PrintEmail
Comment
No Relief for Sick Kids?
Posted by Belinda Miller on October 31, 2007 - 5:56am.
When Georgia gets very sick she drags around, snarfy nose dripping, eyes watering. She carries a silk “handkersniff” because tissues are “too cruel” to her nose, but most often she wipes her nose on her sleeve. She sometimes has bursts of energy, followed by a crash that needs quick comfort. Sick little kids are sad, pitiful beings, who sleep fitfully and spread their germs all over everything—and you—while you’re trying to comfort and entertain them and get some liquids and nutrients into them.

No wonder we parents look to drugs to bring them, and us, relief. When Georgia had her first really sneezy, red, stuffed-up nose she was old enough to use cold medicine, and though I was hesitant, I felt I needed to do something more than the dreaded Nose Sucker (aka suction bulb) and saline drops. I’m not a big fan of cold medicine for myself—I fear those cocktail combination remedies and don’t like to feel groggy—so I usually just use aspirin and maybe a nasal decongestant if sleep is impossible. But recently, I felt so sad about Georgia’s discomfort that I went to the medicine-for-minors section in the grocery store and was instantly overwhelmed. There was Cough/Cold/Flu, Allergy/Cold, Flu/Cough, Cold/Cough, a dizzying display of varying mixtures, and nothing I felt so comfortable with.

I cautiously tried the medicine I thought would be the most useful. She fought and gagged on saline drops so much I thought I was drowning her. We tried an oral decongestant, which hyped her up to the point of toddler insanity for hours past her bedtime, and didn’t offer much relief. Then we tried antihistamine, which warned that it might put her to sleep but which also hyped her up and didn’t offer much relief. Thinking back to my childhood and my mom’s cold care routine, I rubbed some natural menthol balm on Georgia’s chest and back, put on the humidifier and tried to keep her on her back so the snot could drain from her nose.

It worked as well as anything, and it became my default remedy too. (Thanks, Mom. I’ll forgo giving her warm Jell-O to drink though…) But I couldn’t leave it alone, so I dallied with decongestant nose drops, which seemed to help Georgia get to sleep, but she begged, “No, Mommy, pleeeease, pleeeease, not the nose drops! I HATE them.” I couldn’t bully her to let me use them, so I stopped. And now with an FDA advisory panel recommending against using children’s cold medicines, I’m angry that I even looked at all that medication in the first place. Finding out that there’s “no evidence of efficacy of the drugs and there’s evidence of harm of the drugs” I find myself once again looking at a billion dollar industry that only seems to have my wallet, and not my best interest, in mind. Even without being bombarded by TV ads that promote better living through chemistry (since we only watch DVDs and videos), I fell for one of the oldest snake-oil jobs out there. A cold is a miserable thing, and we don’t like to see our kids to suffer. But as Hova’s Grandma Georgia used to say, “A cold will get better in seven days if you take medicine and a week if you don’t.”

I checked with Dr. Weil and found some good recommendations for alternatives to cold medicine, but it seems we’d all be better off to just drip, snarf, honk and whine until our colds go away, while making sure to take precautions so as not to get sick in the first place!

