Safe Remedies for Childhood Colds
by Mary Lou Singleton

Winter has arrived, bringing with it the inevitable colds and coughs of childhood. As parents, it can be very difficult to watch our children suffer with the sniffles, sneezing, fevers, and nighttime hacking that accompany childhood respiratory illnesses. Many parents want to give their children medications to relieve these symptoms and reach for over-the-counter decongestants, antihistamines, and cough suppressants to help their little ones rest and feel better. Unfortunately, these medications which are relatively benign to adults can cause major health complications in children. According to the CDC, last year over 7000 children in the U.S. were admitted to emergency rooms for serious reactions to over-the-counter cold and cough medicine. The CDC has issued a warning to parents stating that cold medicine should not be given to children under the age of 11, with a special emphasis on avoiding these drugs when children are under the age of two.

Fortunately, the natural world offers many safe and gentle medicinal plants that we can use to help our children rest and recover from childhood respiratory infections. While these herbs won't suppress symptoms the way that drugs do, they will help children get relief from the worst of their symptoms while boosting the body's immune response. With a little bit of support and planning, parents can be ready for the cough and cold season with a medicine kit full of supportive herbs for children's health.

One readily available herb that parents can keep on hand is chamomile. Warm chamomile tea helps calm children and get them to sleep. Chamomile also has mucous dissolving properties that relieve sniffling and runny noses. Chamomile kills viruses and pathogenic bacteria, while supporting the immune and nervous systems. It will also improve digestion and contains electrolytes for rehydration. Children usually like the taste of this mild herb. They'll like it even better if you add a bit of honey, which has its own medicinal properties.

Another herb that should be in every parent's medicine cabinet is goldenrod. Goldenrod tea or tincture works wonders to relieve nasal congestion and help unplug stuffy noses. Think of this herb when your child's nose just won't stop running. A small cup of tea or 15 drops of the tincture every hour will help your child breathe more easily. Like chamomile, goldenrod has no potential toxicity and is safe for children under the age of two.

Literally hundreds of other plants will help soothe the symptoms of coughs and colds in children. Many of these herbs may already be growing in your yard or neighborhood. Learning how to gather, prepare, and use medicinal plants leads to a greater sense of self-sufficiency as well as lower family health care costs. If your are interested in attaining more information on treating coughs and colds with natural medicine, please come to Inspired's Family Health Day for a free talk on the subject. If you are ready for more intensive study, consider attending the all-day Pediatric Herbalism Workshop for parents and professionals on February 21, where you will learn how to treat everything from head colds to head lice safely with herbal medicine.

Mary Lou Singleton LM, CPM, is mother, midwife, and herbalist who has been providing natural health care in the Albuquerque area since 1995. She can be reached at Rio Grande Midwifery at 505-345-2922.

Register now for Mary Lou's free talk on January 10!

Monthly Classes and Workshops

Second Thursdays, 6-8pm
Parenting Series: Become the Parent You Want to Be

Second Saturdays, 10-11am
Meet the Doulas of the Southwest

Second Sundays, 12:30-2:30pm (starting February 8)
Ayurveda for Women and Families Workshop Series

Third Thursdays, 10-11am
2nd Nine Months New Parent/Nursing Tea
Dads and non-nursing parents very welcome!

Third Thursdays, 11:30am-12:45pm
Music, Movement and Massage

Last Mondays, 11:30-12:30
Postnatal Yoga Workshop Series
All ability levels welcome!

Last Wednesdays, 10-10:45am
Signing Playgroup

FREE Family Health Day will have SOMETHING for you!
January 10, All Day Long. See full schedule of classes online.

Fluoride and Your Family
4-6pm 

With Brendan Bombaci, anti-fluoride activist.   Learn what scientists AND the EPA say about fluoride consumption and what your family needs to know to stay healthy, including detox times for for fluoride, food preparation, water treatment options, thoughts on kids at school where fluoride is prevalent, which foods are high and low in concentration levels ,and health product/healthcare details.  $10 donation to speaker to cover travel and other costs.

Nourishing Our Children
1:30-3:30

We'll be presenting for the FIRST time Nourishing Our Children, a new way of looking at food and nutrition. This is not the low-fat, less sugar message you've heard everywhere else. This is about traditional foods and how returning to them can bring optimal health for our children. If the low-fat message never set right with you, come learn more! If you wonder why suddenly no one can/should drink cow’s milk, come learn more! If soy doesn’t seem like a wonder food to you, come learn more! This presentation will benefit those with children, but also those preparing to conceive or those with their own nutritional concerns.

Intro to Yoga for Pregnancy and Beyond
10:30-11am

FREE! For yoga newbies to yoga enthusiasts. Come to this Q&A with Heatherlee Farrell and ask any and all questions about yoga for where you are NOW: pregnancy, postpartum, with baby, or just for overall health.

Got Baby?  Want Sleep?  
Friday, January 23, 2009
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
$30 per family/couple