Pertussis or whooping cough is considered an opportunistic infection that strikes the lungs. Usually affected by this condition are young children every three to four years. Chinese herbal therapy and acupuncture are safe and effective treatments that can brig about complete recovery for affected children. Acupuncture therapy is considered a gentle clinical process. Oftentimes, in effectively treating pertussis, a combination of Eastern and Western medicine is used by medical practitioners. According to traditional Chinese medicine or TCM, pertussis is the result of bacterial infection, overuse of antibiotics, damp climates, irregular feeding and/or poor diets. TCM has been practiced for over 5000 years in East Asia and they are modalities that your child can avail of as they are gentle and effective solutions for children’s conditions.
The first stage of pertussis usually lasts 10 to 20 days and symptoms may include:
-Abundant nasal discharge
-Cough that leads to wheezing and coughing with productive bubbly sputum
The second stage of the disease may last 40 to 60 days and symptoms may include:
Convulsive coughing followed by croup – This condition stabilizes in the daytime but worsens at night.
The third stage of recovery can last for 20 to 30 days. Symptoms may include:
-Hot hands and feet along with irritability, night sweats, and dry cough
-Frequent pale urine
-Watery stools
-Distended stomach
-Choosy about food or poor appetite
-Spontaneous sweating
-Cold feet and hands
-Tired and weak body
-Weak and reduced cough with few or no sputum
TCM provides a safer treatment that is natural and holistic as opposed to pharmaceutical drugs that have long term side effects especially affecting the kidneys and liver. Constantly putting your child on a western medicine course of treatment can do harm to his/her overall well-being. TCM has antiviral and antibacterial herbs that are as potent as pharmaceutical drugs but are safer in comparison. These herbal tonics can be designed exclusively for your child’s needs resolving multiple symptoms in a safe manner.
TCM strengthens your child’s immune system, restores his/her body fluids to healthy levels, nourishes the lungs and removes cough and sputum.
Consider TCM to give your child excellent overall health
TCM definitely can treat pertussis making your child recover more quickly than with conventional therapies. Western medicine offers provides antibiotic relief. This can relieve the symptoms of sputum ad cough and sputum; TCM, on the other hand, dissolves the mucus and strengthens the lungs helping bring back the body to homeostasis. It also addresses the underlying problem of pertussis guaranteeing the condition to never come back again.
Christina Prieto is an Orlando acupuncturist, a certified Yoga instructor and the founder of Harmony Wellness center in central Florida.