Trying Anything to Beat the Germs Out of Kids

This winter has proven to be not only the coldest and snowiest on record but at least from where I sit, the germiest. By my count, our little family of five has suffered through:

5 nasty colds
4 day-long GI bugs
3 new strains of 12-hour GI bugs
2 Linda Blair in “The Exorcist” Barf-orama Extravaganzas
1 Strep Throat
…and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

If you really want to get technical, you can also add a scorching case of teething toddler and an adult torn meniscus (requiring surgery next week). Cue the violins.

Of course, our story is far from unique. Everyone in town is singing the same tune – I mean, since our kids play and go to school with each other, it’s only a matter of time until the germ du jour invades your living room too. We were so sure that my daughter was the little germ carrier – let’s call her “Patient Zero” – as she seemed to live in the house of ill but never got sick – that is, until she came down with strep throat earlier this week. The Dedham Petri Dish spares no one!

We all know that we should be washing our hands constantly, sneezing into our elbows and keeping antibacterial spray on hand at all times. But when it hits, how do you decide what to do next?

I grew up in a house where unless you had an organ visibly projecting from your body, you got a hand on your forehead, told you were “cool as a cucumbah” and sent off to school. I barely took medicine, other than vitamin C or the occasional Bufferin (remember that stuff?!) and to this day I am still a minimalist when it comes to pill-popping. However, as a mother in 2011, there are so many remedies to choose from you practically need a medical degree to figure out which way to turn.

We have a great doctor at Needham Pediatrics who, like me, doesn’t feel that medicine is always the answer. His school of thought is that sometimes the body will work out the germs and a prescription of fluids, rest and time is what’s best. However, when a kid needs the goods, it’s off to CVS we go. I have full confidence in him and always agree with his philosophy, but with so many schools of thought out there that it’s a good idea to look at other options as well.

I have two close friends who are into homeopathic medicine (one is actually going to school for it), and it’s very interesting to get their takes on what an alternative remedy could be. Many times they use herbs or things I’ve never heard of, but both swear that they see results.

I have another friend, who not only has a whole host of adult-onset food allergies, but also an autistic son. As a result, she has done so much research on what you eat and how it affects your body. She changed her son’s diet years ago by eliminating gluten and immediately saw a huge improvement in his demeanor and ability to learn. Seeing the difference in this little boy, it’s hard not to believe that changing your diet can impact every aspect of your life.

I try to embrace all different methods of medicine, healing and health, but with the glut of information on the Internet and enough books to fill the Smithsonian on this very topic, it can be overwhelming.

I guess that what we have to do as parents is to remain open to different ways of thinking and not be afraid to try something new, but know that going with your gut is your always okay, too.

I hereby dub this “The Parental Hippocratic Oath”: To do right by our kids, we will ask doctors, friends, entertain old wives tales, stand in line at CVS, talk to nutritionists, read books and yes, even scour the internet – if we think that it will make our babies feel better.

Until then, I’ll continue to stock up on Kleenex and seriously consider walking around in a hazmat suit – at least until we can open the windows.