Want to keep your kids off drugs? A growing number of health practitioners view with great concern the recent proliferation of medications targeted at kids.

I urge parents to turn first to common-sense home remedies or natural alternatives whenever possible. Save the acetaminophen and ibuprofen for real emergencies. I enjoy assisting parents in increasing their skills in using time-tested Traditional Chinese and home remedies to help their kids feel better and rely less on drugs.

Children metabolize drugs differently than adults– cases of lingering side effects, like grogginess, hyperactivity and accidental overdoses are common. Poison control receives tens of thousands of calls each year regarding pediatric acetaminophen alone and thousands of kids end up in emergency rooms each year due to cough and cold medicine overdoses. Between 2000-2010, the FDA received reports of 14 deaths due to acetaminophen-dosing errors – these were only the reported cases.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (February 28, 2011) boldly pronounced that parents need to stop treating their kids for every fever that comes down the pike. This is great news, because (1) most fevers are the body’s defense mechanism to burn out viruses; (2) most viruses in kids are self-limiting — the body clears them up on its own; (3) antibiotics are useless against viruses, and their use in these cases adds to the antibiotic abuse problem existing today and (4) fever treatment in the form of acetaminophen or aspirin has its own inherent side effects.

If your child gets a virus or runs a fever, assure they get plenty of rest, water, and good diet and nutrition. Remember our bodies have a built-in system to slow us down when we are sick – we feel bad so we will stop, rest and heal! It’s ok for your child to feel a little bad, yet there are natural ways to help them feel more comfortable while their body is healing. No carbs, dairy and sugars, plenty of rich nutrient dense stocks, soups and teas. Herbal formulas, nutritional supplements and sometimes the right calcium are all natural anti-fever remedies to help keep your child comfortable while fighting a virus, yet not reduce fever so much infection can set in more easily. The old fashioned cool rag and tender loving nurturing snuggled up with a good long book is a great remedy. This teaches your children it’s ok to slow down, be sick and give the body time to heal. The best news is the better your child eats, and the more you use good daily supplements tailored to suit your child’s needs (no multivitamins please!), the fewer colds your kids will get each year. TCM has tried and true remedies for many childhood ailments including earaches, diarrhea, constipation, growing pains, seasonal allergies, asthma, sore throat, teething pain and even bug bites! I look forward to helping you build your natural medicine cabinet with effective, natural remedies for your family.

Part 2 of this blog coming next week . . .