Does Smoky Air Make Sensitive Kids Flare?

A smoky orange sky in San Francisco, CA. September 2020.

If you live in the Western United States, chances are you’ve been breathing a lot of wildfire smoke lately. Wildfires used to be a rare occurrence, but they are becoming almost expected in September and October, with numerous fires burning across vast areas and resources spread thin to fight them. We have become accustomed to checking the Air Quality Index on a daily basis and limiting time outdoors, even when we can’t smell smoke. Large particulate matter in the air and thick smoke clearly irritates the eyes and throat, but finer particles that may not be accompanied with a distinct smoky smell can reach deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. When you are the parent of a child with auto-immune issues, you may be wondering if there is more cause for concern.

Kids who have PANDAS/PANS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections), mold toxicity illness, autism, or Lyme are by definition pretty sensitive kids. And just from my own family and other families in fire-affected areas who have complex kids, it does seem that flares of “unknown origin” are on the rise. Especially this year, when human contact is limited due to COVID-19, there are less viral triggers one can point to. You might expect a neurotypical child to complain that their eyes are burning or that their lungs feel tight. But complex kids are presenting with increased tics and twitches and increased hyperactivity, which is likely due to the high number of environmental toxins burning in these fires. Breathing in those particulates may cause brain inflammation in those who are already susceptible.

As is always the case with homeopathy, you treat what is presenting, so if your child always does well with, say, Hyoscyamus for brain inflammation and Agaricus for tics, and you are seeing a flare during fire season, you can give the remedies that have worked for these same symptoms during a viral flare in the past. Homeopathy works beautifully on environmental and toxicity issues, first by strengthening the vital force so that the child is less prone to this type of sensitivity, and also on gently detoxifying the body. Dosing Sulphur or Silica, as indicated, can also help to detox smoke inhalation. Kids who have a very hard time detoxing might be helped by activated charcoal during this time as well. And of course, there are many remedies to strengthen the lungs after smoke inhalation, including Tuberculinum and Oxygenium.