You’ve decided on Natural Immunity - now what?

Acute Homeopathic Treatment of Common Childhood Infections.

If you’ve made a decision not to vaccinate your child but now you feel uncertain about what to do when he or she get’s sick, you are not alone. Most new parents who decide not to vaccinate feel the same way. What will you tell your doctor? Will you continue with wellness visits? And what will you do if your child gets sick ? You may start to doubt your decision and feel isolated, especially if you’ve gone against the status quo of compliant family members and a compliant community.

Social media natural parenting groups may offer support but if your baby get’s sick, what will you do ?

There are a number of Homeopathic remedies which you can keep on hand to treat sick babies and children and there is a bag of mother’s tricks ~wise women's medicine, that you can use too. The human body, is resilient and babies are strong. However our children inherit both our strengths and our weaknesses, and it’s important to observe your child closely to see where they hold and express stress. For some it may be the ears and throat and for others it may be the digestive system - we are all different. Have you even noticed how you and your partner can get the same strain of flu but your glands swell up for days while he passes through with not much more than a sore throat, yet he loses his appetite while yours increases. You will see a pattern with your little ones too. These observations are critical in deciding which remedy to use.

Fever is the bodies way of alerting the immune system to take action and increase the production of white blood cells. Phlegm and puss are produced from an excess of these cells, which are alerted and produced when an infectious agent enters the body or threatens from within. Fevers are not the enemy and they should not be suppressed with pharmaceutical drugs, except in emergency situations. In fact fevers are a sign of a healthy immune response to infection. But of course you do not want your little one’s fever to get too high too fast. It is the suddenness of onset rather than the temperature itself which may cause convulsions.

The hospital MUST receive you and your child even though you have decided not to vaccinate. So do not be afraid to take your baby in if he or she is non responsive, lethargic, refuses to drink and is dehydrated, is not passing urine regularly, or is in respiratory distress. If the hospital staff bring up vaccinations, tell them your Paediatrician is taking care of it, but do NOT agree to vaccinate your sick child. They will push you to do so. Tell them to deal with the emergency on hand and you will discuss the rest later. Just because you have a sick child, does not give them an excuse to bully or intimidate you. In fact they should NOT take advantage of your vulnerability, and you can tell them so.

FEVER remedies to keep at home :

The classic fever remedy Belladonna will bring down the fever of a child (or adult) when the fever comes on fast and high presenting with red hot cheeks, and cold feet and/or hands. Aconite will work if the onset is sudden after exposure to cold and cold wind, for example if you took baby out to the park on a cold windy day without a hat and when you got home he is suddenly feverish. Bryonia will help when the fever continues for many days and is accompanied by a painful cough. Chamomilla is for babies who have a temperature caused by teething, babies who are very irritable, capricious (cranky) and very sensitive to pain. They may have one red cheek or one red ear, and they want to be held or rocked. If your child is very clingy and fearful with severe thirst, and a fear of being left alone try Phospherous.

Natural FEVER treatments :

Soak a facecloth in a solution of 1:3 vinegar to water, squeeze it out and hold it on the bottom of babies feet for 5-10 minutes. You will feel the heat coming out and the fever going down. Rinse and repeat till the fever comes down. You can do the same with cabbage leaves held against the soles of your little ones feet till they get limp and warm. (You can do the same with engorged breasts). This draws the heat out of the body through the feet. Repeat with fresh leaves till babies fever comes down. Or you can bath baby in a tepid bath (not cold), just warm enough for them to be comfortable or place a cool damp cloth behind their neck or on their forehead.

COLD AND FLU remedies to keep at home

Aconite for sudden onset after exposure to cold. Gelsemium is for that collapsed feeling at the beginning of a cold, when you or your child feels weak with heavy eyelids and chills. Hepar-Sulph helps that stitching, stinging sore throat. The patient is very sensitive to cold, especially drafts, and wants warm drinks and to be wrapped up in a warm blanket. The glands are swollen and the patient can be irritable. Camphora - first stage of cold, collapsed with chilliness and sneezing - the patient is cold but kicked the covers off. The collapse is quite sudden and the body can be icey-cold. Eupat-Perf is a classic Influenza remedy - flu with high fever - chill before fever, worse 7-9pm, aching bone and muscle pains, bruised feeling as if the bones have been broken. The patient holds his chest when he coughs and is thirsty for cold water.

