In the third of our Healthy Happy Home Mini-sodes, we talk you through our top tips for nursing children supportively through acute illness.

When we were researching how to make this podcast the best it could possibly be, and unique to us and our message, we realised that there are certain topics when it comes to holistic living that people really want easy and accessible information for. To that end, we decided to offer 6 “mini-sodes”: short, micro-episodes that answer your most burning questions when it comes to holistic living and parenting.

And in a bid to give our valued listeners access to as much free information as possible to help you attain the level of holistic living that you are reaching for, we decided to offer you the entire transcript of each mini-sode, so you can access this information quickly and easily. Read on below our contact information for the transcript. 

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Season 1 of Healthy Happy Home is sponsored by Megahome Water Distillers www.megahome-distillers.co.uk @megahomedistillers1

 

My Child Is Unwell; What Do I Do? – Transcript

{DISLCAIMER: we are not doctors and you should contact your medical professional if you are worried about your child.}

 

We learnt a lot of this information from Dr Jayne Donegan, so do visit her website for comprehensive booklets on these subjects.

 

When our kids are ill it’s really scary. We want to take away their pain and make them better instantly, but instant isn’t always best. The immune system has brilliant and complex processes that have evolved as we have, to be able to protect us from illness.

The chemical reactions required for the clean-out process work more efficiently at a higher temperature, as do the white cells in the immune system that help to scavenge and clean out rubbish, which is why temperatures are actually super healthy, if approached in the right way and if a child’s immune system is adequately supported.

 

Common store-bought antipyretics can bring down fevers too quickly and suppress the toxins back into the system, instead of ensuring that the immune system processes the infection or virus in the most natural and effective way. When medicines are introduced to suppress, we often find that the virus keeps returning, but by treating common childhood illness naturally, we ensure longer lasting immunity and recovery, and you often find that your child does something new once they’re better, alerting us to the fact that in order to take a developmental leap forward, the child has to clean out their system first.

Before we leap in, it’s important to stress that this information is for common and unserious childhood illnesses. If your child has a fever that is rising rapidly, if they can’t look at the light or can’t move their neck, or an alarming rash has occurred, always take them straight to hospital. Use your instincts as a parent but always try to remain calm.

 

For normal circumstances of childhood illness and fever, which occur a lot in the early years, here are the steps we personally take:

 

• Keep them in loose cotton clothing, ensuring that they aren’t too hot, but equally that they don’t catch a chill.
• Leave a window open for ventilation, stuffy rooms are not conducive to wellbeing and the respiratory system needs air to be circulating. Room temperature should be around 15-18*. That may sound too cold, especially in the winter, but childrens’ ability to regulate their temperature is immature. If the room is too hot, the child cannot radiate their excess heat into their surroundings.
• When the body is processing a fever, it shouldn’t have to do much more work elsewhere, which is where the expression ‘feed a cold starve a fever comes from.’ If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force it. Their body is already doing enough processing without having to add the digestive system to the mix. Stick to clear fluids for example water, diluted apple juice, lemon and honey (never give honey to a child under 1), and broths, which are easy to digest and full of health benefits. With older children who might be used to having sugar, gluten or dairy, try and eliminate these foods for the body to be able to detoxify quicker. Other foods you could offer are peeled apple, wholemeal toast with honey or marmite, mashed potato and fruit or cooked vegetables.
• Use your homeopathic kit. They come with a booklet explaining what each remedy is for so choose the relevant remedy. There is also a homeopathic hotline offering free advice. Make sure to utilise this amazing, voluntary service.
• Use health elixirs such as elderberry syrup and manuka honey if your child is over a year old.
• Skin on skin is one of the most effective ways to regulate a child’s temperature. This isn’t just for new-born babies; the skin on skin approach can be used with children of any age.
• Keep a calm, stress-free environment, and keep screentime to a minimum to ensure the child’s circadian rhythms normalise.
• Let the child sleep as much as possible. Just read the 6-step guide that comes free on our website to understand why sleep is one of the 6 fundamental pillars of wellbeing.
• Increase vitamin c to help the immune system on its journey back to recovery
• Give Epsom salt or magnesium flake baths to aid the detoxification process.

 

Like we always say, not medicating a fever does not mean you are sitting by idly doing nothing. It means you are supporting the body’s natural processes of elimination.

 

For coughs and bad colds, follow all the above, and also use steam bowls or steam rooms by running hot water in the bath and closing the door and sitting the child in the room with the steam. You can add certain essential oils to the bath or steam bowl and also to room diffusers that you can leave on throughout the day and night.

 

Lastly, follow your instincts!

 

 

Extra notes:

Homeopathic helpline: 09065343404

Miranda Castro’s Guide To Homeopathy