Using alternative medicines for your family

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By Susy Parker Goins

I really don’t like pumping my kids up with some drug to make them feel better. If my kids get sick, I refuse to pick up a bottle of ibuprofen or cough syrup or baby-anything drug.

Those man-made substances lining the grocery store shelf are easy, yes, but they are still drugs. Mild drugs, but there is another way. Why not go natural? What about herbs? Homeopathy? And all those other airy-fairy healing modalities?

For self-limiting conditions like colds, sore throats and even chicken pox and mumps, there are loads of resources available — in your library, on the internet, at your friendly neighborhood natural foods cooperative — to allow you to handle these conditions safely, gently, confidently and at home.

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What might make some people nervous is the fact you don’t need a medical license to use herbs, homeopathy or flower essences. That’s because western medicos don’t view these healing modalities as effective. What they refuse to see is that their synthetic medicines are based on herbal preparations used hundreds of years before synthetics were developed to supplant these natural remedies. Medicos will claim these natural preparations are not tested and therefore unsafe. I have two words for them: “Redux” and “FenPhen.”

Alright, I’m off my soapbox now. Let’s continue.

Research your healing modality of choice

Where to start? Well, you’re plugged into the internet, so start there. Search for “medicinal herbs,” and a page full of sites with pictures and descriptions pops right up. Some of the more respected web sites are:

• Health World Online
• Botanical.com
• Susun Weed
• The Herbal Encyclopedia
• Henrietta’s Herbal Pages

I prefer a site that has a picture of the herb. I guess some day I hope to become proficient enough to identify the useful plants in my yard (as if my neighbors need another reason to think I’m a freak).

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There are also plenty of great books available to have on hand. My favorites include:

• Anything by Susun Weed
• Gentle Healing for Baby and Child by Andrea Candee
• The Herb Book by John Lust
• Dian Dincin Buchman’s Herbal Medicine
• The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman
• Natural Medicine for Children by Julian Scott

Keep a copy of a reliable herbal reference on hand. I particularly Dr. Scott’s Natural Medicine for Children because it is broken down by illness and lists several options for treatments.

Homeopathy

Next there’s homeopathy. “Let like cure like.” The beauty of homeopathy is that if you pick the wrong remedy, absolutely nothing will happen. You don’t get better, but you certainly don’t get worse. When you pick the correct remedy, you get better faster.

Some very useful books are:

• Dana Ullman’s The Consumer’s Guide to Homeopathy
• The Family Guide to Homeopathy by Alain Horvilleur, M.D.
• Anything by Dr. Andrew Lockie
• Natural Medicine for Children by Julian Scott
• Let Like Cure Like by Vinton McCabe

Not happy with books? Would feel more confident with something more hands-on? Check out your local continuing education facility, the yellow pages for naturopathic practitioners, local herb groups. While your natural foods store cannot make direct recommendations, they can
certainly guide you through the maze to high-quality herbs and tinctures.

You want more?
And if you want to take it to a higher level, find an accredited educational institution. I have a certificate in homeopathy from the American College of Health Sciences. (And you thought I got this gig using my stunning good looks, huh?) Natural Healers lists natural medicine schools in the United States and Canada.

Standard caveat: if you or your child experiences symptoms including alarmingly high fevers, convulsions, etc, go to a doctor or other medical facility. Heroic, you don’t have to be. Smart, yes.

Put down that bottle, drop the dropper and explore and empower yourself by using these natural healing methods on you and your family. Your body will be glad you did.

© Susy Parker Goins

Susy Parker Goins is a special contributor to Natural Family Online.