As my son reenacts Star Wars: The Clone Wars with the kiddos across the street on this cool over-cast spring afternoon, I thought I’d sit down and share some alternative remedies to help fight seasonal allergens. I figure I’d compare my experiences with over the counter seasonal allergy medications versus natural homeopathic formulas.

Allergies are nuts this time of year, especially in this part of the country. Springtime for us folks in the desert is worse because of the relentless blowing winds! We can get up to 70 mph gusts that last days on end! You will taste and smell dirt in your sleep which makes for miserable headaches, stuffy noses, and coughs. Not only is the dirt and sand being forced up your nose at Jeti force like speeds, but so is the pollen and whatever else happens to be blooming and flying off the plants, weeds, and trees. 

It’s unfortunate because spring is so beautiful in this part of the country and it’s hard to enjoy the blossoming, planting, and mystical beauties coming alive when you and your kiddos feel like crap. 

Since moving to this part of the state, my allergies went off the charts. I have a deviated septum, which makes the situation much worse. Levi has battled allergies since birth which lead to at least 9-10 ear infections a year, up until he was 5 years old. He hasn’t had an ear infection in 3 years (knock on wood), but he still suffers off and on from sinus and throat infections. It's nice he doesn't have to take so many antibiotics any more.

I’m not a fan of doctors prescribing antibiotics for viral infections instead of bacteria infections. I think they should only be used when necessary and have noticed they are over prescribed by many doctors I’ve consulted.

9 times out of 10 male doctors will prescribe a higher milligram of antibiotics than female doctors. I have to request they shave off a few hundred milligrams because (in most situations) that high of a dose just isn't necessary for a small kid with an ear infection. This is in my experience from visits to the after-hours clinics and ER rooms. In some cases, yes high-doses are warranted and necessary—just go with your gut/parental instinct.  

Being on so many antibiotics has affected my son’s teeth and stomach. His permanent teeth are going in a shade of light yellow which is common for kiddos who’ve taken a lot of antibiotics from ages 1 month to 5 years. His stomach has suffered the worst.

He’s on antibiotics, this week, for the first time in a year and a half due to a throat infection, and I make sure to give him his acidophilus 30 minutes before he takes his daily dose. As the antibiotics kill the infection attacking the body they also kill the good bacteria our immune systems need; more so in the intestinal tract. Acidophilus with the Probiotic formula works wonders with stomach related issues by helping to replenish the good bacteria in the gut. I'm going to ahead and keep Levi on the acidophilus after he’s finished his round of antibiotics, because it's helped improve his stomach issues.

You can buy it for adults and children in liquid, power, or pill form. It’s available at many health food stores and Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Wal-Greens have it as well. I usually like to use the health-food store, but money’s tight and I got the Spring Valley $5 pill bottle at Wal-mart. It seems to work just as good. 

As for allergy medications: I’m not a fan of the prescribed (and now over the counter) options doctors and pharmaceutical companies offer us. In my experience and from reading many websites, I found a lot of parents noticed a drastic difference in their children's mood, behavior and energy while taking these allergy medications. 

Zyrtec was a god send for me and Levi up until I noticed a negative shift in our moods and emotional wellbeing. I pulled Levi off of it after 3 months. His spirit and mood automatically got better instantly after he quit taking it. He had the same reaction with Claritin, too. 

I continued taking Zyrtec for over 3 years, because it was the only thing that helped with my sever seasonal allergies. Then I stumbled upon a website that provided testimony after testimony of people that either took it or gave it to their children and had adverse reactions. I stopped taking it and almost instantly felt a huge relief in the anxiety and depression symptoms I had experienced while taking it daily. 

Some of the side effects from Zyrtec in the testimonials: 

• children becoming withdrawn
• suicidal thoughts
• aggressive behavior
• weight gain
• one child stabbed his mom with scissors
• depression*
• anxiety*
• loss of interest in daily activities
• agitation 

Those are just a few. Results can vary from person to person so I’m not saying it happens to everyone, but it does happen. Research and figure out for yourself and your kiddos what works for them and what doesn’t. Everybody’s different. 

I was lucky to find an allergy medication, for Levi that actually worked! It’s also has an adult formula as well. NatraBio Children’s Cold and Flu/Allergy Relief is a natural homeopathic non-alcoholic formula that  boosts the immune system and helps fight off allergies along with colds and the flu. 

I've notice if Levi does get sick while taking this; he doesn’t get it as bad. It’s safe for infants to take that are over 4 months old. 

It provides relief from the following symptoms:

• Itchy, watery eyes
• Upset stomach
• Nasal congestion
• Runny nose and sneezing
• Insect bites and skin rashes

You can pay $11 at the local health food store for a 1 oz bottle, but I suggest you buy it online for about $6-8. There are many sites that sell it, but I suggest you look over the reviews and prices before deciding. 

