Infant and Children's Remedies

Have you tried the BRAT diet? Bananas, Rice, Apples and dry Toast? No butter or sugars. I have also read that coconut (like macaroons/shredded) helps. Good luck..Poor baby.

BRAT diet is ok... but if if its too severe .. perhaps your baby needs a different antibiotic like ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin ...pps ask your doc regarding this ...i personally used BRAT plus curd set at home using low fat milk (unsweetened)..it helps...you can also use mashed boiled potatoes (skinned)....with a pinch of salt

My toddler had a really bad recurring case of a stomach virus we had all picked up, but gotten over. I tried all the typical things that had ALWAYS worked in the past...colloidal silver, slippery elm, oil of oegano, with no results. My chiropractor told me to give him hydrated bentonite (you'll find it at the health food store). I gave him one tablespoon before bed and one in the morning and his diarrhea completely disappeared. This also worked for a friend who was going to admit her toddler into the hopital for diarrhea with the same results. When I researched it on the internet, I found that Bentonite as a cure for diarrhea has a 96% success rate.

Two thumbs up for BENTONITE! My 21 mos. old had diarrhea for 8 days, had lost over 1 kg, and nothing was helping (meds, doctors, etc. ). Finally I found this posting about bentonite. Within 8 hours of taking it, he had solid poops again! Unbelievable. I gave him 1 Tbsp of bentonite in about 10 oz of diluted apple juice; and I did this twice in one day. Thank you so much for this information.

Oh my goodness, I would never recommend this! Water in the ear is what the bacteria grows in, and once the ice is melted, what is it? WATER! No way! That does not sound smart at all. My son had 2 ear infections. The first one was so bad that the swelling was in the bone and it was causing his ears to protrude. For the second one (he was just under 2 years old) I eliminated all sugar from his diet (no fruits, no juice, no honey) as well as glutens and dairy. I added a tiny bit of ACV to his sippy cup throughout the day, and put a tiny bit of Colloidal Silver into his sippy cup of water at night. I bought an organic ear oil (main ingredients: olive oil, garlic, and oregano) and swabbed his ear with it 2 or 3 times a day. 10 days later at the checkup, his pediatrician said "Ooh, looks like the antibiotics worked" and I told her we never took the antibiotics! That we were just vigilant with watching him and were under the supervision of a naturopath. She wasn't pleased about us not having taken the drugs, but she was happy the infection was gone.

Hi JASSY, I think it is referred to medically as having PICA. People with PICA have the urge to eat things such as plaster, dirt, fabric, sponge and it can be caused by some kind of deficiency and too, possibly, an emotional compulsion. Usually they look for things like iron deficiency or problems with low dopamine levels. I'm not a doctor or an expert but I think they try to treat this kind of things with things that help detox the system in case of heavy metals or use medicines that help with behavior modification. Also nutritional supplements and diet recommendations. I would suggest you get her back to a doctor right away and have them do all the appropriate testing. Look up PICA online. Hope this helps.

Yes Fluffy, you are right. It is known as PICA. I remember reading that it was a zinc deficiency. I replied to Jassy before I saw your post.

Hi Kt, I'm not sure I'm doing it right here but those icons at the lower right hand corner of a post, do those go directly to an inbox that is assigned to the users of the group or? I don't think I'm actually registered here but have to sign in, in order to do a post. A little bit of a learning curve for me. Love this site though!

Hi Fluffy, If you select the "eye" icon at the bottom of any post you will receive notice that someone has posted to that one every time someone does. EC has changed this all around since I signed up a couple years ago, but yes this site is great!!

Hi Vic,

So sorry your little guy is suffering so. But you are wisely taking charge of his health and already making progress. I have a number of thoughts of things your could try. I hope it isn't too overwhelming, but a complex problem sometimes requires complex solutions, and we are talking about a baby, so treatment needs to be as gentle as possible.

First of all, you say the baby is gassy. How are his stools? Loose? Constipated? Normal? If he is not constipated, you can give him a little bit of activated charcoal. You would mix 1/8 t. In a little water and give it to him a little bit at a time in a syringe. Charcoal is detoxifying and good for gas.

You mention the glucose he was given in his first days. If his gut is off, you can give him some pro-biotics. You may be able to find something for babies, otherwise, some moms just use capsules and open them up and put some on their fingertip and give to the baby. This helps some babies with gas.

