Fever:Friend or Foe

The one thing that makes every parent overly worried when their children get ill is when they get the fever, especially when the body temperature reaches 39 degrees Celsius or 102 degrees Farenheit. At the onset of fever, parents usually grab the available fever medicine, either the paracetamol, acetaminophen or ibuprofen and give this with dispatch to their sick child. I, myself, previously did the same thing whenever my children get the fever.

This practice which more often than not is made with the clearance of the child's pediatrician has been questioned by Lucy Burney, a noted Nutrition Consultant and children's health specialist from London who authored the book "Boost Your Child's Immune System" and whom I have repeatedly cited in my previous post. She explained that fever is an indication that your child is trying to burn off something which is not meant to be there. The fever produced to fight off the "intruders" is beneficial since high body temperature stimulates the immune system to produce more white blood cells. It also increases the heart rate so that white blood cells get delivered to the sites of infection more rapidly and their secretions increased. In fact, she encouraged parents to think twice before reaching for the Calpol since such medicines not only reduce the temperature and therefore, the child's immune activity, but also mask the symptoms so that the child temporarily feels better.

She cautioned, however, to differentiate a raised temperature from a temperature spiralling out of control, noting that fever has also its beneficial limit, espcially when it is accompanied by other symptoms such as rashes, difficulty in breathing or unnatural floppiness.

Heeding Ms. Burne's advice, I tried to avoid giving my children fever medicine and instead gave them homeopathic medicine to control the fever. At first, I was skeptical if homeopathy really works which relies on the principle of "like curing like" or the law of similars. Its founder, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, started experimenting in 1790 with an extremely wide range of natural remedies, which were derived from animal, plant, mineral and biological raw material. The law of similars in homeopathy simply means that taking small quantities of a substance, which in far larger doses would produce the symptoms from which the person is suffering, can cure them. (Home Remedies, A guide to symptoms and cures, Dr. Caroline Shreve, 2003).

I have given my children Belladonna, a Homeopathic cure derived from a plant, which proved very effective in controlling my children's fevers. The Belladonna which I give my children is in powder form (Isabelle and Ilysse call it their salty medicine which they simply love) and like any medicine is given every 4 hours for fevers less than 38 degrees Celsius. But, if the fever becomes higher, doctors prescribe that it be given every hour. Administering this medicine, obviously, requires more time and attention, especially if it needs to be given every hour. But, at least, I am assured that it is safe and carries no side effects.

I started dabbling in homeopathy 3 years ago and was surprised to find out that we have medical doctors in the Philippines engaged in such practice. The first doctor I went to was Dr. Liberty Santos of Intercare. Intercare has branches in Makati, Greenhills and Alabang. There is also Dr. Divina Hey-Gonzales, another Filipino homeopathic doctor, who holds clinic at 24 Mahusay St., UP Village, Quezon City and can be reached at (632) 928 5386. If you live in the Makati area, the best homeopathic doctor to see is Dr. Cricket Palanca-Chen who holds clinic at the Medical Plaza (beside Makati Medical Center). She can be reached at (632) 844 9185.

I have to admit that I still get the jitters whenever my children get the fever. Who wouldn't, especially in this time when we see new kinds of diseases sprouting all over? I guess, as parents, we just have to rely on our own intuition on what is best for our children, whether this be through administering them homeopathic medicine or the ever reliable fever medicine.

Mothers Are Great

Last July, inspite of feeling that my days would never end with endless work, errands, and responsibilities, I decided to go out of my comfort zone and sign up for Jim Paredes' "Tapping the Creative Universe Workshop". So, for one week from 7 to 9 pm, I was out of the house and rediscovering my passions, unearthing my creativity, and interacting with people who were similarly searching for the same things.

I atrribute my being able to put up this blog to this workshop and Jim's mentoring. I cannot exactly put into words how the workshop had changed me but it definitely made me yearn to write, to create more. The workshop did not only give me time to rediscover my creative side but also time to reflect on my most important task of being a mother.

One of Jim's assignment in the workshop was to write something about the topic, "Why I Am Great?". It took me some time to decide on what to write since I have never really thought of myself as great, either as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, or even a lawyer. However, in the course of reflecting on who I really am, I have discovered that I am, in my own simple way, great, notwithstanding my quirks, my faults, my omissions, and my shortcomings.

I am reprinting below what I have written as a tribute to all mothers who love fiercely and unconditionally without expecting anything in return:

Why I Am Great

I am great simply because I am a child of God. I was not created through random acts of the Creator and put on earth to live mindlessly and senselessly. I was created for a purpose and this makes me great. In my years of existence, I have come to realize my greatness, in every facet of my entire being, the manifestations of which have always caught me by surprise, delight, and even disbelief.

