As parents, it is your foremost responsibility to check with a competent medical practitioner to undertake or substantiate a diagnosis; to shed light on a bewildering or ambiguous diagnosis; to discard all complications; as well as to take care of any incurable or fatal medical emergency if your child is suffering from any health disorder. It is important to investigate all abrupt or unanticipated changes in the condition of your child.
It has been found that parents who are aware of using natural remedies for various health conditions are actually capable of being more involved in taking care of the health of their children. In fact, they turn out to be more responsive to the emotional as well as physical temperament of their children and are able to identify the forewarning indications of ailments quite early. Since parents are the custodians of the health of their children, it is also necessary for them to keep an eye on their children to see if they are coming in contact with any toxic substance and also help in deciding on the requirement for as well as supervising the detoxification processes.
As children come in contact with toxins every day it is essential to monitor their activities. In case the normal detoxification means in their body are unable to take care of this toxic burden, it is likely that they would develop some kind of bioaccumulation. Similar to adults, children, who are burdened with excessive toxins, require undergoing detoxification and cleansing procedures.
Cleansing the body by application of heat (heat depuration) is effective in mobilizing the harmful chemicals accumulated in the fat cells of children. For several hundred years, children have been safely using saunas in Sweden and Finland. They are, however, exposed to lower temperatures and for more brief durations compared to adults. In case a child is using a sauna, it is important to keep an eye on his/ her heart rate. In fact, the heart rate of such children should never be in excess of the recommended utmost pulse (which is deducting the value of the child's age x 0.85 from 220). Moreover, remember that a child should never spend more than 20 minutes in a sauna.
Alternatively, children may also take detox baths, which are very effective methods of cleansing them. In addition, children across the globe have successfully and safely used Epsom salt baths, plain water baths and apple cider vinegar baths to detoxify themselves.
Barring cold baths, children benefit from undergoing hydrotherapy. In fact, cold baths should not be used to detoxify children. Moreover, it is not advisable that you give your child a full-body cold pack.
As most children usually do not have a balanced diet, it is advisable that they be given nutrients in the form of supplements. It has been found that giving the children a good supplement of multivitamin or mineral is useful for most. In case your child is unable to swallow tablets or capsules, you can give them vitamins that can be chewed or, to some extent, they may even be provided with available liquid vitamins. It is important that you read the labels of these products carefully, before giving them to your child, because many chewable or liquid vitamin supplements enclose additional sugar so that they are tasty for consumption. It is always preferable to use the healthier supplements, which, instead of sugar, enclose fruit juice or molasses.
For children, the recommended doses of vitamins are anything between one-third and half of that of a healthy adult. However, you should also take the body weight of the child into consideration while determining his/ her vitamin dosage. You can decide on a child's dosage estimating that the usual body weight of a healthy adult varies between 120 pounds and 140 pounds. While you can give your child additional nutrients depending on their particular requirements, you ought to ensure that the dosage of the nutrients never exceed the recommended limits.
It is recommended that the daily dosage of vitamin A for children should never exceed 5,000 units to 10,000 units. Remember that excessive dosage of vitamin A may prove to be toxic for them. Nevertheless, beta-carotene, which is a vitamin A precursor, is never toxic. Excessive use of beta-carotene has just one side-effect - carotenemia, wherein the skin develops an orange or yellowish tint. However, one should not worry when he/ she develops carotenemia, as it does not result in any kind of clinical symptom. Moreover, it is possible to reverse this condition just by lowering the dosage of beta-carotene or discontinuing the use of this nutrient.
It has been found that infants, who consume excessive amounts of sweet potatoes, carrots and squash, often have a propensity to develop carotenemia.
Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is often used in detoxification programs in saunas. This nutrient may possibly result in a temporary flushing or tingling, provided one takes it in large amounts. In fact, a very small dosage, for instance just 100 mg of niacin, may be used and also increased as an accepted dosage. It is necessary to monitor the levels of the liver enzymes of children who take vitamin B3 in larger doses.
Provided children take vitamin B6 in dosages between 25 mg and 100 mg daily, it is safe for them. However, excessive use of this B vitamin is said to have resulted in a condition called peripheral neuropathy (wherein the extremities become numb). This usually happens when children take vitamin B6 in very high doses, for instance 1,200 mg to 2,000 mg daily for a prolonged period.
