A natural remedy is an alternative form of treatment for pharmaceuticals; it could be herbal, behavioral or nutritional. Most childhood ailments are treated using pharmaceuticals; this paper will aim to research on some of the natural remedies for childhood ailments such as tantrums, colic and refusal to go to school. Some of the benefits of using natural remedies such as herbal medicine include the absence of harmful side effects. Using behavioral therapy most often prevents reoccurrence of the ailment (Pan & Gao 2012 p. 18). Natural remedies are the best alternatives for pharmaceuticals and are especially beneficial for children due to the minimal side effects.
Baby colic also called infantile colic is an episode of crying for a long time in a healthy or comfortable child; however, this is behavioral observation rather than a diagnosis (Douglas & Hill 2012 p. 499). Pediatricians believe that too much of crying causes gas and consequently a baby becomes colicky. The natural remedy for colic follows some behavioral procedures that imitates life inside the womb hence the calming effect (Hall & Robinson 2012 p. 130). The result is achieved by using the five procedures together or a variation that works for a child. Swaddling is wrapping the child in a warm blanket; the practice creates comfort and closeness to the mother a baby is used to. Shooshing in the baby’s ear or playing music creates a noise that imitates the conditions in the womb hence soothe colic (Solanki et al. 2013 p.196). Swinging the baby creates movement that calms and soothes a colicky baby. Allowing the baby to suck is known to have a calming effect on a baby, letting the baby suck a pacifier or breast soothes colic. Laying the baby on its side or stomach and patting the back helps soothe a colicky baby since it creates movement-mimicking conditions in the womb. These behavioral remedies enable the baby utilize its natural reflexes to comfort and soothe themselves.
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Temper tantrums are the way children express frustrations or anger. Temper tantrums happen when a kid is upset, tired, uncomfortable, and hungry or when they need attention. Temper tantrums can be remedied naturally using herbs such as Catnip (Nepeta cataria) which calms down the nervous system and acts as an antispasmodic. Lemon Balm (Mellissa officinalis) helps children regain control of their emotions and helps focus their attention. The California poppy herb eliminates tantrums by allowing the body to calm naturally. One of the behavioral remedies to temper tantrums is avoiding triggers (Wakschlag et al. 2012 p.1102). Most kids with temper tantrums do it at specific times. For the unavoidable triggers, it is important to warn the child before doing what they do not want to or stop what they like. For instance, a parent could warn a child to stop playing a game ten minutes before time to avoid a meltdown (Tharinger et al 2012 p.115). Using a reward system is a behavioral remedy that minimizes tantrums. Positive reinforcement for good behavior and punishment for inappropriate behavior has proven helpful.
School refusal is when a child does not want to attend school or experiences illnesses or distress when it is time to go to school. Children who refuse to attend school often have history of depression or social anxiety; undiagnosed learning disorders and bullying are also common reasons for school refusal (Maric et al. 2013 p. 560). Behavioral remedies are common for treating school refusal. Operant behavioral techniques involve positive reinforcement to increase appropriate behavior. Rewarding a child according to the number of times, he/she attends school increase the frequency of school attendance. Exposure therapy is exposing a child to the trigger that causes school refusal with high intensity to increase tolerance to the distressing event. Some other behavioral therapies used for school refusal include simulating a school environment at home; doing that is undesirable for most children hence stimulates them to attend school. Cognitive behavioral therapy involves helping an individual understand their triggers (Hofman et al. 2012 p.433). Understanding the triggers, helps correct the maladaptive behaviors.
Natural remedies are evidently useful for childhood ailments due to the reduced harmful side effects. The paper established that some of the common childhood ailments that use natural remedies include colic, temper tantrums and school refusal. The natural remedies for colic involve imitating the womb’s conditions to soothe and calm the baby. Temper tantrums can be relieved using herbs with calming effect such as Lemon Balm, California poppy and Catnip. Using behavioral therapy such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy and operant conditioning are effective to curb school refusal.
References
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Hall, B., Chesters, J., & Robinson, A. (2012). Infantile colic: a systematic review of medical and conventional therapies. Journal of paediatrics and child health , 48 (2), 128-137.
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Maric, M., Heyne, D. A., MacKinnon, D. P., Van Widenfelt, B. M., & Westenberg, P. M. (2013). Cognitive mediation of cognitive-behavioural therapy outcomes for anxiety-based school refusal. Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy , 41 (5), 549-564.
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Solanki, M. S., Zafar, M., & Rastogi, R. (2013). Music as a therapy: role in psychiatry. Asian Journal of Psychiatry , 6 (3), 193-199.
Tharinger, D. J., Finn, S. E., Arora, P., Judd-Glossy, L., Ihorn, S. M., & Wan, J. T. (2012). Therapeutic assessment with children: Intervening with parents “behind the mirror”. Journal of personality assessment , 94 (2), 111-123.
Wakschlag, L. S., Choi, S. W., Carter, A. S., Hullsiek, H., Burns, J., McCarthy, K., ... & Briggs‐Gowan, M. J. (2012). Defining the developmental parameters of temper loss in early childhood: implications for developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 53 (11), 1099-1108.
