Unlike children's over-the-counter cold and cough medicines, homeopathy is SAFE and EFFECTIVE.

Does your child have a cough or cold? With homeopathy there is a safe and effective way to help them!

Newspapers around the country ran headlines in early October 2007 about the withdrawal of several popular brands of cold and cough medicines for young children. Doctors have warned that these products pose health risks of kids up to age 6 and especially for children under age 2. According to USA Today, "54 children had died from 1969 to 2006 after taking kids' medicines that use the ingredients ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. The FDA also found that 69 deaths of children were linked to antihistamines that contained diphenhydramine, brompheniramine and chlorpheniramine. Most of the children who died were under 2, and the FDA said that the medicines haven't been proved to work in little kids. Earlier research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1,500 children under 2 had suffered serious health problems after using the medicines. The American Academy of Pediatrics also has warned that kids' cough and cold products are not safe or effective for kids under 6."

As most parents who regularly use homeopathic remedies know, homeopathy provides a safe and effective way to help their young children. For example, the NCH provides an introductory Child Resource Guide which can be downloaded from our page of introductory articles. It provides many handy tips for parents.

Unlike conventional allopathic medicines, which only suppress symptoms rather than curing -- sometimes at the expense of dangerous side-effects, homeopathy supports the natural curative mechanisms within a child's body and can lead to a gentle and often rapid resolution of a cold or cough. Homeopathic medicines are readily available at all drugstores and mass merchandisers as well as natural food stores. They are generally recognized as safe and are inexpensive. They are easy to use and label directions should be followed.

Consider the following testimonial from a parent whose child had recurrent intense croup. In this case, "constitutional" treatment by a homeopathic doctor, based on the whole symptomatic picture of the child (both physical and mental) led to a resolution of the chronic condition entirely (rather than merely symptomatic relief). For a more simple case of common cold or cough, self-treatment using over-the-counter homeopathic remedies would usually be adequate (see resources below).

"My daughter Sophie, who is now ten, suffered from recurrent, spasmodic croup from age 2 to 81/2 . It was labeled "recurrent" because children usually grow out of croup by the time they are 4 or 5. She was hospitalized twice, with difficulty breathing, and the only effective treatment was a strong steroid, which she was given in the hospital to open her throat and airways and which we carried around with us in case of emergency. The side effects are not at all desirable, especially for a growing child.

We took her to specialists, but every time she had a little runny nose, we would hear the characteristic bark, and her fear and memory of previous attacks would tend to make it worse. When we moved to New York, I brought her to a homeopath (Dr. Edward Shalts) who, after much deliberation and a thorough interview with her and with me, prescribed a one-time dose of Calcarea Sulphurica 30C (not the textbook croup remedy) and I am happy to say that it cured her. We in the family all felt this was a miracle - no croup for the rest of the winter! When, the following year, the tell-tale cough reappeared mildly, I gave her another dose and it went away immediately.

Sophie and her father and I are so grateful, and relieved not to have to rely on the heavy drugs. I now look to homeopathy first. Thank you Calcarea Sulphurica!
Sincerely, K.R."
- Editorial Note: There are MANY other remedies for Croup and they are prescribed individually.


Research studies also support the effectiveness and superiority of the homeopathic approach in comparison to conventional allopathic treatment. Consider the following study:

Homeopathy versus conventional treatment in respiratory tract complaints: homeopathy gets 82.6% response, conventional gets 67.3% response.

In an outcome study, 30 practitioners in four countries enrolled 500 consecutive patients with at least one of three complaints: upper respiratory tract complaints including allergies; lower respiratory tract complaints including allergies; or ear complaints. Of 456 patients, 281 received homeopathy and 175 conventional treatment. The primary outcomes criterion was response to treatment, defined as cured or major improvement after 14 days of treatment. Results showed a response rate of 82.6% in the homeopathy group compared to 67.3% in the group receiving conventional medicine. The authors concluded that homeopathy appeared to be at least as effective as conventional treatment of patients with the three conditions studied.

Riley D, Fischer M, Singh B, Haidvogl M, Heger M. Homeopathy and conventional medicine: an outcomes study comparingeffectiveness in a primary care setting. J Altern Complement Med 2001; 7: 149–159.


