C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 My DD has suffered from severe asthma from age 4 to 6. She's now controlled with the use of Singulair. (She's 10, and hasn't needed an hospitalisation since we started Singulair). But, yes, there's a but, she catches every single cold just by being in the same house as someone who's sick. She's had about 4 days of health since September. Her colds may or may not develop into sinuses infections. Now, it wouldn't bother me so much if they were only colds. But (here's the second one!) she's a level 7 gymnast, and these colds are now seriously slowing her down. She's especially hit when she has a sinus infection because she can't do any tumbling until it's cleared. I really need to boost her immune system. How do I do that? She's already taking a vitamin on a daily basis. She eats pretty badly too, with food allergies and sensory issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Cleo, my dh has asthma and allergies. He used to catch every cold the kids brought home, often developing into pneumonia or a sinus infection. One thing that has made a huge improvement is using a NeilMed sinus rinse every day, particularly after being around others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 You might want to look into magnesium if she has asthma (even if it is controlled). I like magnesium gel/oil/lotion. You can get it online. A search on these boards should have some links included. Start with a small amount and build up. Tends to make skin a tiny bit itchy. Do not use without medical supervision if she has kidney problems. As for colds, I caught everything -- everything! -- for decades until my MD tested my vitamin D levels and brought them up. Now I catch nothing even if my husband and kids are sick. It's great! I'm loving not being sick in winter. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Oh yeah, dh started on B-12 and vitamin D last winter. It's harder to say if that helps - we think it does, and it certainly can't hurt. But the sinus rinse is pretty obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 She may have a primary immunodeficiency disease. My son does. The treatment depends on which numbers are low. You should ask to have her immunoglobulin numbers tested. http://www.primaryimmune.org/about_pi/about_pi.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Have you tried a chiropractor? Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omma Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 I hate to mention this, but my dd has had some problems with all the chalk dust used in gymnastics. This year she is not doing it, and she has not had any colds or bronchitis or pneumonia. Not sure if there is a connection, but just thought I should mention the possibility of a chalk dust reaction that may keep airways inflamed. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 I don't know what the allergies are... but Yummi Bears ( sold at Vitacost.com) makes a lot of "allergen free" vitamin products like D3, calcium, C, multi, etc. This is what we have used for many years with our food allergic and asthmatic son. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cylau Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 I started my son with flaxseed oil because of a book called Superimmunity for Kids by Leo Galland. DS also have asthma, weak immunity and dry skin. He is sick a lot less and have less asthma attack since we started flaxseed oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 How about going off all dairy? I know it's a pain, and you'll have to serve a lot of pure foods, probably homemade, to know everything you give her is dairy-free, but I bet it would bring some results. Mucus-forming dairy can't be helpful to an asthmatic with sinus infection proclivities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Have squiz at the blood type diet. I've heard about it, and finally have a copy in my hot, little hands. I've only read the first couple of chapters, but it made me think of this post of yours. Maybe this will give you some clues? It can't hurt anyway. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juelle Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Wellness Herbal Resistance from Source Naturals has been wonderful for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 My son is the same way: asthma, hyper-reactive but also has a milk protein allergy. I second magnesium, vitamin D3 and vitamin B complex. :) They have helped some, also we have just started pro-biotics, it is supposed to help the stomach kill the germs before they get any further. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) How about going off all dairy? I know it's a pain, and you'll have to serve a lot of pure foods, probably homemade, to know everything you give her is dairy-free, but I bet it would bring some results. Mucus-forming dairy can't be helpful to an asthmatic with sinus infection proclivities. I second this. My dd has allergies (food and otherwise) and asthma. She was sick all.the.time. Influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis, cold after cold... Nearly two years ago I took her off of all dairy (including goat) and she has not had a single sniffle or cold since! She even made it through my ds having a super tough upper respiratory infection in November. I think her dairy intolerance was lowering her immune response. And we are so pleased to finally have her healthy. We had some scary hospital visits! Going dairy free can be a challenge. But once we got used to it, it really wasn't a big deal. Now, all of us are basically dairy free. Ds still drinks a small glass of milk daily, I no longer even buy cheese except parmasan, and all gravies and sauces can be made with rice milk. Oh, and having your dd take zinc will increase her immunity too. If she doesn't 'do' pills, there are zinc sprays you can buy. Edited February 20, 2011 