Children always seem bewildered when they get stuffy. “Why did my nose quit working?” they often ask. And the truth is, no matter how old we get, there is something quite disconcerting when our noses stop working. But there are drawbacks to some vapor rubs and congestion treatments. Some contain petroleum products, paraffin waxes or other ingredients that are not completely natural. For natural and earth friendly vapor rubs and congestion products, you should visit a health food store or ask a health care provider.
There’s all kinds of good therapy in treating a child’s congestion, covering them with nice warm flannel and snuggling in to read a story. In fact, that is ‘Comfort and Memory Central.’ Someday that child will tell his or her own children how well you took care of them as they carry the tradition on to another generation.
You don’t have to be a child to long for clear breathing as you struggle to survive a cold, flu or allergy attack. Somehow when your airways are clear, you just know you’ll soon be well.
Did you know that infants can not breathe through their mouths. During the first four to six months of life, children are ‘obligate nose breathers,’ meaning they MUST breathe through their noses. Therefore, keeping an infant’s nose clear is very important. Here I will add another little known fact about infants: Do NOT put essential oils on babies who are younger than two months. These oils are just too strong.
Okay, back to colds, flu and allergies. More and more people these days are dedicated to getting back to basics. Nature provides medicines and remedies for human maladies. When we alter those things with chemicals, when we adulterate them beyond recognition, they don’t work in the way they were designed to work. When I first started studying herbs and herbal remedies, I was amazed to discover the antidote for most irritating or poisonous plants usually grows nearby. Nettles sting like crazy but often grow in close proximity to skunk cabbage or fiddle ferns which both have the power to neutralize nettle stings. The more you study botanicals the more cases of this natural law you will discover.
Any vapor rub you use should be all natural. That means no artificial waxes, no petroleum products and no synthetic chemicals. The same should be considered for products used in vaporizers or ingested. Colds and flu run their course rather quickly. Make certain the comforts you use to get through those problems do not subject your body or your child’s body to an ingredient that will linger long after the cold or flu have departed.