Cold Rotations

we run a humidifier, use saline(helps break up/clean out boogers way up there), my kids were also prescribed nasonex. maybe you can rub on baby vicks at night for a little relief while sleeping. Do not however go outside (exspecially while it is cold and windy) w/vicks on, it will open you up too too much, which could cause pneumonia. 'tis the "cold, snotty/boogies, coughin' season....we are in it together good luck to ya!

Try looking at his diet. Does he consume dairy products, specifically milk? What about wheat? These are two culprits for chronic allergies/sinus problems. Get some probiotics to start him on, as this will strenghten his immune system too.

My granddaughter, now 5, has been on a rotation of Claritin, Zyrtec since the age of 9 months. If she misses more than two daily doses, she starts to get congested, and even with the medication, she will occasionally have bad days. Her mother believes that the daily oral medicine is much better than regular allergy shots. She also got a consultation with an allergy doctor. You might want to go that route if you are uncomfortable giving the Claritin.

Natural defense against seasonal allergies is Nettle tea with LOCAL honey. (Honey produced as close to your home as possible)

This helps the body build its own defense against local allergens.

Soar throat: tea with LOTS of honey & lemon (chamomile is a good, mild, caffeine free choice for kids). It doesn't even have to be tea, warm water with honey & lemon. Honey is very soothing & the lemon has lots of fresh vitamin C.

I have a 3 & 5 yo w/ seasonal allergies & I do use claritin & benedryl as needed. Usually for about 6-8 weeks during allergy time. I hate it too, but it beats the nebulizer & trips to the ER for breathing problems.

For fall I start the last week August and go til about now or just into November. I use Benedryl only at night & only on the days it is really bad. In spring I use it the first sign of pollen.

I also use on very rare occasion, childrens psudofed.

Good luck.

First is he allergic to something in his diet? If not then our Pediatrician suggested every 4 hrs Mucinex then 4 hrs later Dimetapp. The Mucinex makes it loose and drain then the Dimetapp dries it up.
I personally take Claritin everyday during this season and it doesn't make you drowsy. Sounds like your sore thraot could be drainage.

Sounds like you and your child may have allergies. Your sore throat may be from constant drainage. Give Claritin a try. It is one of the safest allergy meds out there. It is important to know with Claritin that you need to take it every day for maximum benefit..it is not intended to be a med you take only on days you feel you need it. After a couple of weeks, if you don't notice a relief, you may want to see an allergist. There are some wonderful nasal sprays out (Nasonex, Rhinocort, Patanase) now that stop drainage at the source.

PS- Adult Claritin (or generic) can be broken in two for the little kids for an added cost savings. It is tasteless, so my son just chews the 1/2 tablet at bedtime.

It ccould be allergies and the claritin just does not do it. I use Zyrtec b/c claritin does not work for me anymore. It could be inside allergens as well as outdoor allergens. As far as a sore throat my dads friend would gargle orange juice when he had a sore throat then just swallow it. I remember trying this and it worked. I did it at the first sign of the sore throat. I have also done hot tea with honey. It is soothing and the honey has natural antibacterial properties to aid in the healing. This will help with discomfort but will not make it go away quickly. If you keep getting this sore throat you might want to have it checked by a dr. A friend of mine had same issue and ended up having strep throat that took 2 rounds of antibiotics to finally clear up.

My oldest little boy did that when he was young.
Have him tested for asthma.
Once my son got an inhaler, you wouldn't believe the difference... no more colds.
I hope that isn't your case but my son had exercisde induced asthma so it wasn't really bad. It was serious but not as bad as it could have been.
Good luck.

Our son was constantly congested and sounded like he was snoring all day, and could hardly breathe at night, and he was having constant fluid in his ears and ear infections (even with tubes, which finally fell out). We finally had his adenoids and tonsils taken out (and new tubes), and he is like a new boy. He makes no noise when he breathes, and doesn't need as much sleep, and hasn't been sick since.

Some people get congested when they drink milk. You might try eliminating it for a week and see if the congestion clears up.

Zicam really helps with cold symptoms (that often start with a sore throat) if you use it at the first sign of symptoms.

have you tried a warm mist vaporizer in the kids room with some vics vapor stem in it...works wonders for my kids. or rub a little vicks valve in their chests. wouldn't hurt to do the same thing for yourself. as far a sore throat. hot tea with honey works or try gargling with warm salt water.