There are many homeopathic self-help books that can help parents treat their children, safely and effectively, for common colds and coughs.

Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines
Homeopathic Medicine at Home
Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants
Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Your Baby's First Year
The Complete Homeopathy Handbook

The National Center for Homeopathy's magazine, Homeopathy Today, also includes numerous articles about the home use of homeopathic remedies for treating problems like the common cold, cough, croup, ear infections, and more. One is provided below, followed by other suggestions accessible to members of the NCH. For full access to the online archives of Homeopathy Today, join the NCH!

From Homeopathy Today September 2004
Beyond Flat Earth Medicine - Colds, coughs, and earaches
A do-it-yourself guide to caring for your kids
by Timothy R. Dooley, MD, ND

"How is your daughter?" I inquired of one of my students at the naturopathic medical clinic. Jim had brought his little girl into the clinic the day before with an upper respiratory and middle ear infection—like zillions of other kids I have seen and successfully treated with homeopathy.
Jim's eyes were shadowed with fatigue. "I had to take her to the emergency room last night," he replied. "What happened?" I asked. "Well, the remedy didn't work. Her fever was 103°. She's now on antibiotics."

An unnecessary trip to the ER
I was surprised to hear he had taken this unnecessary trip to the ER, but I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I simply said, "How's she doing now?" "I think she's a bit better," he replied.
In retrospect, I probably should have taken Jim aside when he was better rested and talked to him about his decision-making process. I mean, "had" to take her to the emergency room? If his daughter had been prescribed antibiotics instead of a homeopathic remedy, he would never have gone to the ER just hours later because her fever had not yet dropped. He would have given a fever-lowering drug such as Tylenol and allowed the antibiotics time to work.
I think he was really saying something like: "Even though my daughter had been taking the homeopathic remedy only a few hours, I don't really believe in this stuff and am more comfortable with conventional medicine."
So, why the double standard? Why was this man, now a naturopathic medical doctor, unable to give natural medicine a chance?

Fear, a powerful motivator
I guess the simple answer is this: he's a human being whose kid was ill. He was scared. And when you are in a state of fear, you don't always do the rational thing. I used to be an emergency room doctor, and I know that the overwhelming majority of kids brought in by their parents in the middle of the night are there because their parents are afraid, not because the child's illness constitutes an emergency.
If I had known my student's tendencies a bit better, I would have cautioned him in advance not to be afraid if his daughter had a fever during the night. After all, fevers often spike up in kids at this age, especially at night. It's part of their natural immune response to an illness. I would have advised Jim to give the homeopathic remedy a little more frequently if the fever spiked. And I'd have told him that I'd be happy to re-check his daughter the next day if needed.

A dangerous practice
More and more evidence is accumulating that taking antibiotics when not really necessary is a dangerous practice. For example, antibiotic use and breast cancer were recently shown to be correlated in a study published in the February edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In other words, the more antibiotics a woman has taken, the higher her risk of breast cancer. As a naturopathic physician, I routinely use homeopathy successfully to treat patients with many health conditions for which most doctors would use antibiotics.
All that is required to help parents overcome their natural parental fear is the experience of treating a few ill children with homeopathy and seeing that the kids do indeed get well—and usually more quickly than they would on antibiotics. You don't have to be a doctor or medical student to treat your children with homeopathy. Any parent can do it with a few simple observations and a handful of homeopathic remedies.

