So your child is sick again! And you want to avoid antibiotics. There are many natural remedies you can try at home first. The trick is to get started soon enough and practice a bit of prevention too! Let's start with the prevention first. Naturopathic medicine emphasizes the reduction of sugar and dairy intake, so looking at the child's diet is important.

Dairy is the number one cause of ear infections in children and if your child is a type O blood then even more reason to consider eliminating dairy altogether. The calcium requirements for children are of course very important and because most children will not ingest 200-600 mgs of calcium per day in the form of vegetables I do recommend a good calcium supplement in the form of citrate which should be along with magnesium. Along with preventing colds and flus in children, your children will experience fewer growing pains, sleep better and be calmer in general. Calcium is also available in liquid forms and those made by Flora and Sisu are recommended. For substitutions try rice or soy milk. Watch for ingredients containing sugar and try to get those fortified with calcium. Remember that organic soy (Edensoy and Soyorganic brands are good) is better and make sure it isn't genetically modified. Just because it is organic doesn't mean it isn't genetically modified. I also recommend avoiding juices as they are a very high source of sugar and cause sugar cravings. Try diluting the juices half and half with water, or fruit flavoured herbal teas. If you start the children soon enough you can modify their taste cravings. When children ask for sweets try giving them protein snacks instead, such as nuts (almonds, soy nuts, cashew, filberts). White low fat cheeses and plain non sugared yogurts are better tolerated dairy sources than milk and other processed dairy products such as cream cheese. I also recommend Gunters meats for their turkey pepperoni, which they will make without the nitrates and nitrites and which has been grown free range. They make great protein snacks.

Remember that soils today contain only three trace minerals whereas soils of 50 years ago contained over 70! Foods certified organically grown contain all these trace minerals and you can taste it in the food. Start with organic baby carrots precut and washed available in grocery stores. Most children will love them. Organic broccoli is also readily available and BC Hot House vegetables are grown without chemicals but are not organic because they don't actually use soil, but you can taste the trace minerals in their vegetables. When you buy fruits and vegetables from Mexico and the United States you are buying pesticide laced and mineral poor foods and you can taste it! They look good but they don't taste good. The worst offenders for concentrating pesticides are grapes and strawberries. Organic produce may cost more and the quality may vary. If you need more information on obtaining good organic foods contact our office and we will be happy to give you our organic food source list.

Many parents are concerned about the cost of these foods but I remind them that with proper nutrition you will avoid learning disabilities, antibiotics which lower the immune system (after two prescriptions according to the Lancet a prominent medical journal) and children will miss fewer school days and parents will miss less work staying home with their sick child!

Natural remedies include: echinacea (flavoured forms available) two weeks on and two weeks off from October to May; cod liver oil daily; vitamin C daily; a good multivitamin (Flora and Sisi Brands). Garlic oil to the ears at the first sign of teething in the toddler or child who is prone works! These medicines are effective, not expensive and will help to keep the intestinal tract of your child healthy. Antibiotics interfere with the intestinal tract health and 60% of the immune system is in the gut! Try these simple measures and see how the mood and energy of your child improves. Our children need all the help they can get to meet the challenges of today's world.