Large Recall of Children's OTC Meds, including Motrin, Tylenol, Benedryl, Zyrtec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay; I'll bite. To the PPs who are patting themselves on the back for being "holistic," what do you mean by that? Do you give your DCs "natural" remedies from Whole Foods or other fancy stores? Because those are no safer than Advil or Motrin. Do you feed your DC foods that have been manufactured by BIG BUSINESS companies? Because those are just as likely to be contaminated. Do you live in a house built before 1978? Because you are exposing your DC to lead, which is much more dangerous than most bottles of OTC pain meds. Do you let your DC handle newspapers or CDs? Because those both have BPA in them. Do you use a cell phone or wireless internet in your house? Because lord only knows what kinds of radiation you are exposing your DC to.

Finally, do you realize that even if you are doing all of the above "perfectly," you are not setting a good example for your DC in terms of compassion toward your fellow members of society? When someone else is concerned and upset, do you feel proud when you rub their noses in the fact that you are better than they are? And is that what you want your DC to model?

Okay, I'll bite too, for the sake of a balanced discussion, though I am the "holistic" poster who was chiding the others for being obnoxious and jumping to conclusions. I suppose by some standards, we are not "holistic" enough, because we don't eschew drugs, all vaccinations, and more. But we DO try hard to seek what I think is a truly holistic lifestyle. With respect to medicine, we try to use a whole body approach to wellness that preempts and, where possible, sidesteps drugs. But I am not an "unplug it all and eschew everything modern" type of mama, either. I don't think you have to turn your back on every modern convenience to consider yourself holistic.

For what it's worth, I do not actually use all of the natural remedies from whole foods or anywhere else, though of course when I know something seems to work (fenugreek for increasing my milk supply, etc, I gladly use it. My child had reflux. It was a mild case and my pediatrician recommended that we try a natural approach first. While I was concerned with this because my child did have some pain, I was also concerned with the way antacids interfere with protein absorbtion in the stomach and some other issues. So we tried to follow our pediatrician's recommendations, which meant keeping DS upright for 30 minutes after every meal, double burping, eliminating dairy, etc. The combination of these steps plus time worked for us, and we got through the reflux stage without drugging. That said, we also did not use gripe water, because I was concerned about some contamination in the past. To me, that is an example of being holistic. BUT, it's very important to note that I would not have turned my back on zantac or prevacid if, in fact, we could not get the reflux pain under control without them.

Last night, my son had a fever of 101. He was kind of fussy, but basically himself. I didn't medicate him because I think, and my doctor supports, the fact that these drugs are sometimes useful and even lifesaving but often overused. Doc says that a fever is the body's way of fighting infection, and if it's low or low-moderate grade, don't mess with it. I think that's true and take the same approach with my own illnesses. But, if DS had a fever of 103, I'd use tylenol in addition to other remedies like a lukewarm bath to make sure he didn't have a febrile seizure, etc.

When I identify myself as a holistic mom, it is not to put others down or cast aspersion on parenting decisions. In fact, I'm sure, as I've mentioned, that I do not appear holistic to many other moms. But I think we are. In addition to the approach we have with health and wellness, we try to make environmentally responsible decisions for our family -- cloth diapering, no BPA, pthalate, paraben, etc products, limited plastics and no plastics near any food, no-voc paint, use vinegar and water in lieu of windex, etc. So there are many aspects of being holistic.

Anyway, this is not a value-judgment -- but just to say that the rather rabid holistic moms posting here don't speak for all of "us." With that in mind, I'd hope that the rest of you would stop taking shots at all "holistic" moms and concentrate calling PPs out for their rudeness that is specific only to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay; I'll bite. To the PPs who are patting themselves on the back for being "holistic," what do you mean by that? Do you give your DCs "natural" remedies from Whole Foods or other fancy stores? Because those are no safer than Advil or Motrin. Do you feed your DC foods that have been manufactured by BIG BUSINESS companies? Because those are just as likely to be contaminated. Do you live in a house built before 1978? Because you are exposing your DC to lead, which is much more dangerous than most bottles of OTC pain meds. Do you let your DC handle newspapers or CDs? Because those both have BPA in them. Do you use a cell phone or wireless internet in your house? Because lord only knows what kinds of radiation you are exposing your DC to.

