Alternative Cold Medicine

You can get a great deal on most of the hylands stuff at www.vitacost.com. They just came out with a cough syrup that I found at my local Riteaid. I also like the garlic oil with willowbark. You can use this for the ears. Also a chiropractor and one that does cranial sacral massage therapy is a great help.

Hi J.!
I always eep "oscilococcinum" on hand for first signs of a cold like burning eyes, throat, tiredness. It is homeopathic which means that you can't misdiagnose the symptoms. You can always give it and usually it goes away. They sell it at Wholefoods and other natural health stores. Also
"Coloital Silver" comes in liquid and is given under the tongue with a dropper. It is another "miracle" for cold symptoms. Don't overlook the importance of vitamin rich foods, like green pepper, fresh lemons and orange juice. Also a teaspoonfull of lemon and honey for a sore throat.
Hope that helps,
N

When we are around somebody that's sick, or my son seems to be getting something, or when everybody else seems to have something, I give him chewable Echinacea with Vitamin C (for kids) in addition to his daily vitamins. You can only take herbs every once in a while or they become ineffective. So, I like to only use them when I think it's necessary. Otherwise, I just give him extra Vitamin C. "Orange Juice Jr.s" chewables by Nature's Plus taste really good. I pop one in my mouth sometimes when I'm giving him his vitamins. For myself and my husband, I swear by Wellness Formula by Source Naturals. As soon as I start to feel anything coming on, I start taking some. It usually either helps you fight it off before you get any symptoms or you fight it for a few days with mild symptoms. It's very effective. Anything natural that helps me not get sick or fight it off faster is my friend, even if it's not cheap. Any of these vitamins can be found at a vitamin or health food store. If you can fend off sickness naturally, hopefully you won't need any medication. I also suggest good hand-washing habits to keep the germs at bay, especially during the cold and flu seasons. Hope you have a happy, healthy winter and Christmas.

Hi J.,
I am a mother of 6 and do not believe much in medicating my children unless absolutly necessary for serious medical conditions. When my children cough or get a sore throat, I give them PURE NATURAL HONEY. (with no preserves: can be bought at a farm or you can use organic honey. We order from Florida) 1 teaspoon 3 times daily for about 3 days. You will be surprised how quickly it will go away. It takes care of strep throat also. For some reason, everyone is so eager to give medication especially to our children when God has given us so many nutural cures. We need to be smart and check into these remedies. Also, invest in a good HUMIDIFIER, that is a big PLUS and cures much sickness. Sounds crazy but I actually was given this info by a Pharmacist. Also, lots of VITAMIN C. You can drink pure orange juice if you squeeze it yourself. If you child coughs, rub VICKS VAPOR RUB on the bottom of their feet and put socks on them...also around their chest and back...its amazing the cough stops instantly. If you do this for a few days, the cold is gone. The most important thing is to keep FEET warm. Hope this helps. Let me know if you try any of these and the results. I can assure you that they all work, I have done it many times on all my children and have not medicated them for years. My kids are 1 -12 years old.

You can't go wrong with anything from Hylands! I LOVE their products!!! You can find them at many Wegmans & at any health food store!
I swear by herbal/homeopathic stuff! I virtually never give anything else to my kids!!!!

Also, I can't say enough good things about chiropractic adjustments when a kiddo has a cold! What a miracle! It just vanishes!

Run a humidifier in her room at night to keep nose moist. You also might want to look into fish oil capsules to support immune the system.

I have not tried it yet but have heard it works..vicks vapor rub on their feet with socks at night. It is supposed to help coughing also. My brother read about putting egg-whites (I think whites not yolk)on their feet to help reduce fever. It worked for his son!

Baby Saline spray (CVS, Wal Mart etc) is totally natural. We have to pin my kids down to squirt it in their noses, which they hate, but their noses are much better for hours afterward. Not only does it wash out the gunk, but it moisturizes the nasal passages so they are soothed.

Try some saline nose drops. Helps clear and thin the mucus in the nasal passages. At night, rub Vicks on the bottoms of her feet and cover with socks. Also, rub Vicks on chest, neck, and back. THis method seems to help me and my little one. For a cough, try a teaspoon of honey. This works better than cough medicines. I find that cough medicines have little to no effect. Good luck:)

I put hydrogen peroxide in my kids ears (age 3 and 7).
It doesn't hurt, just cold and you hear crackling. I try and keep it in as long as they'll let me. It fights colds and ear infections. Doesn't hurt to do it daily even!
We like zicam too and coldeeze.

Hi J.
This year I have had alot of luck with Zicam. It is a spray that you use when you first feel like you are getting a cold. It tastes pretty good, and your daughter would be able to use it because it is for ages 2 and up. It clears up whatever you get pretty fast. Good luck!

Along with the honey idea, a little corn syrup can help loosen up mucous and ease a cough. Apparantly it's one of the most effective ingredients in cough syrup! I also have used the Hyland's Homeopathic Sniffles and Sneezes tabs for my 2.5 y/o. I think they really help him some - better than not giving him anything.

J.