Diarrhea in Children and Homeopathic Treatment

Diarrhea is a very common problem in children younger than age five.  It is usually mild and brief.  “Acute” diarrhea lasts less than 1 week.

It is a sudden increase in the number and looseness of stools (bowel movements). One or two loose stools is not diarrhea, and no treatment is needed.

Diarrhea is one of the important defenses of the body. It is the way that the body eliminate certain infective organisms. Although one can consider taking conventional drugs to suppress the diarrhea, they simply allow the bacteria or parasites to remain in the body longer.

The main danger of diarrhea is “dehydration”. The younger the child, the more quickly this can happen. If your baby is younger than 3 months, call your clinic for advice before beginning home treatment. If your child shows signs of dehydration call the doctor.

In case of breast feed infants, they normally pass five to six soft,or semi solid stools daily. This is quite normal and doesn’t considered as diarrhea.

Causes of Diarrhea in Children :

• Bacteria such as E coli
• Viruses such as rotavirus
• Food allergies, such as with lactose products (milk or cheese) or soy protein
• Contaminated food or food poisoning
• Contaminated water
• Medicines, such as laxatives, antacids, or antibiotics
• Other infections such as an ear infection or urinary tract infection
• Teething, during dentition child puts any objects in mouth to chew  and gets infected
• Overeating of fruits and vegetables especially unripe fruits.
• In bottle-fed infants, allergy to milk formulas
• Children are more prone to diarrhea in hot summer weather.

Signs and Symptoms of Diarrhea :

• Frequent stools, stool may be watery or with mucus or sometime bloody
• Nausea & vomiting
• Fever
• Irritability
• Gripping pain or colic
• Loss of appetite
• Symptoms of dehydration

As I mentioned earlier that diarrhea is not dangerous, it is dehydration which can be fatal to your child. It can be moderate or severe.

Signs of mild to moderate dehydration :

• No urine for 8 hours
• Dry lips
• The inside of the mouth is dry or sticky
• Child is irritable with very little energy
• 
  

 Signs of severe dehydration :

• No tears when crying
• The inside of the mouth is very dry (no saliva)
• Eyes seem sunken
• Weight loss
• Child is exhaust with no energy  
• Hard to awaken
• Confused
• Weakness (hard to sit up or walk, floppy)

Essential Care of Child at Home during Diarrhea :

• Give plenty of fluid n water to your child
• ORS should be immediately begun with the very first vomiting or loose stool. When ORS mixed with safe water and fed to the child, the ORS drink re-hydrates the body and supplies salt and other electrolytes in sufficient quantities.
• If your child is breast-fed, continue the feeding. It will give sufficient amount of water to your child.
• If your child is older than 2 years ,give light n easily digestive food if he/she asked like daliya, khichdi,oat meal etc.
• Call your doctor as soon as possible or take your child to health care center

Homeopathic treatment of Diarrhea in Children:

In homeopathy, the treatment is based on the presenting symptoms of child like

• Consistency and character of stool
• Type of pain during diarrhea e.g. Pain before, during or after stool.
• Presence of mucous or blood with stool
• Child is thirsty or thirstless etc

Some homeopathic medicines used in diarrhea are : Ars alb, Podophyllum, Cuprum met, Camphor, Aloes, Veretrum alb etc.

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Fever in Children and Homeopathic Treatment

                             

Definition of Fever :

The definition of fever varies based on the age of a child.

If your child is under 3 months, a fever is considered any temperature over 100.4°F (40°C).

Over 3 months, the definition is any temperature over 101°F (38.3°C).

When to take your child to the doctor :

Children with fevers are usually quieter and less active than usual.

Contact your doctor if :

• Your child is looking more ill than before
• Your child is more difficult to wake up
• Your child has a rash
• Your child has persistent vomiting or diarrhoea
• Your child will not drink
• A high fever persists even though you have given paracetamol or ibuprofen
• Your child has pain
• You are worried in any way.
• All babies under 12 months with fever should be seen by a doctor.

Febrile convulsions:

In some children a sudden increase in body temperature can lead to seizures (or fits) which are called febrile convulsions. During a febrile convulsion, part or all of child's body may shake and twitch and child’s eyes may roll back in their head. Febrile convulsions can be frightening and can last for up to six minutes, but child is likely to make a full recovery. However, child may seem confused immediately after the convulsion ends, and should take him to see doctor or to local hospital.

Causes of Fever:

Fever is a symptom, not a disease. Fever helps the body fight infections by making its defense systems work more efficiently. Bacteria and viruses cannot live at higher temperatures and so are killed by fever.

Usually, fevers in children are caused by viral infections. The most common are colds, flu, and gastroenteritis, which are not dangerous.

