Natural Health Help

Little Kids with Runny Nose, Colds and Flu
(Infants to 7 years old; 8 to 65 pounds)

Plant medicines
1. Echinacea Glycerite: dose every 2 hours for first 24 hours then four times a day till symptoms are gone
Infant under 6 months: 5 drops
Infant 6 months to 12 months: 10 to 15 drops
Over 12 months: 20 to 30 drops
OR-

2. Larix: dose as above, add powder to water and administer by dribbling into the child’s mouth off a spoon or with a syringe or by bottle or cup; you may also mix with a tablespoon of applesauce
Infant under 6 months: 1/16 to 1/8 tsp
Infant 6 months to 12 months: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Over 12 months: 3/4 tsp up to 1 TBS, age/size dependent

3. Eye Bright (euphrasia): for upper respiratory infections with runny eyes and nose, congestion

Infants under 6 months- add 10 drops of tincture to 1/4 cup water; give a teaspoon full every 15 to 30 minutes; up to 3/4 cup (30 drops tincture total) a day
Infant 6 months to 12 months: as above, using 15 to 25 drops tincture per 1/4 cup water, up to 1 cup (total of 60 to 100 drops tincture) in a day
Over 12 months: as above, using 20 to 40 drops tincture per 1/4 cup water, up to 1 cup (total of 80 to 160 drops of tincture) in a day, age/size dependent

Diet
No juice or fruit (if your child will not drink sufficient water or tea, use fruit juice diluted in half with water, or fruity flavored teas like chamomile, hibiscus, berry flavors)
No simple carbohydrates like sugar, syrup, honey, corn sweeteners, molasses
No dairy foods (cow milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream etc)

Supplements
Vit. C: age in years times 50 mg every 2 hours

Vit. A: up to 50,000 IU/day for first 2 days in kids under age 6; for first 4 days in kids 6 and older (consider fish oil as a good source of Vit A)

Beta carotene: age in years x 20,000 IU/day not to exceed 200,000 IU daily

Natural mixed carotenoids: age in years x 20,000 IU/day. Not to exceed 200,000IU daily

Zinc: age in years time 2.5 mg. Daily (not to exceed 30 mg daily) Combine with 1 mg copper if used for more than 1 week

Hydrotherapy
Saline nose drops: mix 1 TBS of salt in a pint of warm water. Add a pinch of baking soda to avoid stinging. Have a child over 4 years old lie on a bed with his/her head hanging down over the edge of the mattress. Allow 1 to 2 droppers full of solution to dribble into nostril. Ask the child to lie still that way for about 5 minutes. Then have her/him sit up and gargle with some of the saline mixture, and spit it out. Salt water will thin the mucus and help shrink swollen mucus membranes.

For infant/toddlers: use 2 to 3 drops in each nostril and gently suction out with a bulb syringe.

Hot foot bath: feet in water as warm as is comfortable for at least 20 minutes; this moves the fluid volume out of the head and upper body, relieving congestion and stirring up the immune system; especially good at bedtime and followed by wet socks, below-

Wet socks: you need a pair of kid-sized cotton socks, and larger wool socks. Soak the cotton socks in cold water and wring out well. Put on very warm, pink feet. Cover with dry wool socks and go to bed. The cold will force the outer circulation inward, the warmth of the wool will open the surface circulation back up again. This passive flushing of the blood draws congestion out of the upper body and mobilizes the immune system for hours. Best if left on all night, or at least 2 hours. If the child complains of cold feet, remove the wet socks and warm then with a hot foot bath.

Wet T-shirt: same principle as above, more specifically useful to bronchial inflammation and coughs. A little more dramatic – kids often love permission to scream at the top pf their lungs while donning the cool wet t-shirt, then get lots of cuddling and praise for their bravery as the snuggly sweater is pulled on. It also helps if you make an event out of going to the second hand store and purchasing a very special sweater, for hydrotherapy only. You will not want to use grandma’s best handiwork for these treatments because the wool will be forever changed from its close work with wetness.

Throat Wrap: again, same principle of cool wet cotton covered by dry wool to move the underlying circulation of blood and lymph, decongesting and delivering those white blood cells more effectively. The throat wrap is for people who actually have necks, so not the wee babies with the wobbly heads. It is great for the first signs of any respiratory thing- glassy eyes, runny nose, sore throat, ear pain, swollen glands. A cotton bandana folded lengthwise, made cold and wrung out, covered by a wool sock, pinned securely but obviously not too tightly. Often we can feel our pulse pounding in out neck for a few minutes after starting with a throat wrap—a good sign we have got the contrast right and the fluid shift is happening.

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