HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR CHILD? NATURAL THERAPIES FROM A
TO Z by Clarissa A. Vallerie
Curing your youngster's tummyache, toothache or cold doesn't have to mean an expensive
and confusing visit to your doctor. It can be as simple as going out into your garden and
making a tea or a cream with specific herbs and a few common kitchen ingredients. Because
of the damage conventional medicine has inflicted on many of us, today many parents are
actively overseeing their children's health. Natural medicines are a logical way for
parents to take control of caring for, maintaining and restoring the health of their
infants and children. The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants
($14.95) by Mary Bove, N.D., published by Keats Publishing, Inc., addresses the need for a
healthy immune system, herbal remedies and proper nutrition, and shows how to treat common
childhood illnesses naturally. It is an easy-to-use, comprehensive guide to the health
saving information needed to keep our youngsters out of the doctor's office.
Good health depends on the state of a child's immune system. Understanding the effects
of conventional drugs and poor nutrition on a young body can help any parent avoid
mistakes others have made in the past. For instance, how many of us were given a
prescription for antibiotics every time we caught a cold? Antibiotics destroy the friendly
bacteria living in our intestines. Prolonged use can result in poor digestion and food
allergies. Common symptoms of food allergies are conditions such as asthma, eczema,
chronic diarrhea, learning problems and frequent respiratory infections. A child who can
resist allergies, illness and infections will be a happy child.
Herbal remedies have proven to be an effective tool both as a complementary treatment
to conventional medicine as and as a separate method of therapy for treating some of the
common illnesses that affect our children. The benefits are vast and varied. Herbs are
effective as basic first aid care or as treatment for the most stubborn cold or flu, and
can be soothing to a chronic skin condition or respiratory problem. They can be prepared
in different forms, such as infusions, baths, tinctures, powders and syrups and act as
inflammatories, antibiotics and antifungals.
Dr. Bove, a naturopathic physician, midwife and medical herbalist, provides remedies
from A to Z and offers various options on preparation. Many childhood health problems are
almost unavoidable. Natural remedies can be used for a number of things, such as head
lice, teething, hay fever, insect bites etc. A tea tree oil shampoo and rinse can rid a
child of head lice. A witch hazel compress with lavender oil can relieve the sting and
itch of bug bites. Burned rosemary or sage smudged onto the skin will repel insects.
Instead of coaxing and pleading with a child who refuses to swallow medicine, a parent can
easily soothe an uncomfortable youngster with a healing bath. The healing and
health-saving benefits of natural medicines are virtually limitless. Parents can begin to
rest easy that their child's body is not being filled with harmful chemicals and drugs.
Many ingredients necessary for a number of natural remedies can easily be grown in your
own back yard or bought for a fraction of the cost of prescription or over-the-counter
drugs. Your children can build on a healthy foundation that you can give them now to
become what we all hope for them to become later—healthy, energetic adults.
Information taken from An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing
for Children and Infants by Mary Bove, N.D. Published by Keats Publishing, Inc. of New
Canaan, Connecticut
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