I have a great brain. I have foresight and intuition. I can sense things and events that have not yet happened. I can bring to fruition things I have just visualized in my mind. I listen to people's opinions and know that they are up to no good. I can come up and find solutions to the most intricate problems.

I have a great heart. Apart from my love for my family and children, I have a heart huge enough to share the same love for the underprivileged and unwanted. I have a heart capable of breaking when bombarded with pain and suffering but, at the same time, I have a heart capable of healing on its own after all the scars.

I have great arms and hands. They help ease the pain of another person or being. They can carry loads of goods desperately needed by the wounded and sick. They can create inspiring words for those in despair. They can bring warmth and protection to the vulnerable.

I have great legs and feet. These can traverse miles of dust and mud to reach the uninformed and uneducated. These can bring me to far-flung places to bring joy and comfort. The same feet and legs helped me to overcome my greatest fear.

I have a great smile. This is the smile which brought me down the aisle to marry the man I love. This is the smile that broke barriers of indifference. This is the same smile which resulted in more smiles that seemed to lighten up an entire darkened room.

These are all the embodiments of my greatness. Although in my being human, I have experienced weakness in one form or another, these sparks of greatness within me have always been my salvation.

Foods that Children Have to Avoid

I am strict about the food that my children ingest because I know that no matter how edible they are, it can still do them harm. Hot dogs, hams, instant noodles, and any processed food ladened with preservatives, monosodium glutamate (MSG), nitrates, candies, chocolates, refined sugars are some of the food that I completely and absolutely prohibit my children to eat. People generally know that these foods are not good for the body, and even harmful to children. But, they remain popular and can be seen in all grocery aisles. These foods' popularity boils down to this simple explanation: marketing and deception on the part of the foods' manufacturers. Let us take a look at some of these more popular children's foods in the Philippines and elsewhere and the lowdowns on these products which manufacturers do not reveal. I have culled these information from the very helpful and enlightening books, "Winning the Food Fight" by Dr. Joey Shulman, a chiropractor and registered holistic nutritionist, specializing in pediatric nutirtion, from Toronto, and "Boost Your Child's Immune System" by Lucy Burney, a highly regarded Nutrition Consultant and children's health specialist in London and Oxford.

1. Processed hot dogs, bacons, hams, and sausages. These products claim that they are good for children. Manufacturers, in fact, use children in their advertisements to promote their products. If your read their labels, they indicate the use of sodium nitrate. However, they do not disclose the more important information regarding this chemical. Dr. Shulan has an extensive discussion on the effects of this chemical. Nitrates are used in these products to keep its red, pinkish color. Without the nitrates, the meat would turn gray. When nitrates combine with gastric juices in the stomach, a dangerous compound called nitrosamine is formed. Nitrosamine has been found to be carcinogenic (cancer causing) when tested on laboratory animals. High levels of nitrates have also been shown to cause the "blue baby syndrome", a condition in which an infant turns blue due to lack of oxygen in the system. More importantly, it has been found that children who ate hot dogs once a week doubled their chances of brain tumors; those who ate them twice tripled it. Due to this known toxic effect, nitrates are banned from baby foods. I agree with the question posed by Dr. Shulman in her book on this matter, "If it is unsafe for infant food, shouldn't it be unsafe for all humans to consume?"

In the Philippines, there are available healthier alternatives as there are food shops that sell similar products without using nitrates. Earles's Delicatessen, for one, offer cured meat products like hot dogs, bacon, and ham without nitrates or MSG. There is another shop that I regularly go to in the Salcedo Saturday Market and the Lung Center Market on Sundays that sell similar products without the nitrates. (The name of the stall just slipped my mind but will jot it down here once I remember it.)

2. Instant noodles and chips. Manufacturers of instant noodles and even chips, the so-called junk foods, always have children as their promoters. They even claim their food as the ideal food that contains the necessary vitamins a child needs. But, again they do not disclose the real story behind the other ingredients in the food. These foods contain monosodium glutamate ("MSG") which is commonly found in Chinese food. If you have experienced headaches, migraines, panic attacks, or heart palpitations after eating in a Chinese restaurant, then you can be sure that they used MSG in their food.

Dr. Shulman explained in her book that MSG is of great concern because it crosses a safety net, called the blood-brain barrier, which separates the brain from the rest of the body. MSG tricks the brain in thinking that the food you are eating tastes good, causing you to consume more and more of the product. Serious signs and symptoms associated with MSG are neurological disorders that can mimic Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, amyotropic lateral sclerosis, and fibromyalgia, and in children, behavioral problems and difficulty focusing.

