Infant and Children's Remedies

My 5 month old son has developed infantile spasms with no underlying cause and is being treated with ACTH. He is exclusivley breastfed. What can I do/take or give him to improve his outcome?

Somebody mentioned here excess calcium in the body, check that.

The poor boy. 14 years old is a difficult age- I wouldn't refer to it a potty training. In this case I would think he needs good quality b vits and zero sugar, zero fruits and zero fruit juice including zero cranberry. Has he been checked for glucose intolerance/ diabetes? Children from broken homes sometimes carry the burden of the emotions of their parents and themselves it's a tragedy but a challenge that can be overcome. Liquids of any kind are symbols of emotions and in the teenage years these emotions are very confusing and heightened and are not always expressed in the most obvious way. Just a few ideas for you.

Hi Callarlily; Urinary incontinence may be from a neurological dysfunction. It is also included as one of the neurological symptoms of B12 deficiency. B12 has been used to help treat PTSD and ASD.

It could be as simple as constipation. This article in the NYTimes explains....

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/when-bedwetting-isnt-an-accident/

Hi Carlalilly, Acording to Louise Hay the metaphysical cause of bedwetting is fear of a parent, usualy the father. And I have seen this in countless children. One guy was still wetting his bed at 18. It is a difficult problem to solve.

Emotional Freedom Technique. If he can't be touched or do it himself, you can do surrogate tapping. Google these. Very easy to learn & do, & info is free.

Hello, My 14 yr-old Step Son suffers from PTSD and Autistic like delays / symptoms due to 12 years of neglect and abuse from his previous living environment. Needless to say, he still wets the bed nightly (occasionally during the day also for a myraid of reasons).

Over the last 2 years, his Father and I (as well as his PCM, Psychiatrist and Counselors) have dedicated:

- countless hours of therapy
- sleepless nights (getting up every hour to pee only to discover he's wet the bed in between time)
- changes in diets (increased water and cranberry/apple juice intake, minimal to no sugary sweets or beverages, minimal exposure to dyes, carbohydrates & glutens)
- changes in bedding (plastic air matress with hypoallergenic bedding)
- changes in routines (no fluids after 7p.m. and reminders every 30 minutes to pee)

in efforts to potty train and relieve my Step Son of this heavy burden.

All to no avail... Yet. Although we are scheduled to seek the wisdoms of a Urologist, I am a firm believer in the balance between "Modern" & "Alternative" medicines and tend to wonder what more could we be doing holistically.

I also find it important to note that in the morning, my Steppy's room smells very heavily of amonia & fish from the previous night's wetting.

Any hints, tips or suggestions? Callarlilly

Does anyone know of a home remedy to help with Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS)? A 4 year old friend's daughter is suffering from it. Any testimonials welcome.

I have 3 children that wet the bed, One is 8 year old girl, one is 6 year old boy and a 4 year old girl. I had read online that Cal Mag Zinc tablets help stop bedwetting for children. So I decided to try it on my older two. Well, It worked! I went to Walgreens and got a cheapo bottle of Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc. My 8 year old gets 1 1/2 tablets before she goes to bed, My 6 year old gets 1 tablet before he goes to bed. They completely stopped bedwetting and have not wet the bed scince they started the tablets!!!!!

Hi again Deena! Though you said nothing to indicate a problem at the kitchen table, I thought I would share this experience, anyway. My son's step-father was a bit of a rule-master, which came out a lot at the dinner table. Lots of judgment about eating.... He was passing on what he had lived... So, we started eating together, just my son and I, earlier in the afternoon. We stood in the kitchen the whole time, and it became a time of getting some good strokes and positive attention and making gags together. Like, a safe time to stick carrots up your nose... I once went to a psychic, and she said a strange thing: 'Give yourself permission to not sit at a table to eat. ' I had also been given the third degree at tabletime, as though a time to attack a captive audience. Just something to consider. --T.

Hi Deena, It is, I think, normal for us as new moms to be concerned about our child's growth. As a matter of fact, all my sons were very small through their childhoods. I would even have rather insensitive comments made to me by other moms about how small my boys were. It upset me with my first son but, he was also my first child so, I was sensitive due to that. My second son was even smaller but by then I was stronger regarding comments. And my third, well, let them say what they will...