Finally, do you realize that even if you are doing all of the above "perfectly," you are not setting a good example for your DC in terms of compassion toward your fellow members of society? When someone else is concerned and upset, do you feel proud when you rub their noses in the fact that you are better than they are? And is that what you want your DC to model?

Okay, I'll bite too, for the sake of a balanced discussion, though I am the "holistic" poster who was chiding the others for being obnoxious and jumping to conclusions. I suppose by some standards, we are not "holistic" enough, because we don't eschew drugs, all vaccinations, and more. But we DO try hard to seek what I think is a truly holistic lifestyle. With respect to medicine, we try to use a whole body approach to wellness that preempts and, where possible, sidesteps drugs. But I am not an "unplug it all and eschew everything modern" type of mama, either. I don't think you have to turn your back on every modern convenience to consider yourself holistic.

For what it's worth, I do not actually use all of the natural remedies from whole foods or anywhere else, though of course when I know something seems to work (fenugreek for increasing my milk supply, etc, I gladly use it. My child had reflux. It was a mild case and my pediatrician recommended that we try a natural approach first. While I was concerned with this because my child did have some pain, I was also concerned with the way antacids interfere with protein absorbtion in the stomach and some other issues. So we tried to follow our pediatrician's recommendations, which meant keeping DS upright for 30 minutes after every meal, double burping, eliminating dairy, etc. The combination of these steps plus time worked for us, and we got through the reflux stage without drugging. That said, we also did not use gripe water, because I was concerned about some contamination in the past. To me, that is an example of being holistic. BUT, it's very important to note that I would not have turned my back on zantac or prevacid if, in fact, we could not get the reflux pain under control without them.

Last night, my son had a fever of 101. He was kind of fussy, but basically himself. I didn't medicate him because I think, and my doctor supports, the fact that these drugs are sometimes useful and even lifesaving but often overused. Doc says that a fever is the body's way of fighting infection, and if it's low or low-moderate grade, don't mess with it. I think that's true and take the same approach with my own illnesses. But, if DS had a fever of 103, I'd use tylenol in addition to other remedies like a lukewarm bath to make sure he didn't have a febrile seizure, etc.

When I identify myself as a holistic mom, it is not to put others down or cast aspersion on parenting decisions. In fact, I'm sure, as I've mentioned, that I do not appear holistic to many other moms. But I think we are. In addition to the approach we have with health and wellness, we try to make environmentally responsible decisions for our family -- cloth diapering, no BPA, pthalate, paraben, etc products, limited plastics and no plastics near any food, no-voc paint, use vinegar and water in lieu of windex, etc. So there are many aspects of being holistic.

Anyway, this is not a value-judgment -- but just to say that the rather rabid holistic moms posting here don't speak for all of "us." With that in mind, I'd hope that the rest of you would stop taking shots at all "holistic" moms and concentrate calling PPs out for their rudeness that is specific only to them.

Not the poster you are responding to, but I feel the same way. We rarely turn to medicine as a first thought, and I also strongly feel like fevers should run their course and do not give medicine until they reach over 103 or if the child seems incredibly uncomfortable. I was turned off by people's lack of compassion and the attitude that every mom affected by this recall turns to drugs for their child as a whim. We have used very few of these drugs in my daughter's 2.5 years, but still, it is not fun to see the headline and check your motrin container for the lot number.

I am sure there are moms that use drugs without much thought, but I honestly don't know any.

[Anonymous]

I identify as holistic not because of what products I use or don't but because of a broader philosophy on how my health and wellness - and that of the planet - is interconnected with the choices I make about how to live, what to eat, and the impact of those choices. It's about making conscious, informed choices. They might be "holistic" or not. I might use a natural remedy because I believe it will help my body to heal without introducing toxins or I might willingly eat "junk" food for pleasure, knowing that it is not good for my body.