asthma treatments for kids

[USAmma]

I'm 99% sure my 3yo has asthma. It runs in the family and I've suspected it for awhile. She has labored, constricted breathing when she's been running around or is outside. So far no severe attacks. Today she started with the breathing and then started coughing that familiar cough. Well I can't say I'm surprised.

I took Singulair myself and it worked great for asthma, but I was sooo moody on it.: I know kids often have that same side effect. What other asthma meds for kids do you recommend that work well. Keep in mind dd cannot have any herbal/homeopathic remedies right now and is on a strict elemental medical food (formula) diet.

Or should I just not treat it at all unless she is clearly uncomfortable? Right now it's not slowing her down and she's not complaining about it. She is happily running along with that constricted breathing. It clears up on its own within 20 minutes or so of her slowing down or coming inside.

[kate~mom]

i would err on the side of treating it, even if it doesn't seem to be affecting her behaviorally. an hour before my ds (who also has asthma) was admitted to the hospital for rsv and pneumonia, with a pulse ox of 80%, he was crawling around at top speed. any time a kid could potentially be getting less oxygen than they should, i vote for treatment.

that said, ds is on pulmicort in the AM and albuterol as needed. eliminating milk from his diet has removed 90% of our albuterol use, which is great. after the winter, we're going to work with his allergist/asthma specialist to get him off the pulmicort.

a friend of mine has a 14 mo old who was a preemie and has a lot of the same symptoms as my ds - he is on singular, and his mom reports it works well, with no side effects that she can tell.

your dd has had tons of allergy testing right? if you go to an allergist, have you brought the asthma up to him/her?

[wendy1221]

Liam does albuterol in the nebulizer as needed. We haven't had to do anything else. He's not old enough for daily meds. My nephew is on something and my sister is very happy w/ it. I can't think of what it is, might even be Singulair. If I remember I'll lyk. btw, he's on it b/c of severe environmental allergies. He is also anaphylactic to milk and eggs, but those are his only food allergies.

[wendy1221]

Actualy, now that I think about it, I think it's Zyrtec. Sheesh, myy brain is not working. It's either Zyrtec or I'll post again tomorrow. Like I said, she's been very very happy w/ it. No more wheezing adn no side effects.

[UptownZoo]

I'll second what PP said -- I err on the side of treating. We weren't always like that; we treated only when it seemed absolutely necessay. Now, though, we're realizing that he has subtle symptoms far more often than we were noticing and even when they're not obvious, the inflammation can still do damage over the long term. Of course, with asthma meds, it's always a cost-benefit analysis, given the harsh nature of many of the drugs, but we have seen significant improvement in DS's general well-being by being more liberal with the albuterol inhalers and neb treatments. He also gets a controller medicine (Flovent) am and pm and takes Zyrtec.

[WC_hapamama]

Two of my kids only have problems after they've had prolonged exposure to stuff they're allergic to, or when they have chest colds. My oldest is usually on singulair during the spring and summer, but we take him off during fall and winter because those are the times when just treating his seasonal allergies works best.

Medically I'm pretty mainstream though. With the number of pollen, grass, tree, shrub and food allergies my oldest has, I'm not comfortable with natural remedies. At least with medications, I have get ingredient listings for.

[wendy1221]

We do natural remedies for almost everything BUT allergy/asthma related things. Natural remedies just don't seem to do much for serious allergies, and it's not worth the wait to see if they do when he's wheezing.

[USAmma]

your dd has had tons of allergy testing right? if you go to an allergist, have you brought the asthma up to him/her?

She has had a lot of testing done to help treat her EE (eos). What I am basically learning is that allergy testing is not 100% accurate. The fact that she *has* allergies is obvious but I am not sure we will ever know what all the triggers are. She has tested + to various pollens and some mold, as well as many, many foods.
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Thanks so much for talking through this with me. I got my allergy shot this AM and I asked the nurse if they have a pulse ox there that I could put Nitara on real quick. She has been looking awful the last two days with dark circles under the eyes, runny nose, and the breathing thing when she's outside running around. I have been giving her Claritin and it helps with her runny nose but not much else. The pollen counts are very high with trees right now and Nitara tested ++ to trees.

So anyway I asked them if I could get her to run around outside and then do the pulse ox on her. They said no, that I could just make an appt and talk about symptoms and they will treat her based on history of what I say. I really did want to know what her O2 was today though, because she's huffing and puffing. Oh well. She has an appt for next Friday. I'll let you know what happens. I'm starting to get a feeling that the food allergies are just the tip of the iceburg with Nitara. At least she's not vomiting anymore (for the time being).