If your baby is sensitive to chemicals and materials, you may need to be using all cotton and natural cleaning products. My first child could not use disposable diapers or wipes. I used cloth on him and washed them with homemade soap make out of Ivory soap, borax, and washing soda. It made for very soft diapers! :) If you are not already, use very gentle stuff, and unscented to wash his clothes and bedding. All cotton is best.

Some babies rashes clear up very well if mom gives up certain foods. Dairy products bothered many of my babies. It made them fussy and rashy. These days it seems that wheat and dairy are common offenders.

I am so glad he is breastfed! That will make things easier. Please do wait to start solids until you have a handle on his health. If you are vaccinating, wait until this is under control before having any more. It is possible that this is vaccine related if he has had some.

Topically, I would try extra virgin, organic, cold pressed coconut oil on the skin. It is very gentle and healing. It is antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial. It is also gentle. You can use this on his rashes as often as desired.

Tea tree and lavender essential oil can be added to the coconut oil. They are anti-fungal and anti-parasitic. I would add 5 drops of each to 2 Tablespoons of essential oil and test one spot to make sure it isn't too strong.

The swollen lymph gland makes me think you are dealing with some type of lingering infection. You can make a garlic oil to rub on the bottom of his feet a couple of times a day. It will take some time to make it. Peel and crust 10 cloves of garlic. Put them in 1/4 cup of coconut oil. Let this sit for 10 days. Strain out the garlic. Rub the oil on the bottom of the feet twice a day, or more. It will soak into the body. If it is too strong, dilute it more with more coconut oil.

Finally, there are some herbs that may be very helpful. Comfrey, Chamomile, and Plantian are all very healing to the skin and chamomile is excellent for a variety of rashes. Comfrey and Plantain may only be available mail order. I buy them each by the pound and use them all the time. Chamomile you can get almost anywhere. Chamomile can be made into a tea and you can give him 1 T. A few times a day for his gas. You can also make a strong chamomile tea to bathe him in. I have seen this work very well on pimpley rashes. Comfrey and Platain can also be made into a strong tea to bath him in. You can also steep these herbs in coconut oil for 2 weeks and strain it out to make a very nice healing oil. Plantain helps with pain and itching. Comfrey helps with cell-regeneration.

Any or all of these can be done together. These are all things I have done in some way or another for my own children. I would add one at a time to make sure there is no reaction. Please do keep us posted on you baby's progress. I am praying for your wisdom and his healing.

~Mama to Many~

Hello Ozi:

From your description, he has a yeast infection.

Nystatin is good to kill a yeast infection.

Look under the site on EC (yeast infection under ailments) and see if you don't have numerous ideas for killing yeast. Echinacea the herb can kill a yeast infection too. Yeast will inhibit the immune system so many of the symptoms look like the immune system is compromised.

Yeast gives off an bad odor so if you smell a very pungent odor, such may indicate it is indeed a yeast infection. Of course, it could be a bacterial or viral infection. But that glucose is the big clue. That is so yeast causing.

The glucose IV could have triggered the yeast infection. You are using some things on him that logically should have helped and it is working. Great job.

Ozi: You can easily and rapidly cure your precious baby. Get some water kefir grains on amazon for $10 and some organic whole dried cane juice and some hawaiin spirulina. Put 60g of sugar and the grains in 1 quart of water. Do not puse any metal. Let them ferment at room temp away from direct sunlight for 12 to 24 hours. Taste them periodically. They should be sour but not too tart. When bubbles rise to the surface they are brewing. Then put 10g of spirulina in there. Take some yourself and give some to your baby. Use the grains to start the next batch. Put the rest in the fridge. Take 4 times a day. This is the most potent remedy in the entire world. While you are waiting for the package to arrive make green smoothies from organic baby leaves. Strain and remove the cellulose. Give some to your baby and take some yourself. Do the same with organic berries. Google raw food and raw superfood videos for some good ideas.

Ozi: 1. Check for allergies. I know of a baby even younger who had all that because of an egg allergy!! When her mother cut out eggs, it healed.

2. try coconut oil.

