Many years ago when my daughter was little, we went to the doctor a lot.  I often had the feeling that we weren’t getting healthier by taking antibiotics, antihistamines, steroids etc.  And all the trips to the doctor made me wonder how I grew up healthy since I hardly remember ever being sick or going to the doctor.

It was my heart’s desire to have a truly healthy family.  I was tired of getting sick and then having to go to the doctor if we didn’t get better.  I wanted us all to have strong immune systems so that we wouldn’t get sick very often, and if we did I wanted to know how to get rid of the illness myself.  I knew some about food and natural remedies, but I wanted to learn more.   So, I began to delve deeper into health research and I have never looked back!

Since changing our diet and adding in appropriate supplements,we now catch less illnesses.  And when we do catch something, I make sure we are taking regular doses of immune boosting supplements so that we can kick the infection quickly.  Sometimes, we are already taking some immune boosting supplements.  But, if we start feeling the first signs of sickness and we haven’t been taking anything-we start right away!

I feel blessed to have been able to use natural remedies instead of pharmaceutical drugs because drugs can have some pretty serious side effects.  A quick google search shows that the yearly hospitalizations from Tylenol are estimated to be in the tens of thousands.  Whereas the hospitalizations from Echinacea number under 100.  Herbs and Vitamins are generally much safer than medicines.  It is still important to be careful with herbs and vitamins, because some can have side effects.

The following supplements have a very good track record-they are safe even for small children.  (Even though these supplements are usually safe, each person must decide for themselves whether a supplement is right for them.)  I feel very comfortable giving these supplements to my children.

I would use medicines if I felt it was necessary.  They definitely are needed for life threatening infections.  I just prefer to stick to things that I know are helping our bodies in every way!

First, a few notes that you might find helpful:  Out of these remedies, Echinacea is the only one that you shouldn’t take all the time.  The rest are generally safe to take all the time.  Or you may just want to take them during the times of the year that you are more likely to catch something.  Certain immune compromised people including children that are prone to ear infections may want to take these supplements all the time (with the exception of the Echinacea).

Powerful Immune Boosting Supplements

Probiotics 

These are the good bacteria that help protect us from bad bacteria.  There are many different “strains” of bacteria. Different strains have different effects in the body. It is important to give children under the age of 2 the strains of bacteria that are naturally found in their guts at that age.  One of these strains is Bifidobacterium Infantis.

Ther-Biotic Infant is formulated for young children and contains Bifidobacterium Infantis.  Another probiotic that is safe for children and infants is Tummy Tuneup.

Vitamin A 

Even in the case of measles infections (which can sometimes be serious) vitamin A can cut the death rate down to almost zero.  Imagine what a difference it can make in the body’s ability to fight off less serious infections like colds.

I have talked about in a previous article that beta carotene (like the vitamin A in carrots) is not the type of vitamin A that is so powerful.  The vitamin A that is immune boosting is the type found in cod liver oil.

An excellent cod liver oil is Rosita cod liver oil.  It is pricey, but one bottle will last a long while.  And a doctor’s appointment will often cost more!  I prefer to spend my money on supplements that help keep us healthy.  🙂  (Cod liver oil can be given in a tiny amount of orange juice to help hide the flavor.)

Echinacea 

Echinacea kills a broad range of disease-causing viruses, fungi, and bacteria, but not through direct action.  Echinacea stimulates the immune system so that it works more effectively.

Echinacea tincture is available online.  A tincture is a liquid form of the herb.  Tinctures are made with alcohol or glycerine.  Alcohol is generally a stronger tincture-sometimes stronger is needed depending on how ugly the “bug”is. The amount of alcohol is very tiny, but if you are concerned you can get alcohol free tinctures made with glycerine only. The glycerine tinctures also taste better and are easier to get kids to take.

I put alcohol based tinctures in a little tea sweetened with a tiny amount of raw honey to help make them more palatable. Tinctures can also be hidden in a little orange juice, but be careful not to give very much because even natural sugars can feed bacteria and viruses.

