My Baby Has Asthma - UPDATE

I have the same problem with 2 little ones. What I have done is as soon as I see a runny nose, even clear, I give them an cold or allergy medicine, like Robitussin or Little Noses. They take some in the am and, if necessary, later in the afternoon and I have found that when I slow down the cold in the very beginning sometimes I don't even have to use the albuteral or the nebulizer at all. I give them significantly less of the big drugs these days. Also as my kids are getting older, the asthma is definetly decreasing! Kay will always need an inhaler, but we use it less and less. Yeah!

One of my good friends has a child with asthma... she said her symptoms were dramatically reduced when she switched to toxic-free cleaners in her home. I would be happy to share more with you if you are interested.

As far as the congestion when he gets sick, I use a vaporizor in my son's room and add either a couple of drops of tea tree oil or ground cloves to the solution of water. Great for clearing up congestion!

C.
www.ToxicFreeFamily.net

Get him to a chiropractor. I started with one 18 years ago and it has changed my life- no more inhalers. Chiropractors can safely work on infants. I can recommend two-Dr Mark
Kennedy is in Long Beach near Seal Beach. Dr Khalsa is in the Fairfax area on San Vicente.

I would also recommend rubbing oil of oregano on his chest the first sign of cold. It is extremely strong and needs to be diluted down in a carrier oil. Jojoba penetrates the best and is found at Trader Joe's. You can also use olive oil. Oil of oregano is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral agent. Keep a humidifier in his room. Use a salt lamp in his room. When he is old enough, if he is still having trouble consider a salt pipe. Here's a link to tell you more.

http://www.portablesaltcave.com/children.html

Get a book on reflexology. THere are several in Borders or Barnes and Noble. A gentle foot massage can really make a big difference. The pad under the toes reflexes the chest and lungs. It's relaxing for him and creates a great bond for the two of you. THe toes reflex the head and sinuses and chances are his sinuses are the culprit.

Acupuncture works wonders.

Anything you can do to build up his immune system will benefit him. Start him on superfood-dehydrated greens. Wheatgrass, ryegrass, spirulina. You can add it to juice or applesauce. My grandson loves his "g'een juice."

Watch his sugar intake. Nothing brings down your immune system faster. Lots of water to keep him hydrated.

The ALbuterol and Pulmicort are ok as a emergency or to get started, but long term there are serious risks to the heart.

Hi S.~
I understand your concern about the medications and I respect every parent for the what they choose to do for their child, so I also respect you questioning the safety of the medications. I know everyone has to be their childs advocate, so please understand that this is just my opinion and I am not saying that anot=yone else is wrong.

The medications that they "claim" are safe, are not a part of your baby's natural makeup and that in itself can make them NOT safe. My mom has asthma and she told me the medications make her feel like she has taken speed and give her a horrible headache, etc. if it does that to an adult, I can't image what it might be doing to a child, you have to think of the other organs that the medication is affecting. You have to ask yourself, who conducted the study on the medications, it is usually the Pharmeceutical company that is trying to put it on the market and they are definitely going to use the study to their advantage. Medicine is a very serous thing and should absolutely be used in serious situations, but if there is a way to prevent those situations, we should always seek them out.

I would highly suggest having your child adjusted by a Chiropractor. Since my mom has been adjusted for the past 10 years, she has not needed her inhaler and has not had any attacks. My husband was asthmatic from about 3 years until he was 5.5 years old, his mom was told that she needed to put him on medication for it and so she did, this medication, steroid type, made him so hyper that he was diagnosed with ADHD and the Pediatrician wanted to put him on medication for that too, his mom was really uncomfortable with this and had been in a car accident so she was seeing a DC, she shared her concerns with him and he said lets try it, I don't give any medications so there are no side effects! She thought, what do I have to lose, so she had him adjusted and could not believe that this child that had a hard time sleeping at night from the steroids for the Asthma, slept 12 hours straigt, she continued to have him adjusted and changed his diet and he within 2 weeks, he was not taking any medications. This affected my husband so much that he is a Chiropractor today and feels so blessed because he has been able to help so many families that were in his same situation!

