Blooms and Sniffles

My little son is rough and tumble. Actually, that might be an understatement. He's a happy, rambunctious, mud loving, bug eating boy. All boy. He's sturdy and strong, barrel chested, hard headed and utterly lovable. But don't let his manly facade fool you. Brutish he may be, but lurking under all that dirt and unidentified stickiness is a sensitive soul. He cuddles more than his sister ever would and is constantly giving me "smooches" and telling Momma that she looks "bootiful." He's my constant companion and is eager to help. He still seeks my hand when we stroll along together, and asks for songs before bed each night.


Bad to the Bone :)

 His soul isn't all that is sensitive. My son's immune system apparently hasn't gotten the message that it is housed inside a robust little boy. J is being monitored for the development of asthma, has severely dry skin and eczema, and more recently, has developed seasonal allergies. We watch his breathing carefully, use goat milk soap and lotions to keep his skin supple, but this last and newest development caught me off guard. I'm not allergic to anything. Nor is my husband. It took me almost two weeks of  him scratching at his itchy eyes and picking his runny nose before the light bulb went off. Many of my friends were complaining of allergy symptoms while I remained blissfully unaffected. And all that time, I just thought he had a cold that wouldn't quit!

Because symptoms are ongoing and occur daily, I wasn't okay with the idea of OTC medicines. For severe attacks, I might give him some Benadryl or children's Claritin but thus far, his allergies have been mild. I wanted something safe and natural that he could use on a daily basis. My most favorite herbal resource book recommended stinging nettles for allergy relief in children. I found a tincture at my local health food store that was made from nettles and echinacea. Two droppers down the gullet every three to four hours. I was skeptical at first, as we are slowly edging in to the natural health world, but wow! He'd wake up snotty and coughing and within 30 minutes of administering the drops, his nose dried up, the cough dissipated and he was making messes and chasing the cat in no time.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, here are some tips from Mother Earth News to help you find relief!

• Use a Neti Pot-I know people who SWEAR by these things (my mother included) but the whole thing just weirds me out. Plus it's not very practical with young children. But if you want tor try it, knock yourself out.

• Nettles- I can personally vouch for this one. It really works for my son.

• Omega 3's-A German study found that participants who ate foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids were less likely to suffer allergy symptoms than those who didn’t regularly eat these foods. Get out your flaxseeds!!

• Sublingual Immunotherapy- Say that three times fast! Really, it's just a fancy term for allergy shots. Patients are injected with diluted doses of certain allergens to help build immunity over time.

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