Hi Z.,
Some things that my pediatrician recommended for help with colds/congestion - warm apple juice before bed, rub vick's baby rub on the chest and back, elevate one side of the mattress, use a cool mist humidifier. (I don't feel like the last one does anything, but I could be wrong!) Hope that helps!
Cyndi

I understand not wanting to give meds just b/c. I go the natural approach until I need to take or give meds. I give my children 3 things. Optiflora (every other day), alfalfa, and an immunity builder. My oldest son always had a runny nose from mid september to May and it has been almost 4 weeks and he has not had one runny nose. Make sure that what ever natural supplement you use is pure and not full of preservatives and synthetics.

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Where do you live. I moved to East Tennessee six years ago and have been sick ever since.(I'm exagerating but it has been way worse then Michigan) The air quality here sucks and someone in mt family is always sick!!!!!!!!! I use saline spray in all of our noses and humiderfiers in all of our rooms. We have changed the filters in our house to HEPA style filters and we are all taking vitamins. We gargle with salt water for sore throats. I got soooooo sick of all of the medicine everyone in my house was taking. We stopped it and honestly I don't think any of the stuff they were telling me to give my child or myself did any better then the saline and vitamins.

Try a saline solution(little noses) much like you probably used when he was a baby for cleaning out his nose. Also, try a humidifier at night. We are experiencing this with our 10 month old right now and this is working for us. I feel like it is the drier air that is bothering our little one. Good luck.

It sounds as if you all have allergies. My 2 youngest and myself also have allergies and if we dont take meds we have sinus infections and tonsilitis from drainage. We all take Zyrtec once a day. Also I have cut both of the 2 little ones milk consumption down. I have had 1 doc tell me that milk does not cause congestion but I beg to differ. It seems to in my kids cases.
For a sore throat you can try lemon zinger tea with a spoonful of honey. Sooths the throat very well.

Hi Z.,
Allergies can be very frustrating. My husband has also had issues with this and someone shared, believe it or not, Alfalfa. We tried it and found it very effective. Our granddaughter who is 6 also uses it as well as a "netta" pot which clears out her nasal passages. Just email me if you would like more information on where to get the Alfalfa we use. We purchased the netta pot at Whole Foods Market and I highly recommend it. Also, building up your immune system would really help with your sore throat. Supplements will not make you drowsy - there are no side effects from them. Good luck! J. Estes

Dear Z.,
I like your subject name, "cold rotations". That is and isn't what is happening. This is how I understand the "rotation", or cycle:
We all know "cold" symptoms: sore throat followed by runny nose, sneezing, coughing, might be some general lethargy, might be some runny eyes, kids may have a little temperature. These are symptoms of inflamed mucous membranes. The linings inside your nose and your mouth are mucous membranes. A "cold" is any one of several hundred different viruses that attack and cause these mucous membranes of your upper respiratory system to get inflamed. (Your lungs are your lower respiratory system.)
By contrast, environmental allergies are caused by pollens, dust mites, molds, mildews and their spores, and other microscopic things that might be in the air. They are breathed into your body through your nose and mouth. If you develop inflammation to your mucous membranes from them, that is referred to as "allergies" or "hayfever".
Allergies present in many different forms. Most of us are allergic to poison ivy, for instance, and develop a terrible "contact dermatitis", a rash, from it. Some people have life-threatening responses to antibiotics or bees.
One inflammation can pave the path to other sensitivities. I think of it as; if your defenses are down, other problems can show up that wouldn't normally persist.
So, you get a cold. The virus comes and goes. But meanwhile, there are new pollens in the air - hayfever season hits. The mucous membranes are already a bit irritated, so they stay irritated and the symptoms persist because of the hayfever. The catch is, that with the irritation persisting, the mucous membranes are more prone to picking up the next viruses or bacteria that they are exposed to.
With any sort of tissue damage, there is swelling and irritation from something that is released caused "histamine". So, colds and allergies will both cause "histamine reactions".
"Antihistamines" fight the symptoms of both colds and allergies. Claritin has replaced Benadryl as the antihistamine of choice for allergies because it usually doesn't make people tired.
Sudafed is a stimulant that kinda shrinks the mucous membrane's swelling.
Just on the side, I read that with global warming, our local plant growths are changing slightly. This means that plant pollens that your body adjusted to 20 years ago may have changed.
Sometimes, the back of your nose will run and not the front of your nose. This is called, "post-nasal drip". The mucous continuously sliding down the back of your throat can cause anything from a frequent need to clear your throat, to sore throats, to coughs. The cough occurs when it slides down the throat into the lungs. Then the cough reflex kicks the guck up and out.
If you reduce the mucous production, there is less likelihood that old mucous can go into your children's eustachian tubes - from their throats to their ears, causing increased pressure and possibly ear infections.
I don't know if I've made anything clearer with my explanation, but the bottom line is, keep your son on the Claritin to reduce the swelling in your son's mucous membranes.
Good luck!