We have been adjusting our four children since each one of them has been about 5 minutes old and not one of my children have ever needed an anti-biotic, we have never dealt with ear infections and there is no concern of ADD, ADHD, etc. God made our bodies with an increcible ability to heal itself and don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for medication, but there are so many alternatives and when that works for you, it is always the best way to go so that your child has the best chance in life to grow and develop without the interferance of medications that can put so much strain on their little bodies and suppress their immune systems during such vital growth for the many years they have to live!

If you are interested, we can help you find a DC in your area, or we would be more than happy to have you come to our office which is in Costa Mesa/Newport Beach!

All my best~
W.

Dear S.,
Try taking up all carpets and never allowing your pets into the same room where he is, especially for sleeping. This is a hassle but if you have pets in the house, be prepaired to clean every surface fanatically. If you find a good new home for your pets, it might take about 6 months for the dander to leave the atmosphere.Cats are more often the culprit than dogs for other people I know with asthma.
I have had asthma since age 7 and my parents spared me the psycological damage of putting down the pets.
Having no carpet, bedsheets that didn't shed fibers, and no pets in my room made the difference of not having emergency visits to the hospital, but I needed an antihistimine with an inhaler on a frequent basis. The condition did not keep me from running and playing. Open air is better for most people with asthma regardless of season.
Good luck!!

Hi S.,
I have asthma as well as the entire family including the baby. There are some things you can do to prevent attacks, which you will have to learn as you go by watching and catching reactions. Asthma may be brought on by different things, airborne dust, fumes, or allergens, including foods.

I have read to never use bleach, but I do. I use it as recommended and we don't have a problem. The fume that goes in the air will trigger the attacks. So one capful per gallon is fine. The dust and dander the dogs bring in the house also trigger it. They come in, but I have to sweep up the mess of hair daily (which I don't love).

As already mentioned, the preservatives used to keep precut and bagged fruits and salads make me sick too. I believe what they use is MSG, which is in all of our food if you are a label reader. As well, I get a migraine and will also vomit from the additive. I have cut that out of my diet and I haven't had a headache since.

I don't know about your area, but in Vegas there is a lot of dust. I change the AC filters monthly and vacuum all the time. I have pulled all the carpet out of the downstairs area and only have a few small area rugs and then all the rooms are carpeted. I clean with a dyson and you can see all the fine dirt that is in the carpets and floors. As well, the AC filters are always dirty too. With that we haven't had too much problem.

As well, excitement will bring on an attack. Sometimes too much activity in the cold weather, or a good scare. Once the adrenaline gets pumping, there is usually a nice little attack to follow.

As for the meds, I take my meds when ever needed and give my daughter her meds when she needs them too. Yes, an asthma attack is much like suffocating, as I have blacked out by ignoring the signs before. You just simply do not get air/oxygen. What you have to watch for is hearing him wheeze, and seeing his stomach or chest pump to do the work of breathing. If you see that happening, you have waited too long and need to get him medical attention immediately.

Enter your sons meds in this website and then watch for any of these reactions. www.askapatient.com. Not to scare you, but my daughter didn't do well with the Pulmicort. I just ask the doctor to give her something else. With that medicine, she looked like a depressed baby. Crying at the drop of a dime and staring off in space in a trance. At this point, when I see an attack coming on, I am able to give her a few doses of medication over a couple of days and we are not on the meds for a week.

I left off the smoking. The smoke/nicotine on clothes and hands can also trigger an attack. You will hear this every time you take him to emergency. They will ask if anyone smokes in the house or if he is around anyone who smokes. My dad used to smoke in the car with the windows up. I would tell him I couldn't breathe, but he ignored me. Now my husband smokes, but he is only allowed to do so outside. Still the doctors ask him to stop smoking because it is in his clothes, hair, and skin. He has stopped a few times, but only starts back up after about a week.

Best of luck with this.

C.

S.,

Stay on top of the nebulizer on time of administration... This will help your child... I wish I knew of herbal remedies b/c yes, they are too many medicines...

My son turned 4 today and suffers from asthma since he was 1 1/2 yrs old or so... Through the years he's gotten better and only suffers with the time change and the when he gets sick from the weather...

During the winter, I would recommend an air purifer and those machines that put moisture in the air (i forgot what they are called) but VICKs makes them...

Avoid the a/c or fans around the little one unless it's pointed into the room rather than in the room...