Hi I am not being rude here, but I would never give Activated charcoal to a baby, it can seriously block the colon up and cause serious problems. Here in UK a long use remedy for the gas in babies is, get a warm cinder off the fire, put it in water, let it hiss and cool so its lukewarm, and put it in to a bottle or a sippy cup, and let the child drink it. It works every time, and also cures colic and a gripey stomach in children, it's good for adults too. Love Andrea C xxxxxx

In reply to Ozi from Dallas,

You have gotten some good responses from some knowledgeable posters here and here is another idea to consider.

Current studies are showing that a mother who is insufficient or deficient in vitamin D during and after pregnancy has an increased risk of their baby getting eczema and allergies among other health issues.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23453797
http://e-aair.org/Synapse/Data/PDFData/9999AAIR/aair-5-179.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23810764
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22957498
http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/35/6/1228.long
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19090451
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315849/

Studies also show that more vitamin d is required during pregnancy in order to achieve vitamin d sufficiency for the mother and the baby.

Vitamin D allows the body to produce more of its natural antimicrobial peptide or natural antibiotic, cathelicidin, on demand. If cathelicidin is readilly available on demand, your baby may not need external pathogen fighters and the immune system may be able to do what it was intended to do naturally by itself. Even if you supplemented/supplement with vitamin d, it may not be enough and it might be worth having a vitamin D test for you and your babies (25 OH d serum test). Some people simply require much more vitamin D than others in order to get their 25 OH d serum level into the optimal range!

Remember vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency has many negative health ramifications for infants as well as adults! We are currently coming into the time of year when are bodies can not make vitamin D from sun exposure, so this point becomes even more critical for your babies as well as yourself.

Best wishes!

Art

Ozi,

I forgot to mention the melanin loss may be the bodies desperate attempt to create vitamin D as melanin is a natural inhibitor of vitamin D production in the skin when exposed to uv rays (sun). A good tan will significantly lower the bodies production of vitamin D whereas no tan will significantly enhance the bofies ability to produce more vitamin D when exposed to the sun.

Art

I am sorry for a somewhat late response. I want to continue posting so that I can be of help to parents going through this. I hope we can all teach each other and cure ourselves. Thanks to those who have responded. I feel more motivated to deal with this head on.

On Vic's skin, I have been spraying 50/50 ACV (orgainic with mother) for 2 days. I see increase in size of bumbs on Vic's skin. I may not continue this if I don't see drastic improvement in 7 days because it smarts and he cries out in pain.

I will continue the borax/hydrogen peroxide topical treatment. No noticable pain and I believe it is the primary cause of regrowth of hair on his scalp.

I will continue the borax internally for myself and VIc and I see the gassiness in both of us as a sign of detox.

I started giving him a drop of 50/50 ACV with every feeding (mixed in breastmilk not water). I have begun taking that internally today.

Vic's skin has been emitting a dull odor. At first, I thought it was because of the borax. But I have been using it topically (Every treatment I use on them, I use on myself to test for side affects. Baby can't tell me whats up). Perhaps it IS yeast. I have begun sunbathing him in the evening sun for the last 2 days.

I have been reading about triggers and have removed eggs, milk and cheese today. That simple. I will not let my mouth kill me nor my children. I am a vegetarian but I do not buy organic. I will begin doing so.

I bath him in borax water only and follow with neem oil. Nothing more that what I have typed.

Vic's stool is normal but slightly green all the time. I have been consuming loads of greens since I learned I was pregnant with twins so I've always atttibuted it to my diet. His brother, however, has green stools infrequently.

Goals; remain vigilant, increase greens and begin exercises to speed up my cleansing.

!!!!!! Almost forgot. I have noticed that Vic does not perspire. I suspect this is because of the infection. I plan to investigate after this primary issue is taken care off.

Kissess. I love you all,

Ozi

I also forgot to mention that I have been giving him about 1/8 teaspoon of spirulina (no cellulose and full of minerals) mixed in breastmilk. When I find a trust worthy seller of organic kelp, I will switch to kelp. I have used kefir grains many years ago and cannot attest to its immune system properties. However, overall, I was fit as a fiddle. So, I will look for milk locally. I intend to make breastmilk kefir with it. I've read gotu kola is great for the skin and may add it to his external treatment.

Ozi

Hello Ozi; in re Vic's infection;

Don't confuse symptom with cause.

You can treat symptoms and that is all fine but the cause is, after what you have described, a yeast infection; perhaps candidia brought about by over colonization from the glucose drip he received.