It has been recommended that the appropriate dosage of vitamin C for children is 20 mg for every pound of their bodyweight daily. However, children may also take this vitamin in somewhat elevated doses, which may be near to the level of their bowel tolerance. In fact, children who suffer from allergic reactions are advised to take vitamin C in doses close to their bowel tolerance levels.
It is worth mentioning here that taking vitamin D in excessive dosage, for instance more than 400 IU (international units), especially by children who do not suffer from a deficiency of this vitamin, may result in unnecessary calcification (deposit of calcium) of their bones or even their organs. However, it has been found that many children generally suffer from rickets (a condition caused by deficiency of vitamin D in the body). In fact, children born prematurely are very susceptible to developing rickets. In addition, many other ailments related to calcium metabolism may also result in development of rickets.
An antioxidant, vitamin E may be safely used by children in appropriate dosages to neutralize an overload of free radicals in their body. However, it is advisable that you should never give children vitamin E in excess of 400 IU daily.
In addition to the nutrient supplements discussed above, a number of special combinations of different nutrients is effective in preventing as well as treating children of metal poisoning. Some of them are discussed briefly below.
Aluminum: In order to treat aluminum poisoning you should try a selenium supplementation. If you are giving your child selenium supplementation, it is essential to monitor the doses carefully and ensure that they never take this vital trace mineral in excess of 125 micrograms in a day.
Cadmium: Children who take a diet rich in whole grains and vegetables usually consume additional vitamin C, thiamine (a form of vitamin B complex) and zinc, which, in turn, lessens the ability of their body to absorb as well as retain cadmium. In addition, such children also receive amounts of fiber, vitamin E and copper. As majority of the children do not consume sufficient amounts of these foods, it is advisable that they be given some healthy multivitamin. Many fruits contain pectin and this is helpful in protecting us from cadmium poisoning.
Lead: Taking additional amounts of thiamine, vitamin C and zinc (anything between 15 mg and 20 mg daily) aids in shielding children from deposit of lead in their body as well as lead toxicity.
Mercury: Like lead, mercury is also toxic for our body. In order to neutralize mercury poisoning, it is recommended that children be given additional nutrients, such as vitamin C, iron, calcium, glutathione, manganese, magnesium and zinc.
It is extremely vital that a child should take a nourishing diet to ensure sound health as well as for detoxification purposes. While fast foods as well as processed foods seem to be more appealing to children, such foods are rich in fat, sugar, salt, preservative and additive content, but poor from the point of nutritional value. It has been observed that advertisement hype and peer pressure mostly draw children to such foods.
In fact, imaginative cooking as well as serving may aid in fighting against such pressures. Almost in all cases, you can prepare an acceptable substitute, which is also healthy, at home or purchase it from health stores in your neighbourhood. Nevertheless, it is important that you carefully go through the labels of the food products even when buying them from a health store, because the place from where you are purchasing a food item does not assure that it is of superior quality.
It has been found that a number of children do well when they take a macrobiotic diet, especially if the entire family joins in this venture. If you are wondering what a macrobiotic diet is, you need to be informed that it is a wholesome diet that does not contain any chemical, saturated fats, simple sugar as well as processed food items. There are numerous benefits of taking a macrobiotic diet and some of them are listed below.
When you take a macrobiotic diet you actually consume additional complex carbohydrates, but smaller amounts of simple sugars. In addition, you are eating vegetable protein rather than consuming animal protein. Macrobiotic diet also helps you to lessen fat intake and it also contains fewer saturated fats. This special diet helps you to maintain an improved equilibrium of vitamins, minerals as well as other different nutriments. Taking a macrobiotic diet means you are actually taking lesser amounts of foods that are processed synthetically and treated chemically. It also means that you are ingesting more whole foods compared to those that are refined or partially refined. A macrobiotic diet helps you to ingest more foods that are rich in dietary fiber content.
Findings of several studies undertaken to assess the health benefits of macrobiotic diet demonstrate that children taking a properly balanced vegetable diet have adequate growth and are also generally healthier.
