Alice from Ups and Downs has just come through a period of illness and has listed a few of the things she’s learned about keeping her family healthy. I’ve partially copied the list below, and in bold, I’ve indicated the things on the list that our family does, too, plus I’ve added a few at the end.
I hate being sick; the only thing worse is when the kids are sick. I hate feeling ineffective, and the worry that comes (for me) with illness makes me feel overwhelmed. So I try to keep us healthy, in order to avoid that downward spiral. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. So I’m looking for tips: what things do you do to help keep your family healthy?
Here’s Alice’s List:
Don’t hang out with sick kids if you know they are sick
Get a flu shot
Don’t spray everything with anti-viral antiseptic spray because it actually impairs children’s immune systems - lemon balm in a spray is better - as is a flu shot.
Give Alfie and Noah vitamin D
Wash your hands more
Chest physio is extremely effective for Alfie and if he gets pneumonia again I should make sure he gets it straight away - it’s more important if you have Ds than for typical children.
Ear plugs are an essential item in hospital
Anti-biotics can cause runny stools which can cause weight loss, but pro-biotics from the health food store change this.
Hot steamy bathrooms help to runnify your insides and get rid of pneumonia. So do saline drops in your nose.
Lots of movement and activity is good too.
Nursing relaxes Alfie and opens up his airways (it also meant he didn’t have to have his food via IV)
“Cough in the Trough, Sneeze on your Sleeve” - cough in the crease in your elbow and sneeze on your sleeve rather than on your hands so you don’t spread your germs everywhere.
It pays to be interested and alert and take an active role in your child’s medical care.
The nurses and doctors and students and therapists and physios and cleaners at the IWK hospital are very, very, very, good
It is good to be in a hospital where they aren’t always short staffed
Going out in the cold doesn’t make you ill as long as you are dressed up warmly enough.
To her list, I would add:
Diet is an important link to health; I try to feed the kids whole foods whenever I can. If I can’t, I give them a mutlivitamin.
When I remember, I supplement with CoQ10, fish oil, brewer’s yeast, and flax. I try to sneak as many superfoods in a meal as I can.
I think sleep is an important component to health–it’s important to be well-rested, especially during cold and flu season.
I also think stress is important. I seem to get sick more often, and sicker, when we are stressed. (The same holds true for the kids, too.)
The kids have a cool mist humidifier in their room that I use almost year-round (our air is very dry).
That’s all I can think of, for now. What are your thoughts on keeping healthy?
Alice from Ups and Downs has just come through a period of illness and has listed a few of the things she’s learned about keeping her family healthy. I’ve partially copied the list below, and in bold, I’ve indicated the things on the list that our family does, too, plus I’ve added a few at the end.
I hate being sick; the only thing worse is when the kids are sick. I hate feeling ineffective, and the worry that comes (for me) with illness makes me feel overwhelmed. So I try to keep us healthy, in order to avoid that downward spiral. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. So I’m looking for tips: what things do you do to help keep your family healthy?
Here’s Alice’s List:
Don’t hang out with sick kids if you know they are sick
Get a flu shot
Don’t spray everything with anti-viral antiseptic spray because it actually impairs children’s immune systems - lemon balm in a spray is better - as is a flu shot.
Give Alfie and Noah vitamin D
Wash your hands more
Chest physio is extremely effective for Alfie and if he gets pneumonia again I should make sure he gets it straight away - it’s more important if you have Ds than for typical children.
Ear plugs are an essential item in hospital
Anti-biotics can cause runny stools which can cause weight loss, but pro-biotics from the health food store change this.
Hot steamy bathrooms help to runnify your insides and get rid of pneumonia. So do saline drops in your nose.
Lots of movement and activity is good too.
Nursing relaxes Alfie and opens up his airways (it also meant he didn’t have to have his food via IV)
“Cough in the Trough, Sneeze on your Sleeve” - cough in the crease in your elbow and sneeze on your sleeve rather than on your hands so you don’t spread your germs everywhere.
It pays to be interested and alert and take an active role in your child’s medical care.
The nurses and doctors and students and therapists and physios and cleaners at the IWK hospital are very, very, very, good
It is good to be in a hospital where they aren’t always short staffed
Going out in the cold doesn’t make you ill as long as you are dressed up warmly enough.
To her list, I would add:
Diet is an important link to health; I try to feed the kids whole foods whenever I can. If I can’t, I give them a mutlivitamin.
When I remember, I supplement with CoQ10, fish oil, brewer’s yeast, and flax. I try to sneak as many superfoods in a meal as I can.
I think sleep is an important component to health–it’s important to be well-rested, especially during cold and flu season.
I also think stress is important. I seem to get sick more often, and sicker, when we are stressed. (The same holds true for the kids, too.)
The kids have a cool mist humidifier in their room that I use almost year-round (our air is very dry).
That’s all I can think of, for now. What are your thoughts on keeping healthy?