Ear Infections
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8 ear infections in 1 year!!!!! HELP
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Author Topic: 8 ear infections in 1 year!!!!! HELP
Zoesmom
Member posted 10-13-2000 11:17 AM
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MY sweet daughter has had EIGHT ear infections i n one year. It all started around the time she had her first Vacinations and went to daycare. The Dr. said she had to have tubes put in her ears because fluid is always there and will not drain. I just want to know if there is any alternative to this?? How it can be prevented? We are still BFing. Thank goodness. But i just dont know how to get away from anitbiotics an d the Tube thing? If anyone has any experiance please help. She is misrable.
Dayna
Member posted 10-13-2000 04:51 PM
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zoesmom,
have you looked into treating the ear infections with homoepathy? i believe it is hylands that makes a remedy specific for the ear infections. homoepathy is extremely gentle and effective (espeically with young children), and has no side effects. you should be able to get it at any health food store. they might even be on-line at
www.hylands.com (i'm guessing). their remedies are wonderful and you don't have to get her all out of balance with antibiotics (which kill off the good as well as the bad bacteria). good luck!
Dayna
Member posted 10-13-2000 04:55 PM
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oops! i just checked the hylands website and re-read your post. their ear ache tabs may not be appropriate for your little one, since it seems she has a more chronic problem. in dana ullman's book (homoepathic medicine for children & infants), he reccommends that you consult a homeopathic practitioner for treating chronic ear infections. i notice from your profile that you are in OK., sorry i can't reccomend anyone there (i am in CA), but
www.alternativemedicine.com does have a listing of practitioners around the country.
StClaire
Member posted 10-14-2000 06:01 PM
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Hi Zoesmom, i'm sorry you're going through all that, they can be so painfull
Have you tried eliminating dairy products? &refined foods? that is a common cause of chronic ear inf, also try eliminating common allergens such as wheat, corn, peanut butter, citrus, soy.
If she has had antibiotics, rebuild her intestinal flora withpowdered lactobaccilus acidopholous supplement ( for at least 10 days after discontinuing meds) also try miso soup broth .
During infection i have also preffered homeopathy for young children bc it can be quick and effective if the right remedy is given, the trick is finding it. Get a good book with a reperetory (a listing of many symptoms and characterizations with corresponding remedies) I have had the most use from books by Miranda Castro esp her book about pregnancy and the first year, although she has a basic one too .
If you would like pro advice, check out <homeopathyhome.com> and go to their forums....there are many competent homeopaths on line that would be glad to help.
Also try hot compresse on the ear and gentle massage in lymph area on the neck, stroking downwards. A good accupressure point is at the base of and in between the 4th and 5th toes, if she will let you put firm pressure in a circular motion .
Herbally try warm mullein flower oil in the ears or garlic/olive oil and immune supporting herbs like echinacea several times a day (but not at the same time as the homeo. remedy)
One more thing , keep ears warm and out of drafts, even if its not cold outside......
Good luck, her body CAN heal itself with a little help and support Kelly
naturegirl
Member posted 10-16-2000 10:26 AM
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Have you tried chiropractic? Little ones eustachion tubes are almost horizontal so they don't drain very well. As you get older the tubes become more vertical and they drain better. That is why most children "grow out of it" so to speak. But as children the tiny little muscles around these tubes have to be working or they block the drainage and get infected. Chiropractic care has been extremely successful with helping eith ear infections. Numerous studies have been published on it and in fact many parents take their kids to chiropractors for this reason alone. I encourage you to give it a shot. It sure beats surgery and tubes in the ears. (which by the way can cause deafness). Good luck!
acsw
Member posted 10-16-2000 01:16 PM
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Hi,
I echo the question about dairy products. Have you tried cutting them out? I produce tons of mucus from milk and get horrible sinus infections. A friend of mine who has 4 kids who got tons of ear infections took her kids off milk a year ago and they haven't had one.
I would try that before the tubes. However, make sure you find something that works. My dad is almost totally deaf bc of build ups of fluid in his ear that were not taken care of as a child (during the depression.) It's not one of those things that doctors over react to.
