Common Infections In Infants

Parents are more familiar with ear infections than most would like to be. It is one of the most common infections in infants and small children. Antibiotics are the routine treatment that most pediatricians prescribe for ear infections. However, recent studies show that treating the symptoms of patients with ear infections without antibiotics recover as quickly as those that are given antibiotics.

Candida infections in infants and adults may become visible in different ways; oral Candidiasis (or thrush) is exhibited by thick, white patches on top of a red base and may appear on any area inside the mouth. Bleeding on the underlying tissue occurs if these white patches are wiped away. Without the white coating this infection makes the tongue appear to be red in color. Oral thrush is painful and can contribute to eating disorders.

Smoke is especially harmful to young children. ETS is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually.

Newborns and infants that are still nursing are at the highest risk of developing thrush. Thrush can be spread to the nipples of the nursing mother and becomes extremely painful, making nursing difficult. It is important to keep the nipples dry and clean; replacing nursing pads regularly, allowing skin to air dry fully before replacing nursing pads, and applying anti-fungal cream to nipple area regularly.The milk a mother produces is known to have healing benefits; spreading a small amount of milk on the nipple can speed healing.

Garlic oil is often used to treat earaches and ear infections, especially for infants and children. During World War I, garlic was used as a field wound dressing and antiseptic. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for fungal infections, such as Athletes Foot. The active ingredient in garlic, allicin, is destroyed when heated, and is only released from the clove when crushed or bruised. Thus, for most treatments garlic needs to be crushed or raw.

Children and infants, the frail and elderly, and pregnant women and their unborn babies can face a greater risk to infection. Others who are undergoing chemotherapy, living with HIV/AIDS, and transplant patients also faced an increased risk.

Antioxidants in honey also prevent the formation of free radicals and the nutrient supply of honey is an important factor in new tissue re-growth, having been damaged by infection.

The color of phlegm, except when it is white may be indicative of some ailment or the other. Yellow, brown or greenish appearance implies there may be infection. Yellow means also that you may be suffering from the common cold. During the initial period of a flu attack, the phlegm may be colorless, when it is considered highly infectious. Later, it may turn yellow. In some cases, smoking renders the phlegm brown or brownish gray. In some instances, tuberculosis and, on a minor scale, bronchitis may make you cough up phlegm tinged with blood.