A child will also benefit from taking cleansing diets, which should ideally be used on an interim or temporary basis. In such cases, the parent will offer the child a choice of cleansing diet in the form of about three puréed (mashed) vegetables and fruits, and the child will himself choose his preferred diet from it.
While exercises are good for children, you should never force them to exercise. Several exercises, such as running, walking, swimming, aerobic dancing, riding bikes as well as cross-country skiing are beneficial for children. Instead for forcing children to undertake exercise and bodywork, you should motivate them by engaging in these activities yourself. It has been found that children are generally encouraged to exercise when they see their parents exercising habitually, as this works as inspiring examples. Similarly, it is suggested that you encourage your children to perform aerobic exercises that they take pleasure in, instead of forcing them to participate in activities that you prefer.
Even bodywork is beneficial for children and gentle stroking massage procedures are recommended for all ages. In fact, it has been found that using massage techniques on premature babies have also resulted in improved development of the neurological system as well as weight gain.
Message is useful for invigorating the skin, which consequently enhances the amount of blood pumped by the heart, improves respiration and, at the same time, makes the gastrointestinal system in babies more efficient. In addition, massage is also beneficial for several hormone levels and it helps to encourage bonding and alleviates mental tension as well as physical distresses. Moreover, massage helps babies to learn different means to unwind their body when under stress.
Bodywork on children is not a difficult task and it is possible for parents to use simple techniques even at home. The gentle massage causes a physical touch that is helpful for parents as well as the child in developing an intimate bonding. In order to obtain the utmost benefit, it is essential for the parents to be relaxed while they are massaging their kids.
Ideally, you should use natural vegetable or fruit oils that have been cold pressed to massage babies and children. The two natural oils that are recommended for this purpose are almond oil and apricot kernel oil. It is not advisable to use baby oils, as they are generally based on petroleum products (mineral oils) obtained by distilling crude petroleum and, therefore, toxic for babies and children.
While parents will find that using essential oils for massaging their babies and children is highly effective, they should ensure that these essences are watered down using a base oil or carrier oil like almond oil. You should only use plain almond oil for massaging infants, while you may use a diluted essential oil for massaging children who are more than a year old. In such cases, you need to dilute the essential oil by adding 25 ml almond oil to each drop of the essential oil.
Children can also find many other forms of bodywork beneficial. Some of these types are listed below.
Acupressure: This ancient Chinese therapy is helpful in easing tension in particular body areas.
Acupuncture: This is also an ancient Chinese mode of treatment using needles. Although this type of bodywork is safe for children, you should only apply this treatment to children who are old enough and do not get scared when they see the acupuncture needles.
Manual lymph drainage: This type of bodywork is very useful for children. However, when you are treating a child using the manual lymph drainage technique, you need to ensure that not much pressure is applied on your child. Moreover, it should be undertaken for a brief duration compared to the time used for adults.
Reflexology: This mode of bodywork is extremely relaxing, especially if a child becomes very excited at bed-time.
Shiatsu: This bodywork involves applying gentle pressure on the child's body using your fingers and is effective for enhancing the muscle tone as well as blood circulation.
Therapeutic touch: This type of bodywork is very useful for children, irrespective of their age, and it can be performed to pacify babies who cry a lot.
Parents desiring to perform on infants and children ought to be careful never to use rolfing (a technique involving deep tissue manipulation) on them. Irrespective of the type of treatment being given to your child, you should always ensure that your child is at ease with the practitioner performing the bodywork. In case the child feels nervous, they are likely to chuckle or behave in a silly manner, instead of relaxing during the treatment. If this occurs, the benefits of undergoing the treatment will largely be lost.
Children of all ages will benefit from breathing exercises. In fact, they have been found to be safe as well as effective for children. Provided the children are adequately old to comprehend the directions, they will find the breathing exercises to be fun as well as helpful. In any case, infants perform abdominal breathing, which is considered the most perfect breathing technique. In addition, children, who are able to understand directions, can also perform yoga. In addition, guided meditation is helpful in calming a child, who may be disturbed or troubled. Meditation also helps children to relax as well as have a sound sleep.
