Hello friends,
Yes we are in the midst of the most wonderful, and in many respects, stressful time of year. Stress comes in many forms and a failure to adapt to the stress usually results in our bodies breaking down. The cold and flu bugs that are so often implicated in this sickness process are really, in a sense, opportunists, not culprits. They are most often powerless to make us sick if our immune systems are strong. When we allow ourselves the self-indulgent behavior of being “stressed-out”, our immune systems do, in fact, get suppressed. Suppression of the immune system “allows” us to become ill. It is the bodies way of saying, “since you will not take your foot off the gas, I will apply the brakes.” You know the rest.
It’s the same for our children. They too stay up late, eat poorly, and are subjected, sometimes only by association with our lifestyle, to immune suppressing stressors. Yep, they get sick.
Many of these kids end up in the pediatricians office with congestion in the head and nose and very commonly with pain and inflammation in the ears. Often antibiotics are prescribed and in chronic cases, perhaps tubes are implanted in the ear drum to relieve the pressure. This may come as a surprise to you but 80% of the kids were going to heal anyway. 80%? Really?
Sick children provoke in me a huge amount of sympathy. A sick child is a new stressor on the parent. Why is this? Is it nature’s way of slowing down the whole tribe?
Let me propose an alternative to the, now ritualized, Dr. visit that can often lead to the child being worse off in the long run. This natural approach is good for the whole family.
1) Hold the child. This is the most healing thing for both of you. If the child is too big to hold, maintain contact with your hands. Yes, lay hands on them. Do this for long periods of time. Do not grow weary. Healing is a process and cannot be rushed (this works great for adults too). There is plenty of research available on the power of human touch.
2) Watch and Wait- Humans are born to self-correct. Our bodies can, and will, heal in most cases. Time and rest are relentless champions of healing. Do it!
3) Keep it light- stay away from popular media. The news makes me sick every time I watch it!
4) Feed them as little as possible. Do not starve them by any means but let the child use fat stores to fuel the recovery. Even skinny kids have an abundant supply of fat to use for fuel. Let there bodies marshal all of their energy to heal, and not to digest. Watch an animal recover sometime. They eat very little.
5) Take them to a chiropractic office. Physiologically, children’s heads, necks and ears can be cleared out with a few adjustments. The immune system is also enhanced in the process. This is particularly valuable if the child has suffered with many recent ear infections, 3 or more in the last 6 months.
Do you hear what I hear? A bunch of healthy families that spend less time and money in doctor’s offices and more time and money on what matters.
Blessings,
Ken Swaim, DC
Chief student, Swaim School for better living