3/11/2008

I've got strep throat. Alec has conjunctivitis (pink eye) and a cold, Benji has a double ear infection and conjunctivitis, and Ava has a cold with a fever, a shiny snot-face, and conjunctivitis. We've definitely been better!

I'm fairly laid back when it comes to going to our family practice MD. I typically diagnose the cause of the illness on my own and treat it with various homeopathics, herbs, and natural remedies, with great success. Once in a great while, though, my resources fail me and I let our MD. do the diagnosing. Even then, I usually take his opinion into consideration, but turn down conventional medicine (ie: antibiotics) in favor of the natural stuff.

This, however, was one of those even rarer occasions when not only did I go see Dr. MD, but I also actually filled all the prescriptions he gave us! I was just too sick with that strep throat (they should call it "porcupine throat"!) to think with a clear head and make decisions regarding the kids.

I ended up taking an antibiotic, gave Benji one for his ear infections, and am using antibiotic eye drops for Alec (who has to go back to school tomorrow). As far as the other 4 infected eyes go, I am using colloidal silver in them. I've done this before and had great results. I intend to post eventually about the wide range of benefits that colloidal silver has, but in the meantime, here are some interesting excerpts about conjunctivitis from one of my favorite books, Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. (Janet Zand, N.D., L.Ac., Robert Rountree, M.D., Rachel Walton, MSN, CRNP)

"Conjunctivitis. . .is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, or the white of the eye. The overwhelming majority of cases of conjunctivitis in older children are caused by viruses, although in rare cases a bacterial infection may be responsible."

"Most cases of simple conjunctivitis last from five to seven days. If you are treating your child for conjunctivitis as home and notice no improvement in that time, take your child to a doctor."

"Warm water compresses are the treatment of choice. Many of the microorganisms that cause conjunctivitis are exquisitely heat sensitive. the heat also loosens up debris and increases blood flow through the area which helps the body's natural defense." (it is recommended to do the compresses for 10 min., 4-6 times a day)

"Eliminate refined sugars from your child's diet. Sugar makes the body more acidic, which inhibits healing. In addition, bacterial infections thrive in the presence of sugar. Encourage your child to eat berries and green and yellow vegetables and fruits, which are high in fiber and rich in vitamins A and C and bioflavonoids." Not only do these nutrients support the immune system, but vitamin A heals mucous membranes, and vitamin C and bioflavonoids foster healing and are mildly anti-inflammatory.

I was most interested to learn that most cases of pinkeye are caused by a virus. That would explain why all three kids seemed to have a cold that came before the eye irritation. I also found the information valuable because antibiotics are useless against a virus, so the eye drops prescribed by my Dr. MD are most likely not going to be helpful. Unless I do continue to use the colloidal silver (which is both anti-bacterial and anti-viral), their bodies will essentially be recovering from the pink eye on their own.

With this, I bid farewell; I'm taking this week off from blogging to concentrate on getting us all well and back in the loop.
See you next Monday!

2 readers took time to leave a thought:

Homegrown Tribe March 11, 2008 at 5:59 PM  

Yuck yuck yuck! Let me know if I can do anything. :)

Britt

MerrandaVK March 14, 2008 at 10:09 PM  

I hope you don't mind my commenting. I found your blog through a friend of a friend of a friend...

But, I must say that while reading this post, I thought it was ME posting it :) WE just recently had the SAME thing happen in our house, with me having a massive sore throat, pink eye all around and an ear infection in my oldest boy. I did opt to NOT treat the ear infection with antibiotics and thankfully it cleared up on its own. But just wanted to say hang in there and that your kids are very cute!

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