Seeking Advice for Boosting the Immune System

BRIAR ROSE!!!
go to Whole foods....
my pediatrician reccommended it.
www.healthykidspediatrics.com
i think there is something in her spring newletter about it.

Same advice pretty much. Probiotics! Got some at Central Market. Also, my 19 month old loves to drink danimals (made by dannon) and it also has probiotics in it. I had the same problem you did. Good luck!

I see you already have alot of good advice. I just also wanted to add that if you over clean (especially bleach) your home it does not give your children the opportunity to
build immunities to the natural bacterias that are in everyone's home. I have read about this and witnessed it in a relatives home. She bleached everything all the time and her children were sick all the time through grade school. If this sounds like your cleaning style, you may want to switch to "green" products like vinegar and water. It works very well and is also inexpensive.

Good Luck!

A couple of thing that are simple and free but not easy: I strictly limit refined sugar intake and I am religious about sleep.
1 Sugar I don't really worry about naturally occurring sugars like fruit. If we get a sugar attack we might have a banana with nuts or a pear. My daughter gets a treat after dinner, but a very small one. For example, I keep a fancy box with m&m's, she gets one of each color and that's all. The way I've made it work-I don't buy dessert foods at the store. If I don't have them, we don't eat them. Another thing that helps, limit or eliminate sugar at breakfast. It just starts you off on the sugar roller coaster and you are running from one sweet snack to the next all day.
2. I am strict about sleep. My four year old still lays down in the afternoon to rest for an hour. Some days she sleeps, some days it is just a quiet time. She also goes to bed for a full 12 hours sleep. I do not make very many exceptions and I even keep her sleep schedule the same on weekends. This keeps her from getting run down, which makes her more suceptible to whatever germs are running around.
And hand washing. Every few hours for no good reason we will wash our hands. They are probably the #1 germ spreader you have. And kids will touch and taste anything, as I'm sure you know.
Finally, prayer. Expect God to keep his promises of health and wholeness and remind your family of this. I hope you aren't offended by that, it works for me so I pass it on.
Oh, one more (I know-I started saying two and keep adding on). I have found that a happy heart is great medecine. I try to keep things lighthearted around the house. Lots of silliness all day. And a new, inexpensive toy is a great pick me up and works wonders on a sick kid.
Good luck for a healthy year!

My daughter was sick a lot also, and the only place she went was the church nursery as well. We mix a probiotic into her milk every morning...it's called Reuteri and we get it from Sprouts. It contains acidophilus, but also other immunity building probiotics and one specifically found in breast milk. It doesn't change the taste of the milk, and she has been SO healthy (thanks to a lot of prayer and this probiotic). :)

Hi S.,

I read a book called Superimmunity for Kids when I was pregnant and it shaped the way I feed my kids.
http://www.amazon.com/Superimmunity-Kids-Children-Healthy...

I also read Super Baby Food when my 1st child was about 2 years old. It is a great reference book for how to prepare foods - lots of information on nutrition and lots of recipes.
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Baby-Food-Ruth-Yaron/dp/09652...

I want to add just one more thought: supplements are just that - things that are supposed to supplement your already healthy diet. We use supplements like medicine, not like food. We eat right, splurge a little, take vitamins daily and supplement when we need to depending on what's going on with the kids' bodies (probiotics when needed, super greens when needed, probiotics when needed, etc.).

I was blessed with healthy kids, and I have worked hard to keep them that way.

Good luck!

Peace and Joy,
M.
www.yogapotential.com

We started all three of our children on MonaVie last October and outside of a small cold twice over the Winter, our daughters (they're 7 now but were born at 25 weeks so we ALWAYS have bad fall - spring time with allergies and lung issues...but not this past year) and our son is 3 1/2 - it was his first year in pre-school and outside of some allergies, he wasn't sick.

If you'd like more info, feel free to email me directly or visit - https://mymonavie.com/ldalford/

D.
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lots of vitamin C and take them off of cow's milk- they may be allergic if they are coming down with so many colds. Cut back on refined sugar if you haven't already. My whole family would constantly get sick from about September to March- someone would have a bad cold and my cold would usually last a couple of weeks. We went off milk and my family was healthy this year! I had one cold that lasted less then a week! We went from drinking 5-6 gallons of milk a week to only one or two then none. We drink calicium fortified juices and water. I have canned milk and powdered milk for cooking and I still use cheese, yogurt and have occasional ice cream, but cutting the milk out really helped!
We have hot cereal, pancakes, eggs, muffins or biscuits and gravy for breakfast. It has also helped on my grocery bill not buying milk or cold cereal.
Good luck!
~C.

People who get sick have a weakened immune system, so you're smart to be looking out for your kiddos! Any kind of vitamin, etc. in a pill or tablet form gets absorbed only 10-15% by the time it breaks down in the body. The best delivery method for any supplements is an intra-oral spray (over 90% is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream).

In case you haven't heard of adaptogens, they are a category of herbs that help the body deal with stress, restore balance, and support normal metabolic processes. (A lot has been discussed recently about adaptogens, even Oz on Oprah).

