Our children went back to school and brought home viruses. We have had enough sniffles, sneezes, runny noses, and earaches to fulfill our annual quota. Now Mommy has pink eye (otherwise known as conjunctivitis). Thanks kids.
Several years ago I learned that pink eye can arrive from multiple reasons. One is bacterial, which isn’t the most common, but does require antibiotics the majority of the time. A much more frequent cause is a virus. That’s right, that cold settles into your eye(s). This can easily be treated at home or just waited out. If you are like me, the discomfort requires attention.
I always have a bottle of Similasan Homeopathic Pink Eye Relief on hand. This morning I woke to crusty, itchy and red eyes. I promptly washed my eyes with a warm washcloth and water and placed a couple drops in each eye. I repeated the drop application several times today and am glad to report I am nearly cleared up.
Rumor has it that a few drops of breastmilk in the irritated eye several times a day will do the trick as well. Unfortunately for me, my breastfeeding days are behind me and I didn’t have any on hand. The other home remedies I have come across such as lemon juice and salt just sound too painful.
Similasan also makes earache relief and sinus relief (among other treatments). The rule in our house is to give an ear infection 72 hours before treating with antibiotics. We get through those first three days by using earache relief drops and pain reliever in addition to heating pads and warmed natural oils on organic cotton balls.
In addition to colds, flus, and stomach viruses, your child may be the lucky recipient of HEAD LICE. Don’t fret too much, it happens to most of us at some point. As a preventative, use a tea tree shampoo weekly.
We are taking a proactive approach to health this school year. We all take our vitamins and I am loading the kiddos on vitamin C (since it is a water soluble vitamin they can’t overdose). Kids at high risk (those with asthma, allergies, suppressed immune systems) should get a flu vaccine. If you do opt for a flu vaccine, request the mercury free version. My healthy kids do not receive the vaccine, but my younger two do (last year we had THREE rounds of pneumonia, so I feel this is a time when the benefits outweigh the risks). The younger two children have a series of health issues that compromise their bodies ability to fight off illness (Celiac, Asthma, severe allergies).
Be well. Wait before taking antibiotics in all reasonable cases. Be proactive. Take your vitamins. Use preventative measures. When you do get sick (or infected) opt for natural remedies.
Related Posts about Natural Remedies:
Interestingly enough, I was just having this conversation at our screening of Two Angry Moms (about eating whole foods and getting junk food out of schools) and one of the family farm collaboratives at the farmer’s market mentioned that the increase in MRSA staph infections, etc. has a corollary with all the chem cuisine and processing in our nation’s food supply…in other words, when we were eating natural, whole foods vs. ‘tastes like real…’ whatever the immune system worked properly and now it’s all fouled up. He also mentioned the amped up doses of antibiotics delivered too loosely and kids’ inability to fight bacterial maladies in the same way due to immunity to certain strains…Fascinating that the trickle down impact of FrankenFood for profit has hit our very core well being…
Sorry to hear about the pink eye, too…bleh. No fun. (never heard that breastmilk bit either, I learn something new on ECP everyday!—But like you said, it’s not as if that’s ‘handy’ once you’re out of that phase!) 😉
I completely agree that our diets cause so many health issues! Our home has been completely artificial substance/chemical free for years! We only consume foods that are 100% natural and mostly organic. It is vital to put quality foods in our bodies if we want to stay healthy!
Our school has a new nutrition plan in place. Except it fails to disallow sugary treats that parents bring in for parties and birthdays! One of my daughters had 3 class parties in the first week of school! Oh, and they “encourage every child to participate in the school meal programs”. Heh. My kids take cold lunch four days a week. I’m not letting them eat prepared, frozen, chemical laden foods everyday! Ick.
I’ve also heard that a clove of garlic set in the ear can ease the earache. 🙂
My kids are thrilled that they get bottled water in their lunches instead of Capri Suns. It cracks me up that they think it’s a special treat. (Of course, I wash the bottles and reuse.)
Ooo, dont reuse bottled water bottles, they arent meant to be reused, the plastic gets into the water, Better to use bpa free reusable bottles…plus the water that comes in bottled water isnt well regulated so be careful
I am going through all of this now. With an asthmatic daughter, I have to use medicine. She needs rescue medicine or she will die. End of story. However, there is a way to meet in the middle. Strengthen her immunity with alternatives. Thanks for this post.
Thanks for the information, especially re: the pink eye relief. I had no idea it was out there. Beats waiting forever to get a doctor’s appointment as well. Lice- haven’t been there yet, but I am sure I’ll see it sooner or later!