Homeopathics save the day

And naps… lots of naps. Naps are good.

For all of us. πŸ™‚

My poor little guy has been sick since Tuesday, hence the lack of much posting this week. Sorry about that. πŸ™

Most of the day on Tuesday and Wednesday he had a fever that went up and down a bit, getting as high as 103 F. He was fairly miserable, and just wanted to be snuggled all day (I was going to attempt the Making your Home a Haven challenge this week, but I quickly decided to forget about it!).

In the midst of trying to keep him comfortable and hydrated, we used these to try to bring down the fever:
Boiron tablets

They're homeopathic tablets, made by a company called Boiron. I picked them up for him the last time he had a fever, from a local health food store. The particular ones that we have are "Ferrum Phosphoricum".

Here's what one site says about this particular remedy:
Ferrum phosphoricum: This remedy may be helpful during flu with
fever, headache, rosy cheeks, and a feeling of weariness. Sensitive
eyes, a short hard cough, strong thirst, and vomiting after eating are
other indications. This remedy is often helpful in early stages of flu
or fever, even if symptoms are not especially clear.

I didn't know what to really expect of it. The first time that Caden had a prolonged fever it lasted all day (maybe 6 am until after dinner) and he had only nursed once in the early morning and had nothing else to eat or drink. We were getting really concerned about dehydration, and so I ran out to the store around dinner time to buy this. He took it a little after dinner, and by 7:30 that night, he finally nursed again before going to bed, and we could tell that his fever had gone down a little.

This time, I had to use it multiple times. The first time was Tuesday night, after the fever had been building up all day, and he had been waking ever since going to bed at 7pm. It was 10pm, and I realized neither of us were going to get any sleep, so I gave him one before bed. He still woke a couple of times, but at 1:30am, he woke with no fever at all and was ravenously hungry (he hadn't really eaten all day)! The next day, the fever returned, going up and down, so we gave it to him at the  high points and by bedtime it had gone down from 103 back to around 100 or 101. He woke up at 10pm, and was able to eat a little and sleep well from 11 until 5 am.

Today the fever is completely gone, and he's still obviously not feeling 100%, but he's eating and drinking much better than before. I'm so happy that we were able to get him through those couple of days without having to resort to Tylenol or anything else, and without him getting too dehydrated. Thank you God for letting me learn about homeopathic remedies!

Just what are homeopathics and why use them with children?

For those who are unsure about homeopathics, here is a quick definition:

Homeopathic remedies are made from plants, animal substances, minerals
and salts and are diluted to such a high extent that few or no
molecules remain in the medicine. They work at an energetic level,
stimulating the body’s own healing abilities – rather like a message to
the immune system – and are prescribed on the principle of β€˜like cures
like’. A good example is where the remedy Allium cepa (onion) is
prescribed for hayfever when the eyes are stinging and hot, which is
similar to what happens when you cut up an onion!

Homeopathics are gentle, natural and a wonderful way to avoid using conventional medications and chemicals, especially in the bodies of little ones. They are often recommended by Naturopaths, Herablists and Nutritionists.

Here are a few links for those who want to know more:
Homeopathy for Babies and Children (more of a general overview)
Homeopathy for Kids (this site has some good descriptions of how you would use various homeopathic remedies for children)
Homeopathy (long list of ailments with links to a detailed discussion of which homeopathics would be used to treat that specific ailment and why)

One common line of children's homeopathic remedies is Hylands, who make the Teething Tablets that I and many others rave about. The line that I used for Caden's fever is called Boiron and they are not specifically for children (although I think they may have a few products) but can be used in much lower doses (for example, an adult dose of what I gave Caden is 5 tablets, but I only gave him 1).

I have also used homeopathics for pregnancy nausea, and found it was so useful in taking the edge off on days that were particularly bad. It was also prescribed for me by a Naturopath to help with the eczema on my hands, and though it didn't solve the problem, it sure did help with the symptoms!

