Debunking Myths

J was all of three when her doctor put her on a regular regimen of Albuterol and Claritin. I did as I was told but felt very strongly about "drugging" a child that young without giving her body a fair chance to resist seasonal allergies. As a full-time working single mom, I did not have the luxury of letting her stay home, work through the colds and fevers on her own time with only TLC and warm milk to fortify her. There was a huge amount of guilt associated putting her on the nebulizer before bed-time and giving her Claritin daily before dropping her off at daycare.

Then I got a homeopathic prescription for her that worked like a charm. There were no immediate miracles but in time, J was able to battle the allergies completely on her own. There has been no Albuterol or Claritin in the household for nearly two years now. I don't know about placebo effects and other scientific debunking of the homeopathic myth but I have seen it work time after time for J.

As a parent, I would choose homeopathy over the regular "scientifically proven" medicine any day as it frees me of the guilt of making a child dependent on medication because I don't have the wherewithal to mother her like I ideally should. Whereas she needed the nebulizer more and more, she needs her homeopathic medicines less and less over time. Maybe science and rationality fail me when I need to assure myself that I am not cutting corners with my child's health and well-being for the lack of time.