There are instant noodles that do not have MSG like the ones by "Thai Kitchen" and "A Taste of Thai". These can be found in Healthy Options in the Philippines. Although admittedly, they are not as tasty as the ones usually sold in grocery stores which contain MSG, this variety will do. My children love it when I add organic egg to the noodles to make a creamier soup.

3. Candies, chocolates, and other sweet stuff. We, parents, know that too much of these sweet stuff is not good for our kids. But, do we know exactly how the sugars in these products affect our children's health and disposition? Dr. Shulman, in her book, explained that although sugar is derived from a natural source, the sugar beet or the sugar cane, it is the process of producing refined sugars that strips away 90 percent of thier fibrous material. Sugar derived from the sugar cane or beets, is processed into sucrose (table sugar) and appears on our tables as refined, white crystals. With the fiber removed, sugar crystals enter the bloodstream far too quickly, resulting in a heightened insulin response, and high levels of insulin and the fluctuations of a child's blood sugar can lead to symptoms such as mood swings, weight gain, headaches and low energy.

But more significant than the above immediate effects of sugar is its detrimental effect on a child's immunity as revealed by Ms. Burney in her book. She discussed that as little as 100 g. (3 1/2 oz.) of sugar can suppress your child's immune system by up to 50 per cent. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published research as early as 1973 that showed that these effects start within half an hour of consuming sugar and can last up to five hours.

Ms. Burney suggests using, instead of refined sugar, natural sugars from fruits, barley malt syrup, raw honey (which should be give only to children above 1), tea tree honey, and molasses.

Isabelle and Ilysse get their needed sugars from the fruits they eat daily. I give them either 3 or 4 servings of fruits everyday and I serve them as snacks. On some days, they will have a piece of banana and atis for their morning snack and organic applesauce and cantaloupe for their afternoon snack. I also occasionally give my children, especially Isabelle, organic molasses, since she just takes Rice Milk ,which is low in calcium and iron. Molasses is highly recommended by Ms. Burne as this by-product of sugar refining - which contains all the minerals stripped out of sugar - is a good source of calcium and iron.

With the foregoing information provided us, let us be vigilant in making sure that our children eat healthy. It is not an easy job. Why prepare an elaborate egg and mushroom omelette when your children could have instant noodles in 3 minutes? Why prepare fish porridge from scratch when you could have hot dog in no time? It is, in fact, a tedious and tiring process which I would also avoid if I could. But, I do not have a choice - the health and well-being of my children entirely depend on me.

Kid Imposed No-TV Rule

My kids do not watch television on a regular, daily basis. In fact, they watch only once every three months or even less and only for a short period, the longest at one hour. I did not impose this no-TV rule. It started as a demand from my eldest, Isabelle, who at 1, developed this unreasonable fear of the TV. I recall this started when she saw the villains in the cartoon-movie, Barbie of Swan Lake. Since then, she refused to watch any shows on TV. The only shows she watches are the kiddie cartoons on Nick, Jr. and only if my youngest, Ilysse, requests that they watch TV. Other than Ilysse' seldom craving for the TV, I am thankful that my kids do not have an addiction to the idiot box.

You may wonder what Isabelle and Ilysse' schedule would be like without this ever-present gadget in their lives. During school days, their afternoons are filled with studying, playing, biking, drawing, writing, art and craft activities, and weekly piano lessons, without a minute of TV viewing. Their weekends are all about music and gymnastic classes, reading, visiting grandparents, playing with their cousins, swimming, going to the bookstore, limited computer time, occasional children's parties, or simply having fun with the family, again, without the need of turning on the TV. Andrew could not even watch his favorite shows on TV on a weekend since the kids would be the first to object. "No TV, Daddy," or "TV is not good for you, Daddy," they would often say.

What do I get from this unusual situation in our household? Aside from lower electric bills, my girls' full attention and a daily dose of pleasant surprises which I would definitely not have experienced if they were glued to the TV.

Natural Eczema Cure

Isabelle has had eczema in her arms, just behind the elbows, for over a year now. We already have brought her to different dermatologists in the hope that they may prescribe medication that is safe and natural but all of them have consistently prescribed steroids, topical and even oral, to cure and manage her skin condition. I refused to give her steroids knowing the side effects that come with the said medication.

