We concluded he had strep due to his symptoms and the sick kiddos he had been exposed to.
I asked some other holistic friends what they did with strep since this was our first rodeo with it.
A friend I highly trust told me to use Silver Shield every hour.
We did a few other things to begin with, but religiously stuck to giving a dropper full every hour of Silver Shield.
I also tried to give him some ALJ.... he threw up most of what I gave him, but he was able to keep some of it down.
Other than the time his fever was close to 104 for 3ish hours, I let his fever run it's course and do it's thang. We took him for a chiropractic adjustment also on Monday morning.
He was sick from Sunday morning/afternoon, until Tuesday. He was fever free from Tuesday morning and on. He was still puny and lethargic so I continued to make him rest and take the Silver Shield. I think so many times we let kids get crazy again before they are completely better and hinder their healing process. Their little bodies require rest to heal.
By Wednesday night, he was totally and completely better!
I am so thankful I listened to the Lord here and did what I knew would work and didn't get scared away from healing strep at home. I'm also thankful I now know how to treat strep.
A friend of mine said if we stayed away from antibiotics, he would most likely develop an immunity to strep. I'm curious to see if that is the case too. I sure hope so.
Now, where to buy these natural suckers (I have no idea if this is considered homeopathic, natural, holistic, herbal, etc. When researching it, I found it to be classified as homeopathic, but someone, who knows more than me, corrected me on FB. I decided that doesn't really matter. All that matters is that it works!). When you are in dire need of something, you can't wait for it to be shipped and you are willing to pay lots and lots of money (just think of all you save with co-pays and antibiotics!). I went straight to the herb shop Monday morning and bought fresh colloidal silver since mine was expired.
BUT......
I recommend stocking your medicine (that is what we call it, but it is full of herbal, homeopathic, holistic goodies) cabinet before a sickness occurs. At least with some of the basics (Silver Shield, Elderberry, ALJ, Golden Seal, Echinacea, raw Apple Cider Vinegar, raw honey, and the most recently discovered, Oregon Grape) . Like me, you may go into the herb shop with as sickness and have the herbalist tell you of a product you have never heard of before to treat something (She told me Oregon Grape is especially great for kids because it tastes like grape, unlike ALJ, and it is great for flu, strep, viruses, colds, etc. It helps your lymphatic system work properly.). I still didn't buy that one, I searched on Vitacost while in there and found it was S12 instead of the $32 the herb shop was asking and stuck with just the Silver (it was $35 at the herb shop and on Vitacost it was $15).
I do plan on buying some extra Silver on Vitacost and some of that Oregon Grape to make sure I have on hand. It is so much fun though to go into the herb shop and ask questions about common illnesses and find out what works! I seriously love learning about it.
If you decide to purchase things off Vitacost, I posted a blog a long time ago telling you how you can save $10 off your first purchase made through them (or through a new email address). Then you can stock up as well.
I have had many ppl ask me about how my husband feels about holistic health care since he is in the medical world.
Funny you should ask.
I think his opinion changes from time to time, but when it comes to our kids (so not necessarily himself), he lets me lead. He hasn't done the research like I have and I do believe he trusts me with my plan because he has seen it work every single time. He also sees the abuse of the system up close and personal. So many folks who take drugs just for a sniffle or sneeze and immune systems that literally don't know how to function. I think he actually might be proud of me for taking a different route, a road that sometimes gets judged or analyzed a little harshly, but is safe and effective.
His only stipulation is that our children not suffer unnecessarily with a fever. Because I believe fevers are a good thing, I don't like to give fever reducing meds, ever.
When Webb was 18ish months old, he had a febrile seizure. He was teething and he slept with us or I might never have known he even had one.
I woke up in the middle of the night to Webb nursing and I could tell he had a fever. He wasn't fussy though, just nursing and I knew he was teething. It was the first time, EVER, that I thought out of nowhere, "I hope he doesn't have a seizure." I think God allowed me to be concerned so I would be half awake when it happened. I started feeling him shake and I put my phone light on his face. I'll never forget the horrifying picture. His eyes were back in his head, his fists were clenched up at his head, and he was convulsing. I yelled at Brent, "Wake up! He is having a seizure!!" He was currently in EMT school so I actually felt very safe. He was asleep and we had a sick goat he thought I was talking about and he mumbled something and rolled over. I yelled, "BRENT!!!! Webb is having a seizure!!!" He jumped up telling me to turn the light on. He knew what to look for and how to position him. He told me to call 911 while he did those things. I stayed calm until I heard, "911, what's your emergency?" Then I lost it. By the time the ambulance came, he had come out of his seizure and was in the postictal phase. Very very confused and fussy. Like I said, had I not been sleeping with him, I never would have known why he was acting this way. We decided to travel by ambulance since Webb had a history of passing out daily just to make sure it was fever related and not another issue. Once at the ER, it was confirmed that it was due to his fever either raising too quickly or lowering to quickly. In tears I asked, "Is this my fault? Since I don't do fever reducing medication? Could I have prevented this?" The Dr on call said, "No! Most children that have these actually come from families who DO use fever reducing medications. That is the thing about a febrile seizure. They are sudden. You can't predict them or prevent them. We like fevers around here, just like you. We don't recommend using fever reducing meds until a fever hits 103.4 anyways. You didn't do anything wrong." That made me feel so much better. Still, the horror of what I saw was engraved on my mind. Brent and I agreed that day that if the kids ever had a fever around 104 that wouldn't lower, we would give them a small dose of Tylenol. Brent was adamant that if our boys were teething, or something that a fever didn't benefit them from, that we would give them something before that if we felt like they were in pain. Marriage is about give and take. Even though I didn't feel 100% on board with those decisions, Brent lets me make their healthcare decisions for the most part and I knew if this made him feel more comfortable, I needed to agree. So, I did. We stopped on the way home the hospital that day and bought Infant's Tylenol and only used half the dose that very night when Webb's fever spiked again. The only other time it was used was Sunday night when Dane's fever was 103.8 and had been for 3ish hours. I knew if Brent were home that would be his choice and I wanted to respect that.
So, there is our seizure story if you never heard it before! It was definitely one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced.
I believe I will continue to stick to my natural remedy mindset. I just love the fact that God created exactly what we need to heal us!
Wednesday morning, as I was getting ready for Bible study, Brent came into the bathroom and told me, "I just want you to know you made good decisions with how to treat Dane. You did a good job."
That my friends, is music to my ears :-)
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