Sickness

My Dane is sick.

I can honestly say he has only been sick a handful of times in his 6 years.

The worst thing he has ever experienced was an ear infection and I was able to treat that at home with chiropractic care and his urine applied in his ear. He never had another ear infection after that. He was around 8 months old.

The same would be true of Webb. He has been sick about 3 times and the worst thing he has ever experienced was also an ear infection. I cleared that up the same way and he, also, never had another one.

Now, one might jump to conclusions and say it is because they are homeschooled and not exposed  to as many germs....

But, I argue that case. I don't raise them in a bubble. Quite the opposite. I am a busy woman. We go to church, play groups, Bible study, birthday parties, story times, restaurants, co-ops, and lots more. I am in and out of hospitals with birthing momma's and Brent is on the ambulance more often than not. We are definitely exposed to our fair share of germs.

I think a huge component is that I am not scared of germs for one.

I love germs! Bring on the germs, folks!!!

My kids drop their food in public, I let them pick it up and eat it. Your kids have recently been sick? Well, by all means, please have them sneeze on mine. Ok, not really that last one. BUT... if your kid did, I can assure you, I would NOT freak out. I might get grossed out, but whatever. Mine will survive.

The only germs I do try to stay away from are stomach bugs because NO ONE likes to deal with that.

But seriously, I think germs are great and I do not try to keep them from getting on my kids, scrub them off my kids, or bleach any surface the germs might have gotten on... or whatever y'all germ conscious folks germaphobes do ;-) 

For 6 years now, I have used holistic, homeopathic, herbal, and or home remedies. They have NEVER failed me.

I repeat.....

N-E-V-E-R

My kids have never had an antibiotic.

Their immune system kicks butt!

I believe God created the very things I need to fight infections in my home. I truly believe that. He is an amazing God and when it comes to things I put in my body, I stand firm in my belief that God-made is ALWAYS better than man-made; be it food or medicine.

Matthew 10:1 says:

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease

I'm not saying He has given me the power to heal my sons or myself, but I do believe He has given me the tools to do so. I believe He created certain herbs for the very purpose of healing, fighting infections, and boosting immune systems. Even as basic as the internet where I can search and read up on this lifestyle, I believe is a gift from Him.

So, when my Dane is exposed to kids at church who have strep and then he starts showing signs and symptoms of the same thing, I am not going to change my philosophy now.

Nope, I am going to research, ask my fellow voodoo friends and relatives for advice, take him for an adjustment, and go to the local herb shop and talk with the herbalist.

A friend of mine, Danielle, reminded me of Colloidal Silver. I always turn to Elderberry, Echinacea, Golden Seal, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, and Vitamin C. I always forget about Colloidal Silver. Mine was even 2 years expired, but I started giving that to Dane last night every hour. Colloidal Silver, I believe, is God's antibiotic. It is an amazing herb that can be used for pretty much anything! And it tastes like water too. I also gave Dane honey water with ACV, Vitamin C, and Elderberry last night. I kept a cool cloth on his forehead and he laid on an ice-pack because his head hurt. I also was feeding him ice chips and giving him lots of cold water. He took 2 luke warm showers as well.

I spent the afternoon/evening praying over Dane and asking God for wisdom. I asked Him to remove my peace if I was to do something different with Dane.

By bedtime, his fever was 103.8 and stayed that high for over 2 hours. He was almost delusional, but he still told me, "I'm feeling better, mom". I truly believe that fever was aiding in fighting his infection. I believe fevers are a good thing that if left alone, they raise up to where they need to be in order to play offense in his body. However, after 2 hours of it not lowering (and because I knew his daddy would ask me to give him some if he were home and that is really his only stipulation for my voodoo medicine) I went head and gave him some Infant's Tylenol (it was expired too!). We had that from when Webb was a baby and had a febrile seizure. It had been used once, so I think it was still good. 

He slept all night and I checked on him off and on and prayed for him. Once in the middle of the night, I was praying over him and as I closed, he piped in a sleepy, "Amen". LOL. 

As I was going to bed, I had lots of feedback on a FB post I had made about him being sick. I KNEW beforehand I would have some medically minded/folks completely opposed to holistic care/worried friends who would warn me. I have to say, not as many as I expected though! Whew, because defending my beliefs can sometimes be exhausting and honestly, not really worth the effort.

Naysayers don't bother me though (I know you find that hard to believe with all my alternative approaches). I appreciate their concern, but ultimately, Dane is mine and Brent's and we answer to God for how we raise Him. We choose paths that we feel comfortable with and that bring us peace. Every decision made is made out of a complete and abundant love for our children and with their health and safety (long term too) at stake and in our mind. I am not going to change my choice for fighting sickness just because I hear of a horror story or 2 (I have my opinions on the horror stories though). You will always hear horror stories.... no matter what path you choose. Alternative or not. I could list horror stories for antibiotics, circumcision, vaccinations, hospital births, etc. But I don't and I won't, because my convictions aren't always other's convictions. I don't answer for them, just as they don't answer for me. I appreciate the warnings, because they really and truly do make me think through my decision and ask God, "OK, are You using this horror story to show me something or is the devil trying to take me off the path you have chosen for me and bring fear into my heart and life?" And really, I appreciate the opportunity to know, that I know, that I know, that this is the lifestyle God has chosen for me. And clearly, what we do works for our family. 

My children are evidence of that.

So, I will keep on until it I find that it doesn't work for something and then, I will try another route.

Please know that I don't think badly of anyone who chooses a different path than we do for issues such as strep. Like I said, this is my conviction and I feel as strongly about this as you probably do about using meds and that is fine. We are not all the same, but that doesn't mean we have to cast judgement or look down on one another for our differences. I also appreciate the fact that there are medications WIDELY available to treat pretty much everything under the sun. I am grateful to know that if the need, that is NEED, ever arose for us, I can get something we need and get it fast. 

Oh, and the herbalist today said that ALJ, and Oregon Grape are also great for fighting strep along with Colloidal Silver. She said Colloidal Silver works great though and will most definitely fight off this infection. Since this is my first time dealing with strep, I'm anxious to see... I'll keep you all posted! And Dane has been fever free all day, although he is still pretty lethargic and puny.