Cold & Flu Treatments for Kids
Homeopathy and Kid's Herb Products Offer Safe Options
The therapeutic herbs and nutrients we've reviewed here are generally safe, but you need to keep in mind that kid's bodies are much smaller and their detoxifying capacity is less than in adults. This is why companies like Herbs for Kids and Gaia Herbs offer seasonal products featuring lower, kid-sized doses of the safest therapeutic herbs.
If your child resists taking these specially flavored herbal syrups or extracts for kids, or if you are concerned about allergic or other adverse reactions, consider homeopathic remedies like Alpha CF for colds, or Oscillococcinum™ for flu. These "energy" medicines come in bland sugar pills that melt in the mouth, and hold no possibility of side effects. For an even more precise match of patient to condition, you may wish to consult a homeopathic practitioner, or one of the growing number of medical doctors trained in homeopathy. While medical science has no explanation of how they might work, hundred of millions of people, and tens of thousands of doctors in Europe and India swear by their efficacy.
Making the Hurt Feel
Better
Unlike standard drug store remedies, which only address symptoms and may have
adverse side effects, the herbs, nutrients and homeopathic remedies we've mentioned
address underlying causes, safely and swiftly. To make kids feel better even
faster, consider some of the same soothing natural nostrums that great-grandma
would have given before the advent of aspirin. Herbal remedies like
slippery elm
are soothing to sore throats, horehound
and ginger are traditionally
used for coughs, and peppermint
and ginger are documented
remedies for nausea and upset stomach. (See our Treatment
for Kids products for cough and throat formulas and sprays featuring these
natural wonders.)
Remember that giving a child aspirin for the flu greatly increases the risk
of a serious condition called Reye's syndrome. It is safer to offer a non-aspirin
alternative such as Tylenol.
See references.