Questions and Answers on Natural Health

All questions will be answered within a "general advice" format in the column only. As health problems require the personal advice of a health care professional, we are unable to answer questions personally.

Karima Burns, MH, ND has a Doctorate in Naturopathy and a Masters in Herbal Healing. She has studied natural healing for 12 years, published a natural healing newsletter for 4 years, and writes extensively on natural healing and herbs. Sister Karima became interested in natural healing after ending her personal lifelong struggle with asthma, allergies, chronic ear infections, depression, hypoglycemia, fatigue and panic attacks with herbs and natural therapies.

Karima offers natural healing consultations, aromatherapy and reflexology treatments, iridology readings, and nutritional and herbal programs from her home in Saudi Arabia. She believes that healing occurs more rapidly when her clients can work on the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of their illnesses.

Dear Health Editor,

I have two sons, 4 years old and 27 months old. They both get sick often with colds and when I take them to the doctor, they are usually given antibiotics while I prefer to use herbs. My youngest son gets ear infections a lot (more than 8 times so far and he has tubes in his ears). Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I believe in using herbs and I try to follow the way of our Prophet (SAW) in taking care of health and sickness.

Sister H.

Dear Sister H.,

The Prophet (SAW) said, "For any disease there is a cure, and when the cure matches the disease, the person recovers, by the will of Allah..." There is also a famous Hadith that states, "The stomach is the central basin of the body, and the veins are connected to it. When the stomach is healthy, it passes on its condition to the veins, and in turn, the veins will circulate the same and when the stomach is putrescent, the veins will absorb such putrescence and issue the same."

These two Hadith contain all the guidance we need to heal our children and ourselves. First of all, they indicate that we should practice prevention by nurturing our physical, mental and spiritual bodies. And, when we do get sick, we must try to carefully match the "cure" with the disease.

We also need to remember that, despite numerous efforts, we can heal only by Allah's will. We must not forget to pray and look for the possible reasons for our illnesses.

Many times, childhood illnesses contain wisdom; they are not really illnesses, but rather a message or a signpost. As mothers, we need to give our children time to recover on their own before rushing them to the doctor. Children are meant to combat an occasional childhood illness so their immune systems can develop more completely.

Furthermore, some illnesses are signs of other types of development. In Over the Rainbow Bridge, Barbara Paterson relates how children often get fevers (with no other symptoms) when they go through developmental changes. One will often find that children will get a fever for a day or two when they are teething, learning their first words, learning to potty train, or experiencing other developmental changes.

Exposure to cold wind, drafts or chemicals can cause a sniffly nose and a passing fever for a day or two, which can serve to alert us that there is something "wrong" in our child's atmosphere or diet. It helps to explore WHY a child is getting sick. Many times, when mothers take measures such as wedding their children away from the window, using only natural cleaning supplies and unscented laundry detergents, and keeping socks on them in cold weather, they can eliminate a few of these sniffles.

Feeding your children a diet of mostly (or entirely, if possible) whole foods is another way to prevent colds and flus. Other times, colds and flus come to us as a way of "detoxifying" the body. A cold or flu usually involves the production and expelling of mucous, a hot fever to burn away toxins and, occasionally, diarrhea to flush out toxins in the system. Children who eat a lot of foods such as processed foods, cereals, milk, candy, chips, sodas, white noodles, white breads, and lunch meats are usually sick more often with "colds" as a result of their bodies trying to flush out the preservatives and chemicals in the foods they are eating, or as a way to protect themselves against allergic reactions to these processed and artificial foods. Start taking notes about when your children get sick - what they ate that day and the previous days, how long they were sick, their symptoms. You may begin to notice patterns.

Many ear infections are a result of excess milk products in the diet, exposure to swimming pools, or inefficient elimination of earwax in some people who have small ear canals. In addition, most children under the age of four have underdeveloped ear canals that do not provide proper drainage during a cold. In this case, it is a good idea to assist this drainage so it does not end up in the ear. Rosemary Gladstar, in her pamphlet on healing herbs for children, says that a simple way to try to prevent ear infections before they happen is to put two drops of warm (not hot) olive and mullein oil in the ear every two weeks (the ear will naturally clean this out) to assist in the softening and elimination of wax and to sterilize the ear. There are also many ready-made herbal eardrops on the market. Another effective method for regularly cleaning the ears (and thus preventing a build-up of wax and infections) is ear coning.

Every once in a while, however, a cold or flu will simply be a matter of a weakened immune system letting a "bad bug" in. The best way to prevent against "catching" these infections is to keep the immune system strong with a whole foods diet, sun, exercise, positive thinking, plenty of rest, minimal television, and minimal exposure to chemicals in food, the environment, toys, bedding, clothing, and cleaning supplies.

Many people also take Echinacea (available by Herbs for Kids in big bottles) or Vitamin C throughout the "cold season" to further strengthen the immune system. Echinacea, golden seal, garlic, and Oregon Grape root are popular and effective "natural antibiotics" promoted by many health food stores. Tea Tree oil, lavender and eucalyptus are recommended by Valerie Worwood in her book The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy as they are effective antibiotic and anti-viral oils, and can be burned in a room or made into a massage oil for children (use only 2-3 drops per teaspoon of massage oil). When you have determined that what your child has is a more serious flu or cold (and not just a passing fever, sniffle or allergy), these natural antibiotics are effective therapies.

Making sure that you nurse your child until they are 12-24 months old can prevent many illnesses from occurring (see the article on breastfeeding in our science and health section).

However, even the most careful people will catch an infection every once in a while. When this does happen, natural care is a good first line of defense, although anything serious should always be checked out by a doctor. Antibiotics, which should only be used for bacterial infections that are only determined by blood tests, are often overused.

Of course, the most difficult part of an illness, though, is not the illness itself, which we all know will pass in a few days, but rather, the annoying symptoms. This is where herbs outshine many of the over-the-counter cold and flu medications. For a runny nose, elderberry syrup is a traditional remedy for drying up the mucous and also reducing any fever that may accompany it. The Prophet (SAW) used barley water for many diseases and it is also effective for colds. It serves to dry up runny noses, reduce fevers, provides nourishment and fluids during the time of illness, and assists the body in its detoxification process. Other teas that reduce fevers are peppermint, catnip, yarrow and borage teas.

Teas are most effective for acute problems like colds and flus when they are taken in frequent intervals (like a few sips every fifteen minutes). Adults would usually take four cups of tea a day during illness; twelve-year old children usually take half that amount; six-year olds would take a fourth.

Teas will reduce a fever only a few degrees to where it is safe and manageable, and will not eliminate it altogether. Smart Medicine for a Healthy Child indicates that this is very important as the body uses the fever to help it "burn off" invaders.

Last Week's Questions and Answers on Natural Health

Karima Burns, MH, ND has a Doctorate in Naturopathy and a Masters in Herbal Healing. She has studied natural healing for 12 years, published a natural healing newsletter for 4 years, and writes extensively on natural healing and herbs. Sister Karima became interested in natural healing after ending her personal lifelong struggle with asthma, allergies, chronic ear infections, depression, hypoglycemia, fatigue and panic attacks with herbs and natural therapies.