The Crunchy PNP

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is one of the most common causes of bronchiolitis in children under 2. Luckily for many children, it acts like the common cold. Unfortunately for others, it can cause severe respiratory distress.

Recently, there has been an uptick in our community, so I wanted to shed some light on alternative options of care. Being that it is a virus, there are only symptomatic treatments and no allopathic medications to cure the infection. However, studies show that by using homeopathy, you can shorten the duration and prevent complications!

Homeopathic medications to try…

For prevention:

🤧Aviaire 15c: 1 dose every other week
🤧Blatta Orientalis 15c: 1 dose every other week
🤧Oscillococcinum: 1 dose weekly
🤧Natrum Sulphuricum 30c: 10pellets/week

For symptoms:

🤧Antimonium Tartaricum 9c
🤧Blatta Orientalis 6c
🤧Ipecac 6c
🤧Cuprum Mettalicum 6c

Combine 10 pellets of each medication. Dissolve in 2oz of water and give 5ml every hour for 2 days.
Children over 1 can have 5 pellets of each, alternating every hour.

For recovery:

🤧Sulphur Iodatum 9c: 5 pellets 2x/day for 10 days
🤧Natrum Muriaticum 30c: 5 pellets once a day for a week
🤧Pulsatilla 30c: 5 pellets once a day for a week

Disclaimer: If you think your child may be in respiratory distress, you need to seek urgent care. Children can only work so hard for so long before their bodies tire out, so please, do not attempt to treat children in distress with homeopathy.

*Not medical advice. Please talk with your provider on best treatment for your child.

‘Tis the season for all the holiday crud. 🤧

🤒On top of cough and congestion, vomiting and diarrhea, fevers are often a part of childhood illness’; some studies indicating that they are the cause of up to 1/3rd of acute care visits.

But are fevers really a bad thing? The answer, is no!

A fever is the bodies way of trying to naturally combat an illness, and by suppressing it, you actually are prolonging the illness. 😱

Although febrile seizures are often a concern of parents, in neurotypical children, that is unlikely to occur. Also, seizures typically are caused by a quick fever spike, which cannot be avoided by altering and frequently giving antipyretics.

Furthermore, Tylenol specifically decreases glutathione production, which is essential for helping your body detox and fight illness.

So next time your child feels warm, treat the child and not the thermometer. If they are still able to rest comfortably and keep fluids down, let the fever ride. If they are miserable, try Epsom salt baths, cool compress’ in the groin and armpits, essential oils up and down their spine/on their feet (I prefer diluted peppermint, On Guard, FLOOM, or Stronger), ensuring adequate hydration, and homeopathy.

*Not medical advice

Do you have cranky, moody kids? It’s possible that they are on an emotional roller coaster due to blood sugar dysregulation!Hangry is a real thing, and it can most definitely negatively impact a child’s behavior.

In some kids, added sugars can ferment in their gut and turn into an alcohol, and like adults who have been drinking, their behaviors are not typical to say the least.

So if you have a sugar monster or a carb-ivore, try adding in proteins at every meal. Even better, add in a healthy fiber and fat also to keep that sugar regulated, then see if regulating their sugars can help flatten out those moody responses.

*Not medical advice*

5% of pediatric doctor visits are made to discuss 💩. And it’s no surprise; our typical American diet and fast food lifestyles set the stage for constipation, but what’s worse, is that most children are then frequently prescribed an over the counter medication that itself is complete 💩.

What is that OTC med you ask?!

Miralax

Before I dive into this though, I want you to know that if you have used this in the past, it’s okay. Once you know better, you do better, so no judgement, just education to help in the future;)

But…did you know that miralax was never studied long enough in children to be FDA approved? In fact, the FDA only approved it for adults on a short term basis, yet it is one of the most common medications tossed at children by PCPs and pediatric GI specialists. To add to that, the studies that were started in children had parental reports that the medication caused neuropsychiatric side effects including depression, anxiety, mood disorders, seizures, and even psychosis.

Although I don’t take a lot of stock in “FDA approvals”, the concerning list of side effects and lack of safety studies with this medication has it as a hard pass for me.

Children should be stooling daily, and it should be the consistency of a mushy banana. If your child is not going daily, and/or it is any different consistency, you may want to look at other options to help.

Things I like to use are…

💩Daily multivitamin with fiber (preferably methylated)
💩Daily probiotic
💩Daily addition of 1-2 T chia or h**p seeds to your child’s diet
💩Nightly magnesium or Epsom salt baths
💩BioRay kids “pooper” (Crunchy10 for a discount) as needed
💩Gaia herbs Laxative tea as needed (brew and give 1/4 brewed tea at night)
💩Earthly Infant Tummy Relief (Link in bio for products) as needed
💩Castor Oil packs (Queen of the Thrones link in bio, use CrunchyPNP10 for a discount)

Remember though, you cannot out supplement a bad diet! Try to incorporate 5-6 servings of fruits and veggies a day, 1/2 their body weight in water daily, and if nothing seems to work, you may want to look into removing dairy and/or gluten.

*Not medical advice*

Are your kids having nightmares, night terrors, or waking up in the middle of the night? Try these homeopathic remedies….

Aconitum: Acute fear/panicky nightmares
Arsenicum: Waking between 1-3 with restlessness/fear
Calcium Carb: Scary nightmares of monsters
Silica: Night waking with sleep walking
Sulphur: Vivid nightmares

Try 200C dilution and give 3 pellets before bed and another 3 if they wake up. You should see improvements within 3-4 days. If not, try a different remedy.

*Not medical advice*

Check out some products our family uses frequently!

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🤧It’s flu season, so why not start here?!

Influenza can be scary for parents, as no one wants to watch their child suffer from fevers, body aches, and/or a cough. If you know how to support their bodies though, and realize that these symptoms are their way of working through the illness, it becomes much less stressful.

Most primary care providers won’t tell you the risk vs benefits of 💉and 💊, so here are some statistics about the dangers of the flu and the efficacy of traditional recommendations. I support a parents right to choose, but I also fully believe in informed consent.

🚫Remember, these posts are meant to be informational and are not meant to be replaced as medical advice. Please talk with your provider about best options for your child.

👋Hi friends! I’m new here, so I wanted to jump on and give an introduction. ✨My name is Emily and I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I am also a mama of four beautiful souls, and over the last decade, have been muddling through the murky waters of pediatric health care. After struggling with some of my own children’s health, and watching one of my daughter’s friends battle cancer, I drifted from the conventional medical model I was taught in school, and have started questioning the status quo. Now don’t get me wrong, I still believe that western medicine has it’s time and place, but I no longer believe that medicine is one size fits all. 🩺I also know I’m not alone in this, and I know that plenty of you feel the same way. So, my goal for this account is to help provide educational information (not medical advice) for parents who want to live a more holistic and “crunchy” life, who want options for their health care, and/or who just want to advocate for their children. I want families to know and understand that “No” is a complete sentence, that your provider works for you, and that there are so many options for health than what you are likely being taught! ✨So join me, as we work together to navigate this crazy medical system.