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Immunity power in children

Discussion in 'Toddlers' started by kavya007, Sep 12, 2008.

  1. kavya007

    kavya007 Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Ladies,

    I am curious to know if there are any factors that influence a child's immune system. I know that the immune system of children improves as they are exposed to more and more germs. But it seems to me that some children are born with more robust immune systems.

    I sent my son to daycare when he was a year old. There were 8 kids in his room. The daycare was extremely clean. But he kept getting viral fever every month, back to back ear infections and wheezing. He was sick most of the time. Since the fluid in his middle ear tube was not draining the doc told me he would become a possible candidate for ear tube surgery. Eventually in 4 months pulled him out of daycare and quit my job to stay with him at home.

    Even though I became a SAHM he fared very badly during the entire flu season. He would get viral fever at least once a month and he would catch cold very frequently. I used to take him to mom and tot play classes, playdates and parks. So probably he was catching the germs from all those outings. But many of my friends children fared much better during the winter.

    I don't know if my son just has a poor immune system or if there is something wrong with the way I am bringing him up. Is there some genetic reason? My hubby used to fall sick a lot when he was young. Now he has a pretty strong immune system. I used to be pretty robust when I was young but now compared to my husband I easily catch colds during the flu season.

    I exclusively breastfed my son for the first 6 months and weaned him off only after he turned 14 months. He never had formula. I give him a balanced and organic diet. I don't give him vitamin drops. My son has a history of eczema and allergies.

    I am going to send my son to daycare next month and I am really worried about the flu season. Vanathi and others, it would be great if you can throw some light on this issue.

    Thanks,
    Kavya
     
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  2. sukri

    sukri New IL'ite

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    Hi Kavya,

    I had the same issue with my daughter when I started day care for her at 2 years in the month of Nov. She started with cold and viral fever that required antibiotics which resulted in severe allergy and she was on steroids for a month. Then it was cold and sometimes fever once every 2 weeks even though we had stopped day-care after just the first 3 days.

    What did I do... I started giving her seven-seas cod-liver oil (though we are vegetarians). I stopped giving her anything cool/cold. Limited eating outside. I also got an ayurvedic medicine for health from India. This has reduced the frequency of cold though it hasn't gone away completely. The shortest frequency is now 1 month.

    My friend's daughter exclusively breast-fed for 8 months had bouts of diahorrea like symptoms. Her pediatrician suspected lactose intolerance (at about 1 1/2 years) and was put on lactose-free diet which helped to quite a large extent.

    So I guess each child has his/her own system. Children coming into contact with other children, however clean the environment may be, are definitely subject to infections.

    If you are not happy with your pediatrician's analysis, don't hesitate to change. If you are ok, ask if you need to test for any possible allergies. From my personal experience beginning of Fall/flu season or spring is not a good time to start day-care. Wait for a couple of months more (like Jan/Feb) or summer to start. It's just my personal opinion. Good Luck!

    Krithika
     
  3. Aadhusmom

    Aadhusmom Gold IL'ite

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    Kavya,
    Like you said I think its a matter of genetics for the most part. Its true that some kids fall ill often while others with the same environment/diet etc. dont. My sister and I are a good example - we were raised in pretty much the same way (if anything she must have had more exposure to germs as she is the younger one), but i was the one who fell ill every month - I always joke that I ate more antibiotics than food as a child! I did outgrow it somewhat but I am still the first one in the family to fall ill if there's a bug doing the rounds. I honestly dont believe there's much you can do beyond a point - you know fresh food, lots of fruits/veggies, fresh air (you're doing them all already). Hope he grows out of it soon - sorry I havent been of much help.

    Vanathi.
     
  4. kavya007

    kavya007 Gold IL'ite

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    Thanks for sharing your thoughts sukri. What are the benefits of cod liver oil? Since my son is allergic to eggs and nuts his allergy specialist asked us to avoid sea food also. So that is also not an option for me. We have already done the allergy test for my son.

    I have started homeopathic treatment for my son's eczema. I am sick of using steroids for the past 2 years. I see a little bit of improvement but it is too early to say if it is working. Antibiotic treatments will antidote the homeopathic remedy. What ayurvedic medicine are you giving your child? What are the benefits and side effects of the medicine? I was reluctant to start ayurvedic medicine for my son because some ayurvedic products contain metals.

    Thanks,
    Kavya.


     
  5. kavya007

    kavya007 Gold IL'ite

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    Thanks for chiming in Vanathi. I hope my son does better this winter.

    Thanks,
    Kavya.