Good luck,
Anne
maxx's mom
Member posted 10-17-2000 09:12 PM
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I was about to respond to your question and read some of the other replies. Kelly is right on. I was surprised to hear about miso soup. I would watch this because, even though it is very healthy, it is also fermented. I think that many ear infections are connected to yeast and yeast is the cause of many allergies and also allergies can make yeast worse. Anything fermented could make the problem worse by feeding the yeast.
Dairy not only causes mucus but also feeds the yeast because of the lactose (sugar). Although some mucus is good in the system, for kids it is too much for their tiny tubes that are not angled as well as adult's for easy drainage.
There is a book I read a while back. I think it is called, "healing childhood ear infections". There are other natural alternative books on the market regarding alternative methods for ear infections which I'm sure you can find.
There is also a homeopathic medication called Traumeel from Heel, Inc. 1-800-621-7644;
http://wwwheelbhi.com; perhaps you can contact them. I have read that it releaves the pain that comes with ear infections. My natural pharmacy confirmed that it was safe to put in the ear. (My natural pharmacy is Nutri-Pharma in NYC., Ken the owner is wonderful. He was a traditional pharmacist but now is an alternative pharmacist. 212-983-8291. They ship everywhere and can get almost anything I need.) I bought it just incase but never had to use it.
One other thing: just because the doctor says there is an ear infection doesn't mean there is. They often diagnose ear infections when they see fluid in the ear. They don't do cultures (how could they) to confirm anything so most of the time it is an inaccurate guess. "If there is no pain, there is no infection." My doctor agrees with this and I've also read it in books.
Hope you find a solution.
Maxx's Mom
smohorn
Junior Member posted 10-17-2000 10:18 PM
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Healing Childhood Ear Infections by Dr. Michael Schmidt is *the* definative guide for dealing with ear infections. It is a full 300 pages of info on causes, prevention, alternative treatments, and much more. He also takes a critical look at the use of antibotics and tubes. This book will help you to identify the cause of your daughters ear infections and the appropriate treatment. It will also give you solid information on tubes so that you can make an informed and educated decision. Good Luck!
pandora
Member posted 10-17-2000 11:04 PM
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Just thought I'd put in my thoughts:
I was a child with chronic ear infections. They would often come on within hours and were EXTREMELY painful. I averaged 5-6 per winter every year until about age 12 when I grew out of it. I haven't had one since then. They wanted to put tubes in my ears but my parents didn't force the issue due in part to my tremendous fear of this happening - it sounded so scary. The biggest reprocussion of this is a large buildup of yeast in my body due to winters of antibiotic therapy, which I still struggle with today. My advice is to make sure to give acidophilus during and after antibiotics to keep yeast in balance, and of course cut out dairy, sugar, and fermented products especially at these times to help check yeast growth. And even though I won't use antibiotics now, looking back I was very grateful for them. They provided fast relief to incredible pain that I simply couldn't tolerate. Best of luck with your daughter, and let us know what works for you.
lholm
Member posted 10-18-2000 01:51 PM
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We were in the same boat, down to the recommendation to have tympanostomy.Constitutional homeopathic treatment, along w/ changing his diet a little helpedv him get, and stay, well very quickly.
Seek out a qualified classical homeopath.
cara
Member posted 10-18-2000 09:10 PM
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If she is under 2 years old, My first thing would be-get rid of the pacifier(If she has one) Bacteria can go directly from the pacifier to the mouth to the eustachion tubes. Also garlic oil put in the ear will help kill bactieria. Good luck. Let us Know!
