Monday, July 25, 2016

How To Overcome Whooping Cough Naturally

 How To Overcome Whooping Cough Naturally

This blog was inspired from the birth of my son. While my son's mother and my wife at the time was watching commercials by big Pharma about whooping cough. It terrified her to the point that she wanted to vaccinate my son as soon as he was born. I'm a naturalist so you know I was a against it off the top. We had a huge argument about it as I tried to explain to her how big pharma are always doing commercials to scare people into using either prescription and non prescription drugs or their vaccines. I did manage to find a way trick her into not doing it. And today, at the age of 3 little Ethan is as strong as ever. 

I want to share with you a little bit about Whooping Cough.  We are capable of overcoming it naturally with no medication whatsoever.  Everything I am going to share with you are things that I did to help prevent my son from this nasty sickness. First we need to talk about what whooping cough is.

What is Whooping Cough?

The CDC (Center of Diease Control) defines whooping-cough as follows:

“Pertussis, a respiratory illness commonly known as whooping-cough, is a very contagious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis.  These bacteria attach to the cilia (tiny, hair-like extensions) that line part of the upper respiratory system.  The bacteria release toxins (poisons), which damage the cilia and cause airways to swell.”

Whooping Cough is a highly contagious airborne illness that can be spread by simply by an infected person coughing or sneezing around you.  Symptoms of whooping-cough do not arise quickly.  It usually takes a week or two.  So, you could be around someone who has whooping-cough and is contagious, but they just don’t know it yet.

Early Symptoms

Early symptoms typically resemble that of a common cold, including runny nose, mild fever, and mild occasional cough.  Babies (under 1 year in age) can experience Apnea as an early symptom.  Apnea is a pause in the child’s breathing.

Later Symptoms

Symptoms will worsen within 1 to 2 weeks of having the onset of the “cold-like symptoms,” if you do in fact have whooping-cough.  Later symptoms include intense coughing fits that are followed by the “whoop” sound.  This could cause vomiting after coughing and exhaustion from coughing.

Duration

Whooping cough can last a very long time.  It has even been nicknamed the “100-Day-Cough,” because of the extent to which it lasts.  The early symptoms typically last for 1 – 2 weeks.  The later symptoms can last anywhere from 1 to 10 weeks.  The recovery period can last from 2 – 4 weeks.  During the recovery period, your or your child will have a small coughing fit every now and then.  The cough will be much lesser in strength and will slowly disappear.

Whooping Cough in Children

The biggest concern with whooping-cough is in young babies (under 1-year-old).  The younger your child is, the bigger of a concern whooping-cough becomes.  Half of babies that have whooping-cough are taken to the hospital.  The following statistics from the CDC are taken from the babies that are hospitalized.  Remember, these statistics are only from half (approximately) of babies who come down with whooping-cough.

1 out of 4 (23%) get pneumonia (lung infection)1 out of 100 (1.1%) will have convulsions (violent, uncontrolled shaking)3 out of 5 (61%) will have apnea (slowed or stopped breathing)1 out of 300 (0.3%) will have encephalopathy (disease of the brain)1 out of 100 (1%) will die

As you can see from the statistics, whooping-cough has its risks.

Traditional Whooping Cough Treatment

To be diagnosed with whooping-cough your doctor will most likely do 1 of 2 things: take a sample of mucus for a laboratory test OR take a blood test.  Traditionally, doctors will treat whooping-cough with an antibiotic.  According to this study done in 2007, antibiotics are effective in causing the disease to no longer become contagious.  However, they do not typically shorten or cure the illness.  Antibiotics can be helpful in many situations, though it should be taken into consideration the side effects of antibiotics before you take them or give them to your child.  There are some really great articles about the problems antibiotics can cause. I may even have a few in some of my previous blogs. Feel free to go through my archives. 

I learned that the antibiotics are hardly effective on whooping cough and that they can be dangerous.  For that reason, I recommend not to use them.  I prefer to use a natural solution as my first go to.  If I am in a situation where the natural solution is completely ineffective (which I can't see happening) then I would consider using them.  However, this is not the case for the antibiotics prescribed for whooping-cough.