No cold drinks... My son eats an apple a day and also lots of yogurt and oranges or orange juice... The apple peel is has a component that helps with asthma, orange juice to help the immune system and also helps with the asthma... I believe it's the yeast in the yogurt that also helps...

My son also loves to pack his little lunch bag (snacks ) for school so he always packs the apple, yogurt, cheese stick, etc.

Well, my 11 year had a similar experience when he was 5 wks. old. He developed RSV and ended up spending a few days at CHOC. The first thing I want to tell you is you don't want to fool around or try anything holistic when he is so young. Their bodies are so little and he could so easiy die from an asthma attack. Next, when he develops a cold or any upper respiratory asthma attack, do you have a written plan? In other words, you begin the nebulized breathing treatments, what, every 4 hours around the clock? And you automatically give him the pulmicort as well? Or is that the next step in your plan?? Or do you begin when he starts coughing? My pediatrician is an asthma specialist and had us begin the second he got sick, and as such, he didn't always develop the cough and we didn't need the steroids. In any case, the albuterol has been used by infants, children and adults for many, many years with virtually no problems. It is an awesome drug and the only problem, as a parent, is that it can make them jittery, but it's short term. The Pulmicort is a steroid, but since it's inhaled, it is only going where it needs to be---the lungs. It's a fast acting steroid that reduces the inflammation so his asthma will settle down and he can begin to breathe normally. It is like a wonder drug, the way it will help his asthma! The important thing to know is that you must wash his face afterwards with baby soap and water, to remove any residue since steroids can damage skin over time. You know, you just kind of have to wait this out. This will be your routine for years and years--beginning the treatments every time he gets sick (if that's not your routine, you need to talk to your doctor about this, because it should be). I imagine as he gets older, the Pulmicort will be used only if the Albuterol doesn't reduce his symptoms (coughing, wheezing---however his asthma presents). My son now manages to get colds without having asthma issues every time, so he gets treatments only if his chest feels tight or he begins coughing, which is probably 1 in 3-4 colds, so we've made a lot of progress through the years. We are so careful with handwashing and if anyone around him gets sick (even friends), we give him echincea (spelling) to help boost his immune system. He is healthy, runs, swims, plays several team sports and is doing wonderfully. Nobody would ever guess he has asthma, and in fact, he doesn't have asthma "attacks". It is almost always brought on by a virus. So, don't sweat this---it is what it is and you are doing what you need to do to keep your son healthy. Accept this as your routine whenever he's sick and it won't seem like a big deal after awhile.

P.S. Another poster told you to stop with the vaccinations! That seems like such an irresponsible statement---and by the way, my son developed his asthma before all vaccinations, so there was no correlation there, at all.

Hi S.,

My son is 2 1/2 now and was diagnosed with asthma several months ago.

When he was a little less than a year old he starting having problems with nasal allergies causing post-nasal drip that would trigger the cough, and we would try to control it with the humidifier and diffusing therapeutic oils. When it wasn't enough I resorted to the decongestants that would quiet it down so he could sleep through the night.

About 6 months ago he got a chest cough that wouldn't go away and the doctor diagnosed him with asthma. We started using the nebulizer and the inhaler and after a few weeks the cough cleared up.

One day my son INSISTED I take him to the acupuncturist. (We call the acupuncturist Uncle Dr. David; he treated me for pain control during birth and my son has been going along with me to my appointments his entire life).

Anyway, we got to his office and Ben (my son) insisted we take his shirt off and then asked "Uncle" Dr. David to rub oils on his chest and back. After a few minutes Ben said "shirt on" and "bye bye" and that was it. After that I started using the oils on his chest more than just in the diffuser.

He still coughs occasionally at night and I rub oils on his chest or Vick's Baby Rub. The eucaluyptus and other ingredients seem to help.

Also, I recently took my son to a holistic doctor who is giving him a homeopathic to support the bronchial tubes and lung function. The doctor also suggested I start eliminating dairy because my son has eczema,too and apparently there is a correlation between the dairy and eczema / asthma.

I will probably also start getting him to the chirpractor. I wholeheartely believe natural medicine is a much better route to wellness, but sometimes we need the Western medicine, too.

I realize your little one is much younger than my son, but maybe knowing what we are doing will help.

Best wishes,
R.

