Trying our best to avoid "whooping it up"

Southeastern New Brunswick has recently experienced an increase in the incidence of Whooping cough. The symptoms of whooping cough (pertussis) generally begin much like a mild cold, with head congestion, sneezing, running nose, low grade fever and mild cough.

In adults and young adults the cough may remain persistent with a hacking cough, ending in an air hungry “whoop” for 4-12 weeks. The condition in adults and older children is generally not life threatening. For babies and young children, whooping can become more serious, leading to difficulty eating, drinking, or sleeping.

The province of New Brunswick is encouraging everyone who comes into regular contact with babies and young children to be (re-) vaccinated for whooping cough, and to ensure that children’s vaccinations are up to date. Routine immunization for pertussis is given at 2, 4, 6, 18 months and again at 4 years. Immunity gained from immunization is thought to last 4-5 years, having had the whooping cough provides between 10-30 years of resistance to the illness. A woman who is breastfeeding her child, who had whooping cough in the past, will mount antibodies if re-exposed to the bacteria, and this immunity can be passed to her nursing infant.

Naturopathic philosophy focuses on prevention. Naturopathic treatment strengthens the person’s resistance to diseases versus reacting to the infectious organism itself. We do have medicines that can eradicate specific microbes once they’ve taken up residence, but we’d prefer to support our patient’s tissues, making them less hospitable to infection in the first place.

If you’ve contracted pertussis, have chosen not to vaccinate, or want to add to the prevention allotted by vaccination, naturopathic medicine always has something to offer. Supporting the immune system should come first and foremost in this discussion. If our defenses are strong enough we need not worry about which specific infections are going around. With a stronger immune system we may still “catch” infectious diseases, but our presentation will be milder and shorter in duration. A plan to support immune function is best developed on an individual to individual basis. Excellent nutritional intake is always the foundation for such a plan. Identification and elimination of food sensitivities, and chronic low grade infections can also alleviate burden on the immune system. There are many natural medicines combing herbs, homeopathy, vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements formulated to address immune system vitality.

An acute whooping cough infection should be addressed with anti-biotics. Anti-biotic treatment can then be augmented by a combination of herbal medicines; a formula would include herbs to kill the bacteria, herbs to soothe the cough by fighting inflammation, as well as expectorants to facilitate clearing the mucous. Thus, an herbal formulation can offer support in fighting infection, but also to help the tissues to regain normal function.

Homeopathy is a system of medicine developing in the early ninetieth century at a time when whooping cough was much more common than it is today. Many of homeopathic remedies that were used to treat pertussis historically remain relevant choices for those seeking natural, safe solutions for the disease today; drosera, bryonia, rumex, and antimonium tart are all worth considering in this category.

Acupuncture is used to support specific organ and energy pathways (meridians) within the body. The lung meridian is responsible for the body’s connection with the outside world, using acupuncture to support and strengthen lung energy is a good adjunctive therapy when protecting against or treating pertussis.

Becoming aware of your health choices when an infection becomes more prevalent with our populations is a part of taking control of your own health. Weighing risk and reward in an educated manner can help to remove the fear of our hearty winters, and all the microbes that pass between therein.

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