In my search for the natural cure, I have stumbled upon a video of a caucasian man in YouTube who was eagerly telling his discovery of a natural cure for his son's eczema. He related his frustrating and unsuccesful efforts to help his son whom he has brought to different doctors who prescribed all kinds of medication, even steroids. The natural cure that he discovered turned out to be blackened rice which was recommended to him by a Filipina acquaintance. I cannot remember exactly how he is related to the Filipina. I tried searching for that video but it no longer appears in YouTube. I regret not trying to get this man's contact details before as I wanted to thank him for his kindness and generosity in sharing this cure.

Isabelle's eczema is not entirely gone but the blackened rice, which we call at home as 'The Black Rice", has eradicated the redness and the rashes by as much as 80%. In fact, I still use it on Isabelle at night to ease the redness when her eczema acts up.

I also discovered that this Black Rice together with the Calendula Cream of California Baby has worked wonders on my daugther. It is just too bad that I already ran out of this calendula cream and still have to order them from the States. So, in the meantime, I have to make do with the Black Rice.


For anyone interested in trying this concoction out, what you do is just fry the rice until it blackens. I prefer using organic rice to make sure that it is 100% free of chemicals and synthetic materials. When the rice is already burnt and blackened, you add water and stir it until it reaches a pasty consistency. This paste is what you put on areas affected by the eczema. But, if you have the calendula cream, you may put this first over the affected areas and then cover this with the black rice.

Breastmilk-The Only Nourishment An Infant Needs

At top of the news this week is the China milk scandal where a considerable number of infants were found to have kidney problems as a result of ingesting infant formula contaminated with the chemical melamine. This is not the first scandal to have rocked the multi-billion dollar infant formula industry and I doubt if it will be the last unless and until mothers worldwide take the initiative to exclusively nourish their children with their own breastmilk for at least a year.

I have personally seen the hideous faces of these milk companies operating in the guise of medical doctors and registered nurses. When I was pregnant with Ilysse, I was forced to see another obstetrician (who is even touted one of the best in the country) since my regular obstetrician, Dr. Lilibeth Genuino, was then unavailable. This obstetrician I went to had the gall to say that I was no longer giving any nourishment to my baby when I disclosed that I was still breastfeefding Isabelle at 1 1/2 years. I had similar experiences with the attending nurses when I gave birth to Isabelle and Ilysse. Even if these nurses personally knew that I wanted to exclusively breastfeed my babies, they deliberately, willfully, and calculatingly gave them infant formula, explaining that since I was sleeping, they did not want to disturb me. What do these doctors and nurses get in turn for these diabolical deeds? A trip to the Bahamas? A brand new car of their choice? Or even a suitcase full of wad? The dire consequences of these deeds - an estimated yearly 1.5 million infant deaths around the world because they were not breastfed. This is not a figure taken out of thin air but gathered and confirmed by the World Helath Organization ("WHO") and the United Nations Children's Fund ("UNICEF").

After that demeaning remark from that doctor, I came back with a vengeance and breastfed Ilysse for 3 1/2 years. I wanted to breastfeed Isabelle longer but she chose to wean early. It might be because I was already then pregnant with Ilysse. I would be repeating what everyone knows but refuse to heed that breastmilk is the only nourishment an infant needs - not infant formula, no matter how expensive. As I begin to see all the benefits of breastfeeding in my daughters, I am perpetually grateful for the wisdom in choosing the right path, a path that I hope all mothers and mothers-to-be will take.

Only Recourse

I was born a worrywart. I worry about a lot of things. At the age of seven, I remember always saying my litany of prayers when my dad would come home late from work. I became more of a worrywart when I had Isabelle and Ilysse. In fact, I must admit my worries sometimes bordered on absurdity. When they were babies and at the stage when they would put everything in their mouths, I had all their toys disinfected every single day. Now that they both go to school, I worry about their safety and health, about them being bullied, about them being unhappy, and a host of other mundane things.

Although I have come to realize long before that 99% of the time, my worries have remained to be simply worries, I still could not help but worry, especially for the welfare of my daughters. It has only been recently that I have started deconstructing this mindset when I began reading Stormie Omartian's The Power of a Praying Parent. I found refuge in the book's conviction that by simply praying and trusting the word of God, my children will be protected and guided for life. I just have to pray and let go.

What I like about this prayer book is that it covers all aspects of a child's life. Although I pray daily for my children and I know God knows what I truly desire for them, I had difficulty choosing the right words to convey how I truly feel. This book amazingly fills in the gaps. I particularly like the prayers on securing protection from harm, feeling loved and accepted, enjoying a life of health and healing, instilling the desire to learn, identifying God-given gifts and talent, enjoying freedom from fear, and receiving a sound mind. This is one prayer book that any parent should have.