When someone in our home has a sore throat, we drink hot water with a tablespoon of lemon and a tablespoon of honey in it. It's very soothing. Also, warm chicken broth is good.

Also, you might want to have your son evaluated by an ENT Dr. since it could be that his adenoids are swollen due to allergies. I know my brother was ALWAYS congested as a child, and he ended up having to have surgery to remove them. None of the allergy drugs worked on him, now he doesn't have many problems at all.

My 3 year old son was the same way sense he was born!!! From the end of August to May or so he would be congested and have a runny nose, the it would go into weezing and doing the breathing treatments! I hated giving all the meds. This year at the end of August I Started Zyrtec, it has worked so far!!! The Doc. finally told me that Zyrtec doesn't work onces your sick, it will only stop it before it starts. I was waiting and giving it to him when it started and thats why is wasn't working!! He has been on it for almost two months and the runny nose, congestion, and cough seems to be gone{knock on wood}!!! I would try it!!! It works for him!!!

Check your furnace filter and keep it new, keep your house dust free, and keep your vacuum bag new. That will help the air stay clean in the house and it will help.
Also, maybe your boy should see an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist to rule out oversized turbinates, polyps or adnoids in the nose. My son had constant stuffiness and found that his turbinates were too large and he had polyps blocking his nasal passages. After those were taken care of things got better. God Bless~

Not sure about a recurring sore throat but hot tea with lemon and honey is great for helping. You may be sleeping with your mouth open at night. The heat being turned on can dry you out too and make you sleep with your mouth open. Also, I hear that Cold Eez helps to suck on b/c they have some ingredient that helps you stay well. As far as your child, you can try those nasal sprays to help open him up. The salt water rinses, neti pot, are great but at 4 yrs old, I am sure you cannot get them to do it. Try the nasal spray and maybe a humidifier if they are always dry and stuffy. If it is allergies, you can try local honey. Give them a bit daily and that should really help with allergies. Pb and honey is great on bread, honey on crackers, even honey in a drink. Must be local though so it helps with your local allergies.

W.

I had a similar situation but not exactly like yours. My daughter, 11, developed a loud hacky cough that sounded like bronchitis in April. We took her to her pediatrician and they told us she has allergies and put her on some cough syrup. It didn't work. Then after another appointment, they gave us allegra -- didn't work. Then after another appointment, they gave us Claritan -- again, didn't work. Another appointment, Zyrtex, didn't work! I finally put my foot down and told them that they were treating her like she had allergies, but not testing her. I wanted her tested. They did a blood test -- said she was allergic to dust, dust mites and roaches! We don't HAVE roaches! I was very disappointed. This went on for 6 weeks! Someone told me to call my insurance and see about getting an appointment with an allergist, so I called my insurance company. They told me that I did not need a referral based on the insurance I have. I made an appointment with a pulmologist/allergist since I wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with her lungs too. The pulmologist told me my daughter has cough induced asthma. We put her on the appropriate medicines, which she is still on today, and we are cough free! AND the pulmologist/allergist said she wasn't allergic to dust mites or dust or roaches for that matter!

Find out what insurance you have and see if they need a referral. If you do, put your foot down with your doctor and tell them you want a referral to whatever specialist you feel your child needs to see. I don't like seeing children taking all this medication for something doctors don't even know they are treating -- they believe it may be allergies, well tell me what kind and how do we fix it. Don't just put them on a series of allergy medications until you find one that works, tell me what kind of allergies first and then let's try the medications.

Good luck and be strong!

It definitely is allergies. Most people I know take medication for it. sorry! If you really want to know exactly what the allergy is, I would recommend a specialist. They can do skin tests (which are painful) to find out what is bothering you. I am allergic to every grass, every weed, and several tress, along with mold, dust, etc. I have been overtreated with antibiotics so many times I finally did the test and I have seasonal allergies for every season! :) Zyrtec works for me, and I just have to take it.

Other friends I know have gone to specialists and had some kind of sergery... I think opening the nasal cavity?? Not sure but worth asking. It also relieved head ache pressure for them too.

Amanda