What is the best way to keep children's immune systems strong?

[Jumping In Puddles]

This is kind of a spin-off of the swine flu thread. Paz recommended a natural product called AHCC to defend against flu. mom4him suggested Vit. C and a special diet her family has been on.

 

The obvious: fruit, vegetables, excersize, fiber, few, if any refined foods.

 

What about vitamins and herbal supplements? Anything your family uses that really works? Special diets?

[Ottakee]

Well, my girls both have congenital immune deficiencies and they have been the healthiest ever the past 2 years. This is what we have done:

 

1. Supremadophillus daily--this is a high quality probiotic

 

2. Fish oils--was Omega Brite but now Omega 3 mood 1000mg of EPA per day

 

3. LOTS of outside time---even in the cold. My girls are now outside 1-4 hours or more a day even in the middle of winter with temps below zero.

 

4. Horses---gets them outside and there might be something to all of the playing in the dirt/manure cleaning, etc. they do that builds their immune systems.

 

I will have to admit that my kids get pop, chips, candy, etc. We eat white bread, white sugar, etc.--and likely too much of these. That said, we have made it over 2 years with no real illnesses---not even a cold that slowed them down--no fevers, no antiobitics, no vomiting, etc.

 

This is coming from kids that the doctors had a lot of concerns about. At one point we were very close to putting a port into my now 12dd to infuse her with IgG infusions every 3 week.

[Ibbygirl]

zinc and anti-oxidants. :)

[mcconnellboys]

To ward off viruses for the past three years or so, we have increased vitamin and mineral intake, but at the first sign of something, we also put vinegar in our ears several times a day. There were some articles a while back about some viruses incubating in the ear canals and that a very acidic wash might help to rid the body of some of the virus and allow the body's own immune system to catch up and do its job of getting rid of the rest. It seems to have worked for us! We also use Oscillococinnum for some things, as well as Zycam.

[Mommyof4ks]

Well, my girls both have congenital immune deficiencies and they have been the healthiest ever the past 2 years. This is what we have done:

 

1. Supremadophillus daily--this is a high quality probiotic

 

2. Fish oils--was Omega Brite but now Omega 3 mood 1000mg of EPA per day

 

3. LOTS of outside time---even in the cold. My girls are now outside 1-4 hours or more a day even in the middle of winter with temps below zero.

 

4. Horses---gets them outside and there might be something to all of the playing in the dirt/manure cleaning, etc. they do that builds their immune systems.

 

I will have to admit that my kids get pop, chips, candy, etc. We eat white bread, white sugar, etc.--and likely too much of these. That said, we have made it over 2 years with no real illnesses---not even a cold that slowed them down--no fevers, no antiobitics, no vomiting, etc.

 

This is coming from kids that the doctors had a lot of concerns about. At one point we were very close to putting a port into my now 12dd to infuse her with IgG infusions every 3 week.

 

Wow, you could almost have written about our last two year lol! We use probiotics (refridgerated ones), lots of outside time, and playing in the dirt (except my youngest who does have a port so bacteria is a concern for now). We avoided IVIG too, and I think alot of it has to do with diet, exercise, and lots of outside time. We were told by my son's docs to put sunscreen on body parts that tend to burn (face, tops of feet, shoulders), but leave arms and legs exposed to soak up the sun. It does seem to be helping. My kids went from being sick 3-5 times a year to only once in the last year. They don't pass things around either even though they are together all day everyday and at times even share food and drinks.

 

I too think there is something to not over cleaning and allowing the kids to naturally build up their immunity to things by playing in dirt and other such 'yucky' things.

[Supertechmom]

Lots of outside time

But we do

1) SChiffs children vitamins for the youngests, Schiff's once a day for the oldest

2) Vit D drops for the youngest - 2 day gives her 800iu

3) oldest takes calcium with vit d 800iu/magnesium 400mg

4) Both boys take zinc tablet with copper

 

We start iodine replacement next week. I also don't let them have soft drinks anymore and we turned out to not be able to have gluten or dairy in our diets. This has been our healthiest year ever.

[elise1mds]

We're hardly ever sick here. We do get some seasonal allergies, but my kids haven't missed a single day of school due to illness all winter. We eat well, let the kids get outside daily, take vitamins, and that's about it. Our vitamins are Dr. Greene's. I don't feel there's anything else to it other than maybe some element of luck. We are at playdates all the time, and of course DS is still going to kindergarten at his private school. At one point the teacher sent out a note saying that Strep was running rampant through the school, but neither of my kids ever caught it. This swine flu thing worries me a bit, though, since there are cases now in Texas and Kansas and here I am flat in the middle. Ugh.