WHEN DOCTOR PRESCRIPTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Nico has been suffering from cough and colds since last week. A common suspect to blame was the ever changing weather. Nico’s classmates in school were wearing cough and colds when the classes resumed last week so I think that also adds to my worry that he caught the virus there. If I recall it right, his cough and colds now adds to the countless times that Nico got sick (if not cold, cough, tonsillitis, and stomach infection being the worst) since my little boy started going to preschool last June. It was a depressing thought that no matter how much we try to protect our son from harmful elements (like providing a healthy environment at home), unavoidable places such as the school was often the culprit why Nico was sickly since he started going to school.
Good thing Nico’s immune system, I noticed, is becoming more stable now. At three years old and schooling at that, he gets sick, yes, but also recovers faster, even without giving him medicines to take. A good rest and a simple water therapy matched with some herbal meds often helped and just in one or two days, a cough or a cold is gone. The last time I reviewed Nico’s medical record book, I noticed we haven’t had much trips to the pediatrician for months, except for that notable rushes to the Hospital due to a stomach flu in July and the tooth infection in August. Cough and colds and tonsillitis are three common upper respiratory diseases Nico often experience (thanks to Nico’s classmates), so every time he is suffering from one, we knew what it is and how to treat them, thus, we resorted not to consult a doctor anymore. Anticipating a crowd and long queue of ill patients (which can be a source of more diseases) in the Clinic or Hospital, going to the doctor was a tiring ordeal, with an irritated sickly child in tow. BabyCenter and relentless exchange of calls and text messages to my Mom (who was a nurse) were often my most valuable resource.
I know self-medication is not a good practice, especially if anti-biotics is involved and one is not sure how much dosage should be given. I’ve tried that in one or two cases when Nico had a cough, and despite water therapy, the cough lingered for days and Nico had fever already (which was a sign there’s already infection) that we saw the need to consult the doctor even we started giving him an expectorant/mucolutic combined with an anti-biotic (the same meds that the doctor prescribed at one time Nico had a cough). No problem with the cough syrup while the doctor also approved on the use of the same brand for the anti-biotics. Not for the dosage however. Apparently, we were already under the prescribed dosage and the doctor said the dosage should be computed precisely to fit the mg/kilo of the child. And so we learned our lesson then. Back to the old habit: Nico got sick, we go to the doctor, doctor prescribes meds, we follow instructions, till our son is well.
But for this last sickness—the cold and the cough, which has been since last week, I’m worried that Nico had not recuperated. After observing him breathing more rapidly than usual (starting the evening of Friday, 09 November), listening to the sound of his breathing as if it were wheezing, and considering that he had a heart issue before, we brought Nico for a consultation last Saturday. Rapid breathing was remedied by nebulizing on a prescribed dosage of meds and interval, but it was temporarily as the phlegm would stay on top of his lungs because Nico’s not capable of spitting them just yet. I texted the doctor this morning and she only advised me to keep on with the meds and the nebulizer thing. Worst comes to worst that Nico breathing hasn’t improve till late today, then the doctor said we have to rush to the Hospital so he’ll be confined (suspected it was asthma). Depressing.
Anticipating it will be one heck of a day today, I called my Mom for help, and comfort, asking her with much panic to join us as we will have Nico admitted in the Hospital later. Mom told me to calm down, then I was calmed, then we talked and talked, thinking of ways to ease Nico’s situation, until I remembered Oregano growing in our backyard (which Mom concurred to)! I gathered about 10-15 medium-sized leaves, steamed them, extracted its juice, measured some 15-30ml in a cup and had Nico drink it. We failed to convince our little boy to voluntarily drink the Oregano extract so we made do with an undemocratic strategy just to make sure the liquid gets in his system (Nico’s Dada holds his arms and legs while Ness hold the head while I dropped the liquid slowly but surely). What tiring and what battle it was! We had no regrets though because after a few minutes, Nico was gagging in the sink, with all the sticky phlegm down the drain. The eucalyptic/menthol effect plus its bitter yucky after-taste was the secret to Oregano’s effectiveness. I called Mom to let her know of the good news and all she had to say was: “See, sometimes doctors prescriptions are not enough, you know!”
The Magic of Oregano (Photo from Nathankramer.com)
Thank God because Nico’s breathing is back to normal now. We still quickly packed some change clothes in two separate bags though, not to rush to the dreaded Hospital, but to make it in time for Nico’s first day of school this week. 
22 responses so far
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Get well soon Nico!
tama ka mommy feng. lalo na ngayon that there was a report made recently that some cough and cold medicines were recalled bec they werent safe. ang alam ko naman lagundi.
glad to know nico is well na. i can imagine how you made him drink the oregano extract
i bet your method is pretty much how we force my own kids to drink “yucky medicine.” hay naku, pag bata ang nagka-sakit ang hirap-hirap sa kalooban ano?
in these times of expensive medicines and over-priced doctor’s fees, “bawal talaga magkasakit”…good thing we could still count on the herbal meds we grow in our backyards. like you feng, i also believe in the magic of oregano leaves plus water therapy for cough and colds. i hope your little boy is okay now.