My first son had a huge appetite! Didn't seem to make him grow any faster! Second and third sons, hardly any appetite at all! What Mmsg says, they grow anyway is so true. I was not the type to run my kids to the Dr. at all so, didn't care about the growth charts, curves, etc. At any rate, each one of them hit their own stride. The two oldest not until after 18 and my youngest shot up this year and is now 16. Over the spring/ summer he grew 6 inches! And he still doesn't have a great appetite, always very picky and hates vegetables which I practically live on!

Sometimes, none of it makes sense. So, I would say, offer him good wholesome food, don't make too big of a thing of it, relax and enjoy your life with him, he'll grow in your love and remember it all goes by in a blink of an eye! Most importantly, enjoy sharing time and food with him and remember it's all going to be fine! Hope this eases your concerns. Lisa

Deena, kids will survive no matter what, G-d willing, so take the pressure off of yourself, and mainly off of him. You might have to go to the opposite extreme for a lil' while to balance out your attitude. If you are worring about his height, it is useless worry (and may I say selfish worry - WE want them to be tall.... ), he will grow as tall as he will grow.

Next: kids eat when they are hungry. Your job is to offer the food, then bite your tongue and look the other way. Whatever he won't eat in one meal, he will usually make up his needs in another meal. Meaning that within a week's time, he will probably be getting all the nourishment he needs.

One more thing: have him help you (if you can do it pleasantly! ) in the kitchen here and there. Simple things that might be fun for him, or even only watching you once in a while.

Deena-- My son and I began vegetable juicing (even beets! ) together at about this age. It was fun! We made good juice, and enjoyed making faces together if it was not so good tasting. Better add pineapple or apple or it will be bad! And never add garlic. Blech!!

I would do your best to get some Vit C in him, as this could really help, and you would know if it worked very quickly. Scurvy has loss of appetite, lethargy and depression as it's earliest symptoms. Failure to thrive can be from the same cause.

Did you know that raw milk is as good a source of Vit. C as an orange? Pasteurizing alters almost everything good about milk into something bad, like it sucks calcium out of your bones. Can you get him some real milk?

So much can be addressed by diet. Try letting him choose between two or three healthy choices, or even offer a trade if he eats something healthy first. Make it a fun time to share, and less about the food needing to be eaten. Hope that helps.--T.

Deena, at age 4 and a problem w/ appetite and no help from doctors, the likelihood of Parasite infestation is very high, especially if you also have pets like cats or dogs. Check for loose stools or diarrhea and/or anal itching. Look for worms in the toilet or potty. If these symptoms are confirmed, purchase some Mebendazole at the pharmacy or purchase an herbal anti-parasite complex at the health food store (use as directed on labels). All pets must be wormed.

Give the food Pineapple to encourage appetite, or Pineapple juice if it doesn't have too much added sugar.

Hi everyone. My four year old boy has such a poor appetite and not gaining any weight and look tired all the time. He is just 13kg and he will turning five next month. I took him to to many doctors and they all say he is fine and he was a small baby to start with and will be like that. But being his mother my instinct says if somehow I can increase his appetite he will put on some weight and increase height. I have tried giving him iron supplements that did help him a while and then it just stop working.

After trying everything and feel helpless and probably crying everyday and stressing about his health non stop and so here I am asking for some home remedy instead. Every meals times are do stressful and torture for him and myself.

Please help me and I want my child to be happy and enjoy food than hating food. Am begging for help!!!

Hi, I am considering giving homeophatic borax tablets to a child, 10 years old, for suspected fluoride poisining. I have got Borax 30D. Has anyone from the Earth Clinic have experience with homeophatic borax, particularly for children? I appreciate your response.

Kuma

My son had a terrible eye infection from birth, I used breast milk and weak dilution of baby shampoo (not at the same time) at the suggestion of the clinic, when that did not work the doctors prescribed different antibiotics for a year, nothing worked. The specialist eventually put him on the waiting list for an operation, but told me not to bother trying anymore antibiotics, as the only thing that would work would be to open the tear duct.

The day after seeing the specialist, I wet some cotton wool with warm water and swiped it over my organic coconut oil, just so I could clean the gunge from his eye. His eye did not tear or fill up with pus all day. I did the same in the evening, as there was a little pus at the corner. He woke up with clear eyes the next morning. The first time ever! I continued with the coconut oil for about a week just to make sure the infection was gone. Then phoned the specialist to have him struck from the waiting list.

Malay people have a tradition to treat baby bloating and stomach ache, that is, wrapping crunched betel leaves and betel nuts around the navel area of the baby. The betel nuts is first crunched in the mouth to mix them with saliva before putting it with the betel leaf paste. It looks grotesque but many Malay mothers swear that it works.

