More than once last week I ran into a mom with a little one battling chronic allergies, respiratory issues and/or ear infections. I've shared my story about curing my kids and husband of their allergies and respiratory issues with countless people over the years, so I decided to share it with you guys.
When my husband (Trey) and I were married, Brennan (our oldest) was 6 years old and had been battling seasonal allergies for years and had tubes put in his ears as a toddler due to chronic ear infections. My husband still recalls that as being the worst experience of his life. Trey also struggled through Louisiana springs and they would both would take a Claritin tablet every morning for about 9 months out of the year. At the time, I had no experience with allergies myself and assumed it was something they just had to live with. After all, it's the south... pollen happens.
When Liam, our youngest was about 4 months old, the ear infections started. He was a breast fed baby, he wasn't in daycare, we didn't have indoor pets and we used "natural" baby products whenever we could afford to, so I couldn't understand why he was so miserable. We spent months on and off antibiotics and bouncing between the pediatrician, ENT and allergy specialist only to be diagnosed with the "possibility" of every respiratory issue or infection I'd ever heard of including RSV. Never a definitive diagnosis but let's put him on yet another round of antibiotics, an oral steroid, an anti-viral and breathing treatments anyway. And let's throw in some nasal sprays, ear drops and eye drops too, just for fun....
Nothing worked. We might get a few days of relief only to start the whole process over. At this point I was at my whits end, everyone was miserable and I was desperate to find an alternative. Even if you believe that modern medicine is the only way to health if you're sleep deprived, your baby is miserable and the previous three rounds of prescription drugs have offered no relief, you're suddenly open to suggestions. Here are the four things that worked for us.
1. Probiotics- Instead of heading to the pharmacy for the umpteenth time I stopped into the local health food store with hopes of finding some miracle root, tonic or serum. To my surprise, the clerk recommended I start him on a probiotic. I had heard of probiotics, but thought they were just for tummy issues. Now I know that at least 75% of our immune system and it's functions happen in our tummies, so a healthy tummy is essential to a healthy immune system. The probiotics had almost an immediate effect on Liam. The diaper rash went away and the constant flow of greenish, yellow goop coming from his nose started to run a little clearer. I will mention that the first few days his diaper had mucus in it, I know that sounds icky, but I was happy to see it coming out, no matter where it came from. Best of all, he was feeling better. ***Read on to find out why I don't recommend using yogurt as a probiotic suppliment***
2. Chiropractic Care- This one has proven to be a bit controversial. I remember a conversation with Trey early in our relationship about chiropractors. I had seen the relief it had given my mother after a car accident 20 years ago and the relief it gave me after some sport related injuries in high school, but he seemed to think a chiropractor was some sort of witch doctor with an office full of medieval torture devices. He later changed his tune when he had some back issues that his GP could do nothing for but prescribe glorified ibuprofen to temporarily mask the pain. I will admit that taking my baby to be adjusted was a little nerve wracking even for me and I was unclear on how it could help Liam's respiratory issues. But it all made sense when our chiropractor explained how the spinal column housed the start of every nerve effecting every bodily function, not just the joints and muscles. After his first adjustment, he slept. He slept like a lumber jack. He slept better than he had in months. Although there was still a lot of slime coming out of his little nose, his chest sounded clearer and he was happier. We continued visiting the chiropractor 2-3 times a week for the next few weeks until his issues were totally gone. We still visit periodically for maintenance.
3. House Cleaning- This happened gradually so I didn't immediately see the benefits of eliminating toxins from my home, but over time effects were obvious and totally worth it. Who knew that bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde and other chemicals in everyday cleaning products could worsen, and even create allergy like symptoms??? Now I know all about it...scary stuff. It took about a year to completely eliminate the toxins. I started by making all of my surface cleaners, detergents and soaps, then eventually started making shampoo and other body products. Now I just order all of my products from Melaleuca.com. If your interested in making your own, check out a few of my earlier posts for homemade recipes.
Homemade Cosmetics Homemade Cleaning Products
What I noticed after a few months was that Trey and Brennan had completely stopped taking the Claritin. And to think we blamed the poor old pine trees for their misery, when all along it was in big part to our cleaning products.
4. Eliminate Dairy & Wheat- When Liam was ill as a baby, he didn't have dairy in his diet. In fact, he was too young for any solid food. Unfortunately, I ate dairy and wheat while nursing him, but didn't make the connection until a year later. When he was diagnosed with autism at age 2, we eliminated dairy and gluten from our diets. We went cold turkey for 3 months, then slowly added it back in to diets in moderation. What I noticed was that my daughter's chronic sniffle had gone away, then came back with the reintroduction of dairy. I also noticed excess mucus production in my own system when I consumed dairy and my lack of energy when I consumed wheat. To this day we do our best to avoid dairy and gluten.
It's been over 4 years since we've sat on the side of the bathtub rocking Liam at midnight filling the bathroom with steam, praying for an hour of relief. 4 years since nurses took my little baby boy and wedged him into a plastic vice to take chest xrays while he screamed, and I cried. 4 years since antibiotics, steroids or the dreaded nasal sprays. And 3 years since monthly trips to the pharmacy for Claritin. Now I'm not bashing the medical community, if fact, we love our current pediatrician, although we rarely see him. However, never did a medical professional recommend anything that would actually boost my kids' immune systems or to avoid things that could suppress it.
There are plenty of studies that argue both sides of each of these things, and I have researched them tirelessly. What I've learned over the past 5 years of researching and implementing healthy practices in my home is that most research is biased, but you can't argue with personal experience. And this works for us! Bonus: it's not medications, so there are no side effects, only health benefits.
Links:
http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/probiotics-and-the-gut
http://afcchiropractic.com/allergies-chiropractic-care/
http://www.healthychild.com/chiropractic-for-chronic-ear-infections/
https://suite.io/jane-larkin/3fck25v
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