Pediatrician's Home Remedies

Norman Weinberger, MD

In this complex world, parents are often uncertain and confused about how to take care of their kids.

Here are some of the problems my own adult kids ask me about their children and what I suggest they do:

THE COMMON COLD

 Make a cup of decaffeinated spice tea. Add lemon and honey, and wait until it cools slightly. The tea is soothing and hot, which will combat stuffiness and open up the nasal passages. The honey in the tea can help soothe a sore throat as well. The lemon soothes and coats the throat with vitamin C.

 Make old-fashioned chicken soup or use low-sodium canned soup. Not only will it make your child feel better, but making the soup keeps you too busy to worry.

 Offer fun fluids. The more fluids a sick child can drink, the better it is. The fluids help clean out the child's system.

Make colorful Jell-O water by doubling the amount of water in the Jell-O recipe, offer enticing flavored ices or watered-down Gatorade.

FEVER

Fever is not usually as scary as most parents believe it to be. It is a sign that the body is fighting infection.

If you're concerned, take your child's temperature and make sure to tell the doctor how and when you obtained it.

If a high fever is not responding to acetaminophen (Tylenol), try a warm bath, which will dissipate body heat.

There is no reason for the water to be cold. Besides being unpleasant for the child, a cold bath can be dangerous. I have seen a really cold bath send a feverish child into shock. Alcohol rubs should also be avoided.

RASHES

Rashes make parents very upset, and they can be a tough call for a pediatrician, especially when described over the phone. Make sure you can tell your doctor:

• When the rash began.
• Where on the body it began.
• How long it took to spread.
• Whether or not it itches.
• What color it is.
• Whether the bumps are flat, raised or fluid-filled.

Do a little investigative work on your own, too. Did you just change laundry detergents? Was last night the first time your child ever ate shellfish? Often, it's a simple case of a reaction to a new food, lotion or sunscreen with PABA.

Exception: If the rash is accompanied by sore throat or joint pain, it may be something more serious, such as strep throat. Contact your doctor.

For itching or painful rashes: Add Aveeno oatmeal bath to bathwater.

SUNBURN

For sunburn relief during winter vacations, try tea bags. Let the bags steep in boiled water for five minutes. Then, after they cool, remove from the water and apply the wet bags to the skin.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Norman Weinberger, MD, pediatrician in private practice in Norwalk, Connecticut. He is a senior attending physician at Norwalk Hospital and on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Weinberger is author of You Just Don't Duct Tape a Baby: True Tales and Sensible Suggestions from a Veteran Pediatrician (Warner Books/$22).

Copyright ?1998 by Boardroom Inc.

www.boardroom.com