Note: This is an archived topic. It is read-only. Mothering Boards
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Archive
What's the best way to boost immune system?
This topic was originally posted in this forum: Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Author Topic: What's the best way to boost immune system?
cat
Moderator posted 01-05-2001 10:40 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My 19 month old son has had two colds already this season. I think that's too many, and I'd like to help boost his immune system somehow. He's vegetarian and doesn't appear to be allergic to anything; we rotate all foods. Of course, he's breastfeeding.
I know this is cold and flu season. I also know that things like teething affect the immune system. Just looking for some suggestions. Thanks!
Cat
melissa
Member posted 01-06-2001 12:53 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've gone through periods where one or all of us would get a cold every month. The only suggestion I have is if you have access to a homeopathic doctor or practitioner and have your son evaluated constitutionally. Some homeopathic constitutions are more prone to colds. A constitutional remedy in a high potency can be helpful. My 5 year old had a problem with phlegm in his throat for several months that only responded minimally to dietary changes. Constitutional remedy cleared it up and a couple of other issues as well.
acumama
Member posted 01-08-2001 12:00 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you tried echinacea? It can help boost immunity, but you're not supposed to take it for more than 10 days in a row without taking a break for a few days. Also, in Chinese medicine, a vegetarian diet can be too "yin", especially in the winter (the most "yin" time of year). You can try to balance it by adding more root vegies to the diet, less raw foods, and more protein especially earlier in the day. Oh ... gotta go - baby calling. Hope you find something that works!
Cynthia in Arabia
Moderator posted 01-08-2001 04:40 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From all the articles and books out there that state just that, it is a widespread assumption that Echinacea should be taken for a period of time and then discontinued briefly before taking it again. However, this seems to be an erroneous report. Here are a couple of excerpts from an article entitled Echinacea Myths by the well-known herbalist Robyn Klein, a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.
Myth #1: Echinacea stops working after five days.
This erroneous belief stems from a mistranslation of a German study [1,2]. Participants of the study were actually administered Echinacea FOR
ONLY five days, not longer, as was mistakenly assumed. Actually, this study indicates that Echinacea produces residual phagocytic activity that lasts
for a few days after cessation. Another German study shows that taking Echinacea for twelve weeks results in a stronger immune response than after
two weeks [3]. Echinacea continues to enhance the immune system with long-term use.
Myth #3: Do not take Echinacea for longer than ten days to two weeks and never over eight successive weeks.
This suggestion is improperly couched with the fact that Echinacea contains non-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids along with the implication of
hepatotoxicity [5, 6]. Additionally, the same author (a pharmacist) inappropriately attaches this duration warning to the possible tachyphylaxis side
effects of parenteral (injection) administration [6]. No explanation is given for the ten days to two weeks warning. This can only be based on
exaggeration and “lack of safety information,” despite twenty-six controlled clinical trials [6, 7]. The eight-week caution is referenced to the
Complete German E Commission Monographs [8]. This warning is not cited nor explained and can only be assumed to be based on subjective
concerns for lack of safety information, a common comment among clinicians and pharmacists inexperienced with the use of herbs.
You can read the full article, which is well referenced, at her website: http://www.rrreading.com/Echinacea.html
~Cynthia
cat
Moderator posted 01-08-2001 12:40 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My understanding (from my homeopath) was that echinacea shouldn't really be taken as a preventive, but only after you were ill.
teriberi
Member posted 01-08-2001 05:51 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've heard that also from my homeopath as well. I've given my dd Herbs for Kids in the astragulus formula. I think it has echinecea in it as well as some other herbs. it really helped one year when she kept getting cold after cold. You can usually get it at a health food store. It is for boosting the immune system. I gave it to dd for a month or two. I've also used homeopathic constitutionals as well but my homeopath said colds were usually no problem unless they caused a complication such as ear infection.
dylansfolks
Member posted 02-04-2001 10:51 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The best way to boost the immune system is by making sure the body's cells have the nutrients they need to maintain health. I HIGHLY recommend the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron (www.superbabyfood.com). She has done extensive research and her book has been invaluable in feeding my son in the healthiest way possible. Also, if your child is over one year of age, a quality children's multivitamin is a good thing. I recommend USANA's Usanimals for Children (www.usana.com OR www.usanimals.com). This manufacturer is completely science-based and their nutritionals are the highest quality, pharmaceutical grade.