Dawn
Member posted 10-18-2000 11:58 PM
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Zoesmom,
My four year old son was going down the same road as your daughter when he was a year old. Eliminating dairy, specifically milk, from my diet (I too was breastfeeding) and homeopathic remedies resolved the ear infections and he hasn't had one since. But be patient as it takes four months for your body (and hers) to be completely dairy-free once you quit. I learned from that experience that I too am allergic to dairy (the numerous ear infections as a child should have been a clue) and since quitting dairy, I have increased energy and less illness. Kelly was right-on with her advice to seek homeopathic care as homeopathy can help balance your child's whole system and make her stronger as a "whole" little person. I swear that my son would have tubes in his ears right now if I hadn't been guided to homeopathy when he was one. Warm garlic mullein oil (available in most health stores by HerbPharm) a drop or two in each ear really helps too. It's soothing and the garlic is nature's "antibiotic", being anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal all in one drop. A Georgetown University study (done in 1996 I believe) proved the link between food allergies (90% were dairy allergies) and ear infections. I'm still reeling from the fact that my pediatrician didn't talk to me about that link. (I changed peds after handing him a copy of that study). Good luck to you! I highly recommend "Almond Breeze" as a non-dairy alternative to cow's milk too for you. It tastes soooo good, provides calcium and doesn't have all the rBST hormones, dioxin, or the excess phosphorus that comes in cow's milk. Hope this helps. You have a lot of good information in these posts. What a blessed forum to have.
Zoesmom
Member posted 10-19-2000 10:39 AM
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Thanks to everyone and all the great info!! I am concidering cutting out dariy, everytime I drink milk or eat Ice cream I get a horrible tummy ache and feel drained. But I love Yogurt and Cheese, sour cream, etc. Do I need to cut out these as well?? I don't know if I could live w/o cheese. Ive had the fake soy kind of cheese and yogurt and they are Yuccky. As long as I am bfing do I need to give my Daughter a milk subsitute? Are they safe and do they have enough vitamins and calcium?
I checked out some of the alternative web sites and plan on finding a Homeopath here in my area. I live in Oklahoma City If anyone has a referance. There are not many here I have found.
Thanks again for all the great info
Andrea
Kirstie
Member posted 10-19-2000 11:02 AM
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Hi,
I agree with all of the excellent advice listed here (and learned quite a bit myself)! As far as needing milk for calcium...that is a bit of a myth. There is a great book by Dr. William Sears entitled: The Nutrition Book: Everything You Need To Know About Feeding Your Children from Birth To Adolescence. He is an awesome pediatrician who has 8 children and was educated at Harvard's Children's Hospital. His book is INCREDIBLE!!!! He has others books as well. I found it on
www.Half.com a site where they sell used books in great condition (and other things) for half price.
Anyway - he is not against dairy - but thinks it's a bit overrated. I'm sure that since yogurt is dairy - if you are having trouble with milk allergies - you will also with yogurt. Although Dr Sears states that yogurt is a much better toddler food than beverage milk. "It is made by adding the bacterial culture Lactobacillus Bulgaricus to milk. This culture acts like digestive enzymes, coagulating the milk proteins and transforming milk lactose to lactic acid. By rendering the milk protein less allergenic and changing the lactose, yogurt is tolerated by some toddlers who are allergic to beverage-milk protein or intolerant of milk lactose." He states that yogurt is an ideal toddler food because it is so easily digested and you can do so much baby stuff with it: spreads, dips, icings, pudding and as a healthy substitute for cream in recipes.
It is a myth that you need to drink milk for calcium. While a glass of milk contains 300 mgs of calcium, it is also high in phosphorus. Calcium absorption depends upon the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which in cow's milk is almost one to one, meaning that there is almost as much phosphorus in cow's milk as calcium. In human milk the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is 2.5 to 1. The higher the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, the better the calcium is absorbed. So, foods with a higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio are better sources of calcium than milk. However, vitamin D-fortification of milk aids in calcium absorption, and the various hormones that regulate calcium in the body also control how much calcium is absorbed from the intestines.
In the calcium section - some good sources of calcium are: Best Dairy Sources: Yogurt, parmesan cheese & milk. Best Non Dairy Sources: Orange juice, rhubarb, tofu, salmon, figs (Paul Newman makes great organic fig newton cookies called Fig "Newmans"), spinach, broccoli, etc.