Oregano-Our Reliable Medicine for Coughs and the Common Cold

If there is one thing that I can say as heaven-sent is my discovery of the benefits of the herb oregano, particularly its leaf. It has been over three years now that I have stopped going to the doctor for the treatment of my children's coughs and colds. To alleviate my doubts on the effectivity and safety of this herb, I had to do my own research and satisfy myself that I would not be endangering the lives of my children if I administer the herb to them.

Aside from scouring articles on the oregano on the internet, I was able to get my hand on several books on oregano. One book, "The Cure is in the Cupboard" by Dr. Cass Ingram (2001), is, in fact, all about oregano and its numerous health benefits. The Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. (2006), lists oregano as one of the healing herbs and spices. Both books discussed the two anti-microbial (or antibiotic) agents in oregano, thymol and carvacrol. The US Department of Agriculture even discovered, in one study, that the oregano scored the highest in antioxidant activity than fruits and vegetables known to be high in antioxidants. They found oregano to have forty-two times as much antioxidant activity as apples, thirty times as potatoes, twelve times as much as oranges, and four times as much as blueberries (p. 538, Michael Murray, N.D. Jospeh Pizzorno, N.D., and Laura Pizzorno, The Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, 2006).

It was also a surprise to me when I found out that Filipinos, especially in the provinces, have been using the oregano to cure coughs for ages. All these information made me decide to try the herb out. Since then, my children have not used even an ounce of antibiotics to treat their coughs and colds. There was one particular incident that stands out in my mind at the time when I was just starting to use the herb. Isabelle was not feeling well and was complaining of pain but since she was just about two years old then, she could not really tell us what was ailing her. My husband, Andrew, and I brought her to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics since the doctor noted her swollen throat. The doctor even advised us to give the antibiotic immediately since he expects Isabelle to become febrile. Not wanting to give any antibiotics, I gave Isabelle oregano instead. In a span of twenty-four hours, Isabelle was cured. She did not have the fever the doctor was warning us about. Andrew and I were simply amazed.

In case anyone is interested in trying the herb out, I just blanch the leaves with boiling water and squeeze the juice out. I give one to two tablespoons of the juice to my children three times a day. When my husband and I feel an itchy throat, we do the same thing but we would usually take three or four tablespoons of it. In fact, my mother-in-law would microwave the leaves and eat them straight.



The photo shown above is the oregano taken from our backyard. Especially during the flu season, I have had to continually replace the old ones that have lost their leaves. I get my supply of oregano pots from Mang Roger who oversees the Herbal Garden at the Quezon City Circle.

My Credo

In this day and age of synthetic drugs and genetially modified organisms, one can only surmise that all these advancement and technology will eventually backfire on us or have they? Scientists and technocrats always argue that they are pushing all these for the common good, particularly to feed a hungry and growing world and to save the people from annihilation. But, have these people really made the world a healthier place for us and especially the children?

Some doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat children's cold and viral infections at the drop of a hat. We see a proliferation of bovines and meat products treated with antibiotics, fruits and vegetables laced with pesticides. Common sense would easily tell you that our bodies created and born in its natural state without the intervention of any chemical substance can only take so much of these before it reacts and counteracts in the form of more virulent diseases.

Before I had my daugthers, Isabelle and Ilysse, my knowledge of a healthy lifestyle was limited to eating the right food and doing your daily exercises. But, when my father succumbed to colon cancer (who was never a drinker and a smoker and rarely ate red meat) before he could see his first grandchild, there was no more turning back for me on looking for alternatives to a healthier lifestyle that would benefit my family and my daughters. I scoured the bookshelves and searched the world wide web on healthy, organic eating. I bought only organic vegetables and tried to get my hands on organic fruits. I looked for homeopathic doctors who cured the disease and not only the symptoms. I splurged my hard-earned money on anything organic. I did tremendous research on issues that have affected and continued to affect the health and well-being of my family. Since my crusade began six years ago on giving my children the best care I could get, I was met with criticism and even self-doubt. But, looking back, I am thankful for that opportunity of exploration and empowerment as it made me realize that I need not always accept authorities' words as final and good.

I created this blog primarily for my children so I can impart to them the importance of research, reading, and study, the value of an analytical and open mind, and to let them know that this a product of my devotion to them. I do not claim that my method of raising my children is the best, or even the only correct way. I, in the course of my writings, would necessarily have to relate my distressing experiences with conventional doctors. Nonetheless, I know from my own experience that there are still medical doctors out there who are not only competent and upright but are truly concerned with the welfare and health of their patients. Finally, this blog aims to empower parents, especially mothers, that the care and welfare of their children need not be wholly and fully dependent on the one who wears white and the one who dispenses chemicals.