My father's asthma/allergies/eczeme are in the very severe category. Mine are moderate. So it's really not a surprise that at least one child would have allergies/asthma. But still it's hard to face the reality of it. I just never imagined the EE part. I thought we could help our kids feel better with meds and life would go on.

[tylertyler]

http://homeopathic.com/articles/research/asthma_t.php

[krizzanne]

I second the link above, and say please just try going to a naturopath/wholistic ped. There are treatments to support lung function in TCM and in other therapies. Because the whole body is linked and this is a reactive disorder, there is a lot you can do to decrease the reactions, and she will get better.

My dd is successfully treated this way for her excercised induced asthma/excema/and allergy.

Allopathy treats the symptoms and will just give you medicine for the lungs w/o finding an underlying cause.

[Momily]

My son sounds a lot like your little one, even at his worst he is happy and active. Without treatment he's basically never OK, but he's also never in "crisis" to the degree that he needs to be hospitalized. However, his pulmonologist and allergist both agree that long spells of untreated asthma (without treatment my son would have had asthma symptoms continuously from 6 weeks to his present age of 7) can cause kids to have permanently decreased lung function, can cause deformation of the chest cavity (because they compensate by pulling and pushing so hard with their stomach muscles) and increased risk of serious problems later.

I'd vote for making an appointment with an allergist or pediatric pulmonologist and starting some kind of treatment plan.

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by USAmma

Thanks so much for talking through this with me. I got my allergy shot this AM and I asked the nurse if they have a pulse ox there that I could put Nitara on real quick. She has been looking awful the last two days with dark circles under the eyes, runny nose, and the breathing thing when she's outside running around. I have been giving her Claritin and it helps with her runny nose but not much else. The pollen counts are very high with trees right now and Nitara tested ++ to trees.

So anyway I asked them if I could get her to run around outside and then do the pulse ox on her. They said no, that I could just make an appt and talk about symptoms and they will treat her based on history of what I say. I really did want to know what her O2 was today though, because she's huffing and puffing. Oh well. She has an appt for next Friday. I'll let you know what happens. I'm starting to get a feeling that the food allergies are just the tip of the iceburg with Nitara. At least she's not vomiting anymore (for the time being).

My father's asthma/allergies/eczeme are in the very severe category. Mine are moderate. So it's really not a surprise that at least one child would have allergies/asthma. But still it's hard to face the reality of it. I just never imagined the EE part. I thought we could help our kids feel better with meds and life would go on.

When you go in for her appointment, ask about a peak flow meter. Using one of those you'd be able to tell how her lung function is without having to wait for an appointment.

EE/EGID would have to qualify as my worst nightmare as far is allergic conditions go. My oldest was once allergic to 12+ foods (he's down to 6), 3 types of dander (cat, dog, horse), dust mites, 28ish pollens/trees/shrubs and his total IgE numbers are generally above 1000 kUl. Somehow we dodged the EGID bullet though, and his asthma is very mild.

As far as hereditary stuff goes, 3 of my 4 kids have eczema, and 2 of the 4 have confirmed allergies.

[USAmma]

WC_hapamama, so sorry to hear about your kids. At least with the EE, we can avoid those things that bother her. It's so much harder to avoid pollens and things. I will ask about peak flow meters. Do you think a 3yo could use one? I have one for myself but I don't know what the "green zones" would be for her age.

EE is something we can deal with. It stinks, iit's hard, but it's not the end of the world, you know? What really scares me is anaphylactic allergies. I hope we don't even go there and my heart goes out to those who have to carry the epipens.

The appt is next Friday so I'll post back here.

As far as homeopathic treatments-- it sounds really great but I am so afraid to give her plant extracts right now. Anything with any trace of protein is a potential to cause more inflammation and vomiting. I want to get her healed first and then we can maybe start to introduce things back into her diet. She vomited rice-based probiotics a couple weeks ago. She vomited up 100% apple juice (she loves raw apples but I wonder if they are making her sick?). So I really don't want to do anything right now other than elemental diet. Hopefully she'll get a clean scope and we can slowly move forward. Yeah, eventually I'd LOVE to treat the cause and not the symptoms. If she *just* had asthma/allergies and not the EE I would be a lot more willing to try this.

[krizzanne]

You know, I had never heard of EE before, and I just did a little reading about it, and that sounds very difficult to deal with. I am sending hugs and prayers!

I completely understand that you don't want to try any other medicines to ingest!

I still recommend trying a natural practitioner as well, because they also use oils, accupressure, massage techniques (check out tuina massage on Randall Neustaedter 's site), etc... that have been used for hundreds of years.

