodium glutamate for flavor. Eat liver and drink soup. One dose can be split into two meals, suitable for regular consumption until recovery. This formula applies to pediatric rickets primarily characterized by spleen-kidney deficiency.② Fresh Chicken Mushroom 500g, Green Chili, Scallion, Ham, Garlic each 50g, Pork Lard 250g, Soy Sauce 20g. Peel and clean fresh chicken mushroom, cut into dice. Heat pork lard in a wok; when temperature reaches 50°C, briefly fry the mushrooms, remove, keep 25g oil, discard remaining. First stir-fry garlic slices, then green chili, ham, scallion, add mushrooms, soy sauce, one spoon of meat broth, thicken with starch, add monosodium glutamate and a little sesame oil. This formula helps prevent rickets in children.③ Deer Antler 100g, Prepared Aconite Slice 30g, Two Pig Feet; slice deer antler thinly, wash pig feet, boil all ingredients together over low flame until boiling, season and eat. This formula treats poor child development, weak bones, delayed walking, and unfused fontanelles.
2) Single Herb and Proven Formulas:① Eggshell pieces, wash clean, bake dry, grind into fine powder through sieve. For children under 1 year: 0.5g per dose; for 1–2 years: 1g per dose, twice daily.② Tiger Leg Bone (wine-roasted until red), Raw Rehmannia, Sour Jujube Seed (wine-soaked, skin removed, stir-fried until fragrant), White Poria, Spicy Cinnamon, Wind-Preventing Herb, Angelica, Ligusticum, Eucommia, equal parts. Grind into powder, make honey pills the size of hemp seeds. Take 5 pills each time, swallow with wine or wood apple decoction. This formula originates from Ming Dynasty’s "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief."③ Roasted eggshell powder, 2g per dose, three times daily.④ Cow or pig bone, grind into fine powder, 10g after meals, three times daily.⑤ Cuttlefish bone ground into powder, mixed with equal amount of sugar, 2.5g per dose.⑥ Eggshell-Pig Liver Powder: Eggshell 125g, Broken Bone Herb 90g, Pig Liver 125g; bake dry, grind into powder, 2g per dose, three times daily.
3) Acupuncture and Massage:① Acupuncture points: Kidney俞, Spleen俞, Zusanli, Dazhui, Guanyuan, Qihai. Insert needle straight 0.2–0.6 cun, no retention.② Massage: Rub Spleen Earth and Three Passes on both sides, 20 times each. For lower limb deformity, rub Zusanli on both sides, 20 times each. For chest deformity, rub Zhongfu 20 times. Once daily, 10 sessions constitute one course.③ Pinching the spine: Start from sacral region, push and pinch upward along spinal sides to Dazhui, repeat 3–5 times. On third repetition, lift skin every three pinches. After completion, massage bilateral Kidney俞 several times with thumb. Once daily, 6 sessions constitute one course. Use 2–3 courses.
4) Prevention and Care: Pregnant women should engage in appropriate outdoor activities, increase sun exposure, maintain fresh, nutritious diet, and regularly take tonifying herbs for spleen and Qi such as Sandalwood, Cardamom, Codonopsis, White Atractylodes, Poria, Licorice. Second, after birth, continue breastfeeding for at least 4–6 months. If insufficient, supplement with cow milk, goat milk, soy milk, etc. Also, consider acupressure and massage therapy, applicable at any stage of rickets, effective in warming meridians and promoting blood circulation.<Pediatric Rickets>