What if I told you that health doesn’t come from a bottle? In today’s quick-fix age, looking to medication for a cure to our family’s illnesses has become the norm for many.

There are three must-haves in every mother’s medicine chest if she is interested in true health for her family. Are you lacking any of these?

Courage:

Courageous moms are those mothers who know that sometimes it’s best not to give harsh medications or follow standard medical procedures. It’s not wrong to be ill – but it is wrong to be ill too often. If your child catches a cold, or gets the flu, his body is building up wonderful antibodies that will enable him to fight off that particular strain of germ or virus next time it’s doing the rounds. By giving him antibiotics or antivirals every time he gets sick, you’re interfering with this process.

For example, did you know that a fever is the body’s way of fighting off bacteria and viruses? It does this in two ways:

• Some of the microbes are killed by the extra heat

• The microbes’ activity slows down during fever, allowing the rest of your immunity to get to work

Even excess mucus is the body’s way of getting rid of irritants that could lead to further illness, so by ‘drying up’ the mucus with medicine, we’re taking away the benefit of this natural process.

Be brave, and allow your little one to fight off everyday diseases, while you feed him nutritious food and give him lots of love and comfort. Your and his reward for this brave approach? He’ll soon become sick less often.

Patience:

If you decide to embrace the courageous route, and help your child to wait out an illness, you’re going to need a lot of patience. It’s understandable that you want a quick cure because you don’t want to see your child suffer, and also, because it’s more convenient that way, especially if you need to take time off work to look after your little one. Your and his reward for a patient approach? He’ll soon be the one in the neighbourhood who is healthiest, or gets over colds and coughs soonest.

Maternal Instinct:

While you shouldn’t rush off to the doctor at the first sign of a sniffle, there are times when you need medical opinion or help. Your maternal instinct can be an overwhelmingly powerful tool, if you learn to differentiate between genuine need for concern, and typical unnecessary ‘mother worry’. If you just know something is wrong, then trust that instinct, and take your little one to see the doctor. Back this up with first turning to natural remedies – you will know how often one ends up realising that one could have waited it out! Your and his reward for this intuitive approach? His general health will soon improve.

We know it can be tough to use the courage-patience-instinct remedy, but balance these attributes with a healthy lifestyle, and you and your family will be better off for it.