Reprinted from Great Life Magazine
When your child has an earache, cold or cough, try homeopathy before resorting to antibiotics.
An interest in alternative medicine often starts with a parent's concern for their child who is in and out of the pediatrician's office with sickness. Many parents bring their children to my office because they are uncomfortable with the repeated courses of antibiotics prescribed by conventional pediatricians and are seeking gentler alternatives. Homeopathy, which has been used in Europe for generations, fits the bill. In France, for example, the best selling medicine for flu is the homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum.
As a physician, I feel there is definitely a time and place for antibiotics. But since I began using homeopathic remedies in my practice, I rarely find that I need to resort to antibiotics. In fact, it's rare that I even need to prescribe Children's Tylenol.
As the mother of two boys, I often go to my homeopathic kit to treat many childhood ailments. Recently, when my son Etienne got out of the bath shivering, then later that night woke up with a fever and a croupy cough, I gave him Aconite and his coughing stopped almost immediately, and he went back to sleep. And when my infant Quentin came down with double ear infection, I knew that Pulsatilla was the appropriate remedy for him because he was quite gentle, and he was perfectly happy as long as I held him in my arms. If he had been angry and irritable, I would have turned to Chamomilla. (I know one mother who doesn't leave home without her homeopathic Chamomilla.) The chart below presents other effective homeopathic remedies for childhood ailments.
Gentle Remedies for Wee Ones
Many patients come to my office looking for a homeopathic remedy that is natural and safe without any side effects. Acute cold and flu symptoms respond well to homeopathic treatment. Homeopathic remedies come in different strengths or potencies. The lower potencies which range in strength from 6X, 6C, 30X and 30C are appropriate for use at home. The correct choice of remedy will work at any strength. In general, remedies in the strengths of 6X and 6C need to be repeated more often than the 30X or 30C.. Homeopathic medicine is safe and effective, without the side effects of standard medicine, and it is useful for adults as well as children.
For chronic conditions, I recommend constitutional homeopathic treatment, in which a homeopathic remedy is chosen by a trained homeopath after a lengthy interview. This method can be very effective for the long-term resolution of chronic conditions.