Hope this helps. :-)
Morissa Lou Williams
Junior Member posted 02-05-2001 05:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi! My son is younger than your child but on the off chance our experience is helpful, here it is! We brought our then- 9-month-old son Noah east to Boston visit my mother on a extended visit beginning last October and Noah, who was born in Alaska, got whomped by his first colds. I am also a vegetarian and I also breastfeed. We were both sharing these colds, and I hadn't had a real cold in years. My instinct was to turn to what I trusted - Vitamin C from its natural packages. I started squeezing orange juice into Noah's applesauce when I made it in the morning, and made a point of having lots of oranges myself. We both had lots more fruit in general, including melon, especially cantelope, and also more water. We also have a lot of what our family calls "Potato Power" because Noah loves potatoes: vitamin packed vegetables like kale and broccoli cooked along with potatoes and then all mashed up together. Yum! Even a toddler won't turn down mashed potatoes, I've found to my relief. (Knock wood!) My mother's house is a tremendously difficult house to visit with a child because it is old, poorly kept up, and just jammed with allergins, but since we seriously enlisted the fruit realm as an ally in late autumn we've been, again, Knock Wood, cold free. Good luck and blessings to you and your child!
Margaret of Arabia
Member posted 02-05-2001 09:27 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe this is annoying of me to write but I will anyway! What is wrong with a young child getting colds??? I was an only child at home with my overprotective mom(breast fed 1/half years) for the first 5 years of my life. My parents were also vegetarians(hippies). I finally entered kindergarten at the age of 5. I got so many colds that first year. I was incredibly miserable. I must have missed half of the school year. I have 3 kids now. I have always just let them go through the colds. If a friend's child has a cold I still let mine play with them. I really don't care about them getting colds. Because of their diet and all the breastfeeding they seem to get through colds much quicker and with little complications when compared to other children. My 12 year old has such a strong immune system now. We live overseas and she attends an International school with about 1700 other kids from around the world(50 nationalities). At Christmas break everyone goes home or on vacation. They come back and bring with them flus and other illnesses from all over the world. My kids sail through this highly infectious time with ease. The older kids hardly ever pick up more than 1 or 2 colds a year. I attribute this to their early exposures. Their bodies are trained on what to do when attacked by a nasty virus. marg
Bekka
Member posted 02-06-2001 04:46 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I kind of agree with Marg. "Common medical wisdom" states that you can expect your kid to get six to seven "viruses" in a year, even if breastfed. Babies build their immunity one virus at a time. I have found that if I get a cold, my baby is sure to get it (8 mo.). I'm not saying don't try to boost immunity, that's a good idea. Just realize that part of being in the world is dealing with our environment.
P.S. I know a lot of moms who would kill to have only had two colds to deal with this season, including myself. And I consider my kids healthy.
yogamama
Moderator posted 02-06-2001 11:24 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret -
I think my kid is always sick but my husband points out how robust he is and how quickly he bounces back.
My husband is a nurse and belives that kids are supposed to get many colds each year to build the immune system. In reality, our son seems much more vibrant and healthy since he recovered from pnemonia last week.
I guess I just have a hard time when he is sick and I feel so helpless that I want to "boost" his immune system, but maybe this is nature's way of doing it...
Thanks for the reminder,
Kathleen
alianmama
Member posted 02-06-2001 03:12 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, this may seem the most far-out...but, this last year I've become a raw-foodist. Right now, at least 90% of my diet is raw. Since I've done this, not only do I not get yeast infections at all anymore, but my joints don't hurt, my energy level is higher than when I was a teenager, and I DON'T GET SICK anymore! In the last month alone, my sister was diagnosed w/a brain tumor, she moved back with me, I've been raising her two babies in addition to my boys, this has been the MOST high stress time of my entire life, I've got sleep-deprivation all over again because of the 3-month-old, I am a middle-school teacher by profession and have been exposed to countless nasty illnesses, and EVERYONE except me, my DH, my one boy (who eats mostly raw) has been sick with nasty, lingering chest colds, flu, head colds, stomach viruses...I can say that I felt a little more tired than usual for a day or two, and that I actually had to blow my nose for a day, but that was it! And honestly, I used to get most of what went around...so I must say that my personal experience, plus the plentiful lieterature on raw-food diets, has worked 100% for me. Info on raw food diets is easy to find, and trust me, it's not just salads!
