St. John's Wort - a widely known herb that people have used for centuries. There is a common misconception, according to which herbs are completely safe, which means that they can be taken without a doctor's recommendation. And although they do often cause far fewer side effects than conventional drugs, the question of whether it is possible to use St. John's wort for the children in each case should be decided by an expert.

Can I give the children St. John's wort?

In recent years, herbal medicine St John's Wort The herb St. John's wort and its use in medicine   It is becoming increasingly popular. Very often capsules, teas and tinctures with St. John's wort is used to treat depression, while ignoring the following facts:

• Firstly, the effectiveness of St. John's wort is not confirmed sufficiently extensive, detailed studies;
• Secondly, the mechanism of action of Hypericum still unclear;
• Thirdly, the quality of products containing St. John's wort, is a fairly serious problem.

Side effects of St. John's wort, both adults and children can be dry mouth, dizziness, indigestion, lethargy, headache, anxiety Anxiety - how to distinguish normal from disease?   and increased sensitivity to sunlight. The latter is of particular importance - because of this side effect of St. John's wort is not recommended to give children in the summer when they spend a lot of time outdoors, exposed to direct sunlight.

Research

In one study conducted in 2008, it was found that St. John's wort does not improve the condition of children with attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - how to help fidget?   and hyperactivity. The study involved 54 children between the ages of six and seventeen. Half of them were given an extract of St. John's wort, the other half - the placebo Placebo - an effective tool for self-hypnosis . Subjects in the second group felt better, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

St. John's wort: use and efficiency

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). St. John's Wort - a means of alternative medicine that is often used in the treatment of patients suffering from ADHD. However, a recent study showed that St. John's wort for children with this disorder can be almost useless. The study involved 54 patients aged 6 to 17 years old, who for two months taking St. John's wort or a placebo. According to the study the effectiveness of St. John's wort and placebo was almost identical. To confirm these results, further research is needed, but parents of children with ADHD now need to keep in mind that St. John's wort should not have high expectations.

Depression. Hypericin contained in St. John's wort affects the level of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, so that it can alleviate the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Studies show that taking St. John's wort improves the patient depressed child in two weeks. Six weeks after the start of treatment, improvement was noted in almost all subjects. Children of St. John's wort is well tolerated, side effects have been expressed very rarely. However, St. John's wort can be taken only on the advice of the doctor - only he will be able to appoint the right dose based on the age and weight of the child, and other factors.

Inflammation of the lungs can get sick child of any age, including newborns. Today, it is not as dangerous as before, when there were no antibiotics. Nevertheless, today pneumonia Pneumonia - Symptoms and Causes   It is considered to be a serious illness. But antibiotics do not always have the desired effect.

Causes of pneumonia in children and their types

Inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) in children - is infectious and inflammatory diseases. In children it is often the complication of viral infections: viruses cause inflammation in the airway mucosa, thus paving, road bacterial infection. And as in the cold season, the viral infection is widespread, and the pneumonia also occurs frequently. But sometimes pneumonia in children begin immediately, without prior viral infection.

Pathogens of infectious-inflammatory process in a child may be staphylococci, streptococci, pneumococci, and other pathogenic organisms. In addition to pneumonia, a bacterial infection can be caused by viruses, fungi, chlamydia Chlamydia: insidious and widespread disease , Mycoplasma, and even the simplest.

Depending on the pathogen and the immune system of the child pneumonia can occur fairly easy or very hard. It is hard to proceed usually pneumonia caused by pneumococcus and staphylococcus. Pneumonia can be acute or chronic. Acute pneumonia divided into focal and croupous (affecting segment or lobe).

Chronic pneumonia can be formed with repeated acute pneumonia diseases, as well as adequate treatment is not enough. Chronic pneumonia also occurs in children with reduced immunity or congenital diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are characterized by stagnation of blood in the lungs.

Lobar pneumonia in children

Lobar inflammation develops in the major regions of the lungs - segments or lobes. "Culprit" of the disease is most often Streptococcus pneumoniae. Lobar pneumonia most often occurs in children older preschool and school age. Contributing factors may be sharp hypothermia, physical and mental trauma.

The disease begins acutely, with a very high temperature, headache. Often at the beginning of the disease the child begins vomiting and abdominal pain Abdominal pain: Types and Symptoms , Because of what is not always timely diagnosed with pneumonia, especially in the initial stage in the lungs is not always possible to listen to any changes.

The cough may not appear immediately and at first it is dry, very painful - when coughing hurts the affected side of the chest. Always suffering cardiovascular system, the child appears palpitations, shortness of breath, cyanosis in the nasolabial triangle and fingertips. In severe cases, blood pressure drops sharply Blood pressure - dangerous if his swing? Until collapse. Pneumococcal Pneumonia always causes reddening cheeks child on the affected side.

After 3 - 4 days the temperature is somewhat reduced, and the cough gradually becomes wet. Sputum with the thick, viscous, it can be an admixture of blood, but typical for adults "rusty" sputum in children is rare.

Symptoms of lobar pneumonia are confirmed by X-ray and laboratory tests.

Lobar pneumonia usually occurs cyclically, in the form of primary, during the crisis period, the period of recovery. The complication of the disease may be the development of acute respiratory and cardiovascular failure, pleurisy and empyema (inflammation and suppuration of the serous membrane covering the lungs), lung abscess, toxic shock, and so lalee.

Lobar pneumonia treated in the hospital only with the mandatory carrying out X-ray and laboratory control.

Focal pneumonia in children

Focal pneumonia often referred to bronchopneumonia, as it usually develops in the background of acute respiratory viral infections (ARI). Basically bronchopneumonia sick children from one to five years. A sign of focal pneumonia is usually the temperature rise to high numbers in about a week after the onset of cough and common cold in children. Here, the first rise in temperature associated with a viral infection, and usually ends up talking about the rise of a new complication. But it could be a long-term rise in temperature in the SARS - more than 5 days, it can also talk about the beginning of pneumonia.

Simultaneously, the cough - it is dry at first, but after a few days becomes wet, with muco-purulent sputum.

On X-ray in visible foci of lung tissue inflammation to 5 mm in diameter, more often on the one hand, increased pulmonary pattern, indicating that lesion bronchi. In the blood of the child are also found signs of significant inflammation - a large number of white blood cells and high levels of ESR.

Uncomplicated pneumonia with the right treatment is adequate for one - two weeks, but residual effects in the baby's lungs are kept to 1-1, 5 months.

Galina Romanenko