Treatment For Sickness

I was recently asked what we do in our house to treat prevent and treat illnesses ourselves if we try to avoid the doctor's office. Before I begin, I want to say that the most important part of being a parent is raising our kids to be Godly people. The other stuff pales in comparison! So you may not agree with everything I say, and that's okay!

The biggest thing we to do is avoid getting sick at all. I breastfeed the kids as long as possible, usually around 2 years. We also drink lots of water. The kids drink diluted juice once in the morning and milk a couple of times a week. The rest of their liquid comes from water. We also try to limit (not eliminate) sugar. We eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I am not germ-phobic, but we avoid overly germy places like the Chick-fil-A play area in winter (we go occasionally in warm weather) and the doctor's waiting room. We get fresh air and a limited amount of sun without sunscreen to soak up the natural Vitamin D. We wash hands, get adequate rest, etc.

Of course, all of that doesn't mean we never get sick. The kids have been extremely healthy, but they aren't immune to all illnesses! With colds, we try to avoid medicine. Mostly we just get lots of rest and push the fluids. Fluids help ease sore throats and keep yucky mucous moving along. I'll give a dose of Tylenol before bed if pain is interfering with sleep which is super important to getting better.

With ear infections, I don't have a firm policy. Thankfully, Gavin and Owen have only had 1 ear infection each. Maddie has had 4, I think. We have used antibiotics, but I also have used an ear drop (by Similason) designed to relieve pain while the body heals itself. It is just so hard to see a child in real pain!

For fevers, I don't do anything except push fluids and extra rest. We try to let the fever run its course and fight the infection. Again, I will use Motrin or Tylenol at night if it is interfering with sleep.

Desitin is the miracle cure for diaper rash! Just make sure you use Desitin: Original because it contains a higher percentage of zinc oxide than Creamy.

I don't like vaccines for flu, chicken pox, even measles because these are harmless diseases in the majority of cases.

I don't really use herbs or homeopathic things too much because I haven't done enough research on the topic. I try to let the body work and heal itself in most cases. We have used a homeopathic tablet for teething-- Hyland's Teething Tablets. I have also used Rhino pops a few times. (They are shaped like lollipops and contain zinc. It's a natural cough drop for kids.)

I hope this explains our basic philosophy. Just ask if you have more questions! If I have enough questions, I'll do a new post to answer them.