To learn more about fast acting, natural adaptogen sprays (Immune is a powerful antioxidant boost for the immune system) and watch "The Story of Adaptogens Documentary" 10 minute video, go to www.TunguskaMistNow.com

The suggested serving size is 6 sprays inside the mouth/lining of the cheeks (half that for children under 100 lbs). Even though the ingredients are 100% safe and all-natural, my friend's kids say that the Immune tastes like a sweet tart!

A great book that I recommend is: Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes. It is an awesome resource for optimizing health!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or need further advice and/or encouragement. I've studied health, wellness, and Kinesiology for many years and have a passion for helping people change their life:)

Probiotics. Don't give your children antibiotics on the regular, like nearly the whole country does, ignorantly ....

Hi S.,
When my children were you, I had the same problems until a friend told me about Shaklee. The difference in my children's health was unbelievable.
You have gotten alot of great nutritional advice so I won't repeat that.
But check out the new product that Shaklee just introduced at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife called Shakleebaby (and Shakleekids for older children). Shakleebaby Multivitamin & Multimineral Powder delivers 23 essential nutrients that your baby may not be getting from foods. In addition to providing a healthful serving of vitamins A, C, and all eight B vitamins to support proper growth, this powdered mix is formulated with a unique blend of clinically proven prebiotics - nutrients that encourage the growth of friendly microflora in the digestive tract to help support a strong immune system.* Plus, it’s got 400 IU of vitamin D to support strong bones and teeth.
If you are not familiar with Shaklee, click on "about Shaklee." There you will be able to read about the company and see why they are the number one seller of natural supplements in the country.
Regards,
Victoria

Hi S.,

Great to hear your post. I have twin 4 year old boys and for the first two years my boys were chronically sick with colds, flu, allergies, etc...We went to doctor after doctor to see if there was something wrong with them and no one could ever find anything. At about 2 1/2 they stopped getting the colds, flu, and other stuff and rarely get a stuffy nose now at 4. There was a doctor I went to here in Mesquite who during the winter months when my boys would get really bad colds, he put my boys on a breathing machine and gave them some baby albuterol. I was skeptical before I tried it, but here's how it worked: When I saw them getting a cold, I would give them over the counter sinus/allergy baby stuff for a couple of days, if they still felt bad after 1 day, I would give them 1 breathing treatment in the morning and within 2 additional days, they were clear. The albuterol doesn't affect them in a bad way, but it certainly clears their nose, head and chest very quickly without using all the medications I was using before I was told about this remedy.

Anyway, good luck to you and please reach out if you want to introduce our boys to each other. My boys would love some other twin boys to play with. K.

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Check out www.pubmed.org and type in fucoidan and see over 800 independent studies done on this great part of limu.
Great for everyone no matter the age. It is a great way to make extra money too. Just drink it, share the great things about it and the company will pay you for everyone that orders it through you. When was the last time a resaurant paid you for recommended them?
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Let me know if I can answer any questions.
Check out the discoverlimu website above.
J.

Go to Sprouts or Whole Foods (Sprouts has a 25% off sale right now, so they are the best bet), and get a sambuccus product. There are several brands. Take it religiously.

Also, you may want to consider having a good look at their diet. If you would like further guidance on this, please message me privately.

Probiotics would be good, also. They are the opposite of antibiotics and they re-establish the healthy flora/fauna in the digestive system-which is where 70% of your immune system is (approx). HOWEVER, BIG WARNING if you don't make a change in your diet, probiotics are not going to help and will cause some unpleasant symptoms.

Good job on wanting to be pro-active! It's always the best way!

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I'm a Health Coach and I have seen tremendous benefit using this natural stem cell enhancer for myself and with my family and clients. I truly believe that because of the scientific studies we have available and the proven results with both adult stem cell transplants and also stem cell enhancers we can end the controversy from the use of embryonic stem cell research for good. I write about adult stem cells research in my blog at askjacki.wordpress.com for those interested in learning more go to stemcellhotline.com and watch the video.

J. Smith
Health Coach
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Shaklee CitriBoost!

CitriBoost is an easy and enjoyable way to give your body the vitamins and balanced nutrition it needs. CitriBoost provides 100% of the Daily Value of essential vitamins and nutrients, including A, C, D, B6, B12, E, and more! It also provides inulin (a prebiotic) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (a probiotic), delivering friendly microflora to promote gastrointestinal and long term colon health and a healthy immune system.

www.shaklee.net

Love the advise you have gotten; may I add juicing carrots and apples for them to drink. Keep them away from sugar and for a snack -- I just found "frozen grapes"! Rinse your grapes off, pat dry and stick in the freezer.

Have green tea tea parties or mix frozen juices with green tea youv'e steeped and let cool instead of mixing them with water. Old fashioned home remedy for killing cold, flu germs Dr. Tichners. Dilute 50% or so with water my family was exposed to bad case of flu. All mt brother children got sick, ours didn't. Difference we gargled onmce a day with diluted Dr. Tichners. My brothers children home school. A good multi vitamin and healthy eating with lots of fluids.

