As a mom who is very geared to natural solutions to health issues, I doctor my own kids all of the time. Don't get me wrong; there are certainly times that we have sought out professional medical help, but those are thankfully few and far between.
I am a strong advocate of solving what illnesses we can, at home. The need for antibiotics should only be for critical times. Most childhood sicknesses that we encounter are easily dealt with sans antibiotics. Fevers don't require immediate Tylenol. I prefer to let the fever do it's work, unless it gets really high and the child is uncomfortable. But otherwise, a fever is killing the pathogen, and we need to support the body with fluids and rest and let it all happen naturally.
It's a matter of immunity. The more we subject our children to antibiotics, the harder it ends up being on their systems. There's a lot of literature out there on the topic, so I shan't repeat. I also have an example of a friend's child, now a teenager, who was subjected to repeated bouts of antibiotics as a child and now suffers with a lowered immunity that, guess what, gets treated with yet more antibiotics. It's a viscious circle, and I can't believe that the pediatrician they go to continues to bombard all of her patients with them, even if they come in with a sore throat or cold that is viral.
For antibiotics of course are made for killing bacteria, not viruses. A simple check on what sort of cold your child has, viral or bacterial, is by looking at their nasal discharge. A green discharge generally indicates a viral cause, yellow shows bacterial. I was taught this at school, from an excellent Pathology teacher who was a doctor in her native Czech Republic. She too, believed strongly in resolving small illnesses at home, with good immune support via nutrition etc.
So, when Sean first presented with some vomiting, out came the reference books. I have a good store of herbs to make up teas. In this case, peppermint was the most soothing to him, chamomile also good. He slept most of Saturday, with occasional breaks to have some dry rice crackers and tea, but started to get hungry on Sunday, and got into chips when I wasn't looking. Surprise surprise, he threw up again and we started over.
It has been that sort of stomach bug. Bob and I both started to get it on Sunday, Skyler on Monday. You feel hungry, so you eat, then feel completely gross, get over that, and feel hungry again. So small portions of dry food, rice, etc. and tea. I also started using activated charcoal and then the miracle drug, Dr. Poo pills!
OK they're not really called Dr. Poo, but Po Chai pills. Bob and I discovered them on our world trip and they were a big help when we picked up any sort of intestinal problem. (Actually only happened once to each of us over a year of travel). They're readily available in Chinese pharmacies, and really work well!
Sky, when he wasn't feeling so great...all the kids joined me in bed, where we watched some Scooby Doo movies and generally chilled out.
So thanks to Dr. Poo, we are all on the mend. Skyler is back to school today, Sean will go this afternoon, Bob and I are eating again and seem to have normal body functions, and so far, Evie is staying healthy.
Knock on wood, but if she does get it, Doctor/Nurse Mother will be taking care of her well.
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