It says to place .5 of the ml under tongue every two hours and rule of thumb folks, when trying ANYTHING or the first time, don’t go the full amount.  That way any kind of adverse reaction isn’t so bad if the dosage is minimal.  Seriously—speaking from experience. 

Levi only has to take .5 ONCE a day and he’s good to go. Some kiddos may have to take the full dosage or less. Just depends on each individual child. 

The Nettie pot and Nose strips are helpful to relieve allergy symptoms, for those of us that have deviated septums. 

I hope all this helps some parents out there battling their children’s allergies and their own this spring.  

I will be writing about more alternatives to prescribed medications; remedies that work and those that don’t. I also will cover food allergies as this blog moves forward.

Stay well. Be healthy, and may the force be with you. 

Kids like food that tastes good. Period. It’s easy to satisfy their cravings with cheap, easy meals that have very little nutritional value. Its tough to afford healthier food when money's tight let alone have your kiddos willingly eat what's good for them.  Being a single parent I struggle to give my son the healthier foods on a very low-budget, BUT it can be done!

Fortunately, I only have one child to feed and I know it’s tough for parents out there with 2-4 bellies to fill, including their own. I am here to offer the best recipes I can to help alleviate those nights of deciding to either:

1. Eat out (not good to do regularly)
2. Eat cheap and greasy or out of a box.
3. Eat leftovers from 3 nights ago. (no fun)

Most parents get that urge to eat out more than 2-3 times a week and not only is it hurting you and your family’s health but it’s putting a dent in your wallet.

I suggest, if you can afford it, eat out once every two weeks. In this economy we got to tighten our belts and save our children from diabetes and obesity. 

I’m going to share with you all last night’s dinner I cooked for me and my son. I will provide instructions and ingredients. I’m not much for preparation and the end result is just getting the food on the plate so my child will stop trying to kill me with the whining about starving to death.

Kids (or should I say, boys) don’t care about presentation and I don’t have the time. 

Here we go:

You will need these ingredients:

• 2 cups of Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs (I recommend just putting some generic corn flakes in a baggie and crushing them with a meat tenderizer).
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• butter or oil
• 2-3 chicken breast sliced in half (will double in amount and make nearly 6 servings)
• Optional: Fresh mushrooms and green onions
• Optional: One lemon or lemon juice

Put on a frying pan with some butter and oil and seat heat to medium until melted then turn it down the flame just a notch.

After you crush the corn flakes, you can either put them in a bowl, on a plate, or leave them in the baggie until you’re ready to batter the chicken. I recommend putting whatever seasonings you wish and mixing it in with the crumbs. Go ahead and crack the egg into a bowl, slightly beat it with a fork, and pour the milk in with it and stir. 

After you’ve cut the chicken, place it in the egg/milk mixture—get it nice and slimy, then roll it or shake it around in the corn flake crumbs until the serving is completely covered in flakes. Place the breaded piece of chicken in the frying pan with the melted butter or oil and fry 6-12 minutes on each side, depending on how thin the portions are. You can also bake the chicken at 375 for 30-40 minutes for those trying to eat healthier.

If you have the money to buy the mushrooms and onions, then slice them up and sauté both on medium heat until tender. 

After everything is cooked, squeeze the lemon over the chicken as you eat. If you made the mushrooms and onions then pile them on top of the chicken portions and then eat! 

The best thing about this recipe is you save what’s left and make it a sandwich for lunch the next day!  Another favorite thing I like to do with the leftovers is cut the chicken up in small bite size pieces and mix it in with a salad. I've been known to make this recipe for dinner in cubed portions for a crispy chicken salad. 

For sides I made Lipton’s red beans and rice (in a package) which cost $1 at Wal-mart, a can of spinach with butter, and a salad of tomatoes, lettuces and cucumber. Now, Levi is required to eat at 1-2 servings of greens with dinner, but I didn’t make him eat the spinach last night. He’s getting over a wicked stomach bug and the last time I made him eat spinach he threw up all over his plate. I didn’t want to deal with any more throw-up this week.

He ate two servings of the rice and chicken and kept it all down! Yeah!

I spent a total of $10 for this dinner and had left-over’s for lunch today. 

TIP: Wal-Mart is starting to charge nearly the same price for their generic food brand (Great Value) as compared to the name brands (and you get less). Make sure to compare prices and quantity before you choose. 

First, I'd like to thank everyone that has read and supported Falling From Trains, in the past 5 months it's been online! Thank you so much for reading and sharing. Your support and visits to the Train is greatly appreciated!