PS We discovered that using natural cleaning products has reduced his cough and allergies TREMENDOUSLY! Maybe that will help, too. Good luck

Hi S.,

I understand how you feel. My son also was also diagnosed with asthma when he was a baby (he is now 12). I felt the same as you when he had an asthma attack and I had to give him medication. His asthma triggered when he had a cold and he had a lot of colds when he was in preschool. I heard that exercise strenghtened his lungs so I enrolled him in swimming lessons when he was 4 and he also played soccer. His condition has improved immensely over the years. He only had to take his inhalers (albuterol and flovent) twice last year and once this year when he had really bad colds. I don't know of any natural approach but you should talk to your pediatrician before trying anything else especially because he is so young.

Hope this helps.

L.

hi S.,

at two months my son developed eczema and allergies, which quite often leads to asthma.
i did not want to go the medication route, and was fortunate to find an MD who practices holistic/alternative methods.
My son is so much better now - she identifies and treats conditions that result in asthma, allergies, and other sensitivities.
her name: Dr. Van Nguyen, www.doctorvan.org ; ###-###-####

I hope whatever you choose to do works well for your son!

Hi S.. I have 4 kids, 3 have asthma and the 4 just has allergies. My second child had her first attack at 5 months and was hospitalized for 3 days. The doctors that we had at the time put her on a aggressive routine and we found out what worked and what didn't. He tiny body would reject certain meds. She is almost 17 now and really doesn't have asthma episodes but does still have allergies and when she does get sick, about once a year, she will only get a mild case of Bronchitis. My 3rd child is 6 and he was dealing with asthma and allergies last week. Because we have the experience and the knowledge of what to do, I don't even hesitate on what to give my kids. It is like second nature. I know what meds at what time and when to take them to the doctor. I ask them how they feel but it is mostly based on what I hear and see. He is doing good this week and I know that I didn't panic and that I am his best caretaker. You have to educate yourself and your spouse on what to do. It has to come second nature. I do recommend Juice Plus to help keep their immune systems good. I also recommend a lot of fruits and veggies. (juiceplus.com) I agree with the dairy products at this age. Switch to Rice Milk. Soy products could still be a problem. Go to Allergyrelief.com too to find some good products to keep your home as allergen free as possible. My boys both still play sports and I will not stop them. Their coaches all know that they have allergies and for the most part, they have been very supportive. It is what it is, just something that you as the parent will embrace as just part of who your child is. Good luck

Hi S.,

I know you're worried about the meds, but they've been well tested and are known to be safe. The potential effects of hypoxia (low blood oxygen levels) are far more worrisome and can have life-long effects, such as growth retardation. Besides, speaking as an adult with asthma, the wheezing and tightness can be very uncomfortable and it is truly frightening when you can't draw in a good breath.

The good news is that early wheezers have about a 90 - 95% probably of outgrowing their asthma during the elementary school years, since asthma in these children is only rarely related to an underlying allergy.

BTW, you should know how these meds (and any others you take or administer) work. Albuterol helps to relax the tiny muscles in the lungs that allow the alveoli (the oxygen exchanging "bubbles") to expand and contract. In asthma, these muscles contract, constricting the ability of air to get to the alveoli. The pulmicort is a type of steroid that reduces inflammation in the airways. Inflammation in the lungs occurs as a response to injury and/or inhaled irritants. The swollen tissue also results in narrowed bronchiolar passageways. Inflammation combined with muscle constriction result in the asthmatic wheeze. Think of trying to blow or suck air through a straw that has been pinched almost closed in the middle and is filled with runny jello, and you'll get the idea of what's going on in an asthmatic's lungs. The combined actions of the bronchodilator (Albuterol) and the steroid work to keep the passageways open. The steroid alone also helps to prevent inflammation from occuring, making it a prophylactic drug, that is a drug that can help prevent the onset of, in this case, an asthma attack.

