This past Friday I got a call from my son’s school. He was sick and I needed to pick him up. A quick trip to the doctor revealed he had tonsillitis and possibly strep. They swabbed him and we should hear back any day. With a prescription for an antibiotic in hand, we headed home.
I debated filling the script and ended up filling it. The doctor told me that tonsillitis is often self limiting, meaning that my son would probably feel better with or without antibiotics within a few days. I decided to wait 24 hours to see if he felt better, and thankfully, he did.
Here is what we did in lieu of antibiotics, to help my son feel better.
1. Warm soothing liquids, including homemade chicken soup. I used lots of garlic, onion and real chicken.
2. Teas – drink ginger tea with honey throughout the day. (Steep raw ginger in boiling water for 10 minutes and add honey.)
3. Cool washcloth on his forehead.
4. Pathway Kids Biotic: 30 drops 3 times per day (it’s based on weight, so check the label).
5. Pathway Throat Ease: a little spray whenever he complained about his throat.
Before you dismiss antibiotics, keep in mind that if your child does have strep, if left untreated it can become something more serious. However, not all sore throats are strep (only about 30%). So, talk to your doctor about the possibility of waiting to administer antibiotics.
