Natural Remedies Are Not Always Appropriate For Children

Do you recall as a child what your mom did to make you feel better when you were sick? Whether it is the flu, a cold, infections, or a list of childhood illnesses that befall your child, the debate rages on as to what is the best curative method to treat childhood illnesses.

 

While there are many these days who believe in homeopathic treatments that utilizing natural health remedies, there are just as many who believe they can be harmful to a children. Those who believe these natural treatments are not only safe but also truly work wonders, for example, may make use of herbs to treat a child’s cold.

 

Some experts differ on their opinions. Some of them believe the words “safe” and “natural” are not mutually exclusive. Take Attention Deficit Disorder as an example. For many years, doctors have prescribed the drug Ritalin which, as we know today, can actually cause more harm then good. In fact a study determined that 1 out of every 12 children who take Ritalin might develop chromosome abnormalities. What then is their solution? The use of natural vitamins and minerals to treat this disorder is recommended, but who is right?

 

Certainly if you have a sick child, and you were told the natural remedies you were using could cause serious side affects to your child you would avoid them at all costs. On the other hand however, if you were told there is a powerful new wonder drug that will cure your child you would most likely jump at the chance to obtain it. 

 

The problem with many natural remedies is that there are no clear cut answers as to whether or not they are safe or achieve the desired results and little to no scientific evidence to back up the claims. While there are those herbalists who would disagree with this assessment, the bottom line is that if a child is ill what works for an adult does not necessarily mean it will work for your kids. 

 

Caution needs to be taken whenever natural remedies are used to treat childhood illnesses. Moreover, some of these natural health remedies can cause side effects just like prescription drugs, especially if a doctor has prescribed an antibiotic and the two remedies are combined so be sure to let your doctor know if you are treating your child with any such remedies prior to the doctor prescribing another medication.

 

Every parent has to decide what is best for his or her own child whether it is natural health remedies or prescribed medications from a doctor and research into the side effects should be incorporated into any decision making process.