Children can also be given oxygen therapy. It is especially beneficial for children suffering from diseases related to the respiratory system, such as pneumonia and asthma. In addition, this therapy can be used on premature babies. However, careful monitoring is essential while performing oxygen therapy. When the level of oxygen in the bloodstream is very high, premature babies may possibly develop an eye disorder known as retinopathy of prematurity. This condition may even result in blindness in the premature babies. In fact, the risks of developing this disease increase with babies who are more premature.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is useful for treating a number of health conditions. Children who suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning are often given hyperbaric oxygen therapy, especially when it is attributed to inappropriate ventilation or trickling gas stoves. In addition, children riding in the rear of any pickup truck may also suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning. You may also provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to older children suffering from decompression ailments (often called 'bends'). This therapy is also employed to treat a number of other health conditions like tissue injury, depending on the judgment of the physician.
It is important to note that children should never be given hydrogen peroxide orally. It should also not be given intravenously. The best way to use hydrogen peroxide is topically, applying it to small skin surfaces. It is quite safe to use hydrogen peroxide for treating fungal infections on the skin or the nails. In addition, hydrogen peroxide may be employed in the form of a watered down mouthwash for older children who can gargle.
For treating children, you can also use ozone externally, by adding it to their bath water. However, they should never use ozone in any other way. To treat skin complaints in children, you can also use stabilized oxygen therapy locally. This therapy should, however, never be used internally in any form.
Counteracting doses for pollens, molds, foods, danders, chemicals can be given by means of injections or by placing them under one's tongue (technically referred to as sublingual doses). In fact, sublingual extracts have been very useful for children and using them do not pose any threat of developing anaphylaxis (commonly known as allergic shocks). Even infants and babies can use sublingual doses very safely. It is important to note that the conventional allergy extract injections should always be administered in the office of a physician, because it may sometimes lead to the development of anaphylaxis. Usually children are not able to tolerate these injections well unless they are five years old or more, as these shots are administered more frequently.
It has been found that children usually respond excellently to extracts as well as practical treatments for allergies caused by pollens, dust mites, molds, terpenes as well as animal danders. You can also use hands-on allergy treatments and allergy extracts for treating as well as detoxifying viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites in children and infants. In addition, you may also employ them to clean plus restore the balance of their neurotransmitter imbalances and sensitivities.
It is important to note that children suffering from atherosclerosis are never given chelation therapy. Although it is believed that atherosclerosis rarely occurs in children, this condition was found during autopsies of adolescents, who are about 18 or 19 year old. On the other hand, chelation therapy has often been employed in children to treat metal poisoning, especially lead poisoning. Administering EDTA intravenously as well as intramuscular BAL has been found to be effective in getting rid of lead from the patients' kidneys. In 1991, the use of succimer (also known as DMSA) was approved in children suffering from lead poisoning. In fact, this medication can also be administered orally.
It is worth mentioning here that DMSA has also been employed in the form of an oral chelation agent for treating mercury poisoning. In addition, children suffering from mercury poisoning can also be treated using penicillamine or BAL.
Among the different forms of remedies, homeopathy is very safe for use in newborns, babies as well as children. If you are treating an infant, simply place a homeopathic pellet of the size of a poppy seed in his/ her mouth and it will dissolve rapidly. If the child spits out the medication, even then he/ she will receive at least one dose of the homeopathic remedy as soon as it touches his/ her mouth. While treating children and infants, it is advisable that you give them a 6x dosage of the homeopathic remedy. However, you may use a 30C dosage if the child is suffering from a severe condition. In addition, you may give a homeopathic remedy of any strength to a child in an emergency condition or suffering from any acute health problem, as it would not do much harm.
While using homeopathic remedies, do not give your child anything like peppermint, camphor, caffeine or even peppermint toothpaste, as these may nullify the effect of the medication or work as an antidote.
Homeopathic remedies are not only safe, but can also be used by people of all ages. Children and even infants possess the aptitude to tolerate the homeopathic remedies that are used to treat assaults by microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, fungi as well as parasites. Children who require being detoxified from medications, vaccinations, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and dental operations may also use homeopathic remedies safely.
It has been found that compared to adults, children are bitten by deadly insects as well as arachnids more often, because they are unable to look after themselves properly. However, like adults, they also respond excellently to homeopathic remedies that are used to treat insect bites.
