Infants & Congestion – Treating the Desi Way

The Desi Way

So my raj dulara, aankhon ka tara, jigar ka tukda, my son S, has had a mild cold & congestion pretty much since day one. All three paediatricians (yes, 3, no am not paranoid, I have 3 coz I delivered at one end of the city, live in another & my mom resides in another) stated it’s normal. Kids will have it plus it’s the winter season! So there we were, listening to S breathe hard. Nasomist (saline water) drops being the only relief. But only so much! Cleaning up the mucus from the nose was another scary task I had, though now it’s pretty simple! Doc recommended we use a nasal aspirator. I will admit, it was a beginner’s luck that I managed to extract the troublesome gooey mucus. Post that a handmade cotton twig is what worked the best!

If you are wondering how to best use a nasal aspirator, here is the link: Using a Nasal Aspirator

The congestions started to get bad. I spoke to my doctor again. He simply said, “There is no cure for cold. I can prescribe antibiotics which will relieve the symptoms. It’s your call, though I would want you to avoid antibiotics as S is only few weeks old.” Sigh! Glad I was that my doc was being realistic yet I couldn’t see my heartbeat with congestion. To top it all, S was throwing up milk which had a very sticky consistency i.e. was trying to throw up his mucous along with milk & was very cranky. A frantic phone call to my mom and sister (mother of bratty little twins) & I had a list of things to do- The Desi way-The Ayurvedic way.

Yes. Home remedies work best, as kids & as adults. I tried it all. It worked! It piqued my curiosity even further to understand why home remedies work & how are they better!

So here I am sharing these remedies with you. Please know they worked for me over a period of days & I believed in them with all my heart.

Ajwain (Bishop’s weed) Potli – a must have at the bed side.Roast the ajwain in an iron pan until it starts to give away its aroma. Tie up the seeds in a muslin cloth thereby making an ajwain potli/ajwain bundle. It’s always nice to have someone to help you with the next step. Heat up the iron pan real hot. Carefully place it on the floor or a table at a safe distance from you. Lay the baby in your lap. Heat the seeds in the muslin cloth on the pan, check its temperature on your hand and then softly place it on the baby’s chest for a few seconds and the move to another spot on the chest. This is to ensure the baby does not get a heat burn. Make sure the baby is wearing a light shirt/top. Do this for a good 7-10 minutes on the chest. You can also do this on the baby’s back during tummy time. Once done, swaddle the baby & insert the potli into the swaddle so that it continues to provide warmth & aroma. I simply put the potli into his sleep sack. Ajwain works at two levels-provides heat to the body helping the congestion melt & also helps open the airway.

Ajwain (Bishop’s weed) Paste – worked instant wonders! Roast ajwain seeds on an iron pan. Crush them in a mortar pestle. Mix with some lukewarm coconut oil. Apply this paste on the baby’s chest & back. Cover it up with a layer of cotton so that it stays in place & does not soil the baby’s shirt/top. Put on a fitted vest followed by another fitted layer of clothing. This is to ensure the paste stays in place & keep the baby warm. This also ensures that the heat generated by the paste stays within, helps melt the congestion. After few hours, wash it off with luke warm water. This worked like magic in S’s case! I could see a marked difference within 2 days!

 Sarson (Mustard) Oil: Little stinky feet v/s S’s relief!

So they say, cold penetrates the body via ears & feet. So one must always cover the baby’s ears which I have not been able to! S hates anything on his head! So feet is what I attacked! Warm sarson oil rubbed on his feet to generate heat & then put on socks during night. Helped keep him warm & preventing the aggravation of his cold.

Dhua (Smoke)

This is controversial! Doctors are absolutely against it. They have a fair point when they say that kids inhale carbon. However the counter argument is, the doctor on an average is 35 years old. 3 decades ago, mothers weren’t exposed to information the way we are & were not conscious of carbon exposure. 3 decades ago, all mothers smoked their kids (pun intended)! The doctor is alive & kicking, doing very well & treating my baby! I don’t see any reason why I should not! More importantly I inherently believe that our ancestors knew more about simple remedies than us! I did discuss this with my doctor and he simply smiled & said, “Neither do I recommend nor do I speak against.”

So yes, I do administer smoke to S & I don’t regret it one bit because I saw his cold & congestion relieving within one day. (The night before he continually kept throwing up mucus with milk, cried his heart out & was absolutely uneasy). This is something for which it’s best to have an experienced elder at home who can handle the baby. Definitely not me! Fire, smoke & a naked baby! More importantly one is required to take necessary precautions too.

Method:

• Take 2-3 empty coconut shells & burn them up completely on the gas burner.
• Place them on an iron pan.
• Once the fire dies out & embers remain, sprinkle Ajwain seeds & dry peels of a garlic pod.
• The shells will start emitting smoke.
• Hold the naked baby at a safe distance above this smoke, keep moving the baby so that the smoke touches the entire body – chest, back, stomach, hair, bottom, legs & hands.
• Alternatively, place the baby in the lap. Take a muslin cloth, warm it over the smoke & lightly apply it to the baby.
• Check the temperature though by touching it on your skin.

Reason:

Ajwain works like a decongestant. Smoke helps with generating heat. Garlic contains allicin, which is an active agent in reducing cold & also prevents its aggravation! In fact I was recommended placing garlic pods by the baby or sew 4-5 of them into a bare necklace & put on his neck, which I didn’t because we co-sleep & the strong smell was a bit too much for me! This worked like a miracle for S & his congestion!

Other Recommendations:

Camphor: Placing Camphor in a muslin cloth will help clear up the airway. So what I did was place camphor underneath the pillow, away from him, yet around.

Water steamer: Placing a plain water steamer under the bed to create humidity. You may add ajwain seeds to the water in the steamer.

Karvol Capsules: Easily available sans a prescription, these are essentially capsules which contain essence of natural ingredients which help in nasal de-congestion. I cut open the capsules & apply the liquid on S’s shirt, pillow, blanket, swaddle cloth. Works wonders to open up the nasal airway!

So yes, given that there are about a 100+ ways one can catch a cold or congestion; one can never be sure when it’s going to hit the little one. These basic home remedies done daily help treat the cold & also prevent its aggravation. More importantly, it is also essential that we take utmost care to keep the baby well covered. Like they say in Germany, there is no bad weather, just unsuitable clothing! So wrap up the baby well & enjoy the winters!

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