My six-year-old niece gets sick a lot --
with ear infections, strep throat, that kind of thing. Each
time she is prescribed antibiotics, and each time she gets
better -- at least for a while. Antibiotics are thought, by
many, to be modern medicine at its finest (and antibiotics
have indeed saved many lives). The truth is that antibiotics
are overprescribed (as many as half of the 235 million doses
given each year are unnecessary, according to estimates from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and instead
of making people better, they're actually making them worse.
What doctors don't tell parents is that,
by swooping in and saving the day when a child's body is
under attack, antibiotics don't allow the fledgling immune
system to do its own work and learn to function effectively.
So the next time there's an attack, the child is even less
prepared to fight, creating a cycle of illness and drugs.
"Antibiotics can hijack the immune system, leaving the body
unable to defend itself," says New York-based family physician
and natural medicine advocate Fred Pescatore, MD, author of
Feed Your Kids Well (Wiley). "A child with a weakened immune
system is more vulnerable to colds, flu and more serious illnesses.
Over time, these children also are more likely to develop allergies
and asthma." (See Daily Health News, August 14, 2003.)
You can cheaply and easily boost children's
resistance to disease. You can't germproof them -- and you
shouldn't even try -- but you can kick their immunity into high
gear, an especially smart move during cold and flu
season. Here's how...
SERVE UP GOOD NUTRITION -- SERVE DOWN SUGAR
Your body's defense system is only as good
as the ammunition you give it. If you feed your kids "junk,"
the resulting nutritional deficits will make it easier for
bacteria and viruses to move in.
Specifically -- cut back on sugar, a known
immunosuppressant. "Just one teaspoon of sugar substantially
suppresses your white blood cells' ability to attack disease-
causing bacteria," says Dr. Pescatore.
While you're at it, serve brown rice
instead of white, and whole-grain bread instead of white
bread. Also, load up on fresh fruits and vegetables --
especially those with vitamins A, C and E. Good sources
of vitamin A include carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew
melon, watermelon, pumpkin and sweet potato. Stock up on
vitamin C by eating oranges, grapefruits, kiwi, mangoes,
strawberries, broccoli, brussells sprouts, green and red peppers,
tomatoes and snow peas. Get your vitamin E with sunflower seeds,
almonds, olives, olive oil, chard, mustard greens and turnips.
CONSIDER SUPPLEMENTATION
Dr. Pescatore recommends that kids take a
multivitamin daily and other supplements seasonally. The
Children's MultiVitamin by Rx Vitamins is chewable and can be
age- and weight-adjusted. From September to April, he adds a
daily vitamin C -- 125 ml (milliliters) for infants and 250 ml
for toddlers -- to boost their level of antioxidants.
Dr. Pescatore also advises giving kids
elderberry extract every day during these months to prevent
colds and flu. Active substances in elderberry enhance immune
function by boosting the production of cytokines, unique proteins
that act as messengers in the immune system to help regulate immune
response. "I give it to my kids, ages six and four, along with
vitamin C, and it works beautifully," he says. "They've never
gotten a respiratory infection, and they've never missed school."
Elderberry also can reduce the length of
colds and flu. In a 2003 study of 54 people ages 18 to 54
reported in the Journal of International Medical Research,
participants taking elderberry extract recovered from the flu
after 3.1 days, compared with 7.1 days for those given a placebo.
Apparently, flu viruses are covered with tiny protein spikes that
attack healthy cells. Elderberry works by blunting these spikes to
thwart a viral infection before it starts. Look for elderberry extract
under the brand name of Sambucol, along with other sugar-free brands
in your local health-food store. It has no side effects or dangers.
Its cranberry-like taste is not unpleasant, and it can be stirred into
applesauce if that's easier. Toddlers get a teaspoon and infants a
half-teaspoon daily. Kids age six and over may take one tablespoon
daily... adults can use one tablespoon twice a day.
AVOID UNNECESSARY ANTIBIOTICS
Fill the prescription for antibiotics when
your child is sick and has a high fever -- of 102°F or 103°F --
and/or other signs of infection, including spitting up phlegm or
blood, says Dr. Pescatore. Antibiotics still will disable the
immune system -- mostly by suppressing the good as well as bad
bacteria in the digestive tract. But you can minimize the damage
also by giving your child probiotics, supplements that replace the
natural, beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract that can prevent
bad bacteria from taking hold. A naturopathic physician will know which
preparation will be right for him/her.
PROVIDE A HEALTHY, LOVING ENVIRONMENT
One of the best immune-boosters for kids
is simply love and attention. "Children need to be held,
hugged, rocked, massaged, nursed, touched and kissed
regularly," says Jane Sheppard, author of Super Healthy Kids,
Strengthening Your Child's Resistance to Disease (Future Generations).
"When they feel loved and sense that the people around them love
each other, they are secure and happy." A number of studies
show that laughter and positive thoughts and feelings
stimulate the cells of the immune system. Studies also
show the reverse -- that emotional stress and unhappiness
deplete the immune system and lower a child's resistance to disease.
Complete the immune-boosting picture by
making sure your child gets adequate sleep, daily exercise
and fresh air. And don't keep him away from dirt and animals
(unless he has an allergy) -- they carry the kind of germs
that give a young immune system the "practice" it needs to
tackle bigger threats down the road.
Fred Pescatore, MD, family practitioner,
New York, and author, Feed Your Kids Well (Wiley).
Jane Sheppard, editor, HealthyChild.com,
and author, Super Healthy Kids, Strengthening Your Child's
Resistance to Disease (Future Generations