Allopathy has effective treatments, works, and saves lives, but it does not generally treat the whole person.

[wendy1221]

Originally Posted by krizzanne

I still recommend trying a natural practitioner as well, because they also use oils, accupressure, massage techniques (check out tuina massage on Randall Neustaedter 's site), etc... that have been used for hundreds of years.

Allopathy has effective treatments, works, and saves lives, but it does not generally treat the whole person.

You know, people are always telling people to go see an ND here. I'd like to know how we're supposed to afford it. My dh is a graduate student and I SAH. He is a TA and gets paid $1600 per month. Less than $19,000 per year (gets paid less in the summer!)

I called the new ND who just came to our area. THe INITIAL CONSULTATION ALONE was $500!!! I was afraid to ask how much actual treatments would cost! That's nearly 1/3 of our monthly income! Until Medicaid and other insurances start paying for alternative treatment, there will just simply be PLENTY of people who truly can't afford to go see an ND.

And quite honestly, if we had an extra $500, I'd spend it getting some of my weird moles removed. I don't have insurance at all. 3 of my 4 grandparents had skin cancer, so it's a real concern for me.

[RachelGS]

If you go with nebulizer treatments, ask your ped about Xoponex. It's better than albuterol in our experience-- works great with fewer shakes.

You can get a nebulizer at a medical supply place if your ped will prescribe meds.

[krizzanne]

''I called the new ND who just came to our area. THe INITIAL CONSULTATION ALONE was $500!!! I was afraid to ask how much actual treatments would cost! That's nearly 1/3 of our monthly income! Until Medicaid and other insurances start paying for alternative treatment, there will just simply be PLENTY of people who truly can't afford to go see an ND.'' quote from wendy 1221 above.

ugh, that is crazy! and that is not the norm. here's a blurb from http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=508&xcntr=13

Initial office visits are usually between $75 and $100 and follow-ups are in the range of $35 - $50. The prescribed supplements are usually vitamin, mineral, herbal, and/or homeopathic. Each of these supplements are far less expensive than prescriptions filled at the pharmacy. However, in the states of Arizona, Oregon, and Washington, N.D.'s are licensed to prescribe antibiotics, thyroid medicine, progesterone, as well as other drugs that may end up costing you more. [/COLOR]

I used to be a nurse in a low income clinic and had 3 practitioners that would see a certain amount of clients for $10-15 each month that we referred to them. If you ask around you may be able to find one that helps you out.

It's always a weighted decision if the benefit is worth spending the money or not. I have opted not to spend the money before... it's sad how slowly it is being recognized as a valid treatment plan.

[momto l&a]

From what I have read asthma can be cured with vitamin C with bowel tolerance doses.

Vitamin C is an antihistamine

[tylertyler]

Dear Wendy
Try and find clinics that are run via homeopathic schools or naturopathic schools,you have students working on you for a greatly reduced fee.
Here are some websites for alternative medicine info a lot you can try on your own. www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com
www.healthy.net
www.mercola.com


Regards the post about homeopathics containing plant substances;
Homeopathy is pure ENERGY medicine it is not HERBAL medicine it does NOT contain one molecule of the PHYSICAL substance. My husband is a hard core 100% veggan,no animal products what so ever,no leather shoes/belts/wallets. He has done the reseach behind homeopathic remedies and he is fine with it,that is what he uses for his ailments. www.homeopathic.com
FAQ- good website easy to follow for a beginner


Abstaining from allopathic meds as much as possible is a good way to avoid health problems,people with great immunes DO NOT GET ALLERGIES nor asthma......................Believe me it is NOT normal to have allergies,it is the body protesting the toxic overload.
My entire family and extended family do not have any allergies,not to pollens,not to foods. All of us have stoped all allopathic meds for over a decade now.
Tyler

[USAmma]

Initial office visits are usually between $75 and $100 and follow-ups are in the range of $35 - $50. The prescribed supplements are usually vitamin, mineral, herbal, and/or homeopathic.

Wow, I live in AZ and I have called two different NP's. Both have a consulation fee of over $200, and follow-ups are a little less. I'm sure it's worth every dollar-- I just wish I had that $ to spend. Nitara's medical food is $300/month.

Believe me it is NOT normal to have allergies,it is the body protesting the toxic overload.

I know there are different ideas on what causes allergies. N's allergist says that the environment is too clean now-- we don't get sick with terrible diseases and we don't have parasites, we have clean water, so the body puts its energy towards fighting off the wrong things.