#He lp ing ch i l d ren hea l

w i t h h o m e o p a t h y

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By Donna Powers RCSHom, CCH, RSHom (NA)

FEVER ESSENTIALS

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“Give me the power to produce a fever and I will cure any illness.” - Parmenides

Belladonna Plant

CHAPTE

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#The “war” on germs, viruses and bacteria is over. War is an outdated metaphor and in fact, there never was a battle, only a misunderstanding of what is really happening in the body at a sophisticated cellular level.

It’s time to rethink fever, especially in light of recent medical research, which has finally caught up to generations of cumulative “mother/grandmother” wisdom; fever is good, fever is necessary, fever can be a friend and viruses and bacteria are not the enemy. They are the challenge, for sure, but they are not the enemy.

There is a purpose to fever and it is imperative that a fever be allowed to run its course without intervention of over-the counter medications. You can help your child through a fever. You can learn what a fever is and you can learn how to co-operate with fever so that the body’s immune system adapts and evolves according to exposure to infectious childhood illnesses.

Our bodies have learned, over eons of evolution, how to effectively heal itself, given proper nutrition, clean water, rest/sleep/quiet and education. This little eBook on fever is written to help you with the education part. It contains as much as I can possibly pack into it so that you can save yourself some time with research and reading. After all, you likely bought the book because you have a child with a fever and you want help now!

And, you can learn about homeopathy and how to selectively use it in infectious childhood illnesses. What is classified as childhood illness? Things like chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza and even colds, coughs, sore throats, diarrhea...

Fever is good, fever is necessary, fever can be a friend and viruses and bacteria are not the enemy.

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#Should homeopathy be used to treat a fever?

Homeopathy is best used to support the body’s immune system response rather than to suppress it. This is an important distinction because it is still best to let a fever run its course, recognizing that the fever is a response to an imbalance at the cell level. Fever is a critical part of a dynamic, healing process.

We get sick only when the immune system responds. That’s because our immune system creates the symptoms as a response to dealing with excess waste products created by virus and bacteria reproducing in our cells. The virus and bacteria are always there. But when we become tired or stressed from physical, emotional or mental traumas, then our bodies find creative ways to keep the balance.

Usually this is done through our vital force*, that invisible organizing energy field that keeps everything in balance (Death is the absence of the vital force). When our vitality can no longer keep up the balancing act and keep our cells clean, we begin to accumulate toxins and debris within our cells. It is then that the bacteria and/or viruses have an opportunity to reproduce because they feed on the debris- our cellular waste that is not being eliminated through the usual elimination channels like the blood, lymphatic system, urine, perspiration or stool.

Fever is good, fever is necessary, fever can be a friend and viruses and bacteria are not the enemy.

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#Developmental stress in children

When our children are growing and developing quickly, it is a stress on the system. Even happy occasions, like birthday parties and holidays can be stressful (just ask any mom who has watched their child have the annual birthday meltdown!).

These are the times when viruses and bacteria finally have the opportunity to reproduce and we get sick. They are having their own little party! Then the clean up crew kicks into gear.

One of the very first immune system responses and the kick off to the clean up crew is fever. It can be our friend in the process of healing our children and ourselves. Think of it, as Dr. Philip Incao has suggested: a housecleaning when there are too many party animals (virus/bacteria) making a mess, rather than a battle that has a winner and a loser.

But don't you want the good guys to win?

Our whole immune system is set up to adapt and evolve by working co-operatively with the virus and bacteria. The bacteria and viruses are opportunistically cleaning up a cellular mess (our “left overs” as it were from stress) but rather than clean up after themselves, the immune system has to step in and do the major clean up to restore balance and harmony within the cells. Our immune system then identifies these “party animals” and they are then recognized as an entity that has already been tagged. For example, once your child has had an experience of measles, your immune system has set up an identification system that will recognize the virus when/if it should start to reproduce. It saves the body time and energy in restoring balance because it can recognize it, tag it and maintain health.

The body/immune system has found an elegant and efficient way to deal with the next incidence of too many “party animals of a certain kind” upsetting the cellular balance. http://www.philipincao.com/

Fever is good, fever is necessary, fever can be a friend and viruses and bacteria are not the enemy.

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#Are there times I need a doctor?

