Children and Cough Syrup

Finally got the January newsletter done and sent out. The whole 2nd page of the newsletter is on the controversy with children and cough syrup, a topic I was recently asked to do a segment on CBC radio about and partly what I'm speaking to a mom's group about this Friday.

Over the holidays I was sick and my biggest symptom was a cough. Being at my parents over Christmas I didn't have my usual arsenal of herbs and homeopathics, so rest and lots of fluids, Eucalyptus steam inhalations, and pear sauce were my main weapons. This is why I decided to write about coughs in the newsletter - my dad although greatly supportive of my career and willing to try anything naturopathic, including a detox, insisted that NyQuil was the only thing that would help my cough go away. Coughs are a natural defence mechanism of the body... why suppress something that needs to happen? Sometimes for babies or children the discomfort and ensuing irritability signals that something has to be done, but there are a lot of natural therapies one can try to support the body's own ability to heal itself before surrendering to a cough suppressant!