5 remedies for kids
Here are five common homeopathic remedies useful for treating young children with upper respiratory and ear infections. For good results, pay particular attention to the unique symptoms of the child, as opposed to just the diagnosis. (If none of these remedies seems to fit your sick child, you can consult one of the many excellent self-care books on homeopathy for more choices.)
Chamomilla. Children needing this remedy are really cranky. They demand to be carried; they demand a certain toy, then throw it down and complain loudly. The tone of their crying and complaining is quite irritating—enough to set your teeth on edge. They often get into this state with an upper respiratory infection or ear infection, especially while teething. Curiously, one cheek is sometimes glowing red and the other pale. They occasionally have diarrhea which can be greenish in color.
Pulsatilla. This remedy is commonly indicated in young children with colds, ear infections, coughs, fevers, etc. The child usually feels wimpy and needs attention and hugs. Their cry is not as irritating as the cry of a child needing Chamomilla. Discharges are often green or yellow-green. They typically aren't very thirsty and are better when you bring them into the open air—that is, they cough less, seem calmer, etc.
Aconite. When the child goes to bed pretty much OK, but wakes in the middle of the night feverish and with a croupy-sounding cough, this is usually the remedy to give. Think of it for feverish illnesses with a sudden onset, especially associated with a fearful anxiety and restlessness. The child is usually thirsty and sometimes has the curious feature of a flushed face when lying down that turns pale when they sit upright.
Belladonna. Like children who need Aconite, those needing Belladonna often have feverish illnesses with a sudden onset. But instead of that anxious restlessness associated with Aconite, these children's faces have a glowing flush and they have bright, often dilated eyes. When you touch them, your hand will feel hot. They are usually dry and while not anxious like Aconite, they are excited and have a "twitchy," restless sleep. Their senses become overly reactive, making them averse to jarring, light, noise, etc. This is a helpful remedy in many illnesses and feverish states in children.
Ferrum phosphoricum. Think of this remedy for those with feverish inflammatory illnesses (such as bronchitis or ear infection) without the intensity of Aconite or Belladonna. In other words, the child may be feverish and flushed but does not have the excitement or anxiety associated with those remedies. Ferrum phosphoricum is usually indicated in the early stages of illness and not so often in more established illnesses.

"Take two & call me in the morning"
Any of the common homeopathic potencies sold for home use (such as the 6c, 12c, 30c, 6X, 12X, or 30X) can be safely used. As a general rule, you give a dose (usually 2 or 3 pellets) more frequently when the patient is in a more acute state and less frequently when more stable. For example, when the patient seems more ill, in pain, or has a high fever, you might give a dose every 10 or 15 minutes. When that acute phase passes and they don't seem quite so sick, just give a dose every 2 to 4 hours.
Don't be afraid to change remedies as the symptoms warrant. For example, a child might need Ferrum phos in the early stages of an illness and then need Pulsatilla for a few days as they recover.

Develop confidence to treat your family
These homeopathic remedies are safe and non-toxic. Can you use them concurrently with conventional medicines? Yes, you can, although the conventional drug may make it more difficult to determine which homeopathic remedy is most indicated, because it may mask the body's innate symptoms.
Using homeopathic remedies does not necessarily mean you will never use conventional medicines again, however. There are times when conventional treatment can be lifesaving. You will find, however, that you'll need a lot less conventional medicine the more you use homeopathy as your first treatment choice.
Don't be afraid of illness, but do respect it. Have your ill child checked by a medical practitioner as you treat them homeopathically. Develop a criteria with your practitioner about when a trip to the ER might be appropriate, and don't be shy about going if needed. Your practitioner may or may not be competent in homeopathy; what is most important is that they be supportive of your efforts to care for your family's everyday health complaints. Over time you will develop confidence in the ability of the body to heal itself, with the help of this gentle, yet effective system of medicine, homeopathy.

Sidebar:
In a study of 20,000 Canadian children and 1,200 physicians from 1996 to 2000, researchers found that when children went to the doctor for a respiratory illness caused by a virus, 45 per cent of physicians prescribed antibiotics—contrary to Canadian Pediatric Society guidelines (antibiotics do not work against viral infections like colds).

The study also found that children were more likely to receive an antibiotic for a viral infection if:
—their doctors were general practitioners vs. pediatricians
—their doctors trained outside the U.S. or Canada
—their parents had a low income
—they were boys.

—Source: Toronto Star, July 23, 2004, "Children at risk from antibiotics; preschoolers may be building up resistance."

About the author:
Dr. Timothy R. Dooley is a graduate of National College of Naturopathic Medicine as well as Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine. He practices homeopathy in San Diego, California, and teaches at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences. He is the author of the easy-to-read introductory book, Homeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine. The complete text can be read on-line at http://www.beyondflatearth.com. For more information, visit http://www.drdooley.net. He can be reached at or drdooley@drdooley.net.