Hope this helps a bit. Good luck with your little one!!! Hope she gets better!!!
God Bless!!!
;~)
karyb
Member posted 10-21-2000 08:29 AM
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I read through all the postings and agree with everyone. I will tell you, I too have been battling with my 11 month old's ear infections for several months, one after another. My Pediatrician has had him on round after round of antibiotics and because I was so worried about the affects of prolonged use, I got proactive and started doing research to stop the cycle. The first thing I did was cut dairy from my diet. I too love cheese! In fact, probably 35% - 50% of my diet was dairy based. My son had so much mucas he couldn't nurse and would bite me in frustration. Within 48 hours of eliminating dairy from my diet, the biting stopped and my son started to dry up! Every book I have read recently encourages treating the cause not the symtoms. I'm not sure if this is a coincidence, but my son has been well for 3 weeks now, pretty much a record since he started getting ear infections. I'm from Dallas and there is a clinic here called the Block Center run by Dr. Mary Block. She specializes in treating chronic ear infections. She also has published a book called "No More Amoxillon". I have her book and plan on visiting her clinic as a next step if my son gets sick again. Her philosophy basically suggests antibiotics do not treat the cause and in fact, may do more harm than good. Dr Block is a medical doctor, but prefers a more natural approach to healing ear infections, she demonstrates several massage technics in her book as well as other natural approaches.
Out of all of this, the one thing that truly stands out is the comment one of the previous respondents made, there is no way of knowing without doing a culture, that the ear infection your son has is bacterial. Therefore you don't know for sure that the antibiotics given to your son are working in the first place. During the last antibiotic round my son was given last month, his symtoms improved and then on the 7th day he got really sick while on the antibiotic. He started running a fever and had so much mucas it was in his eyes! I knew then that something had to change and that the antibiotic given to him by the pediatrician wasn't working. That's when I cut out dairy and let the fever do it's job. I didn't give him anything and his body starting working. My son tolerates pain very well, so it was easy for us to get through.
Sorry this is such a long post, but I wanted to share my recent journey regarding this topic.
Karyb
maxx's mom
Member posted 10-21-2000 03:53 PM
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It's me again, Maxx's Mom. I am glad you are thinking of cutting out dairy. I love it too and haven't totally cut it out of my diet but my son doesn't have any. His problem was not of ear infections although he was diagnosed with 3 from a doctor on call at three seperate times.
His problem was mucus which you could hear rattle when he breathed. He also had 2 or 3 respiratory infections his first year. At that time my nutritionist advised to cut out the sheep and goat yogurt he was having at least 2 times a week. (We avoided cow) We also did muscle testing to see what he was allergic to which revealed basically the same things I, his mom, am allergic to such as corn, oats, chick peas, wheat and so on. We cut all that stuff out too.
After cutting out dairy and the other stuff completely from his diet his lungs cleared up and at 2 years he hasn't had another infection or cold that was more than a slight runny nose.
I have a harder time cutting out dairy. Since I am still nursing him, he gets any dairy that i've eaten through me. When I eat something I shouldn't, I immediately see it in him. He has a yeast rash on his arms and legs which he probably got from me since my midwives were treating me for a UTI while I was pregnant with him. Needless to say I didn't have a UTI but was on antibiotics for several months in the first part of my pregnancy until I decided to go to a doctor who chose to monitor bacteria levels in my urine. She took me totally of the drugs but the damage had already been done. We've been dealing with it ever since.
I guess I'm just trying to stress that yeast is the big problem for us. Maybe it is for you too.