Echinacea can be given every two hours during the acute crisis phase, and should be continued for 7-10 days after improvement.

Colostrum 

This is the first milk that is produced in a mammal before the breastmilk comes in. Colostrum is very helpful in boosting the immune system.  It also helps to establish friendly protective bacteria (like probiotics).  If you need a dairy free colostrum Kirkman makes a really good one.  Colostrum is very helpful for anyone who was not breastfed, and is also very important to take after a round of antibiotics.  Colostrum is very gentle but also very effective.

These supplements are some of the safest that you will find, but they also really work!  If you are prone to sicknesses in the winter, you might want to start on some of these supplements right away because winter is right around the corner!

I would love to hear from you!  You can comment or ask a question below.  🙂

Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. You should consult your health practitioner before making changes in your diet or supplements. I am not a doctor or medical professional.

This post was shared at Motivation Monday.

My older daughter had quite a few ear infections when she was little, but luckily, my younger hadn’t.  However, one day she started complaining of her ear hurting.  Even though she wasn’t crying, I could tell it hurt pretty badly.  It kept up for a couple days so I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with an ear infection and given an antibiotic.

Want to know the rest of the story and find out how to treat your ear problems with natural remedies?  Click here to read the rest of this article at Whole Intentions.

Ear infections can be really painful!  There are many things that you can do to help your child heal from an ear infection-you can boost the immune system with food or supplements, you can encourage the ear to drain properly, and you can kill the virus or the infection in the ear.

All of those things will help your child to recover and will lessen the pain.  However, I know that when one of my kids had an ear infection, I wanted to know how I could help my child to stop hurting as soon as possible!

Tylenol and Ibuprofen are often recommended for pain relief, but there are a couple of reasons that they are a last resort for me.

1. Conventional pain medications such as Tylenol and ibuprofen can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. Ibuprofen can cause ulcers and increased blood pressure. Tylenol can cause nausea and headache. Both Ibuprofen and Tylenol can cause liver and kidney damage. Personally, I only use Tylenol if it is the middle of the night and other pain relief measures haven’t brought enough relief.
2. Giving pain relievers can make an illness last longer. In one study they gave volunteers the flu virus. Some of the volunteers were given a pain reliever and others were not. The patients that received the pain reliever stayed sick longer!

Here are some things that can help the pain of an ear infection without the bad side effects of conventional pain medicines:

1. Heat-often heat alone is a big help to easing off ear pain. Fill an old clean sock with rice and heat it in the microwave until it is really warm, but not too hot. Apply the sock to the ear.
2. Onion-this often helps ease ear pain. Slice an onion in half bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Let cool until it is really warm but not too hot. Apply to the ear. This can be left on the ear for a long time if desired.
3. Garlic oil-this helps with the pain as well as killing infection.  You can make your own, or buy it online*.  (Make sure that the eardrum isn’t preforated-I explain how you can tell here.)

Sometimes, these remedies work better than pain medicine because they go directly to the source of the pain.  The last time one of my children had an ear infection we used these remedies, and they worked well for us!

*If you have never ordered from Pure Formulas you can use my link to set up an account and receive $5 off of your $50 order (shipping is always free with Pure Formulas!)  Click here to receive $5.  (You will need to enter the code RWPNBF in the referral code space on your order.)

This post was shared at Fat Tuesday.

An All Too Common Scenario

It is midnight, and you are sleeping soundly. You hear a noise and recognize your child’s crying. Stumbling out of bed you make your way to your child’s room. You can tell the cry is “that kind of cry”-the kind that tells you that something is really wrong. You wonder what it could be until you notice that your child is pulling on his ears. Then you feel the dread of knowing that your child’s ear is hurting badly, and that usually means a doctor’s appt., an antibiotic and lots of pain for your child until the infection calms down.

But what if there was a way to help your child become well without resorting to antibiotics? Antibiotics can cause digestion problems, allergies, and set the stage for many serious problems-including reoccurring ear infections.