Natural COLD AND FLUE treatments:

Fluids, fluids, fluids. Warm soups, especially Chicken Soup, herbal teas, natural fruit ices, Vitamin C - Elderberry syrup, kiwi fruit, blackcurrant juice and water. Heated grain or salt packs can help ease body aches and pains, a nice warm bath with lavender oil and sea-salt or Epsom salts, followed by a gentle massage of cold pressed sesame oil will keep the heat in the body. Do not massage your child deeply when they are sick, however you can gently massage the back of their calves starting behind the knees and moving down towards the feet for a few minutes. This will also help them to sleep especially if you use a blend of a carrier oil and lavender. Older children can eat raw or roasted garlic if they can tolerate it.

BAD STOMACH remedies to keep at home

Arsenicum - for diarrhoea and vomiting - great weakness from diarrhoea. Great exhaustion from the slightest exertion. The patients feels like he has been poisoned. He is restless and moves about continuously. He is thirsty for small sips of water. Ipecacuanha for vomiting with coughing. Gas trapped in abdomen - bloating with distention. Children who moan and groan and are generally unsatisfied with digestive complaints - vomiting or diarrhoea may need Antimodium Crudum. They don’t want to be looked at or touched and will get cranky if you come towards them. The stomach expressed all their complaints. Lycopodium for bloated babies with lots of gas and rumbling tummy’s. They can be hungry with stomach pain and they get hungry quickly. Illicium for general colic.

Natural STOMACH and DIGESTIVE treatments

The most important thing with stomach bugs or digestive problems in little ones is to keep their fluids up. Dilute Apple Juice to water 1:7 creates a balanced pH. If water is too harsh try add a small squeeze of lemon juice. For indigestion try warm Chamomile, Fennel or Louisa tea. You can make your own gripe water using fennel seeds, a natural sweetener, some ginger, cinnamon and Chamomille flowers. Toddlers who refuse to drink may be happy sucking on an icey, licking an ice cube or drinking juice from a pack or out of a fancy straw. A warm grain or salt pack on the abdomen may relieve muscle pain from vomiting or diarrhoea. Cuprum is the remedy for cramps. A gentle tummy massage following the direction of the bowels, with olive, coconut or sesame oil can help move stagnation. Lying baby tummy down on your abdomen for a sleep can also help - hearing your heartbeat will settle an unsettled babe almost immediately and the pressure on his belly will help the gas make it’s way out.

BITES, STING and NERVE RICH INJURIES - remedies to keep at home

You will need Apis for swellings with burning, stinging pains. Apis is hot and inflamed - imagine a bee sting. The patient is better for cold application and worse for warm. Puffed up eyes, mild allergic reactions which result in great swellings of the face can also be treated with Apis. Ledum is for puncture wounds, red, swollen, painful and cold with itching and numbness. It is useful treating penetrating wounds from stings and bites, where the skin is mottled. Cantharis has intense burning and can be used for mild burns and sunburn. Arnica is for bruising when the patient doesn't want you to touch them or the bruised part. Hypericum is an excellent remedy for toothache, crushed fingers or toes and Calendula is great for sores that are taking too long to heal.

Natural treatments for BITES and STINGS

The body will create inflammation around a bite or a sting, and that is normal. What you want to watch out for is that after the initial inflammatory state, the general red inflamed area starts to close in creating a clearer outline. The red area should then move in towards the centre. This could take a few days and is the same with any infection. If you see a thin red line appearing moving out from the inflammation, that is an indication of blood poisoning and you should take your baby to the emergency room. Generally, you want to keep fluids up, so the body can get rid of the poison, and try keep your little one rested. Excessive movement will spread the poison as will scratching. After a day or two the swelling around the area should start to come down. Ice can help reduce the local inflammation. You can also make an oat bath by wrapping a few tablespoons of oats in cheesecloth, tying it up, and letting it float in the bath. The oat milk will seep out through the cheesecloth soothing the skin. This is good for skin rashes too. I always suggest increasing Vitamin C intake during any inflammatory stages.