These days when there has been a generalized outbreak of influenza at home, I confess that I have been tempted to use the syrup prescribed by my pediatrician the last time and holy remedy.
It would have certainly been comfortable for me, but it wouldn't have been any good for my two-year-old girl to stop coughing, although maybe it helped to create gastritis.
In relation to this issue of self-medicating children, the US government has just released a study that states that over-the-counter cough and cold medications can be harmful and even fatal for children under two years old.
Sometimes we think we know our children better than anyone. We think that because of the symptoms they present, they have this or that disease. But we are not doctors and we are likely to be wrong.
I always have the habit of taking my daughters to the doctor when they get sick, although I think I know what they can have.
In many cases I could say by eye what they have and it may be that most of the time it was right, but the health of the children is not a game.
We must be responsible in that regard. The only one who can diagnose is the doctor and it is he who must prescribe the appropriate medications for each situation.
It turns out that the syrup I have at home when he has a cough would not have helped him this time, because the cough was due to a pharyngitis and not to a common cold like those he had previously.
