It is becoming more common for parents to refuse vaccinations for their children, to prevent rare but serious side effects. However, this refusal of inoculations has meant the rate of cases of whooping cough then becomes much higher – to the point where children who do not receive that particular vaccine are 23 times more likely to become ill with whopping cough.
One argument parents give in favor of skipping shots is that if all of a child’s peers get inoculated, then they won’t be able to transmit the virus to their child. This phenomenon is known as herd immunity. This argument does not hold true for whooping cough, and so vaccine refusal is putting these children at a real and serious risk. Read more…
If your child is sick or at least uncomfortable for some reason, you may not have to rush to the doctor. Check out these home remedies that could help soothe:
Sore throat: Honey and lemon - Lemon dries up congestion and honey provides a soothing coating.
Colic: Chamomile tea - Relaxes intestinal muscles and is calming.
Bug bites: Baking soda - The alkaline baking soda helps counteract the acidic swelling.
Nosebleed: Cayenne pepper - This spice helps blood clot.
Warts: Duct tape - The gray fabric tape seems to irritate warts and inhibit their growth.
Anxiety: Bubble wand - Breathing slowly and deeply will help your child relax when she’s feeling stressed.
Headaches: Bandanna - Wrapping several ice cubes in a dish towel will help soothe your child’s head pain.
Tummy or neck pain: Sock - Instead of buying a heat wrap, make one by filling a sock with uncooked rice and tying it closed with a string.
Swimmer’s Ear: Blow dryer - This painful inflammation of the outer ear traps liquid and possibly bacteria. You can try evaporating the trapped water by with a blow dryer on the warm setting.
Congestion: Contact lens solution - May help kids get over colds faster — and make them less likely to get sick again.
Car sickness: Fresh ginger tea - Ginger stops the stomach contractions that tell your child’s brain he feels nauseous.
Mild swelling: Cucumber - Helps soothe hot, swollen skin.
Bee sting: Credit card - Use the flat edge of a credit card to gently scrape across the area until the stinger comes out.
Indigestion: Stick of gum - The extra saliva she’ll produce will neutralize the problematic excess stomach acid.
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