Let me preface this post by saying, right here and right now, I am not a fear-mongering, doctor-hating, all-natural, crunchy mama. However, I do find the world of herbs and natural medicines to be somewhat alluring. Furthermore, I firmly believe there is a proper balance for every area of our lives, so I carefully guard how involved I become in this area.
A few weeks ago, a friend kindly pointed out that Gracie had a white rash-looking growth inside her mouth, along the edges of her lips. Upon closer inspection, I began to suspect thrush. It didn't seem to bother her at all, so I did a wee bit of research to confirm some information I had already been given. I didn't want to go the doctor for 2 reasons: a) I would have to pay $55 in fees just to see a doctor, and b) I was curious if I could resolve it on my own.
Thrush is basically an overgrowth of yeast in the mouth. Yeast is suppressed by the presence of probiotics, or good bacteria. Yeast thrives in damp environments and feeds on starch and sugar substances. My MO was two fold: introduce more probiotics into her diet and cut out sugary foods.
I went to the health food store in our area and picked up a bottle of Acidophilus powder. Its label proclaims it contains 5 billion CFU per gram. Not exactly sure what that means, but 5 billion anything is alot to cram into one gram. Sounds concentrated enough for me!
The directions say to take 1/4 tsp. of powder on any empty stomach once a day preferably in the morning. I gave Grace 1/4 tsp. each morning with her yogurt, which also had live cultures in it. I did my best to keep her out of the goodies, but daddy likes his evening dessert, so that step was not as successful as I had hoped.
I started her on the powder on a Tuesday evening. By the next Tuesday, it had completely cleared! I was amazed, elated, and slightly shocked! To my chagrin, I developed thrush as well (it can be passed around as any nursing mama knows whose child has developed thrush!) in my mouth, but thankfully, I had already started the powder before the symptoms appeared, so mine cleared up in just a few days.
I felt so empowered by this experience that I can find healthful solutions to everyday ailments without the aid of a health professional! My total cost was $18.99 for the bottle of refrigerated acidophilus powder, but for me, it was a savings of at least $36, not including the cost of the prescription!
4 lovely comments:
Good info to share! I tried some - but mine was not a powder...if my pills don't please me with their results I will keep the powder in mind.
Good for you! I have been reading and looking more to natural cures the past couple years. These cures worked for past generations, and are a very good way to treat many simple illness's .
My reasons are not only cost for doctors and drugs, but also the fact that drugs carry nasty side effects that sometimes cause more problems down the line. BUT...as you did, always consider carefully whether a doctor is needed to treat the problem before going ahead.
Acidophilus, by the way, is automatically given with all antibotics by doctors in Europe, UK and elsewhere. I think here in the US we are behind on using naturally remedy's for simple illness's.
If you want to learn more check your library for books on the subject.
I agree with Anonymous' comment about the US being a bit behind in using nantural remedy's -- but there are caveats there, too. Paying close attention to become aware of possible allergic reactions or lack of healing is also money-saving. Well done!!
Thank you for sharing - what a wonderful solution! When my son had sores in his mouth (I don't know if it was thrush - they call it "mouth disease" here) he was in complete agony. He couldn't eat or drink anything and got dehydrated - we ended up rushing to the emergency room in the middle of the night when I realized he was crying without tears (a serious sign of dehydration). That was scary! I'm thinking I need to reintroduce yogurt as a preventive measure - it seems useful for so many things! We've already got it in the house, since I make it every week.
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