Holistic/Herbal Remedy Needed for Infant

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Hello all, My 9mo. old daughter is getting sick, with a bad runny nose, and I don't want the doc to dose her up with antibiotics if I can help it.Randy and I take echinacea and Vitamin C if we feel something coming on, but I'm not sure how to measure a dose for such a young child. Does anyone have any idea what/how much of an herbal/natural remedy I can give her? She weighs approx. 24 lbs. ( I know- she's huge) She's still nursing as well as eating some table foods and is drinking some diluted OJ, and we've been letting her eat high Vitamin C fruits as much as she wants. No other physical symptons, but she's not eating quite as much as she usually does, mostly because her nose is so clogged. Thanks in advance!

-- Kristin, in Central Alabama (positivekharma@aol.com), January 22, 2001

Answers

I can't help with the herbal remedy, but just wanted to mention the nasal aspirators. The ones you buy in the store just don't measure up to the big ones the hospitals have. We had one then lost it, called the hospital, and they gave us one. I didn't know if you had one of these, just thought I would mention it. Hope she feels better soon.

-- Lena(NC) (breezex4@go.com), January 22, 2001.

Antibiotics are of NO value with viruses; in fact they do harm by killing off all beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract, thereby depleting the immune system and setting up your child for future yeast overpopulation.

Remember also that, hard as it is for us when our little ones are sick, it is necessary for them to develop immunities naturally, and one of the ways they do this is by being exposed to, and dealing with viruses.

When we get a cold, the worst thing people can do is try to merely suppress the symptoms. It generally prolongs the process, and doesnt alow the body to get rid of the stuff its trying to eliminate. If you can get your child to drink lots of liquids, including a cup of peppermint and elderflower tea.......I know, fat chance....I had some luck mixing it with juice. ; when you bathe her, for aromatherapy healing, put into the water a few drops of lavender oil, or oil of thyme or rosemary..(you can make a very strong tea if you cant find the oils)

As for Vit C, just start with low dosage; if she is used to having it, give her more ; if not, give her what your intuition tells you; it is non toxic, when she begins to get runny stools you will know you have given enough, and back off a little. It must be given several times a day to keep the level up enough to deplete the virus.I dont know about the echinacea; I didnt use it when mine were small and cant seem to find anything in my references about childrens dosages; hopefully someone else will know.

Anyway, no need to go running to a doctor, unless there is an usually high fever or signs of severe throat pain, etc. I'm sure she will be fine.....but I remember well how disturbing it is...

blessings to you and your little girl,

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.


Nursing will help her because she will get your antibodies that way. you can also give her mullein tea, to help her decongest, peppermint tea, and mix a little peppermint essential oil with a small amount of olive oil, and rub this on her chest and back and neck. or you could ad the essential oil to a bowl full of steaming water and have her breathe the steam. Adding some rose hips to the mullein tea would be great for the vitamin C.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 22, 2001.

Since she's obviously healthy (24 lbs - reminds me of my eldest at that age), and the only symptom is the clogged nose, increase the humidity in her room - a few bowls of water near the heat source in the room; sitting with her in the bathroom while a hot shower runs (creating steam - do not put her in the hot shower, obviously); increasing her water intake (diluted fruit juices is an option) all are ways to increase the "flow" - her body is doing just what it needs to. Yucky as it may seem, those "green elevens" are the way her body is ridding itself of the virus that's causing the stuffy nose. I would hesitate using any over-the-counter decongestant - let her body work it out, and contact the doctor if she starts to run a high fever or other symptoms arrive.

I don't get excited about a fever with my kids - fevers are another way/indication that our bodies are fighting/expelling germs. If the fevers last more than a few days, or additional symptoms are present, that's when the doctor gets a call. Trust your gut instincts - you know your child better than anyone else, and you also know your own comfort level - go with it.

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), January 22, 2001.


Kristin,

At nine months, a runny nose, congestion, and a low fever meant new teeth for my kids. (My son had 7 teeth by 10 months). You don't mention any other symptoms. I'd say just keep an eye on her. Lots of watered down juice and rocking chair time. A couple of hours singing softly and rocking will pretty much help anything. Obviously, if conditions worsen, you should get medical advice.

-- Mona in OK (jascamp@ipa.net), January 22, 2001.



Our pediatrition showed me to do a salt water nasal irrigation to wash out the nose and sinuses and especially around the eustation tube to prevent bacteria from growing.

Disolve 1/4 teaspoon tablesalt in 1 cup warm water. Tip baby's head back. With a nasal syringe or eyedropper, gently blow saltwater up one nostril at a time. tip the head sideways then tip baby forward so she can spit and blow it out. Make sure baby doesn't inhale this into her lungs by tipping her forward quickly.

I found that the fever also goes down after this and baby is so much more comfortable afterward. Be aware, you will need plenty of towels. This is quite messy and noisy but worth it.

-- (gsend@hotmail.com), January 22, 2001.


I used to teach infant massage. One of the techniques we used for babies is based on reflexology. In my limited understanding of that school of though, it is based on the idea that there are tens of thousands of nerve endings in the bottom of the foot and that just like the roots of a tree, if you stimulate a specific ending, it affects everything "upstream" from there. So reflexology tries to stimulate the nerve endings in the foot that would also cause nerve impulse to travel past the nerves that serve other parts of the body. (It's hard to explain, I'm sure there is a website that can do a much better job.)Anyway, the place we used for respiratory problems in babies was the slope right in front of the heel where it flows down into the arch - or where that would be, since most babies have fairly flat feet for a while. You need short fingernails for this. Press with the tips of your fingers using moderate pressure along this slope. Direct some of the pressure through the foot toward the top of the foot and also use pressure in a pulling motion back toward the heel/ankle area.

