Six months ago, my then six-year-old son fell off a set of monkey bars at the park and broke his elbow. As soon as I saw it, my nursing instinct said to get him to the emergency room fast as his arm was either dislocated or broken, and we’d need X-rays to tell.
It was, in fact, broken… right at the elbow. In technical terms, the lateral epicondyle of the humerus bone was completely fractured.
He had to be admitted to the children’s hospital and scheduled for surgery as soon as they could get him in. He ended up needing an open reduction surgery because the fractured bone segment was displaced which resulted in three steel pins inserted to hold the bone in place and a temporary cast to be worn for 3-4 weeks.
After surgery, the main concerns were that the bone would fuse back properly and that his growth plate wasn’t damaged. We were given instructions on how to manage the arm and cast at home and when to follow up with his surgeon for regular X-rays to see how the bone was healing.
As a natural-minded parent, I wasn’t thrilled with all the medications and X-rays my kid had received (and would continue to receive), but I recognized that in some situations, those things are necessary and beneficial. Nonetheless, I was determined to take my kid home and do the best I could to support his body during the healing process using herbs and nutritious food.
Today, I’d like to share how I used herbal infusions to support and strengthen his bones as they were mending.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post over on the Herbal Academy blog!
I am nursing currently, can the herbal infusion recipe stay as is for me or do I need to substitute any of the herbs? I read somewhere horsetail is out for nursing Mama’s, is there a replacement? Thank you
Hmm… that’s a tough one, Tabitha. Horsetail is not recommended while pregnant, and it’s not recommended for children under two due to trace amounts of nicotine. It’s only recommended in small amounts for children 2-12 who are taking it orally. When taking herbs while nursing, mama gets the majority of the herbal action, but some can come through the milk and be passed on to the baby. I would doubt that trace amounts of nicotine would make it past mama’s body and onto the baby, but I can’t be certain. Also, there are no studies to show it does or doesn’t, so we don’t know for sure — we can only assume. Ultimately, it’s best to avoid it if there’s any chance for negative effects. You can leave it out entirely and rely on the nutritional herbs in the recipe as they will do a world of good on their own, or you could replace it with something like alfalfa which also has a high nutritional content. Hope this helps!
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions!!
My seven-year-old broke a bone in his foot today. I read your article on The Herbal Academy (without realizing you had written it), then came over to your site to see what you had to say!
I’ve printed out your recommendations but have a question: the nutrient lists include vitamin D3 at 1,600 mg. When I calculated that into IU (we take vit D3 in drops) it was 64 million IU, which I’m sure is a *little* over the top. 🙂 Can you clarify what IU of D3 you recommend for bone healing?
Thank you and blessings.
Hey Mallory! I’m so sorry your little one has a broken foot. I know that can be tough. And thank you so much for reaching out. That is actually a typo there, and I’ve reached out to the new blog coordinator at HA to have her update it. It should be 1000 IU of vitamin D a day which is around 125% of the daily recommendation. When the body is healing, it will need a wee bit more of most all vitamin/minerals during that time. Thanks, and best of luck during this time!
Thank you, 1,000 IU D3 is very doable. I see the HA blog posted is already updated. I shared this post with an adult friend who happened to break her foot in three places just the day before my broke his.
Awesome! And sorry about the mistake! I’m so glad you pointed it out so we could get it fixed, though! Again, best of luck!
I am 64, Takung Prolea for severe Osteoporosis. it must not be working. right now I have two broken toe b oil nes and a shin split on the Fibula. What herbs can help me?
The herbs mentioned in this post for a start. Also, working with a clinical herbalist to assess your specific situation and get you on a good wellness protocol is a good idea as well. Best of luck!