Bottom line, prevention is better than a cure. You can be sure I've been exposed to the same stuff as everyone who's getting sick around me, my immune system IS getting a workout- but it's so strong now that I don't get debilitated while it's fighting off the bugs.
Hope it helps. My dh teases me saying "raw food has become your new spirituality" because I'm so into it- but hey, if it works...
starmom
Member posted 02-06-2001 05:18 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raw garlic is a great immune booster taken daily. I don't know if you could find a way to get your little one to eat it, but maybe it would come through your breastmilk?
Rainyday
Member posted 02-07-2001 09:31 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About echinacea...
There may be no harm in taking it all the time or for prolonged periods, but it seems that many herbalists etc. agree that it is most effective when you 'surprise' your body with it in higher doses at the first signs of illness, for a few days...but with chronic illnesses, perehaps this is not how it should be taken.
k'smami
Member posted 02-07-2001 11:45 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So if you never get sick, does that mean your immune system isn't "learning" a new virus? I thought that one could be exposed to a virus and not get sick. Which is why when my son gets a cold I have this fear that his immune system is under stress (relatively speaking).
I think that what it means to never get sick is that you don't succumb to the viruses and such that your body is exposed to and fighting.
I like that, that's what I feel most of us want for our children.
summermom
Member posted 02-07-2001 02:43 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's my Cold-zapper Cocktail:
1) Vitamin C capsules
2) Echinacea tincture
3) Goldenseal tincture (skip if pregnant)
4) Garlic capsules
5) Lots of hot water and a scarf around my throat (stay warm!)
I have never had the courage to try and find out by a process of elimination, exactly which of these is the magic ingredient, but something in it works! You take it at the first sign of a cold / sore throat and take it often, (the Vit. C you take every hour till you get the runs, then you space it out a little more). My colds rarely develop into full-blown colds and are usually gone within a day. I wonder, though, how this cocktail would affect the taste of breast milk.
And I also try to stay away from citrus and too much raw food in the winter because it's supposed to be too cooling (yin). There's also this theory that one is better off eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season and native to the area you live in.
Hope this helps!
Sparrow
Moderator posted 02-07-2001 06:42 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
our local food stores carry both Knudsen brand and Mountain Sun Organics Lemon Ginger Echinacea juice- we drink it allthe time, and (knock on wood) ds hasn't been sick yet & I've been healthy since I bounced back from childbed fever-- over a year. I don't drink it every day, but we get it several times a week & it tastes great- ds loves it in his sippy cup
hugs
sparrow
yogamama
Moderator posted 02-07-2001 09:28 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alianmama:
I just wanted to say that it's great that raw foods are so good for you, but raw foods aren't for everyone. In areyvedic medicine certain doshas (body types) aggrevated by raw foods. I am vata (one of the 3 doshas) and I need to eat warm cooked foods. If I eat a cooked apple I feel great, but if I eat a raw apple I feel like it's too acidic and I feel yucky.
It sounds like you may be pitta or kapha (the other 2 doshas), but definately not vata. Kaphas are natually heavier people and need to avoid milk, fats and other dairy (raw foods would be great) and pittas are naturally athletic and need to avoid ice cold foods (raw foods okay). Andrew Weil has some good books on ayurveda.
Sorry that had nothing to do with boosting the immune system.
Kathleen
yogamama
Moderator posted 02-07-2001 09:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by yogamama:
Alianmama:
I just wanted to say that it's great that raw foods are so good for you, but raw foods aren't for everyone. In ayurvedic medicine certain doshas (body types) are aggrevated by raw foods. I am vata (one of the 3 doshas) and I need to eat warm cooked foods. If I eat a cooked apple I feel great, but if I eat a raw apple I feel like it's too acidic and I feel yucky.
It sounds like you may be pitta or kapha (the other 2 doshas), but definately not vata. Kaphas are natually heavier people and need to avoid milk, fats and other dairy (raw foods would be great) and pittas are naturally athletic and need to avoid ice cold foods (raw foods okay). Andrew Weil has some good books on ayurveda if you are interested.
Sorry that had nothing to do with boosting the immune system.