Also, many of the specific things that other moms have mentioned as asthma triggers will not be the same for everyone. The triggers mentioned, such as dog dander, pollen, foods, etc. are allergens. Asthma is the endpoint disease of allergy, and people who are allergic to specific things can have an asthma attack when exposed to the allergens they are allergic to. Considering the source of your son's asthma, this is not likely to be the case for him, although you should take notice if you find that an asthmatic episode is brought on or worsened by something in his environment on a consistent, repeatable basis. Common inhaled allergens include dust mites, animal danders, pollen, molds, and irritants, such as tobacco smoke or many gaseous chemicals. Other common injested allergens are fish, corn, wheat, treenuts, peanuts, milk, and eggs. If you suspect that your son may be allergic to any of these allergens or anything else he comes in contact with, it would be worthwhile to get him tested. You don't have to subject him to a hundred needle pricks to do this -- there are several tests on the market that require only a small blood sample. The principle suppliers of these tests are Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Phadia, and Hycor. Your doctor or you can ask your local lab if they support any of these tests.

My son is 24 mo and we've been dealing with the same situation since he was around 3 mo as well. My husband was the same way as a child and totally grew out of it, so I'm not too worried. When my son was about 15 mo old I took him to an ear, nose, throat specialist. She took him off the albuteral/pulmicort nebulizer routine. She and I both felt the side effects of those steroids weren't worth the risk in his case. We instead started him on Singular, the allergy med., 4mg daily. Our lives have changed. My boy used to get sick all the time. He rarely does anymore. We are planning on slowely lowering the dose and weening him off the meds here in the next few months. Hopefully, he'll stay well. Either way, I feel better about the Singular than the pulmicort. If you ever figure out a more natural approach that works I would love to hear about it. Good luck!

My son has been going through the same thing since he was 6 months old and now he's 4 1/2 years old! I definately know how you are feeling and I have come up with some of my own things to do. During the day I do take him outside for 5-10 minute walks even though he's sick and it's usually cold out side it seems to help with the breathing and the fresh air has helped rid his cold sooner. I also run a humidifier, the cool mist really helps with opening the airways. Then I only have to give him the medicine before he goes to bed! And remember to keep lots of hand sanitizer on hand and lysol to spray surfaces like doorknobs, telephones, and toilet seats twice a day to get rid of cold germs!

Hi S.,

You mentioned chiropractor care as a possible solution for your son......I would absolutely look into it.

I have a chiropractor that is extremely knowledgable....He should be able to answer some questions for you. His name is Dr. Jamie Kaszer ph ###-###-####.

Best wishes

I dont know if this will help but...My daughter they believed had cold induced asthma because every time she got a cold it went into her lungs. So we too had all the nebulizer and drugs. Then it occured to me that we ran a air purifer in her room for white noise and i also figured it cleaned the air. It also dryed out the air and messed up I believe the ions. So i stopped using it and got a white noise machine instead and she wasnt sick for 7 months and she has had 2 colds since that never went into her lungs.

hi my daughter is on the same asthma meds. she got put on them at about 10 1/2 months old and gets the same way when sick. now from what you are saying is that your baby only gets these meds when hes sick right? the pulmicort is an asthma symptom preventor didnt your babies dr tell you that? what i have to do with my daughter is give her the pulmicort once a day to keep her asthma controlled then when she is sick or is coughing too much (i use the rescue inhaler) i give her the albuterol 4 times a day and the pulmicort 1-2 times a day (i was told to double dose the pulmicort if she was really bad). i would highly reccamend giving him the pulmicort everyday even when he isnt sick it will help in the long run when he gets sick again. it helps my daughter a lot. i dont know too much about the natural route aside from using a cool mist humidafire in the babies room and keeping the room cool (cool air is great for inflamed tissues). good luck i hope this helps any other questions feel free to write :)

Hi S.,
I have allergy and cold induced asthma. I found that using saline nasal spray every day helps me to keep my colds and allergies to a minimum. The kids don't like it much but it is natural and can't hurt them. A cold air humidifer and air purifier in your son's room can also help. I also go for acupuncture to keep my asthma under control but you would have to wait until your child is older or find an acupuncturist willing to work on children.

My son just spent the weekend on the nebulizer so I know how you feel. Good luck! I hope this helps.