It is still practised in my family today.

"Is the contents really beneficial to the baby?" What is your expert knowledge dear herbalists and Ted from Bangkok? Most importantly, what are the effects of the things in the mixture?

Your responses are much appreciated!

I have a question regarding my daughter as she is 4 yrs old and has digestion problem. She is going to lu 4 to 5 times in a day. so just wanted to check, is there any medication she requires. Adding to that, just for ur information, she was colic baby when she was born.....

My 11 month old baby had diarrhea for several days due to teething. I knew charcoal would help, but he isn't much for cooperating with eating what I don't want him to eat. However, we spend all day keeping him from eating whatever he finds on the floor! I put a charcoal tablet on the floor in front of him. He ate it. I did this a couple of times that day and it really helped his diarrhea. If he took a bottle, I would have mixed 1/2 t. Of charcoal powder in 4 oz of water and given it to him that way. Everyone should keep charcoal on hand for every day things, especially accidental poisoning!

Hi all. I am a frequent visitor at Earth Clinic and want to share what has worked for me.

1) Plantar Warts- I tried everything you could imagine at the drug store, nothing worked. UNTIL.... I read on Earth Clinic that Apple Cider Vinegar would work. My whole family (5 of us! ) got plantar warts and they are pretty painful. I think it started at the pool. Anyway, I put an ACV soaked cotton ball on the affected foot every night and fixed it there with either a huge bandage or even duct tape (yes, duct tape is good, it suffocates the wart). I would remove it in the morning. The warts all disappeared within 2 weeks, never to return. You MUST be consistent and the longer you can have it covered in ACV the better, meaning if you could wear it to work, then do it.

2) Bedwetting- My daughter has suffered with nightly bed-wetting for a long time now, she just turned 10 this year. After trying everything imaginable the last most simple trick we tried worked! Someone had once mentioned that its possible her insides were "cold". I always thought there might be a relation since my oldest did also wet the bed but only till she was 5. And for her it was as simple as not putting the AC on at night, just a fan. But that wasn't the case for my second daughter. So I put a heating bag on her bladder area every night for about 1.5 months. On the very first night she woke up dry. This was a small miracle. She actually woke up dry every night after that but I kept the heating bag routine for fear it would come back. After a month and a half we decided to try sleeping without the bag with great success. I suggest this very simple trick to anyone who is dealing with this.

Hi mothers, my nephew suffered from baby acne and dry scalp, I wipe it with rose oil, it cleared within few days.

I just wanted to add that I recently started to sweeten the colostrum /milk combo with butter flavored or maple flavored pancake syrup or creme brulee coffee creamer, just a little bit to sweeten it, and she Loves it! Before it was a bit of a fight getting her to take it, but since I added a flavor to it, she looks forward to it. And its amazing. Her runny nose started to come back and Ive been giving her a hlf teaspoon to 1 teasppon a day in the moring for the last couple days and its gone!!

4.5 yr old daughter has had eczema since 4 months old. Severe worsening now x1 year- correlated with starting nursery school. School has been out 1 week and her severe eczema has receded 70%. She actually enjoyed school and would protest when I suggested she miss school (I had previously realized her eczema was worse on school days). We've really done nothing else new= we live by a cold ocean and she has dipped her wrists a few times this week, but she's been exposed to ocean water year round, plus her neck and face have completely resolved and they did not get ocean water on them.

We have been using Apple Cider Vinegar for 4 months- it stings but it does reduce her itching for a few hours. It only improved the look of her skin by . We have also used a tiny pinch of borax in water about 7 times in 4 months- borax has helped me so much I wanted to see if it helped her. It did not, at that dosage. She also bathes with it and all the household laundry is washed with it. We are chemical free in our home and food. We have used irish moss both externally as a salve and internally in ice cream. We have been using 50 billion units of probx daily, plus real buttermilk and kefir and raw milk.

All of these things may have helped, but to me, the strong coincidence is that now that she's been home with me for a full week, she is nearly healed. My guess is that inside, where her deepest feelings are, she just needed mom. I'm cutting back school next year from 18hrs/week to 6 hrs/week or quitting all together, even though she loves it. Btw, it's not dietary with her. Also, her worst flair ever was while I was hospitalized for Lyme meningitis in April, further suggesting emotional cause. This is forcing me to keep homeschool in the back of my mind if she has problems again (of any kind) at later ages.