Kathleen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
steph
Member posted 02-09-2001 08:07 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would recommend incorporating astragulus root into your diet. It's a chinese herb, that looks like a wooden tounge depressor. It's flavour is so mild that you really can't taste it. You can add it to the water when you're cooking rice, or soup, etc. Just throw it in and let it cook with everything eles, and pull it out when ready to serve. It really does help to build the immune system, and is so easy to use. A good natural food store or herb (not vitamin/pill) store should have it.
caraleigh3
Junior Member posted 02-09-2001 12:42 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me see if I can give you any peace of mind. First of all, I'm a complementary health care provider and I have a 2 1/2 year old with another on the way. I believe echinacea is too strong an herb for children under three or four. So it's no big deal if you've already used it occasionally, but I wouldn't continue using it and certainly not on a regular basis. It sounds like you're doing a great job with diet. One thing I do with my little one is buy phytonutrient capsules. They are capsules of flash dried veggies like garlic kale broccoli and other greens. I mix some into a little applesauce or into a shake and make him eat half to a whole capsule per day. I've also noticed that sometimes teething or other stressors make children more vulnerable to full-out colds or flu and this is also okay. The first three years are crucial for developing the immune system, so back to your original question, how to boost the immune system, Ironically, letting it learn how to fight infection is the best way to help your child develop a strong immune system. Getting sick isn't always a bad thing. It can actually be a sign of health. It takes a healthy body to fight infection. Take care.
Jayne
Junior Member posted 02-12-2001 04:19 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you allow your vegetarian son cod liver oil? It is one of the best remedies to both build up the immune system and the mucous membrane. Maintenance dose is 1 teaspoon a day for life. Start as soon as you can because babies and usually young children love it so hook 'em young!
When sick, double the dose.
2Bwellinformed
Member posted 06-27-2001 09:22 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bump
note - Cynthia in Arabia's reply concerning echinacea myths and caraleigh3's response concerning echinacea and infants
[This message has been edited by 2Bwellinformed (edited 06-27-2001).]
Tameron
Member posted 06-29-2001 07:36 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting your children chiropractic adjustments will help boost their immune system!
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Archive
What's the best way to boost immune system?
This topic was originally posted in this forum: Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Author Topic: What's the best way to boost immune system?
cat
Moderator posted 01-05-2001 10:40 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My 19 month old son has had two colds already this season. I think that's too many, and I'd like to help boost his immune system somehow. He's vegetarian and doesn't appear to be allergic to anything; we rotate all foods. Of course, he's breastfeeding.
I know this is cold and flu season. I also know that things like teething affect the immune system. Just looking for some suggestions. Thanks!
Cat
melissa
Member posted 01-06-2001 12:53 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've gone through periods where one or all of us would get a cold every month. The only suggestion I have is if you have access to a homeopathic doctor or practitioner and have your son evaluated constitutionally. Some homeopathic constitutions are more prone to colds. A constitutional remedy in a high potency can be helpful. My 5 year old had a problem with phlegm in his throat for several months that only responded minimally to dietary changes. Constitutional remedy cleared it up and a couple of other issues as well.
acumama
Member posted 01-08-2001 12:00 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you tried echinacea? It can help boost immunity, but you're not supposed to take it for more than 10 days in a row without taking a break for a few days. Also, in Chinese medicine, a vegetarian diet can be too "yin", especially in the winter (the most "yin" time of year). You can try to balance it by adding more root vegies to the diet, less raw foods, and more protein especially earlier in the day. Oh ... gotta go - baby calling. Hope you find something that works!
Cynthia in Arabia
Moderator posted 01-08-2001 04:40 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From all the articles and books out there that state just that, it is a widespread assumption that Echinacea should be taken for a period of time and then discontinued briefly before taking it again. However, this seems to be an erroneous report. Here are a couple of excerpts from an article entitled Echinacea Myths by the well-known herbalist Robyn Klein, a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.
Myth #1: Echinacea stops working after five days.
This erroneous belief stems from a mistranslation of a German study [1,2]. Participants of the study were actually administered Echinacea FOR
ONLY five days, not longer, as was mistakenly assumed. Actually, this study indicates that Echinacea produces residual phagocytic activity that lasts
for a few days after cessation. Another German study shows that taking Echinacea for twelve weeks results in a stronger immune response than after
two weeks [3]. Echinacea continues to enhance the immune system with long-term use.
Myth #3: Do not take Echinacea for longer than ten days to two weeks and never over eight successive weeks.
