Naturally Healthy Babies and Children

by Romm, Aviva Jill

• ISBN13: 9781580172851
• ISBN10: 1580172857
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-01
• Publisher: Storey Books

Summary

From anemia to whooping cough, this A-Z handbook addresses the common health issues of children, from newborn to preadolescent. Aviva Romm's whole-child approach integrates herbal remedies, nutrition, hygiene, and alternative health techniques with supportive, informed parenting. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Aviva Romm is a certified professional midwife and herbalist

Table of Contents

Foreword	vi
William Sears
Introduction	vii
Part I: Herbalism and Natural Healing	1	(84)
Toward a Deeper Understanding of Health	2	(12)
Herbal Medicine	14	(14)
Home Health Care for Children	28	(23)
Herbal Primer	51	(34)
Part II: Newborn and Baby Care	85	(84)
Conception through Birth: Laying the Foundation	86	(40)
Your Healthy Newborn	126	(13)
Natural Remedies for Newborns and Babies	139	(30)
Part III: Natural Healing for Children	169	(250)
The Needs of the Whole Child	170	(14)
Natural Remedies for Children's Common Complaints: An A--Z Guide	184	(235)
Abscesses	188	(4)
Aches	192	(2)
Acne	194	(4)
Allergies	198	(7)
Anemia (Iron Deficiency)	205	(3)
Appetite Loss	208	(3)
Asthma	211	(14)
Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder	225	(16)
Bed-Wetting	241	(6)
Bites and Stings	247	(7)
Boils	254	(3)
Broken Bones	257	(4)
Bruises	261	(1)
Burns	262	(3)
Car Sickness	265	(3)
Chicken Pox	268	(3)
Chills	271	(1)
Choking	272	(1)
Colds and Flu	273	(5)
Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye)	278	(3)
Constipation	281	(6)
Coughs, Bronchitis, and Congestion	287	(9)
Cuts, Scrapes, and Wounds	296	(2)
Depression	298	(5)
Diarrhea	303	(3)
Dysentery	306	(1)
Earaches and Ear Infections	307	(8)
Fevers	315	(10)
Food Sensitivities	325	(4)
German Measles (Rubella)	329	(1)
Headaches	330	(2)
Head Injuries	332	(1)
Hearing Problems	333	(3)
Immunity	336	(6)
Impetigo	342	(2)
Intestinal Parasites	344	(10)
Irritability	354	(1)
Lice	355	(2)
Measles	357	(5)
Meningitis	362	(1)
Mumps	363	(4)
Nightmares and Sleep Disturbances	367	(3)
Nosebleeds	370	(2)
Penis Irritations and Care	372	(2)
Poison Ivy and Poison Oak	374	(3)
Ringworm	377	(2)
Scabies	379	(3)
Skin Problems (General)	382	(3)
Sore Throat	385	(3)
Stomachaches	388	(2)
Strep Throat	390	(2)
Stress	392	(2)
Sties	394	(2)
Sunburn	396	(2)
Ticks	398	(1)
Urinary Tract Infections	399	(4)
Vaginal Itching	403	(2)
Vomiting	405	(4)
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)	409	(7)
Appendixes:
I. Common and Latin Names for Herbs	416	(2)
II. Assembling an Herbal First-Aid Kit	418	(1)
Converting Recipe Measurements to Metric	419	(1)
Resources	420	(2)
Further Reading	422	(5)
Index	427

Excerpts

Part I: Herbalism and Natural Healing Chapter 1: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Health We live in what is considered a "health-conscious" society: People jog and do aerobics, watch their weight and fat consumption, take vitamins and eat high-fiber cereals. Yet health problems are rampant. Now more than ever, we need to reevaluate our approach to children's health. In spite of our health consciousness, unprecedented numbers of young people in North America - with estimates in excess of 10 percent of all children between ages 3 and 18 - are being treated with stimulant and antidepressant medications for conditions such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), aggression, and anxiety. Most of these treatments, incidentally, are not proved safe or effective for children, and their use is almost entirely "off-label" (not approved for those purposes). Children are experiencing increasingly high rates of asthma, allergies, eczema, otitis media, respiratory infections, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, and various cancers such as leukemia. Childhood violence is also on the rise. Why are these problems occurring in the wealthiest, best-fed, most vaccinated society in the world? Clearly, something is not working. Our health consciousness is too often a quest for the "perfect body" or a daily life free of illness so that we can work more, stay up later, and look young longer. We have mistakenly bought into the idea that health is a certain body type or lifestyle, not an intrinsic sense of strength and vitality. Sadly, our standards of health are based on external ideas - the size of the clothing we wear; how long we can sustain our heart rates on a treadmill; how much we look like a tall, thin, twenty-two-year-old fashion model in a television commercial; and so on. As long as we continue to search outside ourselves for a standard of what health "looks like," we won't succeed. In reality, some of us are short, some are stocky, and some ride around in wheelchairs. We need to redefine our standard of health so that it is based upon an individual sense of well-being. Redefining Wellness Learning basic health skills that enable us to feel well and truly love who we are should be as important as learning to read. We must learn to eat well, exercise, relax, and live in good relationship to one another. Health may take on transpersonal meaning as we commit to ensuring it for all humanity. In this aspect, health may mean giving and sharing so that all can have enough. As a culture this means ensuring decent housing, meaningful work, and high-quality foods for all of our members. The freedom to enjoy life is at the heart of health. Without hope for the future, the human organism has no need to maintain vitality and, therefore, health. From the Inside Out Health is not merely the absence of disease. It is an inner spark that glows from the core of a person outward. As a culture we have adopted materialistic concepts about health and illness. We address the complaints of the body as mere physical symptoms and attempt cures that attend only to these physical manifestations of disease. In reality, health can be linked to our emotional state and our immediate surroundings. For example, when parents consult with me about a child with chronic earaches, I may gently ask whether they have been arguing within the child's earshot. Almost invariably, this query leads to a discussion about the stress they've been having in their home. Children are incredibly sensitive to stress in their environment, and their illnesses are often, though not always, a reflection of their efforts to cope with stress. Our approach to healing should incorporate awareness of the subtle spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of life and the ways these can become disturbed, resulting in physical illness. All of human life co