There are fevers, besides those that come before and with an infectious childhood illness that are far more serious and require access to a medical doctor and/or medical facility.

Sunstroke and poisoning are the two instances when you will definitely need medical attention for you or your child and you will need it immediately. There are homeopathic remedies that you can give in these situations on the way to the hospital but this will be one of those times when the only remedy, will be medical intervention. It will be important to know the difference between a fever that is a childhood illness and a fever that is from sunstroke or poisoning - we will cover this later in the book.

...know th e difference b etween a fever that is a childhood illness and a fever that is from sunburn or poisoning...”

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# In so many ways, it is short term gain, traded for long- term gain.

When to let a fever run its course (and what that means)

Many parents ask what it means to let a fever ‘run its course’. We have become so used to relying on anti-pyretic drugs like Tylenol, Advil and Paracetamol, that the thought is actually terrifying.

These anti-pyretics (fever medicines) are available in “baby” versions and have become an ingredient in just about every over-the-counter child’s medication for colds and coughs.

There are some clearly documented side effects [1] to our societal addiction to these drugs however. The medical evidence shows, for example, that if you are giving an anti-pyretic for fever along with a cold or cough formulation, you run the risk of an overdose. These accidental overdoses are being reported in emergency rooms across North America.

In so many ways it is short-term gain traded for long-term pain. Often, the length of an acute illness is prolonged when you suppress the fever with medication. [2]

And we must ask ourselves what is known and unknown about these medications. Many of us remember chewing on those tiny orange pills with the x on them. Baby Aspirin was the only fever medication in my mother’s day (back in the 1950s and 60s). But my youngest sister was allergic to aspirin, so my mother was left with working with fevers, rather than against them. She always knew, that when a fever broke with a sweat, that each of us would be just fine and that we were well on our way to getting better. We would either get “spots” in the illnesses like measles, roseola, chicken pox or rubella or we would be over the worst of our mumps, sore throats or whatever inflammatory illness our immune systems were working with at the time.

We were all very lucky not to be fed handfuls of baby Aspirin that was the norm in that day and age. That’s because today we know that it is linked to Reye syndrome.

How often is it, that conventional medical wisdom changes after it is too late; the damage is done?

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#So what is a parent to do? Your child is running a fever. You know because you took their temperature and it is higher than normal. (More on that later, but for now, just know that “normal” temperature is a generality based on a collection of “average” temperatures. You may have a child whose temperature on a normal day is “below” the average or you may have a child whose normal temperature is “above” on a normal day.)** You read, let the fever run its course and immediately your mind asks, “How high is too high? What about convulsions? Will a convulsion lead to brain damage in my child?”

Only in cases of sunstroke and poisoning will an adult or child’s fever go beyond a built-in upper limit. We are designed so elegantly that we all have a thermostat regulating the internal temperature of our body. It only goes so high when we have an inflammatory illnesses.

Fevers can spark a seizure but they are less common than we are led to believe. Even less common, are any long-term problems caused by seizures suffered during a fever. This is all documented and reported in medical journals.

“Febrile convulsions are the likely reason child health nurses will respond aggressively to fevers. The etiology of febrile convulsions is still relatively unknown, although there does appear to be a link with a rising, rapid elevation of temperature exceeding 38.8ºC rather than a prolonged elevation (Berg 1997). The literature varies on an exact incidence of febrile convulsions in childhood but it appears that around 3 per cent of children between the age of six months and six years are at risk (Pang et al 2005). This age range coincides with a period of physiological development where the child’s seizure tolerance is relatively low (Champi 2001) and also their exposure to a variety of pathogens is at its highest. Febrile convulsions are generally self limiting and a review of the literature by Russell et al (2003) found no evidence that anti-pyretic treatment reduces the incidence of febrile convulsions.” [3]

We are designed so elegantly that we all have a thermostat regulating the internal temperature of our body.

Convulsions, questions and fear...

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#If you or your child is having pain with the fever, sometimes, fever and pain medication can help. But if the symptom picture of the fever with any pain (for example: a throbbing, pulsating, pounding headache accompanying the fever), a homeopathic remedy, can support healing without suppressing the fever. For example, Belladonna can help with the pain pattern described above.

