A Dilemma for Parents
Parents of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) go to great lengths to give their children healthy food and provide a non-toxic environment. So what do you do when your child has immune challenges? Ear infections, tonsillitis, infected skin rashes, coughs, colds, all require some kind of intervention, but ASD kids need to avoid drugs, especially antibiotics. And what do parents do when their child is in pain? It seems like there is no choice other than give pharmaceutical drugs when it comes to dealing with infection and pain.
The side effects of both paracetamol and antibiotics, particularly when given in the first year of life, (eg allergies) continues to appear in medical journals. Given that both autism and childhood allergies are rapidly increasing in incidence, avoiding common childhood medications where possible, is becoming more and more important.
There happens to be a simple, often controversial therapy that addresses most kids needs for common infections – homeopathic medicines. Homeopathy is controversial not because it is unsafe or expensive, just because it is not well understood how it works. Many parents around the world use homeopathy for common infections and injuries quite successfully, as explained on Extraordinary Medicine and Homeopathy Worked For Me The medicines can be given at home, in place of analgesics, antibiotics, antihistamines, cortisone and other medications.
Properly prescribed, homeopathic medicines work quickly. When parents have homeopathic medicines on hand at home, they can treat the problem in its early stages, avoiding the need for a trip to their health professional. It can take time to learn how to apply – but it’s easy to learn. Often there are Homeopathic First Aid courses close by. If not, ask a homeopath near you to run a course.
Homeopathic medicines come in drops for babies and young children and small white pills for older children and adults. Homeopathic medicines are completely safe for babies, pregnant women, children and adults. There are absolutely no toxic effects.
Acute conditions homeopathic medicines can treat:
- Pain
- Tonsillitis
- Ear infections
- Fevers
- Colds
- Coughs – including whooping cough
- Gastroenteritis
- Cystitis and other ‘itis’s
- Injuries: bites, stings, cuts, grazes & bruises
Benefits:
- Easy to give – children like them. They can be put into a little water so there is no taste.
- Cheap: each medicine costs $10-15. These bottles keep for several years. Pilules last indefinitely.
- Safe to use
- Reduce the need for harmful medication
- Do not produce allergic reactions
- Reduce the need to visit practitioners for acute problems
- Compatible with other medicines – won’t interrupt medical treatment
Conditions parents can treat at home:
- Ear Pain: Aconite, Belladonna, Pulsatilla and Chamomilla
- Ear Infections (Otitis media) –the most frequent reason a child is prescribed antibiotics. The infection often starts with a runny nose. This is the time to begin treatment:
Runny nose – Ferrum Phos and Kali Mur tissue salts
Sore throat: Ferrum Phos
Symptoms after exposure to cold: Aconite
Sudden onset of symptoms: Belladonna, Aconite
Established symptoms (after a few days): Mercurius, Pulsatilla
- Colic and Reflux So many ASD kids start life with colic and reflux; these respond very well to homeopathic medicines like Aethusa, Lycopodium and Nux Vomica and help children to avoid medications.
- Colds The first stages of a cold, where there is a clear runny nose often respond to Ferrum Phos and Kali Mur tissue salts, taken every few hours. Pulsatilla and Lycopodium are used for more established colds, where there’s a thick runny nose.
- Tonsillitis Commonly used medicines are Ferrum Phos, Belladonna, Hepar Sulphuris
- Allergic reactions Homeopathic medicines can manage allergic reactions – dose each time the reaction appears. Some acute allergy medicines are: Allium Cepa, Arsenicum Album, Histaminum, Apis Mellifica, Natrum Muriaticum.
- Gastroenteritis Tummy bugs generally respond very well to medicines like Arsenicum, Ipecac, Nux vomica and Podophyllum and shorten the period of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Once familiar with a few medicines, parents can treat acute problems at home.
When a homeopathic medicine doesn’t relieve symptoms, it means a different medicine is needed. Instead of thinking “this stuff doesn’t work” – take your child to a homeopath. Alternatively, make sure you have a good home prescribing guide, like Treat Your Child Yourself
Tissue Salts
Tissue salts are low-dose homeopathic medicines. There are 12 tissue salts, which can be used singly or in combination. You can purchase a little booklet as well, with prescribing information. One bottle of tissue salts costs under $10. Commonly used tissue salts are Kali Mur, Ferrum Phos, Mag Phos, Nat Sulph and Nat Phos.
Chronic, ongoing problems are best treated by a practitioner, as individualised treatment gives better results than a ‘one size fits all’ treatment.
ADHD, Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, PDDNOS, PREVENTIONASD, colds, coughs, drug free, ear infections, effective, homeopathy, medications, natural medicine, safe