<em>www.DropYourAllergies.com</em>'s picture
When a Cold is NOT a Cold... It's ALLERGY
by www.DropYourAll... on October 31, 2007 - 12:21pm
Belinda’s Parent / Child / Cold comments / Feelings / Frustrations are Now being Echoed by Parents across the Entire Country.  While a Child’s Cold may be considered a fact of growing up. It is important to recognize that persistent Colds are often treated at the Cold Level ..  when in fact …  ALLERGIES should be “ Ruled IN or OUT “ of your Child’s Health / LIFE Equation.  It is Important to Note that …. ALLERGY is a Progressive, Chronic Disease. UnTreated / UnNeutralized, Mild to Severe / Severe ALLERGY Conriues / Excaerbates …Leading to unabated Allergy Disease Progression and a Lifetime, Slippery Slope of further recalcitrant Diseases and Health Complications.  Today’s Allergy…Is Tomorrow’s Allergic ASTHMA !  NOW from the Convenience and Medical Care Synergy of Your Trusted Pediatrician or Personal Primary Care Physician, You Child can achieve Lasting, If Not LifeTime Relief from Your Environmental Allergies with Under-the-Tongue, SubLingual Allergy DROPs which have been CUSTOM / Boutique Formulated based on YOUR unique Allergy Profile.  Focused on Targeting and Treating the underlying Disease Source of Environmental Allergies Vs Allergy Medications that only address Allergy Symptoms, each Allergy Patient undergoes an Allergy Interview, Physical Examination and is Blood Tested for the most common Seasonal and Year-round Allergy Sources specific to their Geo-Region. Covered by most Medical Insurance Policies, the GOAL of the Blood Test is not only to Identify which Allergens the Patient is allergic to, but also, to establish the Degree of Patient Allergy Sensitivity to each offending allergen. It is based on these combined Patient Focused Medical and Clinical Patient Findings, that a Patient’s Immuno-Allergy DROP Program is Authorized by your Physician.  Once a Patient’s Allergy Profile has been established, Clinical ImmunoTherapy Protocols are applied and Patient TARGETED, Under-the-Tongue Allergy DROPS are Custom Formulated specific to EACH Patient’s unique Allergy Profile. Patient Allergy DROPs are Drug Free and contain pure extracts of “Let Likes Cure Likes” Allergens i.e. Weed, Pet, Dust to which the Patient is actually Allergic To ! Slowly over time, Allergy DROP Allergen Extract Concentrations are increased, allowing the Bodies Immune System to rely on its inherent recuperative abilities and recalibrate itself, thereby neutralizing Allergies at the Disease Source, no longer triggering Allergy Symptoms, Eradicating Allergy Complications and Producing Lasting, if Not Lifetime Benefits !  Effortless to use in Today’s Fast Paced 24 / 7 Society and Costing less than a Coffee Shop visit a Day, painful Allergy Shots have been replaced with Patient FRIENDLY, Under-the-Tongue, SubLingual Allergy DROPS which are absorbed into the Patient’s System within seconds each Morning and Night.   Primary Physician Diagnostics LLC an Allergy Services Company ( www. Drop Your Allergies .com ) supporting YOUR Physician in the Allergy Testing and Vaccine Treatment of Allergy and Allergic Asthma Patients. Allergy Testing for Inhalant / Environmental Allergens, FOODs ( Immediate & Delayed ) and Stinging Insects is offered. CUSTOM, SubLingual / Under-the-Tongue DROPs or Traditional Injection ImmunoTherapy Vaccine is offered for Inhalant / Environmental Allergens.  Say NO To Your Allergies ! Begin Allergy Relief NOW !  CALL ( 888 ) 637 – 2324 OR CLICK www.DropYourAllergies.com. As an ADDED Note: Take the FEAR Out of FOOD. You Child can be FOOD Allergy Blood Tested as well for IgE Immedicate ( Peanut ) & Delayed IgG4 FOOD Allergy. Because FOOD Allergy is principally addressed via DIET, Your FOOD Allergy Test INCLUDES a DIET Plan generated specifically to YOUR Child's Food Allergy Test Result. It suggests FOODs to Eat, Not Eat, Restrict etc. ALLERGY is Nothing To SNEEZE AT ! Test / Identify / Know / TREAT YOUR Enviro & FOOD Allergy Profile

 


<em>www.DropYourAllergies.com</em>'s picture
ALLERGIES Insidiously
by www.DropYourAll... on October 31, 2007 - 1:52pm
ALLERGIES Insidiously Compromise Your HEALTH and Every Aspect YOUR Personal, Family, Social, Academic, Exercise & Professional QUALITY of LIFE ! STOP Medicating Symptoms.Allergy Medications ONLY mask Your Allergy Symptoms. They Do Not Address / Neutralize your Allergy Disease Source.
<em>spikeyone</em>'s picture
Wow, what a crazy we've
by spikeyone on October 31, 2007 - 1:28pm

Wow, what a crazy we've got up there. You don't have to talk about immunotherapy WITH randomly CAPITALIZED words. Immunotherapy has nothing to do with homeopathy, so do not associate it with such quackery.

 

 


<em>Earth Tribe</em>'s picture
Magic Potion
by Earth Tribe on October 31, 2007 - 5:02pm
Try putting a few drops of Tea Tree, Manuka and Lavender in a spray bottle of water that is small enough for your daughter to hold. Tea Tree and Manuka have been studied for their anti-viral properties and work exceptionally well when used together. Let Georgia spray her "Magic Potion" when she is feeling bad. This way she has control over the situation, that alone will probably make her feel a little better. It will also help disinfect her little hanky and sleeping area and it will smell good. You could also add some blue gum eucalyptus if she is having breathing issues but you want to be careful with things like peppermint and eucalyptus around small children. Some essential oils can be too harsh for their developing lungs. I believe Blue Gum Eucalyptus is generally considered to be safe for small children. Chamomile will also help calm and soothe. Good luck!
<em>BelindaMom</em>'s picture
Thanks for the herbal ideas
by BelindaMom on October 31, 2007 - 8:50pm

I'll check that out, she does love to be in control of her own self!

(And wow, wotta missive up top, am I being visited by the ghost of Dr. Bronner for Halloween?)


User login


Join Lime Now, it's free