Chronic croup

[ash316]

My daughter has had numerous spells of croup starting at 9 mos. old.  It is always during season changes and in the winter mostly.  The doctor has been saying it is an alergy related croup, but now thinks it is alergy related asthma after her spell on Monday night.  She put her on an inhaler but today she still sounds like she can not breath well.  What is going on?  She is 6 now and the episodes are getting worse and more frequent.  

[Elizabellmn]

Hello, first my son is 6 1/2 yrs old and started getting croup when he was in preschool, which it happens as soon as the weather turns cold here in Mn.  I am writing from another perspective, a holistic one using (FDA approved) homeopathy, as while his croup is not entirely gone, it is MUCH LESS SEVERE than it used to be with prior difficulty breathing, mild to moderate stridor, horrific painful cough and crying which further exasberbated the symptoms.  This is known to be a virus that can lay dormant in the child and get reactivated mostly during exposure to cold, dry, or gusty wind...or the child catches a chill, has lower immunity at the time and then the symptoms present....each time even worse it seems.  Most children outgrow the croup at some point successfully...others outgrow it, but develop some sort of other weakness.  Croup is mapped on the human genome project and located on gene number 1? which indicates a susceptibility factor.  Homeopathic treatment can facilitate less susceptibility, immediately stop the severe attacks with the indicated remedies.  Children's kits are available also in most food coops or whole foods markets.  Everyone in the family can get back to bed and the child's barky cough abates and usually a healthy fever follows.  Also, those children with asthma have greatly benefitted from this form of nature's miniscule, safe, medicine.  Asthma, once the appropriate tailored remedy is given can also be so much less severe, determined and given by a trained homeopath.   A parent can attend a seminar which will enable them to see the symptoms with a better eye to give the appropriate remedy (s)...during a bout of the croup or subsequent bouts of the croup.

I recently became a homeopath after taking advanced study in the field and have
found the homeopathic remedies, hands down relieve ANY stage of a croupy cough.
The key has been to give the remedies that are similar to the child's type of cough
at the onset...and determine what type of onset is presenting itself:  A sudden onset at night, an exposure to a cold wind, an onset at 3 am where the child is hungry and impatient...a fearful and painful onset that scares the beheebies out of everyone.  

Eventually, the end goal is to give a broader remedy that addresses the croup susceptibility underneith, as whole and end the frequency, severity, and attacks all together...this has been done.  Some of the croup homeopathic remedies are as follows (in dosages from mild to moderate depending on the symptom intensity...one can start low and increase the dosages):  

Aconite 30x, 6c, 12c, 30c (best one for severe, fearful, sudden onset with breathing that is asthmatic sounding, barking or trumpet toned cough...after exposure to cold,
drafty wind or child has caught a chill.

Spongia Tostia 30x, 6c, 12c..for this one it is recommended to stay in the lower potencies...it is used for sudden onset, usually at night from 1-4 am, the child has a barking, painful, constrictive cough and is also hungry and demands something to eat!

Belladonna, 30x, 6c, 12c, 30c, is a croup remedy that has a red face, or one side is pale the other red, a barking cough, impeded respiration, often the onset is in the morning upon rising, and sometimes a desire for lemonade or sour drinks.

Other croup remedies include, Hepar Sulph Calc,  Staphysagria (croup after being in the shower or getting hair washed/cut and then exposed to a dry, cold, wind),  Drosera
(which is a croup that flattens out, but the cough is worse as soon as the head hits the pillow or the heat register comes on.)  

If in doubt, ask your family doctor if it is o.k. to pursue homeopathic approach and remedies for your child's croup condition once your M.D. has ruled out other more severe conditions.  My child is much improved and I remember also that I had croup until I was about 10 years old.  The remedies are FDA approved, over the counter up to 30c dosages and this form of natural medicine is a diamond in the rough.   So, I hope to everyone that this was helpful.  God Bless to all.  