Natural Whooping Cough Treatment

The following things are what we did to help lessen the symptoms of my daughter’s whooping-cough.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is very very powerful.  It is completely safe and effective to give to your infant.  The only side effect of Vitamin C is diarrhea.  This only happens if your child has had too much Vitamin C.  So, if you notice your child’s stools becoming a little thin, then you have given him/her enough Vitamin C.  Vitamin C, given in high doses, is very effective in relieving the symptoms of Whooping Cough. Not only does it help relieve the symptoms but it can also give your immune system a boost to help protect you from contracting something like pneumonia.  If you are a parent of a child with whooping-cough, you should also take Vitamin C to help.

Skin to Skin

If you have an infant sick with whooping-cough, make sure to give your child a lot of skin to skin contact. This actually boosts their immune system!

Stay Away From Dairy

During this time it is best to avoid dairy products as it can make the cough worse. Dairy products of are mucus producing foods. Try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables!

Steam Baths

Providing a steam bath will do wonders!  Though it only provides temporary relief, it is worth it!  You can sit in the bathroom with HOT water running for as long as you need to.  Add a few drops of essential oils to the bath water to help out as well.  Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Tea Tree all will work very well in helping you to feel better.

Garlic Lavender Salve

There are many articles out there on Garlic Lavender Salve and how to make it .  This will be helpful for late night coughs.

Moisture In The Air

Put moisture into the air!  If you do not have a humidifier, now would be a good time to get one!  Also using an essential oil diffuser with either Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Frankincense, Lemon, Peppermint, or Lavender, can be very helpful.

Garlic

Garlic can be very effective in killing bacteria and viruses.  You can try this recipe for 52 Garlic Clove Soup (it really works!).  If you are caring for an infant with whooping-cough you can add garlic to any homemade pureed baby food.  I made my son pureed potatoes and carrots with garlic and he loved it!

Ginger and Turmeric

Whooping cough causes a lot of inflammation in the lungs.  Turmeric and Ginger are both highly anti-inflammatory.  I would drink a small glass of orange juice a day with 1 teaspoon of turmeric and ginger in it to help relieve the symptoms. 

Homeopathy

There are many Homeopathic remedies for dealing with violent and harsh coughs.  We used Drosera Rotundifolia and it will most definitely helped relieve your child's cough at night-time when they go to bed.

Lobelia Tincture

This tincture has been shown to be very effective in helping with intense cough. I've never actually try this remedy.  However, many people have had great success.

What About The Pertussis Vaccination?

Vaccinated or not, children and adults alike get whooping-cough.  Unfortunately, there is no substantial evidence that shows the Pertussis Vaccination to be effective.  In 2010 there was a study done with 132 patients who were diagnosed with Whooping Cough.  81% of these patients were fully vaccinated. Whether or not you vaccinate your children, just remember to be mindful of others around you that may be sick.  Wash your hands frequently, drink a lot of water, and make sure you are getting a good amount of Vitamin C in your system (especially during cold and flu season).  There is a very informative article by Dr. Mercola about the Pertussis vaccination that you can Google.  He also gives many more natural remedies for dealing with Whooping Cough.

My hopes are that you and your family never encounter this terrible illness.  It really can be miserable. However, if you do, I hope that some of these remedies are helpful for you!  If you have already dealt with whooping-cough, are there any natural remedies that you would recommend?  I would love to hear about it.  Leave a comment below and let me know!

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Allergies can cause weight gain. Yes it's true!!!!

Allergies have reached epidemic proportions. 

They now affect at least a third of all Americans. (I am one of them.). Children are developing more allergies for the same reasons their parents are: increasing exposure to toxins like synthetic fragrances in their homes; killing of good digestive bacteria by antibiotics, pesticides, and herbicides; and using antibacterial soaps and cleaning products.

The most common allergic responses are sneezing, itching, watery eyes, coughing, wheezing, and digestion problems. These are all attempts by your body to remove the things that are toxic. 

However, there are other symptoms that people don’t usually recognize as being related to allergies, like fatigue, weight gain, joint and muscle pain, heartburn, brain fog, and mood disorders. These result from the systemic inflammation that allergies create. 

For example, weight gain is often related to allergies. When you have an allergic reaction, your body releases over 200 chemicals into your tissues. Some of these actually make fat cells grow larger. This is why people with allergies are more likely to gain weight.

This inflammation can also produce a wide range of symptoms that mimic other diseases, including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, ADHD, arthritis, and even lupus. 

This is why allergies are an epidemic. You should be tested for your allergies and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. Not only for your own health but for the loved ones in your life.

Little things make a big difference