Some other common causes of fever in children include the following:

• Acute Otitis Media, Or Middle Ear Infection
• Bacterial Meningitis
• Childhood Immunizations, Such As The Dtp Vaccine
• Heatstroke Or Heat Exhaustion
• Pneumonia
• Skin Infections
• Throat Infection
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Overbundling Or Overdressing A Small Child

Essential Care of Child at Home During Fever :

• Talk  to your baby about what is happening. The sound of your voice is comforting to them .
• Be patient! Children who are sick can become more demanding and regress temporarily, sucking things, wetting the bed, and so on sometimes even before the symptoms of the illness (rashes, swollen glands etc.) appear. This will pass once they are on the way to recovery.
• Keep your sick baby close to you. Many babies want to be carried constantly and sleep better if they are tucked up in bed with their mothers during this time.
• Provide a calm environment for your feverish child.
• Encourage your baby to drink plenty of fluids, preferably water, diluted natural juices, or at least sips of water at frequent intervals. If you are breastfeeding a sick baby continue to nurse as often as your baby asks.
• Sponge your baby down with tap water if the fever goes above 103°F/104°F (40°C) and your child feels hot and sweaty. This will help the temperature to drop by 1-2°F and can be repeated as often as necessary. Sponging the face and forehead alone can also give relief.
• Suppress the fever with Paracetamol in an emergency , that is, where the fever rises above 105°F (40.5°c), or if your child is in severe pain from, say, teething in the middle of the night or you don't have a homeopathic remedy to hand but never exceed the recommended dose.
• Watch for signs of dehydration in infants under six months old, and especially in children who are refusing to drink or who are drinking less than usual.
• Don’t encourage sick children to eat especially if they don't want to. Fasting encourages the body in its process of healing. Give babies who are hungry small, light, nutritious meals such as fruit or vegetable purees, soups and porridge/oatmeal.
• Don’t give any form of aspirin to a feverish child. This has been known to lead to dangerous, which affects the brain and liver.

Role of Homeopathy in Fever :

Each baby has their own pattern of falling ill and will experience different fever symptoms. One baby will feel hot with a high fever, will kick off the covers; another will be irritable, intolerant of any disturbance and need to be kept warm; one baby will sweat profusely, be thirsty and slightly delirious; another will be dry and hot and refuse liquids.

Each of these babies will need a different homeopathic remedy to help them depending on their emotional state and general symptoms. Prescribe on the whole picture to help your baby fight their infection safely and effectively.

COMMON HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR FEVER :  Belladona, Gelsimium, Ferrum Phos., Chamomila, Ars alb, Bryonia, Rhus tox, Nux vomica etc.

The remedy is prescribed according to the presenting symptom of the child.

Related Article :

Child Health and Homeopathy

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Child Health and Homeopathy - A Safe and Natural Way of Treatment

Our children are our most treasured possessions. It is the natural wish of a parent that their child should have the best of everything, especially, health. As parents we are anxious that, when our children are ill, they should receive the best treatment.

Homeopathy can become one of the preferred methods of treatment especially for children. Excellent results were noted where in homeopathic medicines was given to treat various kinds of illnesses in children. Homeopathic medicine helps to boost the immune system & thus helps the individual to fight the disease. Because the dosages are so small, effective treatment can be achieved without dangerous side effects often associated with conventional medicine.

In fact, no ill effects would result from a bottle full of homeopathic tablets being swallowed, should a naturally curious child happen to open one.

Being pleasant-tasting and easy to take, homeopathy is an ideal form of treatment for children of all ages including small babies.

Moreover, homeopathy does not only help when your child is ill.  It can also help children who are angry, unhappy, frightened or traumatized, who have difficulty accepting change or who suffer symptoms during their natural growth and development (breastfeeding difficulties, colic, teething, weaning and digestion problems, nursery bugs, school and separation anxiety, exam stress, growing pains, hormonal difficulties and more).  Also, by seeing a professional homeopath regularly (once every few months), together we can often prevent life’s stresses from developing into more serious conditions.

Common Pediatric Problems Which  Can Treat By Homeopathy :

• Fever
• Diarrhea
• Enuresis (Bed Wetting)
• Nutritional deficiencies like vitamin deficiencies
• Recurrent tonsillitis
• Developmental problems like late learning in speech, walk, delayed dentition etc.
• Behavior problems like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Pica (eating of non nutritive substances such as chalk, mud, plaster etc.), Temper tantrums etc.
• Low Immunity problems e.g. easily get cold, cough, viral and other infections
• Nervous problems e.g. Convulsions or epilepsy
• Skin problems e.g. Atopic Dermatitis (skin rashes), Psoriasis etc.
• Chronic problems e.g. Allergic sinusitis, Bronchitis, Old cough, Asthma etc.

Related Article:

Fever in Children and Homeopathic Treatment

Diarrhea in Children and Homeopathic Treatment

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