Lyles Family's story

I never thought I’d write a testimonial for anything. I usually dismiss them no matter where I read them. Yet, I’m compelled, thanks to Dr. Guo, to share my family’s story.

Our son began attending daycare right as he turned one year old. Right away he developed a pattern of ear infections and bronchitis that his pediatrician treated with antibiotics. Still the infections continued and after 3-4 months of repeated episodes, we ended up taking him to see hearing specialists to make sure his hearing wasn’t being impaired. We also took him to see an allergist, because he had a runny nose and itchy eyes, even when he didn’t have a cold. She determined that he was allergic to dust mites, mold and some other environmental irritants. She recommended regular use of an allergy medicine. Although the medicine treated his allergy symptoms, it only did so as long as he took his daily dose and I was uncomfortable knowing that I’d be giving him medicine every day.

When our son’s ear infections and bronchitis continued, the hearing specialists and his pediatrician recommended an extended use of strong antibiotic to clear up the fluid in his ears and talked about the possibility of putting tubes in his ears. After month on antibiotics his ears still retained some fluid and he still got bronchitis each time he got a cold. The next step for his pediatrician was tubes for his ears and regular use of steroids for the bronchitis. We took him to see a physician who would put the tubes in his ears, but couldn’t go through with it.

All along I’d been talking to a colleague about my frustrations with the whole process and with the medications our son was taking. She mentioned that a friend of hers had taken her sons, one who had allergies and one who had asthma, to see an herbalist who practiced TCM and that she’d been amazed with the results. She gave me Dr. Guo’s name and phone number and we took our son to see him, at 18 months old. My husband was leery of trying TCM, as it was unfamiliar to us and very different from Western medicine in theory and in practice. However, after we used the herbs prescribed by Dr. Guo, our sons ears cleared up and his bronchitis was never returned. My husband was impressed and grateful, as was I. Each time we took him back to his pediatrician, they were amazed that his ears had cleared, that his bronchitis did not return with each cold and that his allergies no longer seemed to bother him. They initially thought we’d put the tubes in his ears and had put him on the steroids, and when I told them otherwise, they weren’t sure what to say.

I wasn’t sure that our son would actually drink the teas, but he got used to them and soon had no trouble getting them down. We still use the herbs to help him get over colds more quickly and he has not had bronchitis, allergy symptoms or repeated ear infections. We now have a daughter to whom we also give the herbs for prevention/treatment of colds. Additionally, my husband and I seen Dr. Guo for various ailments and have referred our friends and family.

I’m grateful for Dr. Guo’s wisdom and for the herbs he has prescribed for my family.

The Lyles Family

June, 2006