Good Luck
Lisa
mialee
Junior Member posted 10-22-2000 01:38 PM
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I agree that diet may have alot to do with the ear infection situation. I would also be concerned about the day care. The strands of colds that run through a day care tend to be a little more agressive than the average. Needless to say colds tend to block our ears. Also children tend to cry for longer periods when at a day care verses home. These two facts are nothing more than facts no ones fault, but things that occur in that type of setting. ALso pacifiers and bottles can also lead to pooling of fluid in the ear canal especially if the child is allowed to have them lying flat. I would encourage you to try to be creative with your schedual to avoid the above and the ear infections.
zobeyslatte
Member posted 10-23-2000 06:06 AM
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hehehe im zobey's mom!
zobey has had ear infections from 14 - 20 months. i am a natural living, breastfeeding mom. the decision about tubes was very difficult. i tried herbal ear drops, dietary changes, 4 different antibiotics, nothing worked. the antibiotics gave her diarrhea and were more stressful administering them that the ear infection itself. it seems the infections began when i introduced dairy. i stopped dairy with her and i at 18 months for a month. she didnt have an ear infection that month. it was very difficult for me to be dairy free in our family. she loves yogurt and cheese. the dr said that allergy testing would be more involved and painful- with bloodwork, frequent dr visits that tubes. he also said that because she didnt show any other allergy signs- clear runny nose, stuffy head, cough, rash, puffy face..... he just didnt get the feeling it was allergy related. the morning i gave her yogurt and cheese, i had a dr appt. well, she had an ear infection. i knew that this ear infection didnt come on within the hour- so she most likely was not allergic to dairy, it was a coincidence that she didnt get an ear infection that month. that night, her eardrum ruptured from the infection. she got tubes a month later.
i will say, that because we were a breastfeeding pair, she only needed to fast for 4 hrs before surgery- (only breastmilk for 12 hours before). immediately after the 10 minute procedure, we nursed and she was comforted immediately. unlike the bottlefed babies and non nursing children in the recovery room. she was the last surgery that day- and the first to leave because she breastfed. the nurses were so amazed that zobey was smiling 10 minutes after! the dr was so proud too. he was boasting about his breastfed toddler patient. i nursed her in the sling all day.
the next day- we flew to florida. she didnt cry from her ears popping. when you have tubes, your ears dont pop! she did great on the plane! and was healthy all through our vacation. she 28 months now and doing great. no ear infections, tubes still in place. i dont use earplugs in the water. i researched that too. it seems that theres no evidence that plugs vs. no plugs show any difference.
Zoesmom
Member posted 10-23-2000 10:29 AM
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Hi Everyone Again,
Well I have really thought long and hard about Ear tubes. Since She has had 8 ear infections in one year I have decided to go ahead and do it. I think at this late date alternative ways prob wont help all that much. My sister in law had a son who had such bad ears he would not sleep for more that 45min at a time for the first 10mo of his life! He finaly slept after reciving tubes.
I have also cut out milk and other dariy products. I am eating more Tofu, less meat and processed products. With future childeren I will defantly try all alternatve ways at an earilier date.
I feel the need to defend myself about the day care situation. I am a single mommy and a student. I was working the first few months of her life I had no choice. Now she is only at daycare about half a day 4 days a week. Her babysitter is a wonderful older lady who only has 3 other kids there. but usualy only 2 or 3 are there at a time. Zoe is the youngest the oldest is 4. She gets tons of attention and love and kisses from Myrna(babysitter) she gets very excited when she see her and gives her the babysitter lots of hugs. l wish I could me a SAHM more than anything but I just cannot do I t right now. I regret it but I know she get s lots of love and I always give her tons of attention when she is home with me. Anyways thats all for now I will let you all know how things turn out for us.
Love
Andrea
Zoesmom
Member posted 10-23-2000 10:32 AM
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Hi again
Forgot one thing
I have had the worst problems with yeast!! This may have a connection. I hope by cutting out dariy and Meat this will help. Does anyone have a good Tofu recepe?
LOve Andrea
naturegirl
Member posted 10-23-2000 11:32 AM
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I just wanted you to know that it is not too late for alternatives. There have been hundreds of kids who have had just as many or more ear infections in one year and have gotten excellent results from chiropractic care. Relief usually occurs within a week or two. Sometimes quicker. I would feel very sad if you didn't at least give it a try before risky surgery. I don't want to make you feel bad if you choose the surgery but please give chiropractic a try.