I would test for food intolerance due to that lowering the immune system. My lil' one, now three years old, was a 'virus' baby...every four weeks she was sick. Come to find out, she is intolerant to some foods. We removed the foods, and gradually added them back in and now she is fine, but I think her system got off to a rough start. She is rarely sick now and I don't find myself stressing each week on whether or not she is healthy...it is such a relief. I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Bain in Frisco. She advocates for juiceplus too, but she helped us naturally so much that I will gladly drive to her from McKinney.

Good luck,
www.healthykidspediatrics.com

Hello S.,

there are many things you can do to improve your family's immune system. I'll list many things and you pick what you think is best or may work for you.

do you know if you have any allergies/intolerances? for example, might not be allergic to milk, but makes the phlem/mucus build-up worse and kids end up w/ sinus/ear infections.

Any wheat/gluten intolerance in the family? any bowel issues, constipation, etc?

can you reduce the amount of sugar consumed? (avoid artificial sugars)

how about chiropractic adjustments?

do you cook your foods in the microwave? (it zaps the nutrition right out)

if your kids have any allergies, like ragweeds/etc. make sure the vitamins/suplements they take don't have any plants that are in that particular family.

use regular hand soap instead of antibacterial soap

I've stopped using candles and air fresheners/lysol. some of that stuff can make you sicker.

I'm minimizing the amount of bleach I use.

How about omega 3s
I gave my kids infant vitamins from twin labs until they were 6 years old. it's a great product!

minimize the amount of chemicals used for cleaning in the house.

do you take probiotics? (I don't mean yougurt because most yogurt has too much sugar and is not that beneficial.

of course, rest and relaxation and reducing stress... can't imagine what can be stressing 2 year olds...but anyways, I'll mention it.

our pediatrician didn't belive my son had issues w/ milk (lots of sinus infections) so I took him off milk. a few months later when we went back in (because I let him have milk products for a few days) the doctor was surprised that we had not been in to see him for a long time. Then I told him that I stop using milk and he got better. then he believed me. he even wrote the note for the school indicating his milk intolerance.

Good luck! you'll have to do a lot of detective work. follow your gut!
~C.~

Consider getting your kids out more in public or around other children. I have never read this, but I've seen with my daughter that she's had less illnesses than kids that don't go to school. She's been in daycare since 9 mos and to this day barely gets sick. It's amazed me. I honestly don't know why she's barely sick other than she's around other kids daily and that's possibly helped built her immune system. I'm sure other moms have had a diff experience with their kids in daycare, but in my circle it's worked out this way. Best of luck to you figuring this out. The few times my daughter has been sick, it's hard to watch. Best wishes.

Hi S.,
Try to include probiotic food (rather than supplements) in their diet. For example, you can make your own sauerkraut at home - there are many instruction videos on YouTube. Or, consider making kefir using young coconut (milk may be allergen) - instructions are also on YouTube.
If you improve their intestinal flora, all vitamins and foods will be better absorbed and good bacteria in their digestive tract will make sure they will have regular supplement of needed vitamins.
Good luck!
R.

Agree 100% with Andrea's posting. Great advice. I would also suggest a wonderful doctor that has helped change the terrain of both my daughter's body and mine thus keeping us healthy. Your body is designed to keep itself healthy, you just need to allow it to do so keeping it functioning at an optimal level. Dr. Rodney Russell, ###-###-####, is AMAZING! He is in Southlake. Please give it a shot and see what he can do for you. He also takes insurance.

Best, S.

We buy as much of organic as possible. The new Costco has organic chicken and hamburger meat. The cost is no more than what you would pay at Wal-Mart or Kroger. Kraft has hormone free cheese (Kraft Natural Cheese), but the only place I can find the colby/jack (our favorite) is at the Neighborhood Market on 66. And the Borden organic milk and Egglands Best Eggs. But Kroger on Ridge Rd has the best selection of organic fruits and vegetables. I know it's a pill to go to a few different places. But it will make the difference.

Also, spend a few extra pennies and buy the allergen free filters for your air conditioner/heater.

Good luck.

Another Rockwall Mom.

1 word pro-biotics, will change your entire system into germ fighting machine

I agree with you that part of it is the season. My son's nose finally cleared up! He never got too sick, though. I attribute it to giving him Shaklee vitamins and supplements. He uses the powdered infant vitamin formula, which has 23 vitamins and minerals. I also give him pre and probiotics. They have these small little "pearls" that are easy for him to swallow that don't dissolve until they get to the intestines to insure the healthy bacteria get there. Shaklee JUST released a new baby & kids line on May 1. The new powdered multivitamin has Vitamin D and prebiotics. Short video on new baby products: http://content.shaklee.com/shaklee/flash/show.php?video=Baby

Now through May 22, you can get a free membership (gives you 15% off retail) with any 50 point purchase. Go to the website www.shaklee.net/recipeforhealth and points are totaled in the cart.
Also, there is a special for new members only. When you submit your application for membership, if you buy the full Shakleebaby line, you get the membership free and can get Vitalizer for just $10 (save $69). Vitalizer is Shaklee's comprehensive daily multivitamin pack, which includes over 80 vitamins and minerals and the probiotic "pearl" I give to my son.