It is best and ideal if you have a homeopathic practitioner for your family in addition to a medical doctor. You will have many opportunities to work with fever in your early years as a parent and to consult with your homeopath and/or doctor until you are comfortable with the idea of letting a fever run its course. This eBook material is also designed so that you can show your doctor the research in the medical journals that also encourages letting a fever run its course.

It is best and ideal if you have a homeopathic practitioner for your family in addition to a medical doctor.

Science and medicine now agree with what our grandmothers and mothers knew and passed on to each other - fever has an important role to play in the healing of an illness and the development of a healthy child - or adult for that matter.

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# Without fever, the virus and bacteria would be in a body temperature well suited to their needs.

There are two very immediate and important things that happen at the beginning of a fever. The start of a fever sends a message to different part of the immune system and it kick starts an amazing, complex cascade of events.

It is only in an environment of heat that some of these immune system responders can do their work. With a rise in body temperature, something else happens. It becomes too hot for the virus and bacteria to reproduce.

You can see immediately why fever is so important. Without fever, the virus and bacteria would be in a body temperature well suited to their needs. There is one other amazing thing that happens - but this occurs after the fever has broken.

At the end of a fever, a thorough sweat, often soaking the body, clothes and bed sheets, completes the immune system response. Contained within the sweat, are the body’s own antibiotics. So, wash the bedclothes and the nightshirts but keep the sweat on the body; make the fevered child or adult comfortable of course but no showers or hot baths!

Especially with illnesses like chicken pox, it is important to preserve the layer of sweat with the body’s own antibiotics because it can help prevent secondary skin infections such as staphylococcus. One of the biggest reasons behind the push for a chicken pox vaccine was the secondary complication of a bacterial skin infection. But if you know how important it is to let a fever run its course, then you will also know that left to its own resources, the body will produce exactly what it needs to prevent any further complications.

So what's so important about a fever?

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# It is important to remember that sickness is not a failure and time for healing from a sickness is never wasted.

It takes a lot of energy to heal during an illness so another way to prevent complications is to pay attention to the environment. Quiet, darkness and often, paying attention to cravings/aversions for certain foods and drinks during a fever will help to support the healing. To allow our children to have a fever and any consequent illness, means that one of the parents will have to be at home to provide care. Even when we as adults get sick, we must allow ourselves time to heal.

This seems especially difficult in this day and age. For many people, sickness creates conflict and more stress- usually because we are thinking about work, money and the endless tasks that needs to get done every day. It’s important to remember that sickness is not a failure and time for healing from a sickness is never wasted.

There is one other important aspect about fever that has gained some attention in recent published research: it has been observed and now documented that when children, diagnosed with autism, have a fever, their symptoms of autism disappear for as long as the fever is present. There are so many questions that come to mind when reading this kind of research and information, questions that we need to ask of our medical doctors. What is happening? Just think about it…symptoms of autism disappear

with fever. It is no wonder that many parents of children with autism seek out opportunities for their child to have a fever. Is this one indication of the importance of fever in childhood infectious illnesses? (Of course it is).

Here is a link to an article about autism and fever:http://www.einstein.yu.edu/home/news.asp?id=331 (The work of Dominick Purpura, M.D. and Mark Mehler, M.D.)

A healing environment

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# With knowledge there is less fear and more respect for the intricate and exquisite systems that the human body has in place.

Together, let’s learn about fever and its important role in the growth and development of our children and their continual evolution into healthy, contributing humans in the world. May this introduction be an encouragement and help to you as you learn how to work with fever co-operatively.

With knowledge there is less fear and more respect for the intricate and exquisite systems that the human body has in place.

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#FEVER REMEDIES for YOUR HOME KIT

Belladonna

This is the first must-have homeopathic remedy in your home kit and it is the first remedy to think of if your child has a fever at the beginning of any childhood illness.

The child who needs Belladonna, will get a fever quite suddenly and often at night. When you look at them, you will notice that the face is quite flushed, red and dry. You will likely be able to feel the heat radiating off them. If you look at their face near the temples or on the side neck, you will be able to see the throbbing or pulsating of the arteries. They may say things like “It feels like my heart is in my head.” This is one more reason that Belladonna is a great remedy to have in your kit - it can be used for migraines and sunstroke, which have symptoms of pulsating,

throbbing pain as well.