Like homeopathic remedies, Bach Flower Remedies are extremely helpful for children and babies and are very important in treating emotional problems faced by children. However, before you select the appropriate Bach Flower Remedy for your child, it is important to assess his/ her mental condition and not consider his/ her physical symptoms. While assessing the state of a child's mind, you need to take the negative as well as the positive aspects of his/ her emotions into account.
In fact, you should start treating your child even before the complicated patterns take root. A child's response to the Bach Flower Remedies usually differs depending on the severe and chronic ailments. If a child is suffering from an acute condition, for instance, fits of temper, you will notice that there are rapid changes in him. However, if your child is suffering from a chronic condition, he/ she will be in touch with their emotions all the more and may possibly also help you to select the remedy that is appropriate for them. Nevertheless, in such cases, it may take a longer time for the child's condition to improve.
Take a dropper bottle having a capacity of 20 ml to 30 ml and fill it up with boiled tap water or spring water. Subsequently, add just two to three drops of every Bach Flower Remedy to it. It is advised that you should never give your child Bach Flower Remedies in excess of four at the same time. You can give anything between two and four drops of such diluted Bach Flower Remedy to your child directly below his tongue. Alternatively, you may also incorporate the remedy in your child's food or drink. In any case, it should not be used more than four times daily.
Bach Flower Remedy can also be used to moisten the lips of an infant who is being breast-fed. Dilute a little amount of Bach Flower Remedy using boiled tap water or spring water and apply it to the base of the infant's feet and it will soon absorb the medication. Alternatively, you can give the baby an appropriate dose of Bach Flower Remedy by adding a few drops of the diluted medication to a cotton ball or tissue paper and placing it close to the child's nose. It has been found that compared to adults, children respond faster to Bach Flower Remedies. Moreover, unlike adults, they need not require being treated for a long period or more often.
While there are several herbs that children can use safely, you need to be cautious while choosing them. If you are not trained in using herbs, it is advisable that you consult a professional herbal medicine practitioner, because the safety range of a number of herbs is quite narrow. On several occasions, these herbs may also be used to prepare homeopathic remedies for use by children. In fact, it is advisable that children would be better off if they are given homeopathic remedies instead of herbs and their extracts. It is seldom that a child is found to be sensitive to any specific herb or develops allergic reactions due to its use. However, if you find that your child is reacting unusually to particular herbs, you should immediately discontinue treatment with the herb and check with a specialist.
The average dosage of dried herbs for treating children is anything between one-fourth to half the dosage of a healthy adult. Preferably, it may be given to them in the form of an infusion or a capsule. To treat chronic health conditions in children, the appropriate dose is taking the herbal medicine thrice daily, while the remedy may be taken once at intervals of two or four hours to treat acute conditions. For babies, the standard dosage is one teaspoon daily in the form of a decoction or an infusion. Infants, who are being breast-fed, need not be given any herbal remedy for their health conditions, as they can take the herbs used by their mothers.
Always remember that you should never give a child a tincture without diluting it appropriately, as the alcohol content of a tincture may possibly scorch the child's mouth. Ideally, you need to add two to three ounces of pure water to tinctures, stirred well and then give it to your child to sip it slowly. The standard dosage of tincture prepared from herbs for children is anything between two to four drops depending on their condition. Similarly, it is suggested that you give one drop of tincture diluted with water thrice daily to babies.
Aromatic herbs should be used in a different manner. These aromatic herbs contain volatile oils that are responsible for their pleasant smell as well as tonic properties may be placed inside a vaporizer and inhaled by children.
Since the skin of a child is more permeable compared to that of an adult, they are able to absorb herbs by means of their skin. While treating various health conditions in children, you may use the herbs externally in various different ways.
You can rub a tincture on the skin of the child's abdomen at least three times the recommended internal dosage mentioned above daily. Alternatively, you can also rub the recommended herbal medicine dose on the underneath of their feet. You may also mix the herbal preparation in the child's bath water in proportion of roughly 10 times to 20 times of the standard dose.
