Finding Natural Cures for Your Children

I don't normally post about health because it isn't related to teaching but children's health is vitally important as it can affect their ability to concentrate and learn (read last week's post here).

As with most things, it's best to start your child on the healthy track early. To stay healthy, eat as much fruits and vegetables as possible and lower meat and processed food intake. When your child does get sick reach for a natural cure rather than prescriptive medicine or over-the-counter drugs. These medicines might treat the illness but they will cause other problems in the long term. You must realise that all chemicals are bad for the body so it's best to try to stick to anything in it's natural form as much as possible.

I have a confession that I do not give my children any prescriptive medicine or even over-the-counter drugs such as panedol or nurofen. Most parents will reach for the panedol when their child has a fever but I reach for olive leaf extract. Since they were babies my children have been taking this and alhamdulillah it worked every time. 

(Make sure that you buy the olive leaf extract that does not contain alcohol! Also be aware that if your child's temperature is too high then go ahead and give the panedol as a last resort. I'm not one of those people who say never to take medicine - only to use it when there is nothing else that works for you after you've tried natural therapies.)

Olive leaf extract is great for many things. One of the other thing it does that is great for children is that it kills worms. Children are always putting dirty fingers into their mouths or if there is a family pet that children play with, it can pass on worms. So a spoonful every now and then will insha Allah keep the worms away.

When there are stomach upsets we take honey straight away. This is a sunnah as Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree narrated, “A man came to the Messenger (‘alayhi wa salatu wa salam) and said, ‘My brother has pain in his stomach’, so the Messenger (‘alayhi wa salatu wa salam) said: ‘Give him honey to drink.’ The man came back and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! It only increased his illness!’ So the Messenger (‘alayhi wa salatu wa salam) said, ‘Give him honey to drink.’ The man came back and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! It only increased his illness!’ The Messenger of Allaah (‘alayhi wa salatu wa salam) said ‘Allah spoke the truth and your brother’s belly has lied. Go and give him honey to drink.’ He went and gave him honey and was cured.” [Bukhari (5684), Muslim (2217)]. 

I also recommend hijama (blood letting) for adults. My husband and I do this. It is reported that the Prophet (‘alayhi wa salatu wa salam) said: “Cure is in three (things): a drink of honey, a slash of the knife used in Hijaamah and branding (cauterising) by fire. And I prohibit my nation from cauterising.” [Bukhari 5356].

What I find is that when an illness is persistent you need to keep on taking the natural substance until it goes. Some people, for example, take honey once and if their stomach ache continues then they just stop and say that it's not working and they resort to pharmaceutical drugs. This is not the way. If it persists then keep taking honey and wait a while to see what happens.

Remember that Allah says that there is a cure for every disease. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment. [Bukhari]. Whether the cure is a pharmaceutical drug or natural product we don't know but I believe that it can be found in natural products. Whenever there is an illness, look for a natural cure first then if none can be found, and as a last resort, use the pharmaceutical drugs.

Having healthy children means that they don't get sick all the time. When they're not sick they can concentrate on learning.