Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child - A book review.

Growing up, I was exposed to alternative medicine, saw its effectiveness and thus continued to learn more and use it either in addition to or as an alternative to conventional medicine. My interest was even more peaked during my pregnancy, when my wonderful midwives always suggested a more natural remedy before getting into harsher, conventional medicines.

Varicose veins called for butcher's broom, rutin and nettle tea, preparing for labor included evening primrose oil and red raspberry leaf tea. I found these remedies not only worked, but didn't have any negative side effects, unlike many medication that have a list... your bowels may work better, but you have the risk of nausea, vomitting, your little toe might fall off... well, not really, but you get the idea. Why not pick up some Senna tea?

On the other hand, I think conventional medicines can be fantastic and we should not in any way dismiss them - rather, we should look at the options and make an informed decision.

THIS, is why I love this book. I ordered it from Amazon after browsing through it at The Sunflower Shoppe. Written by an MD, a pediatric nurse and a naturopath, it brings together the best of all the options.

Take Eczema, for example. There is first a short introduction, explaining the problem - what it is, how and when it occurs. Next is a thorough explanation of how to treat it with conventional medicine.

Next are dietary guidelines, which point out allergens in your child's diet that could be related to the problem and also foods that can be used to help. For example, in eczema, one example is eating lots of berries because of the bioflavonoids that act as an anti-inflamatory.

This is followed by a comprehensive schedule for Herbal treatment (burdock root, echinacea, red clover and goldenseal used at different points over a 5 week period).

After this is a description of each type of eczema and how a different homeopathic remedy can be used for each, a dry and scaly eczema calls for Urtica Urens gel applied 2-3 times a day.

Finally, there is a reference to Bach Flower Remedies.

Accupressure is also dealt with for example when dealing with headaches and pain.

All the information is delivered objectively. There are no opinions or recommendations that one treatment is better than the other.

It is simply a GREAT reference guide that can be the first thing you pick up when your child is sick or has some other ailment.

As a parent, it is our job to research all the options and make an educated, well thought out and responsible choice.

There are times when I am not going to even think about anything other than conventional medicine - My child needs a Dr right now! But if she has a bump that doesn't need attention from a Dr, I will be pulling out the arnica, if she's bedwetting... I can look up natural alternatives to help.

If my child is being treated with conventional medicine - I can use alternatives to supplement what the pediatrician is doing.

This book has lots of 'When to call the Doctor' 'boxes'.

Its a great reference book. A must have for any parent's library. Even if you do not want to venture into homeopathy and herbal medicine, the nutritional and dietary recommendations are worth having the book for.

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Medicine-Healthier-Child-Janet/dp/1583331395/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

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