[Elizabellmn]

Hello, first my son is 6 1/2 yrs old and started getting croup when he was in preschool, which it happens as soon as the weather turns cold here in Mn.  I am writing from another perspective, a holistic one using (FDA approved) homeopathy, as while his croup is not entirely gone, it is MUCH LESS SEVERE than it used to be with prior difficulty breathing, mild to moderate stridor, horrific painful cough and crying which further exasberbated the symptoms.  This is known to be a virus that can lay dormant in the child and get reactivated mostly during exposure to cold, dry, or gusty wind...or the child catches a chill, has lower immunity at the time and then the symptoms present....each time even worse it seems.  Most children outgrow the croup at some point successfully...others outgrow it, but develop some sort of other weakness.  Croup is mapped on the human genome project and located on gene number 1? which indicates a susceptibility factor.  Homeopathic treatment can facilitate less susceptibility, immediately stop the severe attacks with the indicated remedies.  Children's kits are available also in most food coops or whole foods markets.  Everyone in the family can get back to bed and the child's barky cough abates and usually a healthy fever follows.  Also, those children with asthma have greatly benefitted from this form of nature's miniscule, safe, medicine.  Asthma, once the appropriate tailored remedy is given can also be so much less severe, determined and given by a trained homeopath.   A parent can attend a seminar which will enable them to see the symptoms with a better eye to give the appropriate remedy (s)...during a bout of the croup or subsequent bouts of the croup.

I recently became a homeopath after taking advanced study in the field and have
found the homeopathic remedies, hands down relieve ANY stage of a croupy cough.
The key has been to give the remedies that are similar to the child's type of cough
at the onset...and determine what type of onset is presenting itself:  A sudden onset at night, an exposure to a cold wind, an onset at 3 am where the child is hungry and impatient...a fearful and painful onset that scares the beheebies out of everyone.  

Eventually, the end goal is to give a broader remedy that addresses the croup susceptibility underneith, as whole and end the frequency, severity, and attacks all together...this has been done.  Some of the croup homeopathic remedies are as follows (in dosages from mild to moderate depending on the symptom intensity...one can start low and increase the dosages):  

Aconite 30x, 6c, 12c, 30c (best one for severe, fearful, sudden onset with breathing that is asthmatic sounding, barking or trumpet toned cough...after exposure to cold,
drafty wind or child has caught a chill.

Spongia Tostia 30x, 6c, 12c..for this one it is recommended to stay in the lower potencies...it is used for sudden onset, usually at night from 1-4 am, the child has a barking, painful, constrictive cough and is also hungry and demands something to eat!

Belladonna, 30x, 6c, 12c, 30c, is a croup remedy that has a red face, or one side is pale the other red, a barking cough, impeded respiration, often the onset is in the morning upon rising, and sometimes a desire for lemonade or sour drinks.

Other croup remedies include, Hepar Sulph Calc,  Staphysagria (croup after being in the shower or getting hair washed/cut and then exposed to a dry, cold, wind),  Drosera
(which is a croup that flattens out, but the cough is worse as soon as the head hits the pillow or the heat register comes on.)  

If in doubt, ask your family doctor if it is o.k. to pursue homeopathic approach and remedies for your child's croup condition once your M.D. has ruled out other more severe conditions.  My child is much improved and I remember also that I had croup until I was about 10 years old.  The remedies are FDA approved, over the counter up to 30c dosages and this form of natural medicine is a diamond in the rough.   So, I hope to everyone that this was helpful.  God Bless to all.  

[National Jewish Health]

This could be asthma, that will require additional medication for control.  Or, it could be non-asthmatic lung disease such as cystic fibrosis.  Another possibility would be some type of immunodeficiency, which predisposes your daughter to recurrent infection.  It sounds like she may need complete evaluation by a pediatric lung specialist, to establish a diagnosis with certainty, and initiate the appropriate therapy.