Remedies for Children

Alternative Remedies for Children
By Kit Heathcock

As a first time mother I started off my parenting career on track with conventional medicine, armed with a bottle of Calpol, to solve every medical dilemma. Confronting my baby’s eczema and frequent bouts of tonsillitis led me to discover alternative medicine, homeopathy in particular, and I gradually came to find other ways of dealing with teething pain and mild fevers.

Let me make it clear that I am writing from my own experience as a mother, I am not a qualified health professional, so before trying any of my suggestions consult your homeopath or doctor to make sure they are appropriate for your child and your particular needs.

In alternative medicine, fever is seen as a healthy sign that the body’s immune system is doing its job. By raising the body temperature for a period the bacteria or virus causing the illness can be weakened and killed off by the body's own defence system. Suppressing fevers routinely by giving Calpol or other paracetamol, is therefore reducing the body’s capacity to fight off the illness by itself. It’s hard as a parent to see your child ill with fever – you want to dole out some quick fix medicine so they’ll be better immediately. Often though by giving paracetamol for a mild fever you can be prolonging the illness, as the body has to fight harder against the bacteria or virus causing it and can then succumb to secondary infections.