It has been observed that the response of children to aromatherapy is stronger compared to adults. This is primarily owing to the fact that the neural conduit to a child's brain is smaller compared to that of an adult and, hence, they are able to respond faster to aromas. In fact, placing a tissue paper or a cotton ball with just a few drops of diluted essential oil close to their nose for some minutes will make them absorb the aroma rapidly. In addition, it is also possible to treat a child by making him/ her inhale the fumes from a bottle containing dilutes essential oil. Nevertheless, you need to be extra cautious never to use any essential oil directly on the face of your child, especially if his age is below 10 years. Moreover, you should also never use these essences on your infant yourself, but leave the job to an experienced and competent aroma-therapist.
Children may also be treated using aromatherapy baths. However, you need to add just three drops of these essences to their bath water in a bath tub of an average size.
Detoxification can be done internally as well as externally. In addition to getting into saunas, children can be given topical detoxification by means of poultices, packs and compresses. In fact, compared to adults, children require using these topical treatments for a lesser period of time. Nevertheless, you can give them an overnight treatment with garlic poultices (prepared by crushing garlic and mixing it with oil) to alleviate coughs. The poultices should be applied to the sole of their feet.
Children may use hot as well as cold compresses, but you need to monitor the temperature of the compresses carefully.
You can also use mustard plasters on children, provided you use a reduced amount of the materials in the plaster. If you are preparing a mustard plaster for a child, you need to use one tablespoon of mustard for every eight tablespoon of flour used and for infants, one tablespoon of mustard should be used for every 12 tablespoon of flour. In addition, you should be careful to take the plaster away when you notice the first sign of discomfort or redness in the child.
To treat a child suffering from poison ivy, sumac rashes or poison oak, you may use calamine lotion as well as colloidal oatmeal soaks or packs. Using a soak of soda blended with starch may also prove to be useful for treating these conditions.
It has been found that most children respond well to charcoal therapy. While small poultices are useful for healing injuries, you may use charcoal poultices externally to effectively alleviate earache pain.
Often, it may be necessary for children requiring detoxification to undergo an organ cleansing program prior to the detoxification procedures. Nevertheless, it is advisable that you should never subject children to rigorous organ cleansing schedules.
It is worth noting that taking diets that contain sufficient amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits is helpful in cleansing our organs. In addition, excluding dietary products from our diet also helps to cleanse the organs. For instance, lemon juice is not only helpful for cleansing the liver, but it is also safe for use by children.
In addition, aromatherapy as well as baths also helps to cleanse the organs in children. You can administer homeopathic remedies, single as well as complex, to effectively cleanse the organs.
Did you know that children take a lot of pleasure in color therapy? In fact, they choose their preferred color and most often it is the color that they require and the one that will be of great help to them. Some of the useful materials that are useful in color therapy include crayons, clothes, colored pens, origami or construction paper, toys, colored stones and even marbles.
In addition to color therapy, it has been found that most children also like gem therapy and it is effective for children of all ages. During a gem therapy, children are allowed to choose their preferred polished gems and carry those in special pouches or in their pockets. Sometimes, they can also wear the gems in the form of jewellery or use the gems they like on chakras (also known as energy centers).
Sound therapy is also useful for children; besides it can also be fun. Children like dancing or marching to their favourite music. In fact, singing touches one's mind as well as spirit and may also help to change moods, soothe emotions as well as make them more responsive to learning and listening.
You should be careful that your child does not sleep close to any electrical device. Preferably, the bed of your child should either face the east or north. It has been observed that the medical conditions of several children showed improvement when they slept on a pillow with a magnet placed under it. Put the magnet on your child's bed, below his/ her bed and position the magnet in such a way that its north side is toward the child.
Diodes as well as tachyon beads are also effectual for children. Nevertheless, as children have a tendency to misplace them, it is advisable that you put them in little pouches or a purse and pin the pouch or purse beneath the waistband of your child's clothes or in any pocket.
It is worth mentioning that toxins that assault our mind as well as the spirit are without any age boundary or limits. It is really unfortunate that nearly all children suffer from toxins of the mind plus spirit due to the manner in which they are treated or their mental and emotional exposures to toxins. It is possible to effectively cleanse this type of toxins in children by subjecting them to color therapy and art therapy. In addition, many wounds are also healed by laughter as well as hugs.
Instead of the formal counselling, it is better if you engage the small children suffering from mind and spirit toxins in guided play therapy. However, it has been found that children who are older respond better to counselling.
