Hey Nicole --

I don't think you have to use a lot of coconut oil. I usually do what you are -- cook with it in place of butter -- or I mix it in rice my girls eat, etc. I don't think they would eat it by itself, but a couple of teaspoonsful is what I would shoot for.

While I think it's true that Antibiotics are overprescribed and often harmful, I keep in mind that once in a while they may well be part of an answer. I have to be careful of not placing my goals and priorities -- indeed, my resentment toward pediatricians and doctors in general -- ahead of the bottom line, which is the child's health and comfort. That said, I would give Antibiotics if something was untreatable by other measures.

I have a dear friend whose little girl is CONSTANTLY going to the doctor for ear infections and other ENT problems. So is pretty overrun with Antibiotics . She is 3 and I think has had about 15 ear infections. Sally formula-fed from the beginning, and uses cow's milk (which another poster identified as a culprit) -- also the little girls is a sugar/grains addict -- pretty much all she will eat is pasta. I'm sure those factors combine to get her, and keep her, sick and stuffed up all the time. My guess is that people on this and other CZ forums have a greater knowledge of child nutrition, what symptoms are and how to treat them without the doctor, and of course the knowledge base here at the forum and the support here. So I almost feel more confident about saying to friends here, "use the antibiotic" than I do around my friend -- when she tells me her daughter is sick again and on another round of the pink stuff, I really have to keep my mouth shut. I feel like those of use who make it here and use the site/forums can really make informed decisions about what allopathic tools to use, rather than just rely on a doctor to dispense meds, and alleviate us of education or responsibility about underlying causes.

I am grateful that what we are doing has "worked" so far with my twins in the sense that they haven't had antibiotics, but again, I would not hesitate to use them if an illness was untreatable here. It's a balancing act -- one one hand, you don't want the Antibiotic to wipe everything out, but on the other hand, a low-level infection can be really harmful.

One thing about xylitol -- I think you have to treat it as an Antibiotic in the sense that it can wipe out "good" bugs too, so it would get the coconut oil/probiotics treatment, too!

Keep us posted...

Laura