When I was a new mother I did what I was always taught by example.  When you are sick, you go to the doctor.  They write a prescription,  you get it filled and you take it.  This cycle repeats every time you or your child has a fever, heavy cough, sore throat, or any other symptom that you cannot fix with an ice pack or “get better” kiss.

Well, thirty years of motherhood has taught me some things.  There is a reason that doctors in an office call it a “practice.”  There is no day when they really know all the answers. In fact, there are many days that the doctors were as baffled as I was about my children’s health.   Don’t get me wrong.  I LOVED our pediatricians.

However, we have seen many times when baffled doctors basically experimented on our children:

• Sarah developed asthma
• Anne Mary got RSV, then got pneumonia 5 times in the next 18 months
• Christina suddenly had unbearable leg cramps and numbness
• Sarah had multiple ear infections
• Anne Mary had unexplained transient hearing loss
• Christina was told she had fibromyalgia
• Anne Mary developed eczema
• David would not/could not sleep more than an hour or two at a time after age 2
• Christina had allergic reactions to medicines given to her after surgery

All of these have really happened to our family in the course of my first 18 years of parenting.  In the same time frame, we had all the usual stomach viruses, ear infections, broken bones, and on and on I could go.

Finally, after doing this medical thing wrong for so many years, I decided it was time to take back our health care.  I started watching for trends, and letting minor illnesses go much longer before even considering going to the doctor.  I decided to let reasonable fevers run their course.  I decided to give my children healthy, wholesome whole grain bread, and experimented with using all organic  foods.  I concentrated on hand washing more, and making sure that sick children (and sick mommy) got enough rest, rather than pushing through the schedule using medications as props.  I also dropped our health insurance and opted to go with a medical sharing plan, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and as a result our healthcare is much more affordable now. We no longer have huge deductibles coupled with large premiums.

The net result is that I feel much more empowered now.  Unfortunately now we can’t stay established at any pediatrician’s office because the children are sick so seldom, they do not go. If we decide to participate in immunization shots, we will do them at the local clinic, where the cost is less than $20 a shot, versus hundreds at the pediatrician.  I am also thankful we have terrific doctors, should something happen that was truly dreadful, but the truth is, I hated paying co-pays and prescriptions when often, the doctors were just “practicing” medicine on my family.

Yes, our family still gets sick.  Yes, we do go to the doctor when an illness has “gone on too long” or the symptoms are too severe to handle without professional advice.  But for the most part, we are healthier, have far fewer doctor’s visits, and any illnesses we do get seem much shorter in duration.

I know that health care is a very personal matter for families, and want to encourage women – not to do what we did-but to seek knowledge and wisdom in the area of your family’s health and see the best practices for your own family.  Ask lots of questions when you go to the doctor, and seek to understand why certain medications do or do not work to help in your family.  See what changes you can make at home to improve the health of those under your care, and trust that as their mother, will have instincts and ideas that the doctors may not always see based on a fifteen minute visit.  Share your ideas and observations with your pediatrician and if things do not seem right to you, feel free to seek a second opinion or alternate care.  An excellent doctor will not be threatened by a parent seeking another opinion.  In fact, a confident one will be happy to have you see another competent doctor for an opinion.

Try some new things if you are on the pediatrician wagon.  Make hand washing and plenty of rest a priority for all in your home, and work to find ways to make the food you eat healthier.  Participate in preventative care. Research healthy supplements and see what may be appropriate for your family.

I pray your family will have a better measure of health in the upcoming years!