     
  6. mangaii

    mangaii Finest Post Winner

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    Hi Kavya,
    With his allergic do you think he is getting enough vitamins from his diet ? Is it possible for you to maintain a food dairy and see if you can see any pattern of illness and food consumed.Do you think he might be getting some food which is not tested for allergens ? Since you have already removed all his allergic foods maybe he is getting food cross-contaminated.
    I started my DD for preshcool at 2.She has severe intolerance to wheat and gluten.Its very difficult for me to keep her away from these products since most of snacks are from wheat.But she is well aware of her allergy and I have given letter from my pediatrician to school that she cannot consume any food which we have not approved.I totally understand your problem.Have you tried increasing food with vitamin c ?

    Looks like your already providing organic and wholesome food for him which is what I would recommend .I doubt he can consume cod liver oil since he is allergic to sea foods.

    Hope he will be doing great this time.
    Thanks
    Mangai
     
  7. kavya007

    kavya007 Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Mangaii,

    I think he is getting enough vitamins because he eats 2-3 servings of fruit and veggies daily. But I don't give him vitamin drops. So I am not really sure. I feel he might not be getting enough protein and omega-3 fatty acids. We do suspect that he is allergic to some other foods too. I feel he is not able to tolerate beetroot. Probably I should start a food diary.

    I just realized that during most of the flu season we were giving him egg frequently. We realized he was allergic to egg pretty late. Maybe that was messing his immune system. My son's allergy numbers are not very high, so he can tolerate exposure to the allergic foods.

    We went to India in June and he developed some severe allergy over there. I don't know what he was allergic to but he got hives and his eczema flared up big time. The problem subsided as soon as we came back to the US. I never discovered what he got allergic to in India.

    Thanks,
    Kavya.

     
  8. LakshmiAnand

    LakshmiAnand Senior IL'ite

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    Dear kavya
    Hari om
    yes.. i think i also want to know how to improve the immune system.. yes. i also give Sea Cod Codliver capsule once a day to my daughter. it has helped a bit, i must admit. also i drop sesame oil every morning into her nose and use it also to massage her gums and clean her tongue. this helps remove all the phlegm/mucus if there is any. this, regularly done helps in avoiding colds to a certain extent. i wonder if u could try this out.. (with your paeditrician's consultation).
    A concoction of the following is what i give her once a month, which also cleanses the system:
    tulsi leaves,
    pudina leaves,
    garlic
    hing
    elaichi
    javitri
    dry ginger
    tender neem leaves

    paste the above ingredients and add a cup of water. boil till it is reduced to half. try to give this with honey/sugar/jaggery.

    i have shared everything i knew.
    thanks for reading.
    take care and reply. blessings to your little one.
     
  9. sukri

    sukri New IL'ite

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    Hi Kavya,

    I started giving cod liver oil based on my mother's advice. My sis used to get cold frequently when she was young and cod liver oil helped. The ayurvedic I give is Kushmandam Lehiyam that I got from IMCOPS in Chennai. I'm not aware of the contents of this. My mom told me that this would improve defenses and even metabolism so the children start eating well. This definitely has improved my daughter's apetite (touch wood!). You can even start giving vitamin drops if your pediatrician says ok. The iron in the drops may help too. I also heard there is bala-chyavanprash available in India. Since it is commercial, you'll be able to get the list of ingredients.

    If English medicines don't help I know we turn to traditional treatments. It proves far more effective, though slow. I'm not that much aware of eczema so I'm afraid I can't help you there. Hope you are including dal and rice in his diet as well. It gives a lot of energy. My mom used to say boiled rice was better than raw/sona masoori in poviding energy. I'm afraid I can't be of much help. I'm sure your son will settle down soon. It's just a matter of time. Good Luck!
     
  10. Traveller

    Traveller Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Kavya,

    One of our friends have a special child who is also intolerant to lactose and gluten among many other things. Now the family has completely switched over to organic raw food diet (brown rice, sea salt, avoding chemicals even in the form of washing agents etc.,) and she says they have found tremendous effects in their boy. She told me that to help build immune system she gives her child 'Echinacea' tablets. I also found from my local bio shop that sells natural medicines that 'Brennessel' (nettle) in syrup, tablet or any other form is also good for building immune and is also believed to work well against eczema.

    I too think this must be some genetic thing. My best friend (she herself is an ayurvedic doctor) had such a hard time with her daughter's health for few years. Now the girl is 5 and seems to be getting better. I believe she has switched over to homeopathy and does not take her to the pedi anymore.

    Latha
     

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