I am not sure if I have ever shared that Sammy has some respiratory issues. They are minor in the grande scheme of problems like that go- but still something that requires constant vigilance. Waking up to your kiddo not breathing well is something I really hope few parents ever really have to experience. I felt like I really wanted to talk about homeopathic remedies and my feelings regarding medical care. Hint: I think this goes against popular/trendy opinion here.
First of all- if your child is having labored breathing get actual medical help. Don't google- don't call around to your mom friends. Call 911 if it is severe. Get help. Don't mess around with breathing.
Sammy first got croup when he was around three. We'd had no problems with colds or viruses and anything we'd experienced was mild. No cause for alarm at all. That changed really suddenly one morning when I heard a barking cough. He had the stridor breathing and I thought he may have whooping cough. We went immediately to urgent care as it is right down the street. They listened to him and he seemed to get better during the visit and we got some steroids and went home. I stayed home with him for a couple of days and he was much better. We just used a humidifier and some vicks on the feet.
The second time was scarier. We went to urgent care and they sent us via ambulance to a local hospital. He received a breathing treatment en route and then another when we got to the ER room. After you aren't stabilized with one treatment they often require an overnight stay so after the second one we went by ambulance again to the children's hospital. We stayed overnight and his levels were fine. We followed up with his ped and she said it was just croup and he would grow out of it. I of course googled everything and was very worried. I decided to change peds because I felt like I really didn't need another go round of this.
The third time we went directly to his new ped and they gave him a breathing treatment in the office. We were sent home with a nebulizer and enough albuteral for a year. This basically made our croup struggle a non-emergency and things are much easier in this department now. Sammy gets this stridor breathing/croup thing every single time he's sick and we do treatments until he's well. We're managing and I really hope as he gets older and his airway becomes larger that this is a thing of the past. Now for the natural/homeopathic angle to this story.
I was invited to an essential oils party a few months after his hospital stay. Of course being a mom who realizes things like antibiotic resistance and over medication of our children are things that happen- I was interested in a more natural solution. Maybe even something to get us help before it escalated into actual breathing issues.
That party was an eye opener for one reason. Be careful who you get advice from and check for credentials. They were touting some breathing mixes for my son and after further review- those fixes and potions could have killed him. Some oils in there can cause breathing distress in children. The person selling that sure didn't know that but I don't think it would have ever occurred to them that their knowledge and lack of education could be deadly. With the rise of homeopathic medicine there is also a rise in people making a profit from you and your choice to not use traditional medicine. Be wary of their education, credentials, and expertise. Get medical information from trained medical professionals. Everyone has a bias. My bias is that I think breathing issues are best treated with medicine like albuterol. I view it as an emergency and we need the best care possible.
Look also for well respected brands in your treatments. Use the name brands so that you know the support items you are buying will stand the test of time. I really don't want to get a nebulizer or humidifier that stops functioning when we really need it. We love crane for the humidifiers. They are cute for kiddos and really stand the test of time. We use braun thermometers because we really need to know if a cold or virus is coming on. We just were sent the newest one that reads above the forehead with no touching and I have to say- it is amazing. We can check in the middle of the night without waking Sammy and I can trust the reading to be accurate and consistent. I need all products to function that way because I am not messing around with the safety of my child.
I made this little pinterest board to lighten the subject a bit from snake oil salesmen and respiratory issues. Check it out :) https://www.pinterest.com/andreaschaaf/health-and-wellness/
First of all- if your child is having labored breathing get actual medical help. Don't google- don't call around to your mom friends. Call 911 if it is severe. Get help. Don't mess around with breathing.
Sammy first got croup when he was around three. We'd had no problems with colds or viruses and anything we'd experienced was mild. No cause for alarm at all. That changed really suddenly one morning when I heard a barking cough. He had the stridor breathing and I thought he may have whooping cough. We went immediately to urgent care as it is right down the street. They listened to him and he seemed to get better during the visit and we got some steroids and went home. I stayed home with him for a couple of days and he was much better. We just used a humidifier and some vicks on the feet.
The second time was scarier. We went to urgent care and they sent us via ambulance to a local hospital. He received a breathing treatment en route and then another when we got to the ER room. After you aren't stabilized with one treatment they often require an overnight stay so after the second one we went by ambulance again to the children's hospital. We stayed overnight and his levels were fine. We followed up with his ped and she said it was just croup and he would grow out of it. I of course googled everything and was very worried. I decided to change peds because I felt like I really didn't need another go round of this.
The third time we went directly to his new ped and they gave him a breathing treatment in the office. We were sent home with a nebulizer and enough albuteral for a year. This basically made our croup struggle a non-emergency and things are much easier in this department now. Sammy gets this stridor breathing/croup thing every single time he's sick and we do treatments until he's well. We're managing and I really hope as he gets older and his airway becomes larger that this is a thing of the past. Now for the natural/homeopathic angle to this story.
I was invited to an essential oils party a few months after his hospital stay. Of course being a mom who realizes things like antibiotic resistance and over medication of our children are things that happen- I was interested in a more natural solution. Maybe even something to get us help before it escalated into actual breathing issues.
That party was an eye opener for one reason. Be careful who you get advice from and check for credentials. They were touting some breathing mixes for my son and after further review- those fixes and potions could have killed him. Some oils in there can cause breathing distress in children. The person selling that sure didn't know that but I don't think it would have ever occurred to them that their knowledge and lack of education could be deadly. With the rise of homeopathic medicine there is also a rise in people making a profit from you and your choice to not use traditional medicine. Be wary of their education, credentials, and expertise. Get medical information from trained medical professionals. Everyone has a bias. My bias is that I think breathing issues are best treated with medicine like albuterol. I view it as an emergency and we need the best care possible.
Look also for well respected brands in your treatments. Use the name brands so that you know the support items you are buying will stand the test of time. I really don't want to get a nebulizer or humidifier that stops functioning when we really need it. We love crane for the humidifiers. They are cute for kiddos and really stand the test of time. We use braun thermometers because we really need to know if a cold or virus is coming on. We just were sent the newest one that reads above the forehead with no touching and I have to say- it is amazing. We can check in the middle of the night without waking Sammy and I can trust the reading to be accurate and consistent. I need all products to function that way because I am not messing around with the safety of my child.
I made this little pinterest board to lighten the subject a bit from snake oil salesmen and respiratory issues. Check it out :) https://www.pinterest.com/andreaschaaf/health-and-wellness/
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