HEALTH TIPS (SERIES 3) Part 3

In most cases, a cough may persist for one or two weeks after the acute stage of illness and can be treated depending on the cause.

A cough that persists for more than two weeks should be monitored closely and evaluated especially if accompanied by other symptoms like, excessive sweating, decreased appetite, weight loss, poor weight gain or on and off fever.

"The use of cough suppressant is not recommended."

Instead you may opt to use natural home remedies like a chest compress with ginger or a chest rub with etheric oils in case of obstructive bronchitis or persistent cough. However, these external treatments should not be applied to infants less than four months of age, or those with overly sensitive skin or allergy-prone.

CHEST COMPRESS WITH GINGER

1. Prepare one cup of hot water.

2. Mix thoroughly two teaspoons of grated fresh ginger root or ground ginger with four tablespoons of the hot water in a small bowl, cover and set aside for ten minutes.

3. Prepare two compress cloths. The inner cloth may be raw silk or cotton which will be rolled up from both ends toward the middle and large enough to completely cover the child’s ribcage. This will be wrapped inside a larger cloth of wool or cotton that can be wring out.

4. Pour the remaining hot water in the ginger-water mixture prepared earlier. Dip the 2 compress cloths into the mixture but keep the ends of the outer cloth dry. Loop the cloths around a faucet, twist hard and wring out.

5. Make sure that the compress is not too hot before you apply it.

6. Spread out the outer cloth on your child’s bed. Ask your child to sit and roll out the inner cloth smoothly from your child’s spine in both directions to cover the entire ribcage. Instruct your child to lie down on the larger cloth and use it to secure the inner cloth firmly in place.

7. At first, apply the ginger compress for five minutes. If your child’s skin is not irritated, you may increase the time by three minutes at every application but not to exceed twenty minutes.

8. Make sure that your child’s bed is warm when you remove the compress.

9. Gently rub the treated area with a mild vegetable oil. The ginger-water mixture should not be used more than once.

CHEST RUB WITH ETHERIC OILS

The etheric oil that you can use for the chest rub can either be a 10 % lavender or 10% eucalyptus.

However, you cannot use the eucalyptus for patients with G6PD deficiency. In doing the chest rub, your hands must be warm. You will only use very small amounts of oil. You must also be calm and concentrated as you perform the ritual. Rub the entire rib cage of your child with the oil that you choose. Wrap your child’s upper body in a wool cloth when you have finished the rub and embrace your child after you’re done.

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DISCLAIMER:

The natural home remedies discussed in this article are not meant to treat or cure but are alternative guides to help alleviate the symptoms of common ailments in children. Should your child’s symptoms persist, consult with your friendly neighborhood pediatrician or family physician. Be Blessed! Be Loved! Be Healed!