What do you do when your kids get sick?

As the week is closing, I am very thankful to say that we all made it through our respiratory bug in good time. We all seem to be very much ourselves here in the end of the week! And, so I want to answer the question I've heard from a variety of voices: "What do you do when your kids get sick?"

Since I'm answering a specific question, I want to give specific answers, which will include specific product recommendations. In light of my previous two posts about contaminants in supplements, I make my recommendations in perfect conscience. This company holds to the most rigorous and thorough quality testing for raw materials, manufacturing processes, and end products.


First, there is an underlying concept that guides my decisions about how to nurse sick ones back to health. When my family gets sick, I want to do everything I can to boost their own inherent ability to fight sickness. The main reason I am very slow to give over-the-counter remedies and antibiotics is that they undermine the body's natural response, which in turn prevents the body from developing antibodies and strengthening its defenses. A secondary reason is that the remedies and medications are tainted with all manner of dangerous ingredients. For all you moms out there who want an easy-to-understand yet informative presentation on how the immune system was created to function, please watch this.

When we first heard Witzy coughing, we added this to her daily supplement:
1. probiotics each morning
2. echinacea/elderberry three times daily
3. an herbal immune booster twice a day
4. Vitamin C every few hours.

We extended this regimen to the other three children, knowing that their immune systems would need fortification. It is impossible to keep my children separate!

My children passed through the cold/cough much quicker than they would without the immune system strengtheners. If I had taken them to our pediatrician and had him prescribe an antibiotic, they would have felt better in about the same time. But, because I didn't interfere with their bodies' own mechanisms, they are better prepared to fight the good fight the next time they are exposed to a bug -- which will happen, we all know!

Another thing to note: we bought the kids Bolthouse Farms C-Boost juice as well. This is simply a cherry, mango juice with added vitamins. I don't know if it had any effect on the kids' recovery. But I woke up one night with a very painful earache. I took the above regimen plus drank a quart of the juice and within 24 hours had no more earache.

So that's my answer to the famous question. You can email me (ae at healthbeginswithmom dot com) if you have specific questions.