Question:
Okay folks, I’m looking for more advice than what I’m getting locally. The problem is the cold bug that just won’t go away. The week before Thanksgiving, our youngest (2 1/2) had pnuemonia. We caught it early and poured several gallons of antibiotics through him, along with upping his vitamin intake. He was well and happy for the holiday. However, upon returning from Mema and Pepa’s house, both he and I came down with a nast cold bug. This started a roller coaster of being well, getting sick, being well, getting sick, being well, getting sick, etc. The word from his pediatrician, with whom I agree, is that his little body has never really recovered completely from the pnuemonia and that his immune system is reacting to the viral infection with each subsequent mutation. Now, as I’m sure you know, viral infections (the stuff colds are made of) do not respond to antibiotics. You can treat the symptoms, but only time makes them go away. Typically, each one has a three to five day duration (though an adult may have the lingering symptoms for up to four weeks). What I’m looking for now are suggestions for easing the little guy’s suffering. Not the normal over-the-counter meds, please. Little bodies build immunities to those things all too easily. We want them to be affective when they are needed the most. I’m looking for all the home remedies that your grandmother swore by. Thanks for the help! — Charles I. Letbetter, Editor CATCH Online Magazine http://www.pagebrothers.com A new way of looking at parenting
Response:
>What I’m looking for now are suggestions for easing the little guy’s >suffering. Not the normal over-the-counter meds, please. Little bodies >build immunities to those things all too easily.
Children’s echinacea will help to boost his immune system. Zinc lozenges will help with the respiratory symptoms.
Response:
> Children’s echinacea will help to boost his immune system. Zinc lozenges will > help with the respiratory symptoms.
HI- I just the read the label on my bottle of zinc lozenges and it specifically says: "For adults and children over the age of 14" so it isn’t advisable to give it to children younger than 14. — May He be with us all, Lynn. Mom to Jenna (4-4-94) and Mathew (Aug. 5-95)
Response:
There are MANY children’s homeopathic remedies and children’s brands/dosages of herbs in health food stores. These remedies are specifically for babies and children, just as children’s vitamins are. We would not give the same dosage of adult vitamins, tylenol, etc to a child…the same applies to herbs and homeopathy. I have been using hoemeopathic remedies and herbs for my daughter since she has been two months old. Knock on wood…she has never needed any prescription medication and she is three years old. Good luck!
Response:
Charles, let me commisserate. At the beginning of Nov both my children came down with a cold that manifested itself in Horrible! coughs. The week of Thanksgiving my son (4) woke up with an earache in the middle of the night. Yes, it was an ear infection-ugh. His sister (2) did not have the same runny nose as him and soon was over the cough (thankfully). He on the other hand is still on antibiotics; this third course is finally doing the trick, but he will be on them through Christmas to make sure the infection goes away. Then the Sunday after Thanksgiving my husband starts to cough, a god-awful cough, that hasn’t stopped yet. He saw the doctor last Sat to make sure he had no signs of ear infection or pnuemonia and learned it seemed to be just a virus. He continues to cough, now nearly three week later. I finally picked up a virus that has given me laryngitus and a very small amount of coughing. We have yet to find the trick for getting rid of this virus. It seems to drag on and on (daughter- 3 weeks, son-7 weeks now, husband -3 weeks, me -a week and counting). We have been eating oranges til I thought our skin would turn yellow, drinking lots of fruit juices, trying to get lots of sleep, some chicken noodle soup and hot drinks, etc. Hope you get some good responses, cause I think we could use some help too. -Suzi in Chapel Hill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Okay folks, I’m looking for more advice than what I’m getting locally. >The problem is the cold bug that just won’t go away. The week before >Thanksgiving, our youngest (2 1/2) had pnuemonia. We caught it early and >poured several gallons of antibiotics through him, along with upping his >vitamin intake. He was well and happy for the holiday. However, upon >returning from Mema and Pepa’s house, both he and I came down with a >nast cold bug. This started a roller coaster of being well, getting >sick, being well, getting sick, being well, getting sick, etc. >The word from his pediatrician, with whom I agree, is that his little >body has never really recovered completely from the pnuemonia and that >his immune system is reacting to the viral infection with each >subsequent mutation. Now, as I’m sure you know, viral infections (the >stuff colds are made of) do not respond to antibiotics. You can treat >the symptoms, but only time makes them go away. Typically, each one has >a three to five day duration (though an adult may have the lingering >symptoms for up to four weeks). >What I’m looking for now are suggestions for easing the little guy’s >suffering. Not the normal over-the-counter meds, please. Little bodies >build immunities to those things all too easily. We want them to be >affective when they are needed the most. I’m looking for all the home >remedies that your grandmother swore by. >Thanks for the help! >– >Charles I. Letbetter, >Editor >CATCH Online Magazine >http://www.pagebrothers.com >A new way of looking at parenting
