Guest post by Sara Chana, IBCLC www.sarachana.com Twitter@sarachanas Facebook-Sara Chana
Kids get colds an average of 5 times a year; it’s the way the growing body’s immune system develops. If a child gets sick for 24-72 hours and then recovers all is fine. What homeopaths don’t feel comfortable with are children that go from cold, to ear infection, to bronchitis to strep throat or any combination of the above. So, if you child gets a small cold, but happy! Know it will make your child stronger. But, as a caregiver it is hard to watch a child feel uncomfortable and now we’ll learn prevention measures so our child can avoid getting too many colds and learn some comfort measures we can employ. Now-a-days we all know the basics to good health which is, exercising, drinking plenty of water and cutting down on processed foods so let this our daily protocol, now for prevention.
How to Prevent Colds
If your child’s best friend has a cold, you are traveling, or your child is stressed, or lacking sleep begin these herbs to stimulate your child’s immune system to try and stave off a cold.
- Elderberry syrup – Is a yummy herb containing vitamin C, anti-viral proteins, and can reduce the histamine production in the sinuses.
- Echinacea – Is also yummy in glycerite form (it can be a bitter herb the glycerin makes it sweet). It stimulates the immune response increasing the production of white blood cells improving the body’s ability to resist infection.
- Lemon Balm – Is a mild herb and is an antiviral agent, calming and soothing
- Vitamin C – The ascorbic acid form 500mg. 2x a day
- Vitamin D – 500mg before the child goes to sleep
- Swabbing nose with olive oil and tree oil – Many viruses enter the body through a child’s nose. Swabbing the inside of the child’s nose (not too deeply) with a cotton swab dipped in olive oil with a drop of tea tree oil can help stop the virus from entering the child’s body. Swab nose before flying, birthday parties or sleep overs.
At Home Cold Remedies
- Essential oil of Eucalyptus inhaled will help open the nasal passages. Put on a cotton ball and let the child inhale or in a diffuser placed by the bed (make sure it is out of child’s reach), or you can sprinkle the oil directly onto the child’s pillow case.
- Evening primrose oil massaged into sinuses opens up the them up allowing the sinuses to drain helping to relieve a stuffy nose. This oil is available in capsules, prick the capsule with a pin and put the oil on your finger, massage gently below the eyes and over the eye brows (that’s where the sinuses are).
- Peppermint essential oil diluted in a little lotion can be massaged into the child’s feet or back. Peppermint oil can help reduce fever, it also brings oxygen into the blood stream and works to clean and strengthen the entire body.
- Herbal cold mixture– At a health food store buy an good herbal cold or sinus combination mixture with herbs like echinacea, elder flower, elder berry, thyme, lemon balm, licorice, yerba santa. Companies that make good blends are Gaia, Herbpharm, Herbs of light, Herbs etc. The tincture can be given to the child 3-4x a day while child is sick and continue giving the herbs for a week after the child feels better the convalescent period is very important.
Colds are just a part of growing up. Let your child take the day off the first two days of a cold. Let the child relax, sleep and eat lots of fruits and vegetables and stay away from juice and sugary foods. Maybe you can even take the day off and you and the kids can read books, play board games and just hang out together!