by Alyeska Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilliams Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The regimen the allergist put my son on included nasonex and zyrtec. The nasonex helps the most. It stops the rhinitis in the nose before it can cause other problems. You have to take it everyday for 30 days to reach the therapeutic level and if you miss one day of dosing it loses significant amount of effectiveness until you build back up. I also have asked for this and it helps GREATLY with my sinus issues! The allergist said that my son would have less colds taking nasonex than the average child and that is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 CLO- cod liver oil- which contains vitamin D and A, vit D is crucial for the immune system and is deficient in like 80% of people or something Also, broth- nice good broth soaked for days made w/ the best quality bones you can get. Grandma was right lots of good stuff in chicken soup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The two things that have made a noticeable difference in immunity for my daughter and myself are: 1. Cutting out sweets. If you only do one thing, this is the one I would recommend most! Sugar suppresses the immune system, and it is like night and day for me, how my body reacts to colds when I am avoiding sugar, corn syrup, etc. In one case, I get the sniffles and a bit of a raw throat for a day, and then I'm fine. In the other case I'm sick enough to be in bed for five days, and then get secondary infections like sinus infections and end up being miserable for two weeks. Even if I do nothing else - no vitamins, herbs, homeopathy, etc. sugar makes that much of a difference! 2. Cod liver oil. It has Vitamins A and D, and EPA and DHA, all of which are important to the immune system. That's all I know to tell you. Good luck. I hope you can find something to help her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Just an update.. So far, she's been lucky, I guess. We started Nasonex on a regular basis. Her pediatrician has told us to use it for a few years already, but we never did. We tried it and never found any difference. This year however, out of desperation, we tried again, and we do see a difference. She also takes a multivitamin, although that's not new this year. Only the Nasonex is new and she had only one cold since December. A record for her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I second this. My dd has allergies (food and otherwise) and asthma. She was sick all.the.time. Influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis, cold after cold... Nearly two years ago I took her off of all dairy (including goat) and she has not had a single sniffle or cold since! She even made it through my ds having a super tough upper respiratory infection in November. I think her dairy intolerance was lowering her immune response. And we are so pleased to finally have her healthy. We had some scary hospital visits! Going dairy free can be a challenge. But once we got used to it, it really wasn't a big deal. Now, all of us are basically dairy free. Ds still drinks a small glass of milk daily, I no longer even buy cheese except parmasan, and all gravies and sauces can be made with rice milk. Oh, and having your dd take zinc will increase her immunity too. If she doesn't 'do' pills, there are zinc sprays you can buy. Alyeska, I'd really love to hear more about your favorite dairy-free recipes, if you'd like to share . . . Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Alyeska, I'd really love to hear more about your favorite dairy-free recipes, if you'd like to share . . . Thank you! Sure! Nearly everything I made before dairy free, I can make now. I just substitute rice milk for milk, dairy free margarine for butter, and skip the cheese. If a recipe is too dependent on cheese, sour cream or buttermilk, I skip that recipe. One thing that rice milk won't work in is pudding. We don't have to avoid ALL traces of dairy like some people do, so I think I have more recipe leeway. I am sure that almond or soy milk would work in recipes too...I bet the almond would add a nice rich flavor...we can't do almond because of nut allergies and we think soy is yucky. So rice milk it is! Gravy is actually very good made with rice milk. When i make casseroles or pot pies, I just treat the rice milk as regular milk and thicken it with flour. It takes a little getting used to if you like super rich gravies...they aren't as rich, but in turn are also healthier. Now that we are used to it, we don't mind the lack of richness. I also don't use a lot of margarine in my gravies, so perhaps adding some margarine to increase the fat content would help with richness? I hope this helps! ...no specific recipes per se, we just substitute. Oh, but I do have a recipe for dairy free cream of chicken soup to be used in casseroles, as the canned condensed stuff is loaded with dairy (and yucky! lol). Here it is: 1.5 cups chicken broth (if you use bouillon cubes, you may want to omit the salt...I use chicken base so it isn't so salty, or you could use reduced sodium canned broth) 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp salt or more to taste 1/4 tsp parsley 1.5 cups rice milk 3/4 cup flour Boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup rice milk, and seasoning for a few minutes. In a bowl, whisk 1 cup rice milk and the flour. Add to the boiling mixture and continue whisking until it boils and thickens. Yields 3 cups of soup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thank you, Alyeska! If you ever feel like passing on more dairy-free tips or recipes, I'd love to hear them. I really want to avoid dairy. The longer we do it, the more we're getting used to it. But it never hurts to have delicious dairy-free food to keep our morale up!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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