Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract, primarily effecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated children. It’s highly contagious, and adult whooping cough is not uncommon. It starts as a common cold and develops into a spasmodic, persistent, suffocative cough accompanied by a sore throat, fever, mucus secretion and vomiting. Coughing continues until the lungs are emptied of air and the sudden, hard intake of breath causes the characteristic whooping sound. Coughing attacks are fierce and can occur up to 40 times daily, lasting for two months or longer.
My older son has whooping cough right now, or para-pertussis (the other strain of pertussis not covered in the vaccine). We were up all night last night. There is an outbreak in my area and I have heard kids everywhere coughing with the typical cough. Interesting that whooping cough outbreaks are HIGHER among vaccinated children compared with unvaccinated children.Here is a list of the remedies I am using, along with my dietary suggestions.
The number one homeopathic remedy indicated for whooping cough.
-loud, barking, frequent, spasmodic cough preventing him from catching his breath
-symptoms are worse in the evening and night and often begin the minute the person’s head touches the pillow on lying down
-sharp pains in the chest, tickling in the throat episodes, and excessive sweating during the night
2. Grindelia
-dry, spasmodic cough accompanied by wheezing
-foamy, thick mucus which becomes stuck in the trachea and is difficult to expel
-breathing becomes much more difficult when lying and is made worse during coughing paroxysms
-patient is forced to sit up straight in order to catch his breath
-patient is forced to sit up straight in order to catch his breath
-the cough is often rattling and productive, causing vomiting of food and mucus
-helpful for both children and the elderly especially when whooping cough symptoms are accompanied by weakness and an inability to cough up mucus trapped in the chest
-the person needing this remedy will be irritable, demanding and depressed
-warm drinks will aggravate the cough and there may be vomiting after midnight
4. Belladonna
-effective in the early stages of whooping cough
- provide relief when the onset is sudden and accompanied by a severe headache
-may grasp her throat during an attack, appear fearful and cling to the parent
-may be a bloody nose brought on by coughing and possible fever
-strong indication for this remedy is when the coughing attacks end in sneezing
There are some great natural cough syrups that you can purchase at your local health food store. These help ease the child and parent. Check them out and try a few.
Another thing that I have just recently added to my cough protocol and I have seen great results- a humidifier w/ a few drops of essential oils (5-10). The essential oils indicated for whooping cough are:
Tea Tree Oil
Lavender
Eucalyptus
The essential oils for pneumonia are (sometimes whooping cough turns into this which is why it came be life threatening):
Thyme
Lavender
Tea Tree oil
Dietary Suggestions
-increase intake of fermented cod liver oil (Vit A and D)
- limit sugar
-limit dairy (milk)
-limit any processed food
-drink homemade chicken stock, water, fruits, vegetables, rice.
Lots of rest and comfort. That is a big part of the healing process.
Here is another helpful post on Stubborn Coughs.
~Green Boot Girl
Remember these are suggestions not medical advice. Disclaimer.
i have been dealing with a persist cough since he first of Dec. It is very violent, and it does totally take my breath. Both of my daughters have been sick with sinus infections, ear infections, strep throat all during the time I have been fight this cough. What should I do?
our 9 week old baby girl has just been confirmed for pertussis… still breast feeding. should mom take these things to pass on to her? and what can baby take? we started her on a 5 day reg of antibiotics tonight, don’t know what else to do.
Since you have started her on the antibiotics, I would really focus on the probiotics. You need to up the dose to replace all the good bacteria that will be wiped out in the process. Increase your intake of probiotics (the mother) as much as possible so that it can be transferred through the breast milk. Just keep a close eye on her. Probiotics. Probiotics. Probiotics.
We are dealing with whooping cough right now. How did this turn out for you? Did he get better quickly?
Once the infection has set in, the focus is on getting rid of all the mucus. We use Itires and Apo-Pulm from natural healing house w/ great success. I would also use Antimonium Tart at a high level (like 1 M)- but I think you can only access it at 30 C at the health food stores. Use could also use Chestal- which will help w/ toleration. (These are just my suggestions- not medical advice…always check w/ your own doctor.) Good luck.
I’ve loved nettles & mullein for whooping cough. This sounds like a good tool, too
Those are great herbs! We love using herbal tinctures over her. I drink a lot of herbal tea when I am pregnant and in the winter. I should probably keep it up in the summer too!
Sounds good to me
Tinctures *are great for winter, though: love having it preserved and on stand-by when everything’s gone dormant… need to get after some more preserving around here. Enjoy!