Good luck and best wishes.
jazzymom1999
Member posted 10-23-2000 12:51 PM
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I just want to reiterate the suggestion on Chiropractic. I have worked with a chiropractor and seen it work first hand. Children respond so quickly to chiropractic treatment. It is absolutely amazing. Find a chiropractor in your area you treats families and ask what kind of experience they have with children and ear infections. Also another at home suggestion is to hold on to your child's legs and hang them upside down until they straighten out. Usually they will favor and lean to one side. A few times a week is what was recommended for my dd.
Kim
zobeyslatte
Member posted 10-25-2000 05:21 AM
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im all for doing all you can to prevent having sugery- but keep in mind that if the child is not hearing because of these ear infections, it may be beneficial to find a solution quickly. my daughter zobey was not hearing us, her balance was off- causing her to fall and bump into things often. she was not talking. we had tried so many things before getting tubes.
shifron
Junior Member posted 10-26-2000 03:09 AM
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try use the swedish bitter. you may find it in
www.abkit.com.
Zoesmom
Member posted 11-02-2000 02:42 PM
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I just wanted to let everyone know how the Tubes went. We went to the Dr yesterday to have Zoes tubes inserted. We chose to do it in the Drs office. I didnot want to put her all the way under anethesia. They just put drops in her ears to deaden the pain. Anyways She had had thick green snot comming out of her nose for the past week and the doc said that is what is behind her eardrum causing all the pain and agony and infection.
So Zoe was only out of my arms
for 7 min! that is all it took. She is already so much better. She is no longer falling down from dizziness, her appitite has improved and she acts like she can HEAR!
It was a hard decision to make but in this situation I feel like I did the right thing for my sweet daughter. Thanks for everyones advice and help.
Love Andrea
Momtwice
Member posted 11-02-2000 07:09 PM
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Oh what a thread! If you do choose to give up dairy you have my sympathy, I cannot eat dairy. About soy foods: try different brands because some are excellent, some are awful. I like Soy Delicious soy "ice cream" and tofutti soy "cream cheese." All the other soy cheeses I've tried are disgusting. Oddly enough Elizabeth Noble's book Having Twins has great info about non-dairy calcium sources.
I also had a million ear infections as a child and as an adult developed severe dairy allergy which I now believe was there all along. Not really surprising, because formula fed babies often have allergic reactions to dairy when they are adults, and my generation was mostly formula fed. This is because the infant immune system is designed to see anything other than breast milk as an "enemy" attacking, so to speak. The baby's immune system fighting the allergens results in the symptoms such as rashes, ear infections, stomach upset etc. I read about this information while trying to understand my own food allergies.
judes mum
Member posted 11-16-2000 06:30 PM
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This is my first time on the boards. I have a two and half year old who I am raising strictly using alternative medicine and organic food.
As for ear infections....there are numerous problems that can be associated with them. Allergies, an overgrowth of candida (yeast)because of the overuse of antibiotics. It is well documented that one course of antibiotics can wipe out a childs intestinal flora. This leaves a breeding ground for yeast( a strictly alkaine state). The candida can cause a whole list of problems. In children it usually shows up as diaper rash, recurrent ear infections ( in women it is yeast infections), it can cause asthma and a list that is the length of my arm. The problem with yeast is that it is very difficult to get rid of if you keep on feeding it. Yeast thrives on dairy products, sugar, refined foods, certain graines and even fruit. However, you do not have to cut out everything when you have a child( it can be quite difficult!). The most important thing is to build up your childs immune system. The immune system is suppressed because of the antibiotics. The best way of handling it is to boost the immune system( using the proper herbs), replace the intestinal flora with acidophilus (yogurt will definatly not cut, it being on that many runs of antibiots)the acidophilus will balance out the alkaine state, and then seek a homeopathic treatment for candida albicans. There is an excellent one on the market called "Aqua Flora". It is a two month kit and very easy to throw into juice or soy/rice/almond milk. I have numerous articles and research that are all related. Please feel free to e-mail if you would like the information.
john.stuart4@sympatico.ca
Good Luck with the battle!
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