Are those medications necessary or convenient?

 Fall is finally here after the long, hot summer. Some prepare for this season by bringing out fall clothing; for others it’s stocking the cupboard with tea tree oil, filters for humidifiers, and cough and cold medications. I fall into the latter group.

As a mother of two young boys, a three year old and an 11 month old, I am no stranger to colds, flus and late-night visits to the emergency room. But last winter was different.

Last December my oldest son had a common cold complete with a runny nose, sneezing, and cough. As I was taking care of my youngest, who was six-weeks old, I didn’t think much of it. He was still active, playful, had a healthy appetite and continued with his daily routine. One night his cold turned into something else. His temperature rose and his cough quickly developed into wheezing; he had difficulty breathing and every breath was very painful. After calling 811 (the nurse’s hotline) my husband took him to the ER at Children’s Hospital. He was taken to a room almost immediately after an initial assessment. He was administered Ventolin, via a pump, which opened his passages within an hour. He spent the night there, with Ventolin administered to him every four hours for the next 24 hours.

My husband and I were very upset to see Ventolin —a common asthma medication— delivered from a puffer. The doctors and staff indicated that a child can only be diagnosed with asthma when they are five years and older, but administering Ventolin to a child so young is the only way to regulate breathing. We listened and continued to administer Ventolin as prescribed. He was well within three days.

It happened again in early January, and again he was back at the Children’s Hospital. Same procedure, same diagnosis, and same prescription. This time the staff took down our information for an asthma clinic. This was surprising as we were told that our son is too young to be diagnosed with asthma. Yet, we are asked to attend. We had reservations about using Ventolin and our son becoming dependent on it; this request to attend the asthma clinic added to our concern.

My husband and I researched Ventolin when we reached home. We read that not only is it a very strong asthma medication but it also triggers aggression in young children. This we noted in our son: he became more aggressive and started biting. We also read that by giving young children asthma medications we are not allowing their bodies to fight the wheezing naturally. The medications weakens their lung’s natural ability to overcome obstructions in the pathways, and this is especially damaging to young children’s bodies which are learning to adapt.

We took our son off the Ventolin and targeted natural remedies. Steam baths, humidifiers, Stodal Honey (a sugar-free cough syrup) and infant Vapor Rub became the orders of the day. We even altered his diet to include a fresh fruit-and-vegetable juice (with ginger) in the morning or evening and reduced his dairy intake.

He again developed wheezing a week after the second attack. I had enough. I was not going to lose this battle. My son is too young to be asthmatic and there was no way I was going to make him dependent on Ventolin. Here is how I fought off this bout of wheezing:

1) A steam shower in the morning to clear out the phlegm that built overnight;

2) Cut out the 3.25 % milk and used skim instead;

3) Rubbed infant vapor rub on his chest and the back of his shoulders before naps and sleep. At my mother’s advice I also dabbed a little behind his ears;

4) Use Stodal to ease his cough. Note: even with it being sugar free, I noticed that my son was energetic after taking some and so I would not give him this syrup right before his nap;

5) If I noticed any whistle-like sounds in his throat, I would boil some water, pour it into a bowl and add two-three drops of tea tree oil. Don’t add more than that as it can be aggravating. I would then have him sit in my lap, put a blanket over the both of us and breathe in that scented steamed air for at least two minutes. We would take a break and resume this again;

6) Used a steam humidifier every night and kept it by his bedside;

7) Heat up a rice sock (exactly what it sounds like) and have him sleep with it on his chest for naps and night sleep;

8) Infused his diet with micronutrients from a fruit-and-vegetable juice. Beet, apple and ginger flavors are his favourites.

He fought the wheezing naturally. He now fights colds much more quickly and he hasn’t experienced wheezing since. He never had to use Ventolin again, even as a preventative measure.

My experience with this makes me wonder if some children are really asthmatic or are conditions created early on so that they become asthmatic? Some children are asthmatic and medicines like Ventolin is their last hope. But is it becoming over prescribed and making other non-asthmatic children dependent on them?