Even with this kind of heat, your child may sometimes feel cool to the touch. Watch for this - especially if they are telling you how hot they are and yet they are cool to touch. Either the radiating heat or the internal heat with cool skin, especially the hands or feet, can be an indication that Belladonna is the right remedy to use.

The child who needs Belladonna, will get a fever quite suddenly and often at night.

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#Another indication can be found by looking at the pupils (the black part of the eye). They will be dilated (the black almost covers the colored part of the eyes). The active ingredient in Belladonna, the herbal plant, not the homeopathic remedy, is atropine. Atropine is what makes the pupil large. It is similar to atropine drops at the eye doctor. The drops make the pupils dilate (get bigger) so that they can shine their light in and see what is happening in the eye.

In fact, in Italy, women used to use Belladonna (whose meaning is “beautiful lady”) to enlarge the pupil because they believed it made them look more attractive. So when you see dilated pupils in your feverish child, that’s another sign that Belladonna is likely the remedy they will need - especially if the other symptoms of Belladonna match your child’s symptom picture.

The child needing Belladonna for fever, especially if it is quite high and you are choosing to be Tylenol/Advil free, may start hallucinating and saying things like, “There’s a black dog in the room.” Or they may say that they see ghosts, wolves, insects or scary faces that sometimes have “red eyes”. Or they may just be saying things that do not make much sense. They may get quite angry as well and hit, spit, bite or tear things like their pillow or their bedclothes or pajamas.

Your child does not have to have all these symptoms before giving Belladonna, but all the child’s symptoms should be covered by Belladonna. So he/she may not be biting or hitting but if your child has dilated pupils with the flushed face and dry heat, Belladonna is going to be of help.

The child needing Belladonna for fever will likely overall be worse if you touch them or fuss over them. They could respond with anger. They really don’t want to move but would rather lie quietly in a dark room. That’s because any noise, draft of air or bright, shiny lights/objects will make them feel worse.

If your child has dilated pupils with the flushed face and dry heat, Belladonna is going to help.

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#Contrary to what western medicine may say, homeopaths will assure you that yes, children who have just had a haircut can get ill immediately after, which is one of the indications for Belladonna. You knew there was some truth to this old wives’ tale, didn’t you? And if you have never heard of the old wives’ tale of going out in the cold with a wet head (which is almost like getting your hair washed and cut) being an invitation to develop a cold, check out this link where you can read about the myth and western science’s answer. At its most basic level, going out in the cold with a wet head or a newly shorn head of hair, for some children and adults, can be enough for the immune system to mount a response to any susceptibility to a cold virus. If a cold comes on suddenly, after a visit to the stylist, how fortunate are you that you have Belladonna in your home kit!?

If a cold comes on suddenly, after a visit to the stylist, how fortunate are you that you have Belladonna in your home kit?

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#The other trigger that sometimes causes a fever that responds well to treatment with Belladonna is uncovering the head or being exposed to the wind. Here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we have a weather phenomenon called a Chinook and any time day or night, the winds can blow warm air from the pacific coast over the mountains. This can bring changes of temperature of twenty degrees - even in the middle of our very cold winters! It can happen that with these weather changes, children will come down with fever, especially if they are sensitive to the environmental changes anyway. The other remedy that is often needed here in Calgary especially is Aconite, but that is your next ‘must-have’ fever remedy for your home kit…(more on Aconite later).

One of the other things that I have observed with children needing Belladonna is that they will often ask for lemon juice, lemonade or lemon flavored drinks or popsicles or, they may even suck on lemons! Probably one of the drinks your child/family will be most familiar with is powdered ice tea with lemon and if they are asking for that, it can be a clue as to what remedy is needed. It is a symptom of the remedy and if your child has the other symptoms of Belladonna with this unusual one of wanting lemons or lemon-flavored anything, you can be quite sure that the Belladonna will be of help!

Children needing Belladonna will often ask for lemon juice, lemon flavoured drinks or popsicles, or they may even suck lemons!

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#Here is one person's story about using Belladonna for her child's fever:

“Here is my fever story - it just happened last night!