I wish I could do a more in depth look at homeopathics, but I am only just beginning to explore this area of natural health myself and don't have a lot more to offer than this at the moment! Does anyone else have any resources to pass on, for learning more about using homeopathics? Has anyone used them successfully and want to tell us a little about it?

I do apologize for not getting my next Nutritional Foundations post up this week as I had wanted to. It's mostly written, but will just have to wait until next week. I would like to request your input, though, for resources for finding local, natural sources of whole foods (ie. grass-fed meat and poultry, free-range eggs, raw milk, bulk grains, fresh produce from farmers or markets, etc.). If you have any in your area that you'd like to share, please email me at keeperofthehome (at) canada (dot) com, and let me know the details. I am compiling a post with as many resources as possible to help us all in our quest to move beyond relying on the conventional grocery store! Thanks so much!

I hear a crying baby… I'm off!

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10 Comments

  1. I have two favorite books on herbal remedies: “The ABC Herbal” (which is for children), and “The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine”, which is a terrific reference book where you can look up remedies by the ailment.

    I’ve also blogged about our using herbal remedies a couple of times. Look under my “health” category. My mother-in-law is an herbalist, and I’m slowly learning from her. So I’ll be covering more herbal and natural remedies in the future.

  2. What a timely post. I just finished reading, Homeopathy Beyond Flat Earth Medicine by Timothy Dooley . I found it to be a very informative, concise and easy to read overview on homeopathy.

    Thanks for the links and information. I have not used any homeopathic remedies yet but hope to find a good home care book and go from there.

  3. Yes, I have used this brand and Hyland’s for 9 years with my kids. They are awesome. And my 1st resource b4 Advil, etc. I use for everything, calming, pain, fever, bruises, growing pains, etc. All that encompasses kids problems. I even used the arnica tablets when I ran a couple of marathons. Great post.

  4. Ok, so what homeopathic stuff did you use for nausea in pregnancy? I am pregnant with #3, and with all my pregnancies I get hyperemesis gravidarum. I am on prescription Zofran, but still experience nausea all day and throw up 3 or 4 times a day. I can hardly get any fluids in me. So, I’m wondering if I could supplement my prescription with the homeopathic you did?
    Thanks for any thoughts you have.

  5. I was born and raised on homeopathic remedies. My mom is a homeopathic practitioner and has been very helpful as I’ve navigated childhood illnesses with my own kids. FYI- the dose is really unimportant, except in serious situations. Whether you give a child 1 or 5 tablets of a 30X rememdy, they will have the same effect. Disolve them in water to make them act more quickly. I’m glad you’re finding success with them. Thanks for the positive press!

  6. I am so thrilled. I had a big mole on my eyelid and had an appointment with a specialist and I did not fancy someone poking around that area so close to my eye.
    I prayed for direction and was led to a simple cure of dabbing apple cider vinegar on the mole daily and now I am so happy as it is almost gone. There is just a tiny little scab ready to dry up more and fall off.
    There is an old saying ” if the answer is simple God is speaking”

    Just thought this might be helpful to someone else.

  7. I am reading this blog occasionally. I like the topics and the attitude they’re discussed with. Homeopathy is an interesting topic as well and I decided to find out what does this blog have to say about it.
    Nice, that the drugs helped you!
    However, I just wanted to note, that in the country I come from the Catholic church strongly discourages using homeopathic remedies exactly because it has no direct medical effect and works in the energetic level. They basically say that this messes up with our souls and distracts us from our faith to God. Could anyone comment on this? πŸ™‚ I am not sure about how it is in other countries and it would be very interesting to hear your opinions.

    1. @Aldona, It is my understanding the homeopathics work on an entirely physical level, and are not spiritual at all. They simply stimulate a physical response from the body to help relieve a symptom or to encourage healing, but this is in no way related to our souls or our faith. I know that people get concerned about some Eastern medicine and the use of remedies that focus on “energies” but homeopathics is really nothing like that and is used by many Christians (both doctors and patients) that I know and respect. I use it myself, and give these remedies to my family, and I have no spiritual concerns about it whatsoever.

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