Three easy steps for Fighting Croup

Croup is a common occurrence in children but can end up being very serious if ignored.  There are ways to help prevent croup as well as help your child fight it.  As always, it is important to first see your licensed physician for diagnosis and to be sure there aren't further complications.

Croup, laryngotracheobronchitis, comes from a viral infection within the body, commonly a parainfluenza virus.  The child may develop a "barking" cough, trouble breathing, and have a grayish pallor in the face around the mouth and nose.  The cough is a dry, forced cough as the body. If you think your child may have croup, have the child diagnosed because in some cases, though not commonly, the upper respiratory problems of the illness may grow severe.

In the case of prevention, you won't be able to know if the virus is near your child.  If you know a child has it do not let your child near them until that child is fully recovered.  To help your child's immune system, the protocols for prevention that I listed in last week's blog post will help.  As always, a nutritious diet lacking high amounts of added sugar and processed foods will help keep your child's immune system strong and allow the body to be able to bounce back quicker.

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Many sources will tell you many things on how to ease the croup symptoms.  The following are protocols I would suggest.  As I said before, be sure to have the child properly diagnosed and run all of these by your doctor lest any of these interfere with medications.

1. Cool air  -  The cool air may ease the symptoms of coughing.  If it is winter out, dress the child for the weather and take him/her outside for a few minutes so they can fill their lungs with it.  Even if it isn't cold out, fresh air is key.
2. Steam  -  Sit with the child near a bowl or tub of hot, steamy water in an enclosed space and let them breathe in the steam.  Be sure to not let the child get near enough to the water to burn themselves.  If you are in the bathroom, close the door to trap in the steam.  Do not stay in the bathroom longer than necessary.
   
3. Essential Oils  -  There are two places that I'm going with this one: nebulizer and rub.  The effect we want is a cooling, opening effect. Down below are listed the oils that you can add to a rub (or make one yourself out of coconut oil and bees wax), and can be added to a nebulizer and treated as a breathing treatment.  These oils can also be added to the steam bath that I listed above. (NOTE: Always test skin sensitivity when applying diluted oils to the skin.  Always dilute your oils in a base oil such as coconut, almond, jojoba, olive oil, etc.  When using a nebulizer with these oils, I do not suggest the attachment that stays on the child's face.  We want the child to be near it and breath it in such as they would the steam bath. )
   

As you read in the above infographic, I chose essential oils that would give a cooling, opening, and calming effect.  I chose the oils that were also anti-inflammatory.  Some of these herbs are antiviral, so they may help fight off the virus.  Could you use the herb itself instead of the oil?  ....yes but it wouldn't be as potent.  If you have a child that will comply, make a tea out of any of the herbs above and dilute it about halfway with water in a bottle or sippy.  You could also scatter the herbs in the steam option I have listed above. 

However, my advice would be to put the oils in either a nebulizer or rub.  If you have unscented lotion or any coconut oil (or even a roller ball bottle and a base oil such as jojoba), apply one or two drops of each oil, less of the rosemary than the others, to 10 ml oil or lotion and apply to the chest area.  If using all four oils, only one drop of each. 

If using a nebulizer, add one drop of each oil and do not use the mouth or face attachments.  You may also add these oils to a warmer in the room at night.

I wish you all the best.  Have a request?  Comment down below and don't forget to subscribe by clicking the button below that says "Join The Healer's Nook Community".  Once you confirm, you'll be added to my email list where you'll receive occasional updates and newsletters.  Thanks for reading!

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