How do you treat croup without resorting to steroids?

[ZGT Mummy]

Well, I've heard from loads of parents that their kids have croup at the moment, and the treatment they've all been given is a dose of steroids. So I thought just in case one of my kids gets it I should know what the alternative treatments for croup are so I don't have to go down the steroid route - which I've always been against anyway, and only ever used when DS2 was having a severe allergic reaction, even before my recent enlightenment :D

[ZGT Mummy]

Right, I may have answered my own question but a website I just looked at said 2 treatments:

1. Steam - either vapouriser (which I do have) or bathroom with shower turned on

2. Outside in the cool air - how would this help and at the moment it's about 5 overnight so that would be too cold????

[gilima]

As far as I know croup is mostly viral and from my personal experience almost always starts out at night and the barking cough sound is due to inflamation of the airways. bundle the baby up and step outside into the cool air or sit nest to the shower going hot and strong to get lots of steam. these help to relax and open the airways.
usually it is self limiting, lasting only few days.
I have used SA which has been great for both the infection and as a anti-inflamatory ( instead of those steroids) thining the mucous etc;
also homeopathic remedies are great for croup like spongia for a barking cough. Also keeping baby upright, lots of nursing and things like elderberry and garlic too.

[justine]

Hi,

My son (8) gets croup every year. When he was a baby (and b4 i got wise) the doctor gave him antibiotics. Anyway i did some reading and found that croup is virus that causes swelling in the trachea (windpipe) and larynx (voice box). Its medical name is laryngotracheobronchitis. I usually do nothing, apart from try to make him rest, and he gets over it just fine on his own. I do give him sodium ascorbate on a regular basis and cod liver oil and an iron tablet (floradix from the supermarket)
Apparently they grow out of it but dont hold your breath! :eyeroll:

Love Justine.

[Wonder-Full]

All I've ever done is try a hot steamy shower room and if that doesn't help I try the cold night air. Has worked for us.

You can also get homeopathic remedies for barking croupy coughs. I use spongia for my son because he fits that "picture" (and strangely my dog gets it too for his asthma and it works almost instantly for him lol!) but a friend I advised yesterday got Aconite for her daughter.

[Spy]

Boenninghausen's triade for croup - Aconite, Spongia, Hepar Sulphur

Usually aconite is necessary only once, and only if you caught it early enough, in a violent beginning. Otherwise it is the other two in alternating order. The full triade order, according to classics, is Aconite-Spongia-Hepar-Spongia-Hepar... You should see by the change of the symptoms when it's time to go to the next one.

My kids never had real croup as such, but for croup-like coughs I have been using this successfully (although usually without Aconite because by the time I got to it it was too late for it)

For some reason I am stuck on italics, it's not intentional, lol

[ZGT Mummy]

Thanks for that. I have Aconite already and went out today and got some Spongia for my first aid kit as I'm sure it's just a matter of time!

Good time of year to get it, plenty of COLD air out there at the moment!

[magical1]

I always wrapped myself up warm and baby and went out and sat on the deck at night.. even in those days I was still using allopathic methods.... but this always worked for me.

Steam when I got back inside. Now I would put two drops of Thyme oil in a steaming cup of boiling water and put that in the room too. Or if you have a vaporiser even better.

[TanyaL]

Just SA was enough to keep the cough at a somewhat barky but not severe level in my son the two times he's gotten croup, for which I'm glad because I didn't have any backup ideas.

[ZGT Mummy]

Magical can you mix oils in the vapouriser? When my kids are sick it's generally accompanied by blocked nose so I always put eucalyptus oil in the vapouriser. In the case of croup would I just have to forgo the eucalyptus and just use thyme or could I use both together (sorry may be a stupid question, I'm not sure how the mixing of them would work!).

[magical1]

Not a silly question... good to get creative with oils I think...Thyme really opens everything up. Wintergreen or Menthol will also be helpful with croup.

Right now to keep my household air virus free I have oils burning in the vaporiser round the clock... I'm doing a combo of Eucalyptus, Thyme and peppermint. Pine would be good too.

[ZGT Mummy]

Ooo, eucalyptus, thyme and peppermint sounds good. Menthol too. So is it just a couple of drops of each? I'll have to get a burner!

Don't think I could do pine though, I hate the smell, makes me feel sick! Oh and reminds me of toilets :D

We are talking the proper pure essential oils too aren't we?

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Well, I've heard from loads of parents that their kids have croup at the moment, and the treatment they've all been given is a dose of steroids. So I thought just in case one of my kids gets it I should know what the alternative treatments for croup are so I don't have to go down the steroid route - which I've always been against anyway, and only ever used when DS2 was having a severe allergic reaction, even before my recent enlightenment :D

That is so pathetic.

I vote for Spy's gun treatment. Not on baby's with croup, but doctors who prescribe steroids for absolutely no reason, just because they've not got the brains to know better.