Seeing our children sick is awful. A lot of the time, we feel powerless and reach for Panadol and antibiotics because that is all we know.

Studies show that using Panadol in the first year of life for fever greatly increases the chances of asthma in 6-7 year-olds as well as being associated with an increased incidence of rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema. [2008, Lancet Journal, long term study involving 200 000 children in 31 countries].

Studies show that using antibiotics in the first year of life is linked to an increased incidence of asthma in older children as it wipes out the intestinal flora.

A recent study also showed that “Children who had been exposed to antianaerobic antibiotics had an 84% greater risk of developing Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The earlier the children were exposed to the antibiotics, the more likely they were to develop inflammatory bowel disease, the authors found. Children given antibiotics before their first birthday were over five times more likely to get the disease, although the figure steadily decreased as the children got older.” Researchers also said, “Children who had more than two antibiotic courses were at greater risk than those who had had only one or two.“

The authors speculated that antianaerobic antibiotics might trigger inflammation by altering gut flora.

At Paddington Clinic, we believe in using the best in both modern and traditional medicine. We want to teach you other methods of dealing with your child’s health that will help strengthen their system so that drugs like antibiotics are a last port of call rather than the first. We want you to have methods other than Panadol to use that are effective, gentle and will strengthen your child’s immune system for now and into the future.

Panadol and antibiotics can be a great help – it’s true – but it’s good to know when to use them and when to try something else first.

When things happen like falling over, tummy aches and pains, colic, runny poos, constipation, coughs, colds & flus, fevers, colic, ear infections etc, there are lots of natural solutions we can give you instead of running to the chemist or reaching for drugs every time.

We’ve had great success using treatments like homeopathics, herbal remedies, massage techniques and even acupuncture on kids and babies. Talk to one of our naturopaths to learn how you can apply natural first aid at home.

Of course, there are times when taking antibiotics is necessary. However, we always recommend talking to a naturopath to discover ways to restore gut health after antibiotic use. A naturopath can help restore gut flora, so future health problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease, can be avoided. In addition, a naturopath can assist you in knowing how to naturally treat colds and flus when they first arise to help prevent them from degrading into anything more sinister requiring antibiotics.