‘A.’ came into my room saying he had had a nightmare. He climbed into bed with me and he felt very hot to touch although his hands were cooler. He said he felt cold inside and snuggled under the blankets. His cheeks looked flushed and I took his temperature out of curiosity. It was in the mid 103 range and I felt I should just wait and see what would happen, hoping the fever would do its job and he would break into a sweat and cool down and be on the road to recovery without any intervention. He didn’t cool down at all and was restless and his lips looked dry and ready to crack. He said he felt hot inside. Soon he started sitting up in bed and saying strange things, like he wanted some oatmeal and he needed his new yellow car. He seemed out of touch with what time it was and what was going on. This was a new and unusual symptom and so after checking in one of my homeopathy books I decided to try Belladonna. Within minutes I felt the change and he began lying restfully. I gave him one more dose when he seemed to have another small surge of symptoms and his temperature came steadily down to normal and he slept restfully with only a few “jumping in his sleep” episodes after he first drifted off. After that he slept soundly. This morning his temperature feels back to normal and he is in good spirits and has asked to go back to bed with a book because he feels like he needs to rest.

I am glad that homeopaths explain their processes and educate and empower instead of creating complete reliance.”

“I am glad that homeopaths explain their processes and educate and empower instead of creating complete reliance.”

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#Quick Notes for Belladonna Symptoms

a Suddenness of fever onset

a Red, flushed face with heat coming off the child

a Pulsating/throbbing of the carotid arteries or of the head pain that can accompany fever: my “heart is in my head” feeling

a Hot internally but cool to the touch

a Dilated pupils of the eyes (the black part almost completely covers the colored part)

a Hallucinations like seeing black dogs, monsters with red eyes

a Anger with striking, biting, spitting in some cases

a Wants to be left alone in the dark; bright light and noise disturbs them

a Fevers brought on by severe weather changes or wet head in the cold or even haircuts

Internet Resources for more information on Fevers, Belladonna

1. Video: Healing For Fevers: Miranda Castro

2. Miranda Castro www.mirandacastro.com offers some excellent information in video format for using Belladonna in fever

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#Footnotes

[1] The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 132, Issue 1, January 1998, Pages 22–27 Therapeutic misadventures with acetaminophen: Hepatoxicity after multiple doses in children James E. Heubi, MD, Marguerite B. Barbacci, BSN, MPH, RNC, Hyman J. Zimmerman, MD

[2] The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 114, Issue 6, June 1989, Pages 1045–1048 Acetaminophen: More harm than good for chickenpox? MD Timothy F. Dorana, b, MD Catherine De Angelisa, b, BA Rosemary A. Baumgardnera, b, ScD E. David Mellitsa, b

a Department of Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, USA

b Department of Biostatistics and Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, USA

[3] Paediatric Nursing

July vol 19 no 6

Physiology of fever

PN15 Mark Broom (2007) Physiology of fever. Paediatric Nursing. 19, 6, 40-45. Date of acceptance: 14 May 2007.

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#Footnotes

* The best way to describe this invisible organizing vital force is to quote from Dr. Samuel Hahnemann’s Organon of the Medical Art. This quote is taken from the edition by Wenda Brewster O’Reilly, PhD.

“In the healthy human state, the spirit-like life force (autocracy) that enlivens the material organism as dynamis, governs without restriction and keeps all parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both feelings and functions, so that our indwelling, rational spirit can freely avail itself of this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence.

The material organism, thought of without life force, is capable of no sensibility, no activity, no self-preservation. It derives all sensibility and produces its life functions solely by means of the immaterial wesen (the life principle, the life force) that enlivens the material organism in health and in disease.”

**Here is what Dr. Robert Mendelsohn in his book How to Raise a Health Child…in Spite of Your Doctor has to say about the “myth” of a normal temperature:

A temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is not the “normal” temperature for everyone.That’s what most of us have been told all of our lives, but it simply isn’t true. The 98.6 degree standard for body temperature is merely a statistical average, and “normal” for most people is either higher or lower than that. This is particularly true of children. Their “normal” temperatures, measured in carefully controlled studies, ranged from a low of 96.6 degrees to a high of 99.4. Very few of these healthy children registered temperatures of precisely 98.6 degrees.

Your child’s temperature may also fluctuate significantly throughout the day. You can expect his temperature to be about a degree higher in the late afternoon than it is in the early morning. Thus an elevated reading taken at dinnertime may be a perfectly normal reading that occurs at that hour almost every day.