My patients frequently ask how I as a chiro mama deal with sickness or illness in our family… Let me preface this by saying that it is a rare event. I credit the rarity to our holistic lifestyle which includes regular chiropractic care to boost our immune system (see this post). But, even with the healthiest of lifestyles, one can still get run down.
In the event that we do get run down, we do a variety of things to immediately boost our immune system:
The basics
When my children are ill or I see the signs of illness, we increase probiotics (I recommend Klaire Labs for adults, children, and infants), decrease activity and try to increase rest. I make sure that they are getting adjusted more frequently, use some acupressure point treatments and xylitol spray etc. if necessary. Of course, we do the obvious things like reign in any dietary laxity i.e. with sugar, as it is one of the main culprits in reducing the immune system’s ability to function properly. According to one study, when you eat 100 grams of sugar, about as much sugar as you find in a 1-liter bottle of soda, your white blood cells are 40 percent less effective at killing germs. This can cripple your immune system for up to 5 hours after indulging. Needless to say, those few and far between sweet treats will get kicked entirely at this time.
There a few times when I feel as though one of my children could use a little something extra that won’t wreck their immunity further. That is when I will whip up some Elderberry Beef Gelatin.
And, here are my favorite remedies for children…
This photo is from my Natural Allergy Relief post.
- We increase our vitamin D (I like to recommend Bio-D-Mulsion from Biotics or Metagenics D3 liquid)
- We increase our fluid intake (water)
- We take Epsom salt baths sometimes with vitamin C powder added (limit the vitamin C used at night time as this could amp up your child’s activity or make him hyper)
- We use my homemade elderberry syrup (attach recipe) or a store-bought Sambucus off some sort. I also like Imu-max by Orthomolecular brand to naturally help boost immunity. These are all especially helpful in the instance of a cold.
- Diffuse or apply essential oils or add to the bath. (Usually lemon lavender and Melaleuca… And occasionally thieves or peace and calming.)
- We might also increase the amount of vitamin C and magnesium if necessary. (We use NaturalCalm)
If the cold turned a little bit more mucousy – We would turn to using D – Hist and a natural chest rub with essential oils.
If the above cold also involved a cough – Depending on the type of a cough, we would also use a variety of different homeopathic remedies such as Pulsatilla or a cough syrup like Zarbees.
If it were more of the flu – I would use Oscillococcinum by Boiron, a homeopathic combo remedy.
Ear Infection
If my children have ever had what appears to be an ear infection or symptoms of an ear infection, we have used garlic with Mullein oil, warm onion treatment, essential oils (usually lavender), Hydrogen peroxide, as well as other homeopathic remedies.
Stomach Virus
Finally, if there is a stomach virus or general malaise we will use A concoction of water mixed with Stevia sweetened electrolyte drink or water down Axio, along with some added MCT oil, vitamin C powder, and cell salts. I try to encourage sips of bone broth which is great for the above (colds, flu, etc.) as well as activated charcoal, probiotics, apple cider vinegar watered down, essential oils and rest!
Lastly, if needed, I sometimes resort to using over-the-counter non-prescription sent in reducing medications within reason. I have at one time or another used Mucinex or Benadryl, and rarely Advil. I always feel that these are better options than having to end up in a doctors office where there is an even greater potential for more depletion of the immune system, plus the solution is often antibiotics which contribute to a disruption of the precious microbiome that our children have.
As you can see from some of the things above, I am no saint and as my blogs name implies, I am mostly holistic. I will use medication if necessary but tend to want to stay away from very serious intervention and rather I looked at the root cause which is often: traumas, toxins, thoughts in the form of overscheduled children, excess sugar and carbohydrate consumption, or lack of sleep. I’ve always heard the old expression that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; so as I mentioned before, my family is under regular chiropractic care and we have a very vitalistic lifestyle that includes movement and rest and prayer and nutrition as well as supplementation. To date, my 6-year-old and 3.5 year-old have NEVER had antibiotics.
Hope this helps your family heal from any short-term illness!
Stay healthy… and get adjusted!
Just sayin’,
Mostly Holistic Mama
mostlyholisticmama.com 