Home remedies
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Sometimes parents can soothe children's symptoms just by using something from the pantry -- perhaps learned from their mother or grandma.
"Each culture has its own little set of remedies that they use; it's just part of the upbringing," said Dr. Lynn Smitherman, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Families are "using a combination of both modern medicines and some of the traditional remedies that they've used in the past because they trust (them), they're easy to get to and they're inexpensive."
But it's always wise to err on the side of caution and to use a healthy dose of common sense, even if the homespun approach has been passed down through the family or culture.
If it doesn't sound right, "definitely raise it with a physician and open the door to have a healthy discussion," said Smitherman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Wayne State University in Detroit.
One home remedy that made headlines recently was honey.
In a study reported in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, honey turned out to be an effective treatment for children and youths, ages 2 to 18, suffering from coughing and sleep difficulties from upper respiratory tract infections.
"I was personally excited about it," said Dr. Mirzada Kurbasic, a pediatrician with University Child Health Specialists who's on the staff at Kosair Children's Hospital. "It is an alternative remedy, and it's used in many cultures."
But sometimes home remedies can be downright harmful to children. Though honey generally is considered safe, it can lead to botulism in children younger than 1, doctors warn.
Another no-no is treating feverish children with alcohol baths.
"A lot of people will give a kid an alcohol bath," said Dr. Judy Theriot, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville. "You don't want them to do that, especially if it's a young child, because (the child) can get toxic, and it's not going to work."
Parents also have been known to put bicarbonate of soda -- also known as baking soda -- into the bottles of colicky infants, but that can lead to a trip to the emergency room, Smitherman said.
"We've had kids come in with bicarbonate poisoning," she said. " It gives you a good burp and everything, but with babies being so small, too much in the system can make them have seizures or other problems." Report problems
If a child develops a bad reaction from a home remedy, the problem should be reported to a health-care provider right away and the type of treatment divulged.
"Usually, as a physician, when we see a sick child, we're kind of going through the possibilities," and a home remedy might not come to mind immediately as the likely cause, but if you mention it, then the doctor can say, "OK, that's fine. Now I know what to do," Smitherman said.
It's also wise to see a physician if your child's condition doesn't seem to be improving with home treatment or in a reasonable amount of time, such as seven to 10 days for a cold.
However, some home remedies can cause harm without causing obvious symptoms. For instance, lead poisoning, which is potentially deadly but often silent, can result from traditional folk medicines used by East Indian, Indian, Middle Eastern, West Asian and Hispanic cultures, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Greta and Azarcon, which are both fine orange powders used in the Hispanic culture for upset stomach, diarrhea and other illnesses, have a lead content as high as 90 percent, according to the CDC. Others that might contain lead include the Indian remedy Ghasard, a brown powder used as a tonic, and Ba-baw-san, a Chinese herbal remedy used for colic and to pacify children.
"Lead poisoning from folk remedies can cause illness and even death," whether it's been put into the product on purpose or is a byproduct of production, CDC says.
During a doctor's visit, it's important for doctors to ask about home remedies and to be respectful about it, Smitherman said.
"When someone brings up something that might be toxic or harmful, I usually try to get a little information like the rationale behind it, and I'll say, 'Well, you know what? I understand what you're trying to do. Let's do something that's a little bit safer.' " Dos, don'ts and be carefuls
Here's the scoop on some home remedies:
Honey: Buckwheat honey, a dark type of honey, compared favorably with the drug dextromethorphan, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough syrups, in a Pennsylvania State University study. The honey was given 30 minutes before bed.
Saltwater for nasal congestion: For stuffy noses, drops of nasal saline are a good way to soften mucus so that it can be removed with a suction bulb or by blowing the nose.
Kurbasic, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville, suggests making the saline from scratch, though it can be purchased as well. Put a half teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. Put drops in one nostril at a time.
Saltwater gargle: For a sore throat, Theriot recommends a half teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water. The child must be old enough to gargle the solution and then spit it out. If not, he or she might throw up from swallowing it, said Theriot, medical director of U of L's Children & Youth Project, which provides comprehensive health care for low-income children.
Humidifier: Humidifiers can be helpful for coughs, but make sure you use cool mist, not warm mist, and be scrupulous about cleaning it, Theriot said. She suggests not using humidifiers if your child has asthma, though, since the humidifier could blow mold spores. They're good for you
Prunes: These fruits can be helpful for constipation. "You can tell a kid it's just a big, fat raisin, and they eat it and it actually tastes good," Theriot said.
Chicken soup: "It'll help clear up your nose because of the steam from the soup, and it's usually mild so it'll settle a stomach and it'll give them fluids and a little bit of nutrition," she said.
Chamomile tea: This can soothe a stomachache, but some children are allergic, Theriot said. Ginger ale also may work, she said.
BRAT: In some instances of diarrhea, older children can be helped by a short-term diet of Banana, Rice, Apple and Toast. This would be given just for a day or so, Kurbasic said. Make sure children with diarrhea don't get dehydrated, because that's potentially dangerous, she said.
Sweet oil: Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, an associate professor of pediatrics at Kentucky Children's Hospital, said people sometimes treat earaches by putting warm sweet oil into the ear. This might help with pain overnight in children who are old enough to speak and who don't have ear tubes, she said.
But there are drawbacks. For instance, it might make it difficult for the doctor to see the eardrum the next day, she said, and warming the oil is risky because it's difficult to gauge the temperature.
Some doctors don't support this remedy at all.
"We don't recommend you put anything in the ear," said Dr. Stephanie Russell of Kidz Life Pediatrics in Prospect and the Baptist Hospital East Emergency Room. You don't really know unless someone has looked in the ear if the eardrum is intact or not. If the eardrum is not intact, then you could harm the inner ear if you were to put some substance into the ear." Rubbed the wrong way
Rubs: Be sure a child doesn't ingest substances, such as camphor, that are used for rubs, Kurbasic said. Also, be sure not to put something into the nose that's intended as a chest rub, said Steltenkamp, citing menthol as an example. "It can burn if you put it actually up on the nasal mucosa," she said.
Follow age recommendations too. For instance, Smitherman advises against rubs on children younger than 1.
Raw garlic: Don't bother with this bogus cure for the flu, Theriot said.
Butter: Don't apply this to burns. "Fat will hold the heat in and will make it hurt more and not heal up as well," Theriot said.
Also, Steltenkamp said you could be introducing a source of infection by using things like butter or shortening on burns or sores.
Gripe water and hot toddies: These often contain alcohol, which is dangerous to children. "You can get alcohol poisoning even with a half an ounce in a baby," Smitherman said. "You want to stay away from any alcohol if at all possible."
Urine in the baby's ear: Don't try this hackneyed remedy for earaches, Theriot said.
Herbs and supplements: Among the problems: Zinc can lead to diarrhea in kids, and echinacea hasn't been proven to shorten the duration of colds.
"In general, anything that's available over the counter that's an herbal product, I would be very cautious" of using on children for various reasons, including potential contamination, poor packaging information and unknown toxicity, Kurbasic said.
Furthermore, you don't know how a child will respond to an herbal ingredient, Steltenkamp said.
Reporter Darla Carter can be reached at (502) 582-7068.
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So you can try all these home remedies which work too but if you can and have frequent cold sores ask your dr. for valtex It works great! Thanks.
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