By Raisa Weisspapir
Q.: My daughter, who is nearly 5 years old, had pneumonia twice last winter. Her cough didn't go away completely, and she was recently diagnosed with asthma. She has suffered from eczema since she was 6 months old, and has been was treated with steroids. She is allergic to peanuts, milk, dust, cats and ragweed. She has itchy eyes, running nose, sneezing and coughing. Expecting her asthma flare-ups because of seasonal allergies, we're trying to find an alternative way of dealing with hay fever and asthma. How can Homeopathic medicine help our daughter?
A.: Homeopathy has a long history of successful prevention and treatment of seasonal allergies and asthma. Homeopathic medicine strengthens your child's natural defense systems so that the pattern of repeated sickness stops.
Homeopathy is the only system of medicine which cures a child suffering from asthma, instead of providing just symptomatic relief. While dealing with a child's case, a homeopathic doctor will need to know not only the symptoms of the disease with all the little details, but also the medical history, family history, pregnancy and delivery history, and the physical and psychological characteristics of each child individually. This helps to find the cause, the precipitating factors, and the hereditary tendency, etc. Of special interest to a homeopath is the history of suppression of skin disease. Homeopaths believe that when there is a tendency or predisposition for a disease - it first manifests on the less vital organs, towards the periphery (like skin). If this manifestation is suppressed, the disease shifts inward, toward the more vital organs (like lungs, heart, brain etc).
Allopathic doctors also observed the correlation between childhood asthma and eczema. They say that children often “move-out” of eczema and “move-into” asthma.
Homeopathy believes that the suppression of eczema with topical steroids does not cure the child; it merely drives a disease inward.
According to homeopathy, when the asthma disappears, the old eczema could sometimes reappear for a short time, before finally disappearing itself. This reappearance of skin symptoms is seen as a reversal of the disease process and is considered a very good prognostic sign.
If your child has allergies, he/she is more likely to develop asthma. More than 70 percent of people with asthma also suffer from allergies that play an important role in triggering airway inflammation and asthma symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Allergies and allergic asthma are both allergic diseases caused by exposure to an allergic substance, or allergen. Exposure to an allergen triggers an allergic cascade of events that results in a runny nose, itchy eyes or bronchial constriction and wheezing. Asthma affects more than 17 million Americans. It is characterized by inflammation of the airways, which makes them smaller, making it more difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs. This creates the symptoms of asthma: cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing.
Asthma symptoms can be triggered by several factors, including:
Allergens (pollens, molds, animal dander, house dust, mites, cockroach droppings)
Irritants such as tobacco smoke, strong odors, gases, household cleaners, paints
Weather changes in temperature and humidity, barometric pressure or strong winds
Viral or sinus infections, for example: pneumonia can trigger or aggravate asthma, especially in young children.
Physical exercise. Mouth breathing, exercising in cold, dry air, or prolonged, strenuous activities such as medium- to long-distance running can increase the likelihood of exercise-induced asthma
Medications (aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or foods (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish)
Emotional stress lowers immune function. Viewing each child individually and as a whole, Homeopathic medicine considers physical and emotional factors together. Have you ever heard about any medicine helping a child to cope with the stress when parents are divorcing? When a child is experiencing issues of sadness, or maybe anger at that moment, it, in turn, can cause physical symptoms such as wheezing and coughing. A carefully chosen homeopathic remedy can help resolve this problem.
When Paul, a 4-year-old boy, with beautiful big, blue eyes was brought to me for a consultation, he had been suffering from repeated severe asthma attacks for a year and was taking “blue” and “orange” puffers to release them. He was extremely sensitive to peanuts, sugar, insect bites, ragweed, wheat, potato and cigarette smoke. His asthma was worse during the spring and during cloudy hot, damp weather. He continued to cough, even in between asthma attacks. It was a wet bubbling sound in his chest in the morning and a dry, teasing cough with wheezing during the day. Once, he developed an acute attack when his father was going to go away for a business trip for a couple of days. He had eczema since he was 5 years old, and it was treated by steroids. Since that time he caught colds easily and they settled in his bronchi and lungs, and resulted twice in pneumonia. He loved sweets, cried easily and loved to be consoled by hugging and attention. He didn't like greasy food and never felt thirsty. The specifically chosen homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla, helped him tremendously. He hasn't gotten any severe asthma attacks for the last year. His parents were told by a pediatrician that his lungs are completely cleared up!
As you might know, an asthma attack can lead to a life–threatening asthmatic status requiring an emergency hospitalization and intensive medical care.
Working many years in critical care department, and dealing with kids in asthmatic status, when sometimes it was extremely difficult to save a child's life; I learned Homeopathy is a blessing for kids. It's amazing how easily parents can help a child to prevent complications by using little sweet homeopathic pellets or drops!
Fortunately, more and more parents are aware today of the benefits of Homeopathic Medicine and hopefully homeopathy will become the best friend of every family!
“Homeopathic remedies are the safest and most effective medicines for newborn babies, children, women during pregnancy and breast-feeding.”
Comments