I have asthma, my daughter has seasonal asthma, and we both use Albuterol. I also have daily meds, but luckily, my daughter doesn't. Yet. I agree with S H that asthma is incredibly serious, and you need to give your son the medicine he needs. My doctor makes a point to tell me every time I see him that the death rate from all other diseases are declining, but not from asthma. They're going up from asthma. Don't think of it as pumping so much medicine into his body. Think of it as helping him breathe. Good luck.

this happened to my son when he was two. he is now 30 and has always had bouts with it. he now has no pets in his life and has improved greatly. keep all dust, pets & old things like old books & old clothes away from him. most of the time my sons asthma is brought on by a cold and that is hard to avoid unless he lives in a bubble. hot steaming showers help. just sitting in the bathroom while the water steams helps. drinking a ton of water also helps. it is awefull when they are tiny & we watch them go through this!!! good luck.

My child was diganosed with asymptomatic asthma and had symptoms very similiar to what you have discribed. I also did not like the Albuterol medicine. After trying many different medicines and about to give up hope. I tried the oldest thing on the shelf, Vicks vapor rub. It comes in a cream form now and that with dimeatapp and her inhaler(only given just before bedtime was the wonder combo that changed our lives.

Hi:

My grand daughter had a similar experience, and was pumped full of antibiotics, antihistimines etc., over and over and over. We took her to Dr. David Karaba at the East West Medical Group in Fullerton, and found the cause of her getting sick was allergies, which he CURED. She no longer gets sick all the time, is happier, healthier and her primary care physician no longer claims she has asthma.

Best wishes,

M.

Hi S.,
If you are interested in Chiropractic care, you can visit
www.icpa4kids.org and search for a doctor in your area who works with children specifically!
Good luck,
C. Tanaka, DC
www.naturallifechiro.com

Hi,our daughter gets asthma also with every cold!I agree with not wanting to put so many different medicines in their little systems!I would love another alternative.I hope you get some great advice from someone!

Acupuncture is your best bet. before he gets sick again. your best choice is to find a practitioner who practices 'classical 5-element acupuncture', don't settle for just 5-elements acupuncture, which every acupuncturist claims to use.
good luck
L.

My son had asthma and was on the same meds as your son. I was also very worried about the meds. I worked with several MDs - one in Florida and one in San Diego to figure out a natural way to manage my son's asthma and he is now symptom free. There are MANY studies on Rosmarinus Officinalis(just look on pubmed) and it's effects on asthma. Also the MD in Florida worked with asthmatic patients as well as patients with emphasema (sp?) and he recommended using mesosilver in his nebulizer. We did this when my son was 4 and he is now 8 and doesn't have asthmatic symptoms any longer. The link to where I got the mesosilver is: http://www.silver4life.com/silver_Asthma.html. Talk about it with your MD of course and do not make any changes without their okay.

S.,

Please stop all vaccinations with your baby. The same thing happened with my daughter and it got worse. You will want to stay away from dairy and soy in most cases as these aggravate the symptoms. In my daughter's case it was also eggs and corn but we did not find it out until she was 18 months old and had tubes in the ears already and had been on antibiotics so many times, too many to count.

Please look into a good probiotic for babies, and you. And most importantly looking at both sides of vaccinations. There are studies and information at:

www.909shot.com
www.generationrescue.com
www.tacanow.org

Both of my children had asthma as infants and toddlers and did grow out of it with no side effects. We used the nebulizer often. I've heard that eliminating dairy can help some children, you may want to look into lactose free or soy formula. Is your child in daycare? If so, look at the cleanliness and think about changing to a home environment. I work at a preschool and babies get sick a lot-tons of germs going around.

My son had RSV when he was 2 months old and again at 14 months. He's now 22 months old and when he gets a cold, it will often become wheezing by day 3 of symptoms. I give him Pulmicort via nebulizer on day 1 of a cold. His last cold, I gave that to him for 3 days and then it never became wheezing so I didn't need to use the Albuterol. We'll see how it goes with cold/flu season approaching. I have taken him to a chiropractor twice, once when he was wheezing a bit (and on the appropriate medications) and another time for his ear infection. I can't say definitively that the chiropractor helped, but it certainly didn't hurt and may have helped. I also try to stay really on top of his colds by using a humidifier in his room, using Vicks, clearing his nose, and having him take baths in a steamy bathroom. Again, I do this in conjunction with his needed medicine, but it does seem to help. I also am looking for a more natural approach as his hair fell out after his last bad attack that occurred in June. I understand he needs the medications because asthma is very serious, but I'm all for trying to control the situation preventatively as much as possible.