A Mother's Guide to Raising Healthy Children--Naturally (56 page)

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Authors: Sue Frederick

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BOOK: A Mother's Guide to Raising Healthy Children--Naturally
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APPENDIX A
A CHILD'S MATERIA MEDICA*
A PARENT'S NATURAL HOME PHARMACY
This appendix will help you decide what to include in your home's natural pharmacy. Besides basic medical supplies such as bandages and hot-water bottles, it discusses the basic aromatherapy, herbal, homeopathic, and Bach Flower Remedies you may wish to have on hand to help treat common childhood complaints, illnesses, and minor injuries. Guidelines for determining age-appropriate dosages of herbal medicines and for preparing remedies with essential oils are also included.
Those upset stomachs, headaches, colds, coughs, flus, fevers, cuts, scrapes, and bee stings always seem to occur after doctor's office hours or on weekends. But, for most common childhood ills, a parent's loving administration of the appropriate natural remedy is the best therapy. Just having these supplies on hand-plus the emergency phone numbers for your family doctor and hospitalwill give you peace of mind. When the next emergency strikes, you'll be better prepared mentally as well as materially to deal with it calmly and effectively.
When your child turns to you for care and comfort, your calm and loving response can immediately start the healing process. In fact, a special cup of herbal tea, a warm lavender or eucalyptus-scented bath, a cool chamomile compress accompanied by your soothing presence and the reading of an
*By contributing author Lara Pizzorno, M.A. (Div.), M.A. (Lit.), L.M.T.
 
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extra bedtime storysuch healing moments may remain among your son's or daughter's fondest, most cherished memories of childhood.
This section provides a brief introduction to the principles behind the four natural therapeutic modalitiesaromatherapy, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and Bach Flower Remediesfrom which the medicines in your natural home pharmacy are derived. The description of each type of therapy is followed by a listing of its most frequently used medicines, plus a brief description of their most common uses.
Aromatherapy
Although the use of aromatic oils to promote health and well-being dates back to the time of Hippocrates, the father of medicine (circa 4000 B.C.), the scientific study of their therapeutic properties began in France in the early 1920s. A cosmetic chemist, René-Maurice Gatefosse, burned his arm badly one day while making fragrances. He thrust the burned arm into the nearest cold liquid-a tub of lavender oil. To his surprise, the pain almost immediately dissipated, and the burn healed very quickly without leaving a scar and without developing any of the normal burn reactions of redness, heat, inflammation, and blisters. Gattefosse, who later coined the term
aromatherapy,
dedicated the rest of his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils.
Modern research has now confirmed centuries of practical use, demonstrating that various aromatic oils are antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, analgesic, and diuretic. In addition, essential oils can be used to enhance circulation, digestion, expectoration, and much more. Plants are chemical factories, combining the sun's energy with the earth's minerals in the presence of water and air to create fuel for life and growth. A plant's essential oil is its highest-grade super octane, containing, on average, a hundred biologically active components, including terpenes, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, and phenols. The aromatic chemicals in essential oils derive from phenylpropane and are precursors of the amino acids our bodies use to create and rebuild everything from enzymes to organs to skin and bones. Other chemicals in essential oils, the terpinols, derive from acetyl-coenzyme A, a molecule that plays an essential role in the production of hormones, vitamins, and energy.
 
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For best therapeutic effect, use only pure essential oilsnatural plant essences extracted by steam distillation or other natural methods. Products that are reconstituted or are chemical copies of natural essencesthe socalled nature identicals, isolates, aromas, and perfume compoundsmay smell delightful but are not medicinally effective. Check the label or try putting a drop of the essential oil on a piece of blotting paper. A pure essential oil evaporates and disperses, leaving no oily stain. Stored in tightly capped, dark-colored glass bottles away from light, heat, and dampness, essential oils will remain therapeutically active for about two years.
Methods of Application of Essential Oils
1. Apply 1 drop to a cotton ball, tissue, or handkerchief. Sniff as needed.
2. Inhale as a vapor. Pour hot water into a bowl and add 2 or 3 drops of oil. Drape a towel over your head to form a tent. Lean over the bowl, keeping your eyes closed and your face about 10 inches away. Breathe deeply through your nose for about one minute. Or close the room's doors and windows, pour boiling water into a bowl, and add up to 9 drops of essential oil. In about five minutes, the aromatic chemicals will permeate the room.
3. Make a massage oil. Into a brown glass bottle, put 2 to 5 drops of essential oil per teaspoon of cold-pressed, organic vegetable oil. Turn the bottle upside down a few times, then roll briskly between your hands to disperse the essential oil. Cap tightly and store, preferably in the refrigerator, but at least in a cool, dry place. (Refrigerator storage is recommended due to the vegetable oil, which can easily turn rancid, not the essential oil, which is much more stable.) One-half teaspoon of massage oil is adequate for most children; 1 teaspoon will suffice for most adults.
4. In the bath, add a maximum of 8 drops to a warm bath. Soak for at least ten minutes.
5. In the shower, wash first, then add 2 to 4 drops of essential oil to a washcloth and rub briskly over the body while remaining under the running water and breathing in the aromatic steam.
 
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6. Add 1 to 8 drops to your humidifier's water reservoir.
7. Make an air spray. Pour 1 cup warm water (filtered or distilled if possible) into a new spray bottle, add 4 drops of essential oil, shake to mix, and spray.
A Child's Basic Essential Oils
Chamomile
Among its beneficial properties, chamomile is a gentle yet effective antibacterial, antiseptic, and disinfectant oil. For children, chamomile Roman is most valued for its calming actions, while chamomile German is the variety preferred for anti-inflammatory activity. Chamomile soothes nerves and can help a teething, anxious, or keyed-up child get to sleep. It is also soothing and healing in inflammatory conditions such as chickenpox, diaper rash, eczema, sties, burns, sunburns, insect bites, and fever.
Use any of the methods of application listed above. Baths and foot and back massages with chamomile Roman work best for insomnia. Massage oil also can be directly applied to diaper rash, eczema, burns, sunburns, and insect bites. Cool compresses work well for sties, rashes, insect bites, and fever. For chickenpox, add 10 drops chamomile German and 10 drops lavender to a bottle of calamine lotion, shake well, and apply all over the body twice daily. For bee and hornet stings, place a drop of neat (undiluted) chamomile German on a cold compress and apply directly to the sting three times a day for two days. For wasp stings, mix 2 drops chamomile German, 2 drops lavender, and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, and dab directly on the bite three times a day.
Clove
Best known for providing quick relief for toothache, clove oil is also an excellent remedy for sore, stiff muscles.
Do not use neat (undiluted) clove oil on the skin; clove oil is so powerful, it has been used to sterilize surgical instruments. Add clove oil to a warm bath or make a massage oil as directed above in methods of application and gently massage sore muscles. For a toothache, put a few drops of clove-infused oil on a cotton ball, or swab and apply directly to inflamed gums.

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