Natural Remedies for Children's Earaches/Croup

[TurtleMama]

My son and daughter have been sick so much this winter, it's made me wonder about natural/old-time remedies for ear infections and the croup. What did they do back in the day when a kiddo was up all night crying because his ear hurt, or a child was barking with the croup? I know the cold air/steamy shower trick for the croup, but what if you don't have access to instant hot water? It made me realize that childhood illnesses won't stop out of the kindness of their little germy hearts just because SHTF -- and it would be good to know some potential treatments for ailments such as these.

[Motherhen]

This is a bit off topic bcz my family does not get sick very often. The kids have had a mild cold or two in the fall that barely took them down but dh and I didn't. No flu or h1n1 was got here when it was rampant. Last week my 8 yr.old son got a cold---headcold--sneezing, stuffy nose, sore throat and coughing. He's ok now --some sneezing still. My 12 yr.old got a bit but she just continued on as normal--doing barn chores etc. Husband got it a bit--he also was out doing his normal routine. I don't get sick very often but when I do, it seems to get me good esp. when my asthma kicks in. So I've had a sore throat since almost a week ago. It did leave me but I've still got it now a bit. My ears hurt. I had already had a dr's appt on Tues to get results of bloodwork/xray that I had done in Dec. He looked at my ears and said they were fine--they sure hurt me! He said that sinuses swell and pushes on your ear and that is likely what I was feeling.

Today I have felt worse--very tired etc..blowing nose constantly and amazed at how much can come out. No dainty sneezing here..just explosions!

I'm not one to run to the dr. but I didn't want to be sick for a few weeks like I normally am. I know not to run to the dr. for antibiotics bcz they do nothing for colds...but it also ticks me off bcz after I've been sick for weeks and don't seem to be getting better, I finally do go to the walk in and its a waste of time. They don't give me anything anyway though I still feel at that point that I am REALLY sick--most likely due to the asthma which lingers for weeks.

But my friend goes to the walkin with what I think is just the first sign of a cold/sore throat and at her walk in they give her antibiotics and she's fine. (also asthmatic)

So I started a google search on how to know when to go to the dr. when all you have is a cold and found this site:

http://drbenkim.com/cold-flu-difference-health.html

In one of the lower paragraphs, he says this which I thought made sooo much sense:

 

"Here is the key to understanding why colds and flus, when allowed to run their course while you rest, can be good for you:

 

By and large, the viruses that cause the common cold and the flu infect mainly your weakest cells; cells that are already burdened with excessive waste products and toxins are most likely to allow viruses to infect them. These are cells that you want to get rid of anyway, to be replaced by new, healthy cells.

 

So in the big scheme of things, a cold or flu is a truly natural tool that can allow your body to purge itself of old and damaged cells that, in the absence of viral infection, would normally take much longer to identify, destroy, and eliminate.

 

Have you ever been amazed by how much "stuff" you could blow out of your nose while you had a cold or the flu? Embedded within all of that mucous are countless dead cells that your body is saying good bye to, largely due to the lytic effect of viruses.

 

So you see, there never needs to be a cure for the common cold, since the common cold is nature's way of keeping you healthy over the long term. And so long as you get plenty of rest and strive to stay hydrated and properly nourished during a cold or flu, there is no need to get vaccinated or to take medications that suppress congested sinuses, a fever, or coughing. All of these uncomfortable symptoms are actually ways in which your body works to eliminate waste products and/or help your body get through a cold or flu. It's fine to use over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen if your discomfort becomes intolerable or if such meds can help you get a good night's rest. But it's best to avoid medications that aim to suppress helpful processes such as fever, coughing, and a runny nose.

 

It's important to note that just because colds and flus can be helpful to your body doesn't mean that you need to experience them to be at your best. If you take good care of your health and immune system by getting plenty of rest and consistently making health-promoting dietary and lifestyle choices, your cells may stay strong enough to avoid getting infected by viruses that come knocking on their membranes. In this scenario, you won't have enough weak and extraneous cells to require a cold or the flu to work its way through your body to identify and lyse them "

 

After a bit more info, he says this:

"One final note on this topic: because the common cold and the flu are both caused by viruses, antibiotics are not necessary. People who take antibiotics while suffering with a cold or flu often feel slightly better because antibiotics have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. But this benefit is far outweighed by the negative impact that antibiotics have on friendly bacteria that live throughout your digestive tract. In this light, if you really need help with pain management during a cold or flu, it is usually better to take a small dose of acetaminophen than it is to take antibiotics."

 

Perhaps back in 'old times' people/kids didn't get sick so much as we do today. Their bodies were stronger with less toxins building up in their systems; they worked/played/were outside. I think this is the reason my daughter and husband didnt' hardly get sick--they are outside seveal times a day feeding cows/chickens/other livestock. Of course there are stil toxins that we get from everywhere these days in this polluted world so its almost impossible to escape a virus of some sort at some time.

For myself, I've been making a lot of soup with onions/garlic and lots of veggies; using homeopathic meds and cold/flu buster, etc. I have Chronic Fatigue so I know I must allow my body more time to recuperate--plus that asthma.

I just found that Dr.Kim's article to be so interesting that I had to share it. It made me feel better knowing that it was actually purging my body of toxic waste and that not taking antibiotics is the right decision for me.

[edensong]

How interesting, Motherhen. Makes sense to me.

 

I do hope you feel better soon.

 

TurtleMama, we always used warm olive oil for earaches. Seemed to do the trick. A couple spoons of baking soda morning and evening when a cold or flu starts coming on seems to help, but considering the above article maybe we need to let those run their course.

[Ambergris]

What did they do with a barking cough when they couldn't just step into a hot shower? One thing was to throw a blanket or two over the table to make a small, enclosed area, and fill that with steam from kettles of recently boiled water, or with steam created by pouring water over heated stones in a burlap sack.

 

A hot wet cloth over the ear will provide prompt--if all too temporary--relief from most kinds of earaches.

[Crazy4Canning]

For a ear compress, get some salt (rock, kosher, or table) and fill up a sock. Tie a knot in the end and microwave it. It makes a soothing compress that even little kiddos like.

 

DO steam therapy - a steam tent with eucalyptus or menthol can work wonders to move phlem out.

 

Also - MUCINEX (guanifesen) works wonders on expelling the mucus.

 

These are just a few I've tried with great effectiveness.