" I have lots of words stuck in my throat "

One of the great blessings I have experienced of being introduced to integrative care are the options it has offered me as a mother. There were many times in the years past that I would be giving one of my daughters a medicine and wondering if there was something safer or gentler. My younger daughter woke up with a sore itchy throat this morning...in the past I would have reached for some pain or allergy medication. A quick fix. But today, my daughter asked for a cup of that special tea for her throat. That reminded me that I have so many options to treat her symptoms with. We looked at all the yummy teas we had bought..Throat Comfort by Yogi Teas, Throat Coat by Traditional Medicinals, to name our favorites. We brewed the tea, she added lots of honey to it and sipped it slowly, breathing in the aroma and feeling it soothe her throat.  We then decided to try some old fashioned gargling with warm water and sea salt. My daughter loves to gargle; humming different tunes ( Let It Go!) through the loud gurgling noises. I gave her a blueberry zinc lozenge to suck on as she returned to the book she was reading.I have also started to talk to the girls about how powerful their intention to heal is; how it can be empowering for them to know that they can decide to get better or decide to stay sick.  Previously I would have told my daughter, "You probably have a sore throat because of your allergies, or a virus etc etc.'  Today I asked her why SHE thought she had a sore throat. She got quiet for a moment. " I don't know", she said. "Can we check the book ?" So we pulled out  Permanent Healing, a book that tells you what mental attitude can be responsible for a physical symptom. http://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Healing-quantum-mechanics-healing. One of the possibilities listed was, " Not expressing what you are truly feeling, words get stuck in your throat." She thought about it for a moment and then declared, " I have lots of words stuck in my throat! I am going to write them down now and say them as loud as I can!" And she certainly did at the top of her lungs! We discussed the pros and cons of getting better or staying sick. She agreed that if she stayed sick she could get more of my attention, would not have to do her chores and could drink more of the teas. But if she decided to feel better quickly, she could get back to eating popsicles, go to Six flags tomorrow as planned and not have to feel that pain in her throat every time she swallowed. She decided that believing that she was going to get better quickly was the better choice. And I reassured her that she could still have plenty of tea and my attention even if she got better, although the chores would still have to get done :)Another great tool is a free app called Healing Buddies Comfort Kit. It helps your child relax through feelings like pain, nausea, anxiety and has simple, fun exercises like breathing, guided imagery, acupressure and self-talk. We did the belly breathing together with her teddy and that helped me relax too. Slowing down and focusing on one's breath is such a simple mindful activity and I really enjoyed doing it with my daughter. My mind was able to stay calm and focus on supporting her instead of dashing off  to that worried mommy place that imagines all kind of terrible things happening to her throat. And I was able to stay in the positive energy of her ability to heal herself.