Response:
A colleague suggested this and I found it to work: For a cough: Cut or grate some ginger — 1 or 2 thin slices should be enough. Boil it in about 16 ounces of water for a few minutes. Sweeten if desired and drink (strain first). Other people have suggested adding a dash of cayanne — I think this helps with congestion. Yet others add a squirt of lemon. The "active" ingredient is the FRESH ginger. I like this — but then I like ginger — haven’t tried it on my kids. It seems to work as well as any cough suppresent and tastes better to me. Good Luck! Devorah —
Response:
>I’m commisserating too. We got this cold in early Nov. while in >Florida on vacation. All three of us had it. <snip> >Now Trevor has
another cold. Its not been a good winter so>far and I didn’t get any Christmas cards out either. Would you have? No, reminds me of last year. All three of us had it, and our son has asthma which made his much more difficult. We did not send Christmas cards ‘on time’, but decided to mail them in January when we felt better. We did get gentle ribbing from some friends but overall I think everyone understood. On a good track – this year none of us were sick during the holiday season. After the stress of last year we thought about bagging the whole thing. We sat down in early November and decided what WE wanted to do, all the other stuff didn’t get done. What a difference, we enjoyed the holidays with minimum stress and it was wonderful to fully enjoy the things we did do. No hurrying between this activity and that. One of the projects we did decide to keep was working on the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets our Elks Lodge does every year. We helped put together the baskets and gift wrapped the presents. Our 3 year old had a ball and he’s learning what charity means. He told Grandma, with pride, that he helped ‘be Santa’ to other kids who didn’t have toys. Hope you are all feeling better. Penguin
Response:
I’m commisserating too. We got this cold in early Nov. while in Florida on vacation. All three of us had it. It took Trevor and I a month to fully recover and my husband five weeks. The cough was so bad that it gave hubby and I headaches at times. Just to add to the bad, I then had a two day flu (not the stomach type, the Mack truck, high fever type) the first week of Dec (I was just getting over the cold at that point). I had minor surgery the second week of Dec. And both the boys had stomach flu the third week of Dec. Now Trevor has another cold. Its not been a good winter so far and I didn’t get any Christmas cards out either. Would you have? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Charles, let me commisserate. At the beginning of Nov both my children came >down with a cold that manifested itself in Horrible! coughs. The week of >Thanksgiving my son (4) woke up with an earache in the middle of the night. >Yes, it was an ear infection-ugh. His sister (2) did not have the same runny >nose as him and soon was over the cough (thankfully). He on the other hand is >still on antibiotics; this third course is finally doing the trick, but he >will be on them through Christmas to make sure the infection goes away. Then >the Sunday after Thanksgiving my husband starts to cough, a god-awful cough, >that hasn’t stopped yet. He saw the doctor last Sat to make sure he had no >signs of ear infection or pnuemonia and learned it seemed to be just a virus. >He continues to cough, now nearly three week later. I finally picked up a >virus that has given me laryngitus and a very small amount of coughing. We >have yet to find the trick for getting rid of this virus. It seems to drag on >and on (daughter- 3 weeks, son-7 weeks now, husband -3 weeks, me -a week and >counting). We have been eating oranges til I thought our skin would turn >yellow, drinking lots of fruit juices, trying to get lots of sleep, some >chicken noodle soup and hot drinks, etc. Hope you get some good responses, >cause I think we could use some help too. -Suzi in Chapel Hill
Nyoka (mom to Trevor (b 8/8/95)
Response:
>What I’m looking for now are suggestions for easing the little >guy’s suffering. Not the normal over-the-counter meds, please. Little >bodies build immunities to those things all too easily. We want them to >be affective when they are needed the most. I’m looking for all the >home remedies that your grandmother swore by. Thanks for the >help!
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