This past week I had a new mom visit our office with her little one asking a question about her son. Her medical doctor said her son is ìsick with an ear infectionî and prescribed antibiotics. Her own mother said that the little boy was teething and that he is not sick, but rather ìthis is what happens with teething.î The mom wanted to know why her baby could seem so sick if he is just teething. As many of us know, a teething baby can mean symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, fluid in the ears, diarrhea and difficulty sleeping. Sounds like a sick child, yes? But is this child truly sick or are these things ìnormal?îMy answer: It CAN be. Those things are all normal parts of the teething process. As a tooth is about to come in, your childís inborn intelligence sends increased fluids (saliva) to the gums, causing them to swell and limit the blood supply. This occurs for two reasons: 1) It causes the gums to soften, so the tooth can come through more easily; and 2) It cuts off the blood supply to the nerves so there is less pain. This fluid can find its way into the nose, eyes, ears ñ and it is not a problem.The increase in saliva can cause your child to drool ñ a lot! This can cause a rash on your childís face or cause diarrhea as the excess fluid passes from the body after your child swallows it. As the tooth breaks through, the same inborn intelligence raises your childís temperature (a fever) to prevent infection at the opening in the gums and to promote healing. Thus said, an elevated low-grade temperature is very common in teething, and a clear runny nose is also not cause for alarm.The pain from the gums can travel to the cheek or the ear causing an infant to rub on their cheek or tug on their ear. Many young parents are taught to watch for this as a sign of an ear infection, and will then visit their pediatrician.The problem is that a fussy, teething child will more than likely have been crying and that combined with symptoms of teething can cause a red ear, commonly leading to a misdiagnosis of Otitis Media and a prescription for an unnecessary antibiotic. Research shows just one short dose of an antibiotic can have a lasting impact for up to two years in terms of antibiotic resistance.Teething symptoms can often be mistaken for common childhood disorders. But it is important to realize our bodies were designed to do things in a certain way, and not everything needs to be treated medically. These are normal, healthy, intelligent responses to growth and do not need treatment. It is important to understand what is normal so as not to mistake these manifestations of growth as an infection or other problem. We have a built-in healing system in the form of our nervous system; we just have to make sure it works optimally. A runny nose, fever and cough are all signs that the immune system is adapting and working! We need to learn how to trust this innate intelligence inside of all of us. Learn how the body works, live a healthy lifestyle, keep a positive focus and make sure your childís brain and body are fully connected by maintaining an optimally functioning spine through chiropractic care, so this innate intelligence can do its thing.I always advise parents to pay attention to their kiddos and monitor their symptoms. A temperature higher than 102∞F in a little one for an extended period of time, decreased urine output and vomiting are not associated with teething and may require a call to their doctor. I also tell parents to look at their kiddos and see how they are acting. You may have a teething child acting quite happy and content for the most part. A sick child is more likely to not act like themselves.For more information, call 719-494-1395 or visithttp://palmer-chiropractic.com; http://falconchiro.com