If he was on antibiotics that also could have added to the over colonization.

Yeast thrives on acidic conditions and sugar (glucose) might have been the trigger that produced the infecfion. The web site "Know the Cause" focuses on fungus as an often over looked cause for human disease. Under a sub heading in the Know the Cause web site there is a discussion of various fungal infections by Luke Curtis, MD and one title of an article in that web site is "Probiotic bacteria protects against candida overgrowth in young and old" and then links to a study by Dr Suresh Kumar in a PICU where probiotics are used to get the babies' candida under control. I'd highly recommend you study that site and consider using probiotics in Vic's diet asap.

The reason Boron may be helping is that it might be bringing the acidic condition that the sugar created, under control and back to alkaline. To that end you could consider a little baking soda (lots about that on Earth Clinic) in helping destroy the overgrowth.

Candida over growths can be quite dangerous in babies and can cause a proclivity to allergies and asthma as the child grows.

Get to the cause. Think fungal infection on this one.

Best to you and Vic.

Dear Ozi,

Thanks for updating us and giving more information!

Vic is blessed to have a mom so dedicated to his health and healing.

You mentioned excercise to speed up your own cleansing. I have always been told while breastfeeding to be careful about detoxing because toxins will come out in breastmilk. So, I don't think it means you can't exercise, just be cautious about speeding things up.

It may be noteworthy that he doesn't sweat. I am assuming his brother does? Sweating is a way that we get toxins out. The internal ACV may help with that.

If his stools are greener than his brother's, it may well be food intolerance. (Then again, it may be the spirulina. ) While you are eliminating things, I have noticed that it can take a couple of weeks of being off foods before a difference is noticed.

Well, please keep us posted and keep up the good work! :)

~Mama to Many~

Ozi: Flora Udo's choice infant probiotics, evening primrose oil, Bach Rescue Cream, wyoming clay and colostrum. You can mix the wyoming clay together with the colostrum powder and add water to make like a mud bath. You can also take them internally. Amazon has almost 300 favorable reviews on homemade water kefir. Google how to make water kefir in 2 minutes or less video.

Hi Everyone. I have a great update. Before I began treating Vic, his neck was covered by his "jaw". This has disappeared and I now know that he was swollen. His neck is now visible without me having to lift his skin. Through our this body, he has lost water weight.

Overall, he now appears to be underweight. I read in earthclinic, Ted's remedies for unerweight babies. I have begun his full spectrum vitamins (I take them because I am uneasy about giving dosing for Vic...and he will get it through breastfeeding). I have begun taking dessicated liver tablets.

My energy level has improved along with my concentration. I am less foggy-brained.

I am not worried about his weight. Now that he has lost the water weight, I expect his body will begin to absorb more protein.

I have begun brewing kombucha again. I take it straight and I have a dropper bottle of 50/50 (mixed with bmilk) that I give to him 3* a day. I replaced the apple cider vinegar with this.

He is more energetic and inquisitive.

He has had his first brownish bowel movement in months. I am still giving him kelp and have added fermented cod liver oil which may be helping with nutrient absorbtion.

His skin has healed in serveral areas. The areas with the thickest patches of skin is reducing and is less red.

His eyes are less watery, more clear.

I have noticed this healing pattern. 2 steps forward and 1 "step back". His skin would lessen in redness and bumps would decrease in size. Then after a couple of days, the redness would increase and bumps would enlarge. However, the number of bumps never increase. After these "flare ups", the redness and number of bumps decrease in number. So, I have begun to anticipate the "flare ups" as heading in the direction of healing. When this first occured, I dreaded it. He would look awful, be extremely irritated, clawing at his skin...I doubted myself.

Overall, I will continue the remedies, I am seeing great results.

Dear Ozi,

Thanks so much for update. I am glad to hear about your son's improvement!

~Mama to Many~

My teenage daughter's eczema all but disappeared with the addition of yogurt to her diet, and fish oil supplements.

I hope that the combination works as well for your daughter, should you decide to try it.

Hi PM from Vic, Australia, Try eliminating all polyunsaturated fats from her diet as they cause a lot of health problems. Margarine, vegetable oils are the main culprits- rather start using coconut oil for cooking & hopefully the problem will be solved. Because her elimination system is overwhelmed, the junk is being eliminated via the skin.

