Page 53 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby

of at all costs. Let’s look into this matter more of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, of In my twenty
deeply. When a child becomes sick with a fever, striving to do something you have never done
a number of processes are activated in his body, before, is that you can fail and fall into the abyss. plus years as
processes that we can see and experience without Not trying, however, is even worse. Our job as a doctor,
the use of special insight or fancy instruments. parents and doctors is to help the child cross the the most
First, there is increased warmth, both locally (at bridge of illness with our loving, caring, intelli-
the site of the “infection,” such as the tonsils) and gent guidance as we oversee the natural processes important
systemically. This systemic response is measured at work in our children. thing
by the elevated temperature on the thermometer. I have
Second, there is pain, again both locally and THE PARENTS’ ATTITUDE
sometimes body aches that are felt everywhere. In my thirty plus years as a doctor, the most observed in
Third, there is swelling. Finally, there is redness. important thing I have observed in determining determining

The last two are mainly at the site of the infec- the outcome of a child’s illness is the attitude the outcome
tion, but to a certain extent we see the child’s of the parents. If the parents have a deep belief

whole face becoming slightly more red and that their child is strong and that the illness, if it of a child’s
even a bit swollen. Pathology textbooks iden- doesn’t become too severe, will serve the child illness is the
tify these changes as the four cardinal signs of in his future development, then their attitude of attitude of
inflammation. resolve and confidence will translate into an en-
In Fourfold, I discuss the theory that we vironment of peacefulness and effectiveness that the parents.
actually have four “bodies,” each of which truly allows the child to rest and to comfortably
participates in every inflammation and each of go through the process. The child must know that
which is activated when we are sick. The physical the parents are watching for any indication that
or earth body becomes red; the fluid or etheric the illness is becoming too strong and requires
body takes on more fluid, which we call swelling; more help; the child must know that he can relax
the emotional body or astral body experiences and that everything will be okay.
a heightened sense of feeling, which we call
pain, and the warmth body or mental body gets STAY WARM
involved and raises our temperature. This acti- First and foremost, a child with a fever must
vation of the four bodies is particularly acute in stay in bed or in a comfortable, relaxed place. To
children because the whole process of being a encourage elimination through the kidneys, he
child involves growing into and reshaping our should take warm liquids as often as possible. The
bodies to “fit” our individual purpose in life. child should be kept warm as the fever needs to
Another way to put this is that when a child do its job and be allowed to “burn out” the illness.
encounters an impediment, say a foreign protein The bowels should be kept open if need be, with
or an organ that is not being formed quite right, a gentle laxative or herbs that encourage bowel
he goes into “remodeling mode.” The remodel- movements.
ing is done by tearing down the old, misshapen A sick child can listen to stories read out loud,
matter, taking it out to the dumpster, and then but otherwise the only other appropriate activity
rebuilding a more suitable house to inhabit. This is rest. The less mental stimulation in the form of
is exactly what is accomplished through illness. computer games, movies, etc., the better. Illness
Take measles: the temperature goes up to 104, is a serious and energy-consuming task; there is
the eyes water, the nose runs, the lungs cough up no room for anything else in their lives at that
mucus, the kidneys excrete extra broken-down time, only rest and recovery. If parents followed
proteins, the bowels are loose and the child aches just this simple advice, nothing to bring down the
all over. These symptoms herald the construction fever, just warmth, calm resolve, careful obser-
of a newer, healthier body, one that is more indi- vation, lots of fluids, keeping the bowels open,
vidualized to the dynamics of the child. This is and rest, we would have far fewer problems with
a profoundly healing and spiritual process, and chronic disease than we have now.
like everything of such gravity, it has its risks and
dangers. The risk of a snake shedding its skin,

Wise Traditions 51