For many children there is a better way. Antibiotics do have their place-some children do need them. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics antibiotics should be prescribed if the child is age 6 months or younger, or if the acute otitus media (ear infection) seems to have severe symptoms. If the ear infection has less severe symptoms and the child is between 6 months and 12 years than simply waiting is an option.  (Source) (I would suggest trying some natural remedies instead of just waiting!)

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that many ear infections go away on their own. Approximately 80 percent of children get better without antibiotics. In one 2000 study of 240 children under the age of 2 only 3% required an antibiotic after 4 days. 97% of the children healed on their own!

(If your child is under the age of 2, has a fever of 102F or higher or has fluid dripping from the ears a doctor’s visit is probably a very good idea. Double ear infections can be a sign that antibiotics are a good idea.)

What Is An Ear Infection Anyway?

An Ear Infection is caused by a bacteria or virus getting into the ear. Often a cold or flu comes on first and fluid has a chance to pool in the middle ear. If the fluids are not encouraged to drain and they become stagnant than bacteria has a chance to build up causing an ear infection. This is an infection of the middle ear (the most common type of ear infection). An infection that is on the outer ear is called swimmer’s ear and is less common.

Ear infections can also be from a virus, and it is often hard to diagnose if an ear infection has a viral component or if it is simply from a build up of bacteria.

How Are Ear Infections Diagnosed? 

An ear infection is diagnosed with a medical history and by looking into the ear with an otoscope. The otoscope is a device that allows the doctor to see all the way into the canal and look at the eardrum. If the eardrum is red and swollen usually the doctor will diagnose an ear infection. However, simply having a red eardrum or a slightly bulging tympanic membrane doesn’t necessarily mean that your child has an ear infection. It can simply mean that the fluid is not draining well.

Standard medical treatment usually includes antibiotics. For some children, antibiotics don’t solve the problem and they continue to get ear infections.

What Can I Do To Help My Child Get Well?

There are the 4 things you can do to help your child recover quickly-

1. Encourage Your Child’s Ear to Drain Properly
2. Kill the Virus or Infection in the Ear Directly
3. Strengthen the Immune System so the Body Fights off the Infection
4. Avoid Conventional Pain Medications if Possible (Try other pain relief measures)

How to Encourage the Ear to Drain Properly

Manually “Massage” the Ear-Since stagnant fluid can cause ear infections, we want to encourage the fluid to move. Some chiropractors will teach you how to do this so that you will be able to encourage the ear to drain properly at home. See below for more on chiropractic care.

Elevate the Head of Your Child’s Bed-The ears can drain much better if your child’s head is elevated. I have done this by taking a couch pillow and placing it under the top part of the mattress. (This might not be good for the mattress though). You could also try placing blocks under the front legs of the bed being careful to make sure that the bed is steady. Also, pillows could be arranged to keep the child in a reclining position instead of a laying position. Make sure that the child is reclined and not getting a kink in their neck. This of course wouldn’t be safe for very small children or babies.

See a Chiropractor-Many children with ear infections are helped by seeing a chiropractor. Chiropractic adjustments are especially helpful to children with chronic ear infections. Many chiropractors can also teach you how to properly massage your child’s ear and lymph nodes. Then, you would be able to help your child’s ear drain properly by “massaging” the ear at home. I would make sure that the chiropractor is trained to work on children. Asking others for referrals is also helpful in determining how skilled a chiropractor is.

I will give you more information on how to treat ear infections naturally in Part 2 of this article!  Stay tuned.  🙂

You may also be interested in this post on how to strengthen the immune system with food-Foods That Strengthen the Immune System-Protect Yourself from Sickness.  

Update:  Part 2 is ready!  You can read part 2 at this link-Ear Infections Part 2-A Natural Remedy

Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. You should consult your health practitioner before making changes in your diet or supplements. I am not a doctor or medical professional.

This post was shared at Fat Tuesday, and