About Whooping Cough
Whooping cough has two stages. The first stage of colonization is like a minor cold, which can, but does not always increases in intensity over about a 10-day time frame. Then it seems like the cold is gone and there is nothing to worry about. The second or toxaemic stage of B. pertussis begins gradually. The child starts the odd cough, and after about two weeks, the cough starts to get strong, with prolonged and paroxysmal coughing that often (but not always) ends in a characteristic inspiratory gasp (whoop). The cough is often more prominent at night. If the cough changes and becomes more of a bark, and more regular—developing a pattern at night of ‘every hour, on the hour’—then you must consider that it could be whooping cough.
Bordetella pertussis infection will normally have Drs suggesting taking antibiotics to lessen the severity of the illness. In my experience antibiotics do not lessen the cough in any cases and often seems to make it worse. Therefore, I do not recommend that antibiotics are used. The use of antibiotics kills the good and bad bacteria in the gut and immune system. The body is in real need of having a strong immune system and therefore we don’t want to be killing them all off we need to be strengthening the immune system.
The most important part of this protocol is the Sodium Ascorbate, it is important that you keep up with the does each day for duration of illness. This will make a remarkable difference to how the child handles the illness. If you stop the sodium ascorbate to soon you will find that the cough returns quickly and intensifies.
Under no circumstances should any cough suppressants or cough syrups be used, nor any fever reducers, paracetamol or other pharmaceuticals. These will all works against the body’s natural abilities to heal from the infection.
How the Vit C works (sodium ascorbate SA)
Ascorbate, being the antioxidant portion of whole vitamin C, is an electron donor, neutralizes toxins in the blood, and will stabilize the child. If you are breastfeeding, you will have to take it yourself and/or give it to the child until the coughing stops. It is better for you to give vitamin C directly to babies, rather than trying to guess how much is coming through breast milk. Even if you take high doses, you will not get the dose you need into the baby.
The ascorbate will not kill the bacteria, but it will mobilize the neutrophils and phagocytes (the immune cells that process the infection), which grind to a halt without it, because ascorbate is their fuel. The bacterial toxin forms a barrier to the immune system. In using ascorbate, you are clearing out the barrier and allowing the immune system to get in and deal with the bacteria. It could still take the whole 100 days to deal with the B. pertussis and start to regrow cilia, but the child will have LESS serious symptoms, because you are keeping the body as clear of toxin as possible, and the immune pathways functioning properly. My experience is that most people treated with ascorbate will not cough for the full 100 days, usually 50-75 and it is a very manageable situation, with one peak week being most difficult.
Dosage
The starting dose in children for sodium ascorbate is 375 mg per kg over 24 hours. But at peak of coughing, the dose needed in toddlers and older children can be as high as 1000 mg/kg/day.
Indications you are giving enough Sodium Ascorbate. The child or adult will have at least 2 loose bowel motions a day. This does not need to be watery but loose. If you are finding the child is still coughing till, they wretch or go blue then you are not giving enough SA.
Once you have worked out how much you need to give to your child then you can weigh it and put it in a container and give little amounts frequently throughout the day.
Dosing must be in little amounts through the day. The human body does not store Vitamin C, so therefore needs little bit often to help the body clear out the toxins from the Bordetella pertussis infection.
Example
Child weighs 12 kgs
12 x 375g = 4500 mg
A pinch of SA is about 250mg so you could do a pinch every half hour for this child while they are awake.
It is important the they are kept well hydrated with either human milk or water. If mum is also taking SA to give baby through breast milk, then it is important that mum stays well hydrated too.
In the cases of babies, it is important that they get direct oral SA as well as through mums milk.
In the first 24 hours of using Sodium ascorbate the mucus will thin out considerably in the body. It can seem like it is coming out of the body fast in this time.
Things to avoid
- Sugar – in all forms, honey, rice carbs as if competes with the vitamin c transported cells
- Dairy products as they are very mucous forming
- Pedialyte – or any sucrose containing drinks as they are toxic, if you are worried about dehydrations then water with added electrolytes or coconut water are best used
- Gluten and Wheat is best avoided for a few weeks.
Things to eat
- Bone broth
- Lots of water
- Coconut water
- Human milk
Homeopathic remedies to support healing
Remedies can be purchased through the website as single remedies
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Antimonium Tartaricum
Give this medicine if the patient has a scanty, productive cough but it is very hard to cough it up and feels full of mucus. The cough will be worse 10pm till midnight and after eating and lying down. The cough will be in paroxysms and the patient will be breathless and exhausted afterwards. The effort to expel the mucus may result in vomiting. The key indicator for this medicine is that the chest is rattly with mucus, but hardly any comes up.
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Drosera
The paroxysm of coughing is extreme causing cyanosis (blue face/lips) and a feeling of suffocation. The cough is violent, and the patient may vomit in the recovery stage. The patient will be better for cold drinks but may get cramps in the hands and feet during coughing. The cough will be worse at night.
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Belladonna
I like this medicine in the early feverish stages of Whooping Cough. If used appropriately it can really change the course of the illness. Once at the coughing stage the cough will be violent with red face, bulging eyes and marked abdominal pain. Between the paroxysm is marked tickling in the larynx until the next bout of coughing. There is likely to be a severe headache with the coughing.
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Ipecac
Convulsive cough, where the child stiffens out and becomes blue or pale and loses its breath, great nausea and relief from vomiting are prominent symptoms for Ipecac. A “gagging cough” is a good indication for the remedy. The discharge of mucus is copious and tenacious, and the patient is very weak after the attacks. Violent shattering coughs following each other in quick succession, not permitting recovery of breath, indicate Ipecac. The child is limp and weak, and there is free perspiration. Sulphur is an excellent remedy for vomiting after the paroxysmal cough.
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Magnesia phosphorica.
This is the prominent remedy for whooping cough, which begins as does common cold. The attacks are convulsive and nervous, ending in a whoop. The indications may be stated as cough in severe paroxysms, with blue or swollen and livid face, with a severe whoop.
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Pertussin
A nosode of whooping cough, A spasmodic hacking, deep-sounding, croupy cough with coryza and difficulty in getting the breath seem to be the indications. This can also be given prophylactically to children or family members to help protect from getting WC.
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Bryonia
Extremely painful cough, child will hold chest when coughing. Worse with motion. Cough worse after eating or drinking with vomiting.
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Hepar sulph
When the cough seems complicated with croup; worse towards morning; the cough sounds croupy and it seems as if the patient would choke. Often they have a hoarse voice and yellow discharges.
Often it is good to have a selection of these cough remedies as the cough often changes as it moves through the illness stages.
Other supplements to support the healing process
- Multigen Probiotics to support the immune system
- Zinc
- NAC (n-acetyl cysteine) is a great antioxidant
- Mullein herbs, Andrographis herbs
Dosages
- Sodium Ascorbate - 375 mg per kg given in small doses over 24 hours.
- Zinc – add to their water. ½ ml per day
- Multigen probiotic 1 cap a day
- NAC – I spoon once a day