How We Beat Strep Throat With Nutrition

So, last Friday night, our 6-year-old mentioned her throat was a little sore.  I certainly was not thinking that she might be coming down with strep throat.  She was still her normal bubbly self otherwise, so I think I forgot about it by the time she went to bed.  (Easy to do when you have more than one kid in the mix!)

Bella (in front) not feeling 100%

Well, Saturday morning rolled around, and my girls and I were going out for some special time together.  Once we got to our destination, I could tell that Bella’s throat was really bothering her now, and she did not have her full tank of energy.  However, she still wanted to have fun and was having a good attitude, so we stayed out.

Once we got home, I knew I needed to start her on our “infection bomb” to head off whatever it was that her body was fighting.  She took a handful of vitamins, but she was going downhill fast.  She started running a fever and was losing her appetite.

Strep Throat Confirmed & Treated*

She started to complain about a headache and upset tummy.  “Oh oh,”  I thought. ” This is sounding like strep throat. Let me take a look in your throat.”  Sure enough, her tonsils and glands were swollen big and some white stuff was beginning to show at the back of her throat.

I knew we needed to beef up her supplement program (specifically, the Garlic Complex), but it would be harder with her nausea.  Still, we made it work and even avoided any puking at all.  I dare say she had more vitamins in her stomach than actual food for two days straight.

All day Sunday and all day Monday, here is what we put her on*:

• Performance rehydration drink — 3- 4 glasses each day helped give her something her body could use while also soothing her upset tummy. I love this beverage because it absorbs so fast that it never sits in the tummy even as long as water.
• 10-12 Garlic Complex (each day) — I gave her two or three at a time throughout the day, depending on how many she could swallow.
• Stomach Soothing Complex (blend of ginger, peppermint, fennel and anise) — I gave her one with each dose of garlic. Since her tummy was mostly empty, she really needed this to soften the strength of the garlic on an empty tummy.  On the occasions where she did feel like eating, I could leave this out.
• Sustained-Release Vitamin C (1500-2000 mg/day)
• Immunity Formula I (1-2 each day) — vitamins and minerals optimized for immune system support
• Nutriferon (1-2 each day) — herbal blend, natural interferon booster
• Optiflora Probiotic–2/day
• Incredivites (Children’s Multivitamin/multimineral)

After about 36 hours on the above regimen, her fever was completely gone and did not return.  Bella returned to school on Tuesday (with vitamins in her lunchbox), and we’ll continue this program each day for several more days to be sure the strep throat is completely gone.

When NOT To Use The Full Nutritional Approach

There ARE occasions where you would not be able to adequately deal with the strep throat virus through nutrition alone.

1. If you have a child who is not yet swallowing pills easily, then this approach would pose a much bigger challenge.  It may not be impossible, but it is a little riskier and would take longer to get the large doses of garlic into them.  Personally, I probably would not have tried this if Bella was not yet swallowing pills.  I would have gone for the Rx antibiotic and boosted up her immune system after  it was over.
2. If you are using low-quality nutrition products that have zero proof of effectiveness against strep, it will not work.  When treating an illness like this, it is important not to practice “trial and error” with your child.  Strep throat is different than having the sniffles.  You don’t have time to “try” something one day and allow your child to get worse.  Use only products that you know and trust.
3. If you don’t already have a well-stocked herbal medicine cabinet, it could take too long to acquire the necessary products.  We keep all these products and more regularly on-hand for occasions such as these.

If you would like guidance about how to build a robust herbal medicine cabinet, please contact me here.  I love helping parents find effective all-natural solutions and enjoy walking through that process with folks.

*We have been successfully treating infections using Shaklee products for over 8 years.  We cannot personally attest to the effectiveness of other nutritional products when treating illness.  Specific products and dosages may vary from child-to-child, depending on the situation.  All the products mentioned above can easily be purchased online through our Shaklee site.  Those who become members through our site also have access to FREE health coaching and guidance from us at any time.