The transition from conventional versus homeopathic medicine

[SilverMoon010]

I'm piggybacking this thread from a previous post I posted on another thread about natural remedies for fevers.

My son is 2 and since his birth, I have been 100% into the natural remedy thing. He has had no vaccines and he has been eating about 99% organic since birth.

When it comes to illness, I have always used the conventional methods for myself. (We haven't had to use anything for my son yet as he has been really healthy.) When the time comes for things such as fever, etc., I really want to try natural remedies, but at the same time, I am terrified to do so. I am so used to going to the doctor for antibiotics or even advice. I really don't want to do that with my son and want to keep his body as natural as possible so his immune system continues to be good.

I guess my question is, how do you do the transition without being afraid? For example, I know whenever my son will get a fever, my first instinct is to want to reduce it with Tylenol or something because in my life for myself, I never let a fever run its course (is that sad?). I get so scared of febrile seizures. That is just one example. I'm afraid if my son gets sick and I try the natural healing remedies, that he will get worse and the remedies will not help. Sorry, I'm new to this and am just looking for some encouragement or reassurance that natural remedies work just as well and/or far better than conventional.

[Panserbjorne]

Education and support. I'm not afraid because i see not reason to be afraid. When you understand the mechanisms of the body it's easier to see the whys behind the actual symptoms. Really, fever is a hugely beneficial and helpful thing. For instance:

The first purpose of a fever is thermal action: a perfect bacteriostatic temp is 103.1 and a bacteriolytic temp is 104.9. The second is to stimulate the thyroid which helps the body eliminate toxins. The third is to increase circulation to increase the elimination time. The fourth is to increase liver activity which increases the ability to form immunoglobulins. The fifth is to increase interferon which kills infected cells (whether it's bacterial, viral or fungal!) and impairs the replication of the invaders. All in all a REALLY good thing in times of illness!

So learning why the body does what it does and what different responses mean is a helpful thing. Support is also necessary. As you begin navigating this path there are going to be times when you are unsure of the next step. In those times it's far better to have someone on the outside who is trained to help walk you through it and assess the situation from a professional perspective. Someone to tell you, "this is fine, but if you see this then you need to be seen immediately" or "these symptoms are normal, here's what you do if they change." Regardless people go to school for a long time to figure these things out, there's no reason to believe or feel that you have to know them just because you had a child. It's a process. One that takes time and should not be a solitary journey IMO.

I know a good amount about natural healing. I've been using alternative and complementary medicine since long before having kids so I got into a groove experimenting on myself, but I have ALWAYS had practitioners to back me up. Especially with kids where things can change on a dime. Even doctors generally call other people when their own kids are involved.

Anyway, that's just my perspective. Learn all you can, but don't expect to go it alone. Human beings are social creatures and not meant to live in a vacuum possessing all the knowledge they will ever need! Go easy on yourself.

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by Mandy F

I'm new to this and am just looking for some encouragement or reassurance that natural remedies work just as well and/or far better than conventional.

I would humbly suggest you start by asking different questions. The issue is not whether natural remedies work better, they work differently. They are often harder to use (not to be discouraging but for something like homeopathy there is no remedy for "fever." You have to be more discerning.)

I feel that they work better because of my starting point and my objective. Would tylenol bring relief faster? I can't say. Is it likely to work regardless of the cause of the pain? Yes. Is that what I want? Nope. I'm looking to create comfort as I support their ability to heal, not suppress it. I have never and will never let a child suffer. If I can't get it right I would give medication because it's not about my ego, it's about my child's quality of life. That said I've never had to give medication. Part of that, as I said is having an excellent support system.

It's a different paradigm. What you need to understand is that walking down this path requires consciousness. I can almost promise you that natural remedies will NOT work better if you aren't cultivating health in other aspects of your life. They aren't really meant to be quick fixes, they're meant to be supportive. You need to create a good foundation, in my opinion if you want natural medicine to be your primary form of healthcare.

[FireWithin]

I agree with the education and support and to be gentle with yourself.

The transition can sometimes feel scary and I didn't go cold turkey. I approached each problem one at a time and decided if I could handle it naturally. If I couldn't, I used it as a learning experience and applied it for the next time.

My boys haven't had any otc or regular doctor stuff in 1.5 years (their food allergies made it difficult for me not to go cold turkey for them), but I am still working on getting my own headaches under control. I am down to taking otc for myself about once every couple of months.

I also have a bunch of tools in my toolbox. I now approach a problem so very thankful that I have all of these tools rather than just tylenol and abx. There are so many other ways to heal.

I also agree about creating a good foundation for health. As we have become healthier, I have found that we are getting less intensely ill and needing less. But, I do use more supportive measures on a daily (almost) basis.

[MaryMarg]

I never dreamed of using alternative, natural or holistic strategies until at age 11 mos, DD experienced 2 ear infections in a row with two rounds of antibiotics that didn't work. It started me on a path to find alternatives. From healing with whole foods to homeopathy--I have spent the last few years reading, reading and reading! Little by little, conventional medicine eased out of our home and homeopathy, massage, and other methods took root. It is SUCH a learning process that I'm certain is ongoing throughout our lifetimes! From a practical standpoint, you might consider reading some books that can teach you about alternative medicine while also including conventional medical options and when they might be warranted.