Yes, sometimes the doctor’s prescription is not enough. We haven’t tried oregano yet but we find ampalaya extract to be truly effective. If they don’t expel the phlegm throught he mouth then they will surely pass it through their poopoo. The next time Adi has asthma I will try this oregano therapy. Thanks for the tip.
I hope that Nico will be better soon
Oregano, yan ang pinapainom sa akin nung bata ako.
Hi Feng! am glad Nico’s much better now. hirap talaga pag bata nagkakasakit. Natawa lang ako coz as kids, my lola would always make us drink oregano extract pag may ubo. Yuck talaga pero effective! hehe missed reading your blog!
hi feng! uy thanks for sharing this ha. i’ll keep this in mind. just to be sure. at least, i have a tried and tested alternative for medicine.
hi Mitch!
super thanks. Nico’s OK now, back to his kulit self. galing ng Oregano ano.
ladycess, thanks for the well wishes. hay naku, balik kakulitan na naman nga si Nico eh. pero mas OK na yun sa akin na makulit sya, kesa naman behaved nga pero sickly naman. hirap pag may sakit ang mga bata.
yes I heard about the recall of dimetap in the US and even in the local market.
yung Lagundi, OK din yun. same process din yata with Oregano. though Oregano is easier to grow.
thanks Mhalou. Nico’s doing well now. so you’re an Oregano fan too? amazing di ba? libre na, no side effects pa!
thanks Mommy Cookie
OK na OK na si Nico, pwede na silang mag date ni Adi, hihihi.
Ampalaya works great too. sa sobrang bitter nyan, ewan ko na lang kung hindi pa nila ma-expel ang phlegm. what do you use, the leaves or the ampalaya itself? and yup, try Oregano sometime. kahit walang sakit ang mga bata (lalo na if they are fond of eating chocolates), maganda sya sa lalamunan coz may soothing effect because of its eucalyptic/menthol taste.
sad about Adi’s asthma. sana mawala yun before she turns 7.
Thet, yucky talaga ang taste at after taste pero very effective talaga di ba? yan din pala pinapainom ni Lola mo sa yo. hope you’re doing the same for Iya.
kumusta ka na? kelan pala tayo magkikita?
excited na ako.
you’re welcome Ann. aside from Oregano, you can also try other herbal medicines. Ampalaya, Lagundi, sambong, guava leaves, even the extracts of onion works wonder too.
i used to dring oregano din nung bata pa ako.
Pero si Mama nilalagay nya sa ibabaw ng sinaing instead of steaming. Effective sha esp dun sa bunso namin na may asthma.
N!cE
http://www.nicemorning.net
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Nice, steaming the leaves above the sinaing works great! I used to do that too, ang kaso, pati ako nasusuka, kaya we opted to steam the Oregano separately.
So it really works. Masubukan nga ito ke Julian next time he has those phlegm when he coughs or when he has an asthma attack. That is, if I am able to convince him to swallow. Maybe I will follow it up with honey which he loves so much
Teacher Julie, yeah, better try it with Julian, Oregano really works wonders! If it happens you’re not able to convince Julian to drink it, you and Hubby and make it drink it by exerting extra force. You know, pwedeng talian sa mga kamay at paa (bad Mommy me!), hehe. and yes, honey or an extract of calamansi should make the taste a bit better.
I agree, sometimes, it’s not enough to rely on doctor’s prescriptions. As much as possible, I don’t like giving my son antibiotics.
Thank you for sharing about the wonders of Oregano. I’m not familiar with it and I appreciate that you shared it here.
Hope Nico is much better now and doing great. Take care!
you’re welcome Rach. yes, the Oregano is very effective, esp. for dry coughs, it works great. wala pang side effects like drowsiness. remember Dimetapp being recalled in sheleves? at least with herbal meds like this, our kids are safe.
Hi There!
My son has very bad phelgm on his chest for over 10 weeks and has been prescribed to different course of antibiotics which hasn’t worked at all. He has very noisy wheezing. I am going to give oregano a try, but how long would it take to see some improvement, if i was to give 2 teaspoons of oregano juice extracted from the leaves everyday.
hi Venessa. thanks for the visit.
am so sorry to hear about your son. 10 weeks is really that long. have you had a follow up checkup with his doctor? if the antibiotics didn’t worked at all, I believe he should be first seen by a doctor.
the oregano works like a mucolytic and the improvement still depends on how your son will take it. in our case, just a day or two or taking oregano, his coughing improved. the good thing with oregano or any herbal meds for that matter is, at least you need not worry, your overdosing.
goodluck with the treatment. hope your son recovers soon.
My daughter is only 10 months old and she suffered from stomach virus and diarea and whatnot this last several weeks… Even 2 weeks at the hospital, but it is over now..Thank God.. All the best to you and your family..