Guys, for colds and flu, COLOSTRUM. Its a powdered milk supplement, used thruout history for its nourishing benefits and to maintain the healthy function of the immune system. It heals wounds, it cures all manner of bacteria and colds, its just really awesome stuff.

Its one of the only things I can get my five year old to take. I put a teaspoon to a half of a teaspoon in a few inches of milk, stir it really vigourously, because it is powdered, and a bit hard to mix, and she takes it and it tastes great!

She had a cold and a runny nose and mucusy throat all winter. I must have taken her to the doctor a dozen times, and she missed quite a bit of school this year cuz of it. I was giving her homeopathic cough syrups and tablets specially formulated for kids, which helped, but didnt really nip the problem in the bud. I also gave her cinnamon and honey, which is really good when she is throwing up.

I gave her a teaspoon of colostrum in the morn, and a half teasp at nite, and in about three days, her congestion was gone!! Completely gone! I was shocked and amazed. And she loves the taste, its just like creamy milk. The only drawback, is it is pricey, about $50 for a container, but well well worth it, I love it, I'll never run out.

My son has struggled with bed wetting all his life as did his father when he was young (until he was around 15). He is now 7 and this has been a source of embarrassment for him now that he is older. He recently had a strep throat infection that I treated with cayenne pepper (In pill form because he would not take a tea). His strep eased up within two hours of his first dose of cayenne but I continued to treat him for a few days to be sure it didn't come back. After day 3 I noticed he hadn't wet the bed since taking the pills. I gave him one pill twice a day for the strep but have continued to give him just one a day since. It has been several weeks now and he has not had a single accident! He is so proud and excited as we have tried everything.

I wanted to pass this along in hopes that it might help other kids with a similar issue. Just FYI he wet the bed almost every single night prior to the cayenne. I do suggest taking it halfway through a meal as it may burn a bit on an empty stomach.

Tumeric is an excellent spice for easing Diarrhea. My toddler had 'toddler Diarrhea', and I just had to keep him on a basic diet of water, rice, toast and bananas. The GP told me I couldn't give him anything like Imodium due to its side effects in young children.

I stuck to this diet, with minimum effect. After a couple of weeks, I contacted the GP again and he told me to add soy milk and skinless chicken to my son's diet. A week passed and it helped a little, but it was only by accident, when I read about an old Persian dish 'Tumeric Chicken', (I was on a diet then and was looking for low cal meals *lol*) that I read that it was good for 'many stomach ailments'.

I gave it a go and my toddler tried it and loved it. Better still within 2 days my son's chronic Diarrhea had gone completely and now he's thriving brilliantly. I would recommend it to everyone, it literally is, steamed chicken, a dash of tumeric and steamed onion. I served it with plain boiled rice and not only is it delic, it really helped my weight loss and my toddler's Diarrhea... Now that's what I call a SUPER SPICE!

Coconut oil works wonderfully on dry scalp.

I wanted to update my son's situation since I have taken him off of the flax oil and seeds. His breast is much smaller now and he has not grown any more pubic hair. I have also noticed that he does not have emotional outbursts like he used to have.

EAT 2% OR HOMO OF PLAIN YOGURT U WILL NEVER GET IT AGAIN.. 3 TIMES OR MORE PER WEEK

I've read somewhere in the net that topical application of AC Vinegar is a cure for eczema. It works for me too.

Hi PM from Vic, Australia, Try eliminating all polyunsaturated fats from her diet as they cause a lot of health problems. Margarine, vegetable oils are the main culprits- rather start using coconut oil for cooking & hopefully the problem will be solved. Because her elimination system is overwhelmed, the junk is being eliminated via the skin.

Two thumbs up for BENTONITE! My 21 mos. old had diarrhea for 8 days, had lost over 1 kg, and nothing was helping (meds, doctors, etc. ). Finally I found this posting about bentonite. Within 8 hours of taking it, he had solid poops again! Unbelievable. I gave him 1 Tbsp of bentonite in about 10 oz of diluted apple juice; and I did this twice in one day. Thank you so much for this information.

I wanted to comment on the part that virtually all babies use pacifiers. La Leache league advises against its use. So I know many familes that don't use pacifiers, which is good. I sure hope this will increase.

My teenage daughter's eczema all but disappeared with the addition of yogurt to her diet, and fish oil supplements.

I hope that the combination works as well for your daughter, should you decide to try it.