Some possibilities include the second edition of The Holistic Pediatrician (Kathi Kemper, MD, MPH) or Healthy Child, Whole Child (Ditchek and Greenfield). Randall Neustaedter (OMD) has a book called Child Health Guide that is not conventional but practical. I admit it was one of the first I bought and I thought it to be extreme. But now, find myself using the strategies in it as often as other holistic methods. Dana Ullman offers a general book on homeopathy called Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants. And there are so many more in many different realms of healing. Educating yourself is empowering and, as PPs mentioned, having a support network is crucial. Both parents AND practioners whose experiences and education can help guide you through. Lastly, it is important to have faith in the healing methods you choose--the power of believing, if you will. It's wonderful to remember we don't have to go at it alone! Best wishes!

[SilverMoon010]

Thanks guys! I'm taking all of your advice into consideration.

I did just buy two books, one is Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm, and the other is mostly about not vaccinating but goes into detail on how to care for a child with a VPD naturally. (A poster on here actually recommended those two books). I started flipping through them and it just seems so overwhelming at first. I think that's when my fear starting settling in. I was thinking, "How in the world am I going to learn all of this myself?" For some reason, I felt with alternative medicine that the parent needs to know all of the remedies themselves and almost become their own doctor (a lot of pressure there), but then I remembered that there are holistic doctors out there.

Are there holistic pediatricians, and do they do "well" visits? I can't seem to find any doctors in my area that are holistic pediatricians.

Do all of you take your children to a holistic or homeopathic doctor? What's the difference between holistic and homeopathic? I would think if I am headed down this path that I would have to find one. I love our pediatrician now, but he is not holistic. He does, however, respect our decision on vaccines and has not tried to sway us from our decision, so I feel he is a terrific doctor for doing so.

[Panserbjorne]

it depends on a few things...whether or not you are in a state where ND's are licensed is a biggie. They can act as primary care physicians if you are. Otherwise it's still *possible* to find DO's that are truly DO's (not just holding the degree as another tract into medicine.) If you can find someone that does understand structure and uses bodywork that would be another excellent choice.

If ND's aren't licensed you could make the choice to just have a support person aside from your primary whom you would see in times of illness. Then you could just do your once a year well visits with your primary. Then you could have an herbalist, an acupuncturist, someone practicing TCM, CST...whatever you wanted.

My kids see an ND and a DC in my office. I love them and my kids have been seeing them since before I was a part of the practice. They are licensed and that covers us as they can order labs/test etc or do their physicals for school/camp when needed.

[SilverMoon010]

Panserbjørne: When you say support person, what do you actually mean? I mean, I have very supportive family members but they know nothing about holistic approaches (my mom would know the most about them, but not sure how much support she could offer in terms of education on the subject :-) ). When you say this are you referring to a family member who has experience in that area because I have none. Where could I get one? - LOL

[Panserbjorne]

I mean a practitioner that is not the primary doc, but a practitioner nonetheless. Just because they can't do "well visits" doesn't mean they can't care for you and support healing in a time of imbalance. So even though you HAVE a primary care physician you can ALSO have an herbalist, ND, homeopath, LAc, DC, etc.

[FireWithin]

The support systems I have are:
My allergy moms here on the allergy board who help me brainstorm problems and together we have discovered a huge wealth of knowledge towards health.

Panserbjorne, a homeopath, who I soak up as much info as possible from, but who i also pay for specific homeopathic information/remedies, and also for her skills in flower essences. I intend to make paid /emails to her in the future when I am feeling really stuck about a specific illness and need someone with much greater skills than me. I haven't done it in the past, and am realizing that it would be an essential piece of my toolbox. (of course if she offers that service). There have been times that we suffered and I don't think we needed to.

I have a chiropractor who I go to now that I am pregnant. She totally rocks and gives me great verbal information and guidance as well as helping my body.

My oldest is about to start going to a craniopath who will help him with his small jaw structure. I suspect that it will help with loads of other things.

Unfortunately much of this is paid out of pocket. But, what I am seeing is that I have not needed to go to our regular doc in a long time and we are healing problems before they become issues. For example, DH and I decided that the craniopath cost would be worth it because it is clearly this or braces in the future for my son. We think this would be cheaper and more health giving.

Finally, we have a regular MD,who claims to be very nutrient based, even sells THorne supplements in her office, but I haven't been impressed with her. Still trying to decide if there is a magical person out there who takes insurance, or if I should still use her as a back up, for emergencies, testing, etc.

[SilverMoon010]

You guys bring up a good point about chiropractors. I've only read about them caring for children in ways other doctors don't and always wondered how this is so. Can a chiropractor be a child's primary, and how is this so? I don't think I fully grasp the idea because when I think of a chiropractor, I automatically think of back cracking and that they specialize only in musculoskeletal problems. (I'm sure there is more to chiropractors than that, but I've never been to one so I'm not really sure.) What can a chiropractor do for children in terms of illness, and when would you go to one? Sorry for all of the questions. I'm trying to take it all in and you're all being really helpful.