Dear Everyone,
My seven year old daughter has PSC, UC and Kidney Disease. I read somewhere that drinking herbal tea is good for her, so apart from water, coconut water and almond milk, I allow her a cup of David's Tea every morning. Am I doing her more harm than good?
Kind regards,
PRINCESSD (I'm actually her Mum)
Sorry, I forgot to add that I read somewhere on here that tea is bad for people with PSC. Which one is correct?
Thanks.
A Concerned Mum
Dear PrincessD's Mum,
Although I am certainly not an expert on PSC and this should, in no way, be a substitute for actual medical advice from a physician, I am a Registered Dietitian. My boyfriend has PSC (he is also a Registered Dietitian) and we have read all the nutrition literature on PSC that we can find. There are some odd things that we have picked up along the way but I have never found anything about negative effects of tea. We both love tea, green, black, herbal, anything, and he drinks it regularly with no problems.
Perhaps you read about a certain person having personal difficulty with tea. I wouldn't be surprised to hear someone with UC might have GI problems from the caffeine. Herbal tea (as I am sure you know) does not have caffeine so it is probably a good choice.
I do not know anything about the effect of tea on kidney disease, especially in such a young child. This might be a good question to ask your physician just to be certain. One of the best lessons I have learned from this disease is to not be shy when it comes to asking questions. If you pester your physician a little to make sure you are taking the absolute best care of your daughter, then that is perfectly okay. Call up their nurse and ask away.
I wish you the best of luck!
FWIW I drink regular tea (Red Rose Irish Breakfast) and various Stash herbal teas and have had no issues with them contributing to either my itching or blood test numbers.
Dear LeggieMeggie and JonW,
Thank you for taking the time to respond. The doctors and nurses keep saying diet has no effect on her illnesses. I believe differently however and try to be diligent whenever I can.
Thank you once again.
PrincessD's Mum