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Great GP but doesn't like to prescribe medication

  1. #9
    Gracey is offline Registered User
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    Sweet Tomato -- Sounds you like found a gem of a doctor.
    Most doctors over-prescribe just because HK parents feel "cheated" when they don't walk out with a bunch of bottles and pills.


  2. #10
    thanka2 is offline Registered User
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    Totally agree. I find all the silly medicines the doctor gives with your consultation to be...well, silly. It always makes me laugh that I'll go in basically because I'm feeling unwell and want to take a day off from work which I need a sick note from a doctor for and I'll walk out with things for fevers I don't have, pain I'm not complaining of and they always like to throw in something for the stomach too (something in case you have "too much acid") which is totally unrelated to the stuffy nose I'm experiencing. We have a lot of unused meds in our house.

    For colds, saline spray for babies and small children is really great. Also, we use an herbal tea for children that helps a lot--when my son was under 2-years-old we just diluted the tea more. Other than that it's just being wrapped warmly, soothing baths and lots of holding. We have had some success with rubbing a small amount of Menthol rub on our children's feet which is a "home remedy" that my mom used with us children. We just dab a tiny amount on the bottom of their feet and put socks on them and for some reason it helps relieve congestion.

    The only time my son has ever taken antibiotics in his 4-year-old life was when he was 1-year-old and he came down with an ear infection that got very serious very quickly. His fever was 39.4 degrees and he was vomiting continuously (couldn't keep any liquid down) for almost 24 hours when we finally took him to the hospital.

    He was listless and didn't have enough energy to even cry. In the city I was in in the States there is a nurse hotline that you call and the nurse assesses your situation and then makes a recommendation. We had called when his fever wasn't quite as high and she told us, "If the child is throwing up for 48 hours and/or his fever is 40 degrees then take him into the hospital. Otherwise, just keep him at home and try to cool his fever and keep him hydrated." So, compared to those protocols, HK people are really over-medicated. :)

    I do hope your child will feel better soon.

    “Many women have described their experiences of childbirth as being associated with a
    spiritual uplifting, the power of which they have never previously been aware …
    To such a woman childbirth is a monument of joy within her memory.
    She turns to it in thought to seek again an ecstasy which passed too soon.”

    ~ Grantly Dick-Read (Childbirth Without Fear)

    Mother of Two
    JMW, boy, born November 29, 2007, 9:43 pm, USA
    MJW, girl, born March 17, 2011, 4:14 pm, HK

  3. #11
    carang's Avatar
    carang is offline Registered User
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    you're all very lucky. my boy between birth and 3 years, suffered ear infections EVERY single time he caught a cold. i think he had anti-biotics every 2-3 months. luckily, they still work.

    his worst ear infection? fever hit 41C. it was awful.

    as for cold meds being contraindicated for kids under the age of 8.... i think that is a bunch of BS. they were only taken off the shelves a few years ago, parents were over-medicating their kids and this is what caused the problems.... not the meds themselves.

    if my kids have a stuffy nose and are coughing terribly, i will continue to give them meds to help alleviate the symptoms. i take meds when i have a cold, i don't see why my kids should have to suffer through it. i ONLY give according to the instructions and NEVER give more than indicated or more often than indicated.


  4. #12
    sweet_tomato is offline Registered User
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    Thanks everyone for your support and advice. We are finally well after 3 weeks of snots and coughs. Bub didn't let the saline nasal spray near her. The only thing that gave her relieve was breast feeding. She was on my boob most of the time for the past few weeks. I am exhausted but glad I could comfort her. So yes, the doctor was right ;-) we didn't need meds to get better but it was not easy. I will definitely keep my ears open for alternative remedies for future reference.
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  5. #13
    elle is offline Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by thanka2 View Post
    Also, we use an herbal tea for children that helps a lot--when my son was under 2-years-old we just diluted the tea more.
    Thanka: Can you buy that tea in HK or do you purchase it online? I'd like to try it with our little one. Did your children take to drinking it easily? I'm guessing that you serve it warm? Do they only drink it when they are not well? Thanks so much.

    -elle

  6. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by carang View Post
    .

    as for cold meds being contraindicated for kids under the age of 8.... i think that is a bunch of BS. they were only taken off the shelves a few years ago, parents were over-medicating their kids and this is what caused the problems.... not the meds themselves.
    Boy that's a bit heated considering you don't even know what meds were perscribed. The one in particular was an opiad and another an antihistamine for a not yet 2 year old who had a cold. I wouldn't even take those for a cold let alone give them to a baby.

  7. #15
    carang's Avatar
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    i was not referring to prescribed meds. i was referring to over-the-counter cough meds not being available in canada and the us.

    i am sorry if my post was unclear.

    of course, i make sure what the meds are before i administer them to myself a well as my kids.


  8. #16
    thanka2 is offline Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by elle View Post
    Thanka: Can you buy that tea in HK or do you purchase it online? I'd like to try it with our little one. Did your children take to drinking it easily? I'm guessing that you serve it warm? Do they only drink it when they are not well? Thanks so much.

    -elle
    I buy the tea for about $48 HKD/box at this shop in Causeway Bay. They carry the full range of tea from Traditional Medicinals.

    My son loves the tea. He used to drink another sleepy time tea every night before bed and would always request it. For him, when he was older, we put a drop or two of stevia in it to sweeten it. We would brew it for about 10 minutes in a covered cup and then put a few ice cubes in it to bring it down to a warm temperature for drinking. There are a few types of tea and we have all the ones for kids so if my son is having tummy troubles he drinks some tummy tea or a cold the cold tea etc. But, the sleepy time tea is good any time.
    “Many women have described their experiences of childbirth as being associated with a
    spiritual uplifting, the power of which they have never previously been aware …
    To such a woman childbirth is a monument of joy within her memory.
    She turns to it in thought to seek again an ecstasy which passed too soon.”

    ~ Grantly Dick-Read (Childbirth Without Fear)

    Mother of Two
    JMW, boy, born November 29, 2007, 9:43 pm, USA
    MJW, girl, born March 17, 2011, 4:14 pm, HK

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