If your baby screams when you do this, stop! Try again with a little less pressure. But it shouldn't be a light ticklish touch either. You can do this several times a day, on both feet, for a couple of minutes per foot.

If you are dealing with a well established respiratory problem, I doubt this will be a miracle cure, but it may be that one added thing you need to help the other things to really kick in. I believe this works best as a preventative when you know the child has been exposed to someone with a cold or when you see the first signs of little sniffles.

An added note, the bottom of the foot where the toes hook on to the ball of the foot is the area of pressure points for relieving tummy troubles. Try it on yourself sometime. It really works for me.

-- Lori in SE Ohio (klnprice@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.


If she's still nursing, perhaps you can put a little Vicks on your breasts in such a manner that when she is nursing, her nose is about at Vicks level. This could help clear up the congestion without the possibility of irritating her tender skin by applying it directly.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 22, 2001.

Are you sure it isn't allergies. I have no idea what is outside right now, perhaps mold, but I have been stuffed up, sneezing, itchy eyes, and staying inside as much as I can! Hard to do with milkers, kids on bottles 3 times a day! Might want to try and eliminate as many things in her room as you can, like curtains (use mini blinds) stuffed animals, carpet, etc. And then use an air cleaner in their.

My middle daughter had to take and still does at 18, garlic pills (thank goodness now they make them odorless :) because she had post nasal drip so bad she would wake up with a gaggy sour stomach every morning. The garlic tabs work great! Good luck with your little one, I am also a Vick's and Mentolotum addict! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 22, 2001.


Kristin,

Re: Echinacea dosing, are you using a tincture? If so, then I would read the label for the adult dose and give about 1/8 of that dose (since she sounds so robust! otherwise I"d give 1/16th the adult dose. ) It will probably come out to a few drops, which you can dilute in a little bit of fruit juice or water. If you are breastfeeding, you can take the adult dose and she will probably get some from your breastmilk. I'd avoid OJ with a cold--it produces mucous and is too acidic.

-- Amy (acook@in4web.com), January 22, 2001.



Kristin- I hope your little one feels better soon, my daughter is 17 months, teething, has had a fever for 24 hours now, and I was going to ask how long it should last before I call the doctor because I know they'll just prescribe an antibiotic. So I just wanted to add my thanks for the wealth of info from those who responded to your questions.

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), January 23, 2001.

I just went through this with my one year old and the things that worked best were the saline (salt water irrigation) I just used a few drops and usually that made her sneeze and then I used the aspirator to clean out her nose better. The salt in the irrigation also helps to shrink the inflamation in the nasal passages. I usually gave her a dose of infant decongestant at night just to make her more comfortable, and sometimes in the morning if she was really stuffed up. I try not to give her alot of medicine is I can help it. Using the aspirator can sometimes be a 2 person job if you have a squimer. Hope it helps and hope she is better soon

-- cynthia (cynthiahemenway@hotmail.com), January 23, 2001.

Your local health food store should carry Homeopathic remedies perfect for your situation. You cannot overdose with these. I dont have access to my reference book to tell you which specific remedy but most bottles list symptoms and if they dont hopefully a clerk can assist you with a "suggestion". Homeopathic remedies are a wonderful addition to any homestead medicine cabinet. Simple and natural. When I was a child I had chronic bronchitis. After several years of antibiotics they no longer worked. My mom attended a natural theraputics school where an instuctor advised a specific remedy. I took the remedy as well as eliminating dairy from my diet temporarily and have not had bronchitis for 14 years. Homeopathics are not a mysterious science, and are worth educating yourself about.

-- Michelle (lucabanks@netscape.net), January 23, 2001.

Kristin - We have used a product called Well Child with great results. It is a liquid form of echinacea, elderberry and others. It is made by Planetary Formulas. The kids took it with no problem, and it really works. Hope you are lucky enough to have a good health food store in your area, and I don't mean a vitamin outlet. Hope the little one is feeling better soon. Jackie

-- Jackie(NE TX) (jlynne@neato.com), January 23, 2001.

Thank you to all of you who responded. I've tried a combination of the remedies suggested so far, and she seems to be improving. I'm convinced now that it's her teeth, as she has absolutely no other symptoms, she keeps trying to get her hand into her mouth, and she's chewing on her toys more than usual. However, she's eating and drinking well, so we're just going to ride it out unless something else comes up. The steam and switching the juice to apple seems to have helped, and I've even worked a little on the reflexology- I just hope I'm not adjusting the wrong spot LOL I really appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my question- that's one of the things I love about this forum! No matter what, everyone is so willing to help.

-- Kristin, in Central Alabama (positivekharma@aol.com), January 24, 2001.


Well for a stuffy nose here is an old farmer trick (from this part of Italy anyways!!). If you are breastfeeding than you can just squirt (sorry, I can't think of a better way to put it!) in your babies nose - it will get rid of the stuffy nose for a short time (works like saline drops). Another thing that we use is propolis.

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), January 24, 2001.

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