Q. My four year old son gets frequent attacks of croup ever since he was a year old. I give him the cough medicines that the doctor prescribed but they don’t seem to help. He sometimes has a constant barking cough that drives him crazy. Now my two year old is following the same pattern. What can I do to help the cough?
A. It is possible that both your children have asthma or an allergy. Ask your doctor about testing for milk or dust allergy. You may also try eliminating cow’s milk products from their diet for about a month and see if the cough stays away. If you reintroduce milk products and the cough returns you will have your answer. But regardless of the cause of the cough, you can still give a natural remedy for croupy coughs in addition to what ever your doctor prescribes. You can buy Sambucus Nigra cough syrup made from elder berries, at any health food store, and give a teaspoon at bedtime. It will help with the cough and allow your child to sleep better. Sambucus Nigra will not interfere or react with any cough or asthma medicine your doctor prescribes and is quite safe for children as well as adults. Try it and see for yourself.