I've read somewhere in the net that topical application of AC Vinegar is a cure for eczema. It works for me too.

Try a hazel wood necklace. They have been known to help with eczema and reflux. My husband uses one to decrease the amount of acid that his body creates. Good luck.

We vacuumed our baby's bed and voila eczema gone. It's the dust mites!

Eczema heals from the inside, out. After much trial and error, I found a combination that totally cured my 18 year old daughter's eczema - yogurt and fish oil.

While I know that getting fish oil into a seven month old is next to impossible, getting yogurt into them isn't. If you feed them a yogurt every day, you will notice a *huge* difference in less than a week.

My daughter suffered with eczema for her entire life and no doctor, specialist or medication ever made it go away. She was always loaded with inflamed and scabbed areas all over her arms, legs and occasionally, her face. Her skin is now as smooth as a baby's thanks to the yogurt and fish oil combination. (She has only one container of yogurt per day, and a fish oil capsule in the morning and before bed.)

We still can't believe the amazing results. Truly miraculous.

Check what he is eating. You might get a clue there.

I agree you should take a look at his food. Is he eating any gluten/dairy/nuts/eggs. Remove any or all of those from his diet immediately. See how he does without them. Take him off the hydrocortisone cream. It is not good for little ones let alone big people. I lived on the stuff when I was his age on up to about 10 years old. I have adrenal failure now and my skin is permanently destroyed from over using it and it doesn't even help the problem. It has been proven to thin the skin out permanantly. The steroids as well are the same thing. They are filling him full of cortisol and other hormones which are messing up the balance in his body.

You need to start from the beginning and look at his enviroment and what he is ingesting. The four things I mentioned above are the usual culprits but it could be anything. I have an eczema break out on my face if I eat mango. It never fails either and it took me 32 years to figure it out. I also have psoriosis and I figured that one out as well. The skin breakouts are usally diet related though your doctor will tell you it is not likely. I am proof the doctors are not always right. The mango allergy does not show up on allergy tests but when I eat it no matter how much I will get the same breakout. It starts slowly on my chin and if I keep eating mango I will have it take over my lower face and neck. It happened every year around the same time of year and that's how I figured it out. I only buy mango's when they are cheap which is spring time-ish when they must be abundant. That is when the rash would come. I stopped eating mango's 4 years ago and have not had a break out since. I wish you and the little guy luck. It is a terrible disorder to deal with especially when you are so young.

Jackie, if you look at the ailments sections on earthclinic under exzema you will see a lot of people have had great results with bathing in sea/salt water. If you can't get to the water try some unrefined sea salt in his bath.

I also agree with others who have suggested probiotics and yoghurt. I would also try a digestive enzyme. The problem stems from a digestive issue. I would not use the steroid creams at all.

Keep him off processed baby foods, make them fresh as all baby foods have added MSG and other additives in them.

Is he being breast fed? If so your daughter needs to also take probiotics and clean up her diet.

2 tablespoons of HEMP OIL every day! Also, cut out all whites (bread/starch/dairy/sugar) Apply Collodial Silver topical gel 6x a day. No steriod cream use or anything containing Propylene Glycol/parabens/ethanol...avoid S&S Johnson Products, cortisone creams, etc!!!!! )

Dear Ann,

Well, that would be disheartening, but I am hopeful that there will be things to help you children.

Dr. Christopher's Kid-E-Reg is great to help a child get regular and the herbs tone the bowel. This was so helpful for my toddler who had constipation problems that led to a rectal prolapse. I have had him on this for 9 months and he is now regular and has not had a repeat of the prolapse.

1 teaspoon of blackstrap molasses once or twice a a day would be good.

You have tried a lot of dietary things but I will mention a few anyway, in case they are ones you haven't tried. Lots of fresh fruit may be helpful. Avoiding cheese and milk for a while may help.

You might look into Natural Calm - a magnesium supplement which is easy to take. You can adjust the dosage for children. It is good for constipation.

Slippery Elm and Comfrey are both healing and soothing to the GI tract.

Keep us posted on how they are doing!

~Mama to Many~

~Mama to Many~

2 yr old has been constipated for most of his life due to antibiotics. Found relief with fibers like prunes, apricots, cherries, avocados and watermelon. Daily probiotic and water...poor babies. Breaks my heart

Does apple cider vinegar help Encopresis?