Allergies (2 years later)

In an attempt to improve Samuel’s health, we started him with swimming couple of months ago. At the start, it was really hard to stick to the classes with him down with either coughs or flu every 3 to 4 weeks. And by the time, he recovered from one flu, he could be down with another. So months went by, he only had like 3 classes.

Recently it seems to get slightly better. I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that we started using a blueair purifier or was it the thick wet suit we bought most recently kept him warm. Maybe it could even be the crocodile soup my family brewed for him 2 weeks ago. Either way, I’m happy all efforts are finally paying off. (touch wood!)

I’ve reflected on the numerous trips we made to Emergency ward or GP / Specialist clinic due to Samuel’s health problems. We are either dealing with flu or cough every 3 weeks. Allergy problems definitely come in a bundle. Sensitive lungs, sensitive nose would mean he’s prone to cough and flu on top of eczema. Sensitive skin means he has eczema breakout whenever he has one of these episodes. His eyes are overly sensitive to lights and he is forever rubbing them. If things got out of hand, we might even experience eye infections, dripping nose, coughs inflamed airways, wheezing, lack of oxygen or worse the lungs might be collapsing.

What we have tried so far:

• Prospan cough syrup with Ivy leaf
• Home remedies
• Ventolin/Singulair combo
• Ventolin/Flixotide/Zyrtec/Ketokifen combo
• 猴枣散 (Chinese TCM tonic)
• Herbal Basic TCM
• Crocodile soup

That being said, he’s still on the Flixotide/Zyrtec/Ketokifen allergy meds combo. And I’m hoping the swimming would eventually benefit him as he grow stronger each day.

Home remedies for the sniffles

What they say is so true. The moment they start childcare, it’s non stop viruses and bugs. On an average, I think he’s almost sick biweekly. And I’m not keen for him to be on meds all the time. So the week my parents went away, I decided it’s time to do it my way. The natural way – home remedies.

Honey, lemon and pepper – Stir a spoonful of honey in warm water with a teaspoon of lemon (freshly squeezed). Add a pinch of white pepper if it’s a phlegmy cough. Drink it while it’s warm. Lemons are naturally high in vitamin C and could help with a sore throat. Honey is a natural cough suppressant and I will go organic with the lemon. Please do not give honey to children under the age of one. Get a New Zealand honey with UMF10+ because it has that special UMF antibacterial property certified. This concoction should be had at least thrice a day for at least a week to get rid of phlegm and cough completely. But it’s for not for the faint hearted. By the time, my parents came home 5 days later, Samuel is immediately sent off to the doctor although I actually feel he’s much better.

Garlic – One of the flu fighting food. Needless to say, we all know garlic has all these anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.Take 5 cloves of garlic and chop into small bits. Add it to all the dishes you are feeding the baby. Samuel loves it! Note this is more for prevention than cure because raw garlic would have been more effective but it could be too strong for the baby’s sensitive stomach.

Air purifier / humidifier – Add 5 drops of rosemary and 5 drops of tea tree oil to the humidifier. Have both humidifier and air purifier turned on at the same time. The air purifier could help clean the air, preventing any impurities for breathing since babies still lack a fully developed immune or respiratory system. The humidifier is good for relieving congestion and soothing dry nasal passages. This is additional step in relieving symptoms of cold and improving the baby’s sleep so he could get more rest for healing.

Chicken soup is good for the soul

I always wondered why chicken soup is good for the soul. But it actually works more for my soul because as long as it get rids of all the sniffles for Samuel, I’m a happier mum. Besides recent research has proven that homemade Chicken soup really does make you feel better when your sick. It reduces congestion and inflammation by limiting the movement of white blood cells that produce infection-related mucus.

Chicken soup

• Chicken pieces – I prefer the chicken bones and one large breast meat so no chopping is necessary.
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 large size onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 small turnip
• 1 tomato
• 2 medium size potatoes
• 5 gloves of garlic (diced)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1 bunch of coriander, chopped
• A handful of baby pasta shells
• Water

1. Remove all skin and fats from chicken pieces.
2. Add chicken to water and bring to boil. Make sure water is at least one inch over the chicken.
3. Pour away the water and add another 6 – 8 bowls of water and bring to boil again, then lower heat and allow the soup to simmer for at least 90 minutes. Skim off any foam from the surface of the soup as it accumulates.
4. Meanwhile stir fry the diced garlic with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add to soup together with potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mix and continue to simmer until the potatoes turned soft. It took me another hour or so.
6. You could choose to simmer to the right texture of soup or let it cool and put the soup through the blender.

This is a great soup full of antioxidants which can provide great relief from flu. Sipping hot soup could help clear up congestion and it’s especially comforting for Samuel’s dad who was down with flu at the same time. He had 4 bowls of rice with it!

Apple!

Last night he slept with mummy again. We don’t usually have him in our bed but given that daddy is away, there is a lot more space. That’s because Samuel is a horrible sleeper. He turns 360 degrees in his sleep and instead of using a pillow. He prefers human pillows, that is sleeping horizontally on the bed with his body across mine. It was mainly due to convenience of checking on him that I decided to have him in my bed; he came down with a flu again. All the coughing and running nose is affecting his sleep.

To aid his breathing, I had the diffuser on with rosemary essential oil which seems to help because he woke up later than his usual timing of 7am and seems refreshed.

The first thing he said was “Mama, mum mum (baby talk for eat)”. And so I carried him to the kitchen for breakfast.

And to my surprise again, he loudly exclaimed “Ap..ple!” upon seeing the apples lying around on the kitchen counter. We clapped as always to encourage him and he repeatedly proudly again and again.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But in Samuel’s case, too much apples gave him constipation. So apples are not usually my preferred food for him. I don’t recalled teaching him apple at all. Is this again from the school? Impressive!

Note: Later Daddy read this blog and insisted he was the one that taught Samuel the “Apple” word. So let me include a photo for his credit. 😉