5 Supplements To Help You Avoid Getting Sick During the Cold and Flu Season

Hi Wendy, Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m very glad you had some questions answered! As far as the grapefruit seed extract goes, you are right on track with the idea of mixing it in something. It has a very bitter flavor by itself. A smoothie would probably work well. Probiotics mix well into smoothies, too, or yogurt or applesauce. I used to do this for my kiddos all the time when they were little. They actually got to the point where they would hand me whatever they were eating or drinking and ask me to put their vitamins in it! Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.

So sorry that your babies are sick. It is so hard to see them sick when they are so little. Given the fact that their stools are so runny, you may want to check with your pediatrician and see if he/she can give them a different antibiotic that may be easier on their tummies. Since bacteria-based probiotics are also destroyed by the antibiotics, I would suggest using a yeast-based probiotic, such as saccharomyces boulardii (should be available at a health food store), during their course of antibiotics. After they are done with them, I would switch to the bacteria-based and give it to them on a regular basis to rebuild their intestinal flora. The diaper rash may be most improved by allowing them some diaper free time. I know this can be dangerous, but even a short amount of time can help. I don’t know if you have tried it yet or not, but I always used Burt’s Bees diaper creme on my kids bottoms successfully. It is worth a try. If it is bad enough you may need your pediatrician to take a look at it.
If it seems like symptoms are not improving in your little ones after they are off the antibiotics, you may want to consider some sort of food sensitivity.
As far as grapefruit seed extract goes, I have not seen anything about negative side effects and I did use it for my own kids, however, you probably should also check that out with your doctor. Best of luck to you!

Hi Adel,
Thank you for your kind words; they are much appreciated. I am so, so sorry to hear about your nephew. It is heartbreaking to think that the medicine that was to make him well has actually injured him further. It is rather difficult for me to comment on what happened to him because I don’t know what antibiotic he was on, what type of infection he was being treated for, how long he was on an antibiotic, how severe the infection was, etc. Also, I am not a medical doctor, merely a mom and student of common sense good health, so I don’t necessarily have the expertise to help you. Have you taken him to a different doctor to get a second opinion? You may want to start there. I would also look at the listed side effects of the drug he was given, both from the drug maker and online (you could try to Google it and see if anyone has had similar negative side effects). Is your nephew in good health otherwise? It seems odd to me that an antibiotic, which is used to kill bacteria in the body would cause an infection elsewhere, unless your nephew’s immune system is so weakened that he is very vulnerable. In general, you may want to work on building up his immunity with diet and supplementation. As far as what to look for at the doctor’s office, it will depend greatly on the doctor as to what kind of information you are able to obtain. A doctor who is sympathetic to alternative medicine and prevention of disease through good health will be fairly open with you about some nutritional alternatives that you may be able to try first if the infection is not serious. If it is a serious infection and antibiotics are not optional, I would ask the doctor how long the antibiotic has been in use. If it has not been on the market for very long at all (say less than 5 years) and there have been no long term case studies of it, I would see if there is anything else that could treat that strain of bacteria. There are some infections that are serious and need to be treated immediately with antibiotics. I am so thankful when those situations occur that we have those medicines. However, many minor and fairly common infections are most likely able to be treated with nutritional support, good diet, lots of water and plenty of rest. I usually ask my doctor what the likelihood of getting over the sickness is without antibiotics and whether or not they really need them or if I can try to wait a bit and see if they get well on their own. It is helpful to be informed about the infection/diagnosis. I usually do a little research on my own online on trusted sites (here in the States WebMD or the Mayo Clinic site are ones that I use). This is something you have to be a bit careful of because there is information that isn’t factual on the internet as well. If the dr. says you can’t wait for antibiotics, then you may just need to start them, but follow up on your own with good nutritional support and plenty of probiotics. I hope this helps! Let me know if I can answer further questions. I hope and pray that your nephew returns to good health very quickly!