This suggestion is improperly couched with the fact that Echinacea contains non-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids along with the implication of
hepatotoxicity [5, 6]. Additionally, the same author (a pharmacist) inappropriately attaches this duration warning to the possible tachyphylaxis side
effects of parenteral (injection) administration [6]. No explanation is given for the ten days to two weeks warning. This can only be based on
exaggeration and “lack of safety information,” despite twenty-six controlled clinical trials [6, 7]. The eight-week caution is referenced to the
Complete German E Commission Monographs [8]. This warning is not cited nor explained and can only be assumed to be based on subjective
concerns for lack of safety information, a common comment among clinicians and pharmacists inexperienced with the use of herbs.
You can read the full article, which is well referenced, at her website: http://www.rrreading.com/Echinacea.html
~Cynthia
cat
Moderator posted 01-08-2001 12:40 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My understanding (from my homeopath) was that echinacea shouldn't really be taken as a preventive, but only after you were ill.
teriberi
Member posted 01-08-2001 05:51 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've heard that also from my homeopath as well. I've given my dd Herbs for Kids in the astragulus formula. I think it has echinecea in it as well as some other herbs. it really helped one year when she kept getting cold after cold. You can usually get it at a health food store. It is for boosting the immune system. I gave it to dd for a month or two. I've also used homeopathic constitutionals as well but my homeopath said colds were usually no problem unless they caused a complication such as ear infection.
dylansfolks
Member posted 02-04-2001 10:51 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The best way to boost the immune system is by making sure the body's cells have the nutrients they need to maintain health. I HIGHLY recommend the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron (www.superbabyfood.com). She has done extensive research and her book has been invaluable in feeding my son in the healthiest way possible. Also, if your child is over one year of age, a quality children's multivitamin is a good thing. I recommend USANA's Usanimals for Children (www.usana.com OR www.usanimals.com). This manufacturer is completely science-based and their nutritionals are the highest quality, pharmaceutical grade.
Hope this helps. :-)
Morissa Lou Williams
Junior Member posted 02-05-2001 05:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi! My son is younger than your child but on the off chance our experience is helpful, here it is! We brought our then- 9-month-old son Noah east to Boston visit my mother on a extended visit beginning last October and Noah, who was born in Alaska, got whomped by his first colds. I am also a vegetarian and I also breastfeed. We were both sharing these colds, and I hadn't had a real cold in years. My instinct was to turn to what I trusted - Vitamin C from its natural packages. I started squeezing orange juice into Noah's applesauce when I made it in the morning, and made a point of having lots of oranges myself. We both had lots more fruit in general, including melon, especially cantelope, and also more water. We also have a lot of what our family calls "Potato Power" because Noah loves potatoes: vitamin packed vegetables like kale and broccoli cooked along with potatoes and then all mashed up together. Yum! Even a toddler won't turn down mashed potatoes, I've found to my relief. (Knock wood!) My mother's house is a tremendously difficult house to visit with a child because it is old, poorly kept up, and just jammed with allergins, but since we seriously enlisted the fruit realm as an ally in late autumn we've been, again, Knock Wood, cold free. Good luck and blessings to you and your child!
Margaret of Arabia
Member posted 02-05-2001 09:27 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe this is annoying of me to write but I will anyway! What is wrong with a young child getting colds??? I was an only child at home with my overprotective mom(breast fed 1/half years) for the first 5 years of my life. My parents were also vegetarians(hippies). I finally entered kindergarten at the age of 5. I got so many colds that first year. I was incredibly miserable. I must have missed half of the school year. I have 3 kids now. I have always just let them go through the colds. If a friend's child has a cold I still let mine play with them. I really don't care about them getting colds. Because of their diet and all the breastfeeding they seem to get through colds much quicker and with little complications when compared to other children. My 12 year old has such a strong immune system now. We live overseas and she attends an International school with about 1700 other kids from around the world(50 nationalities). At Christmas break everyone goes home or on vacation. They come back and bring with them flus and other illnesses from all over the world. My kids sail through this highly infectious time with ease. The older kids hardly ever pick up more than 1 or 2 colds a year. I attribute this to their early exposures. Their bodies are trained on what to do when attacked by a nasty virus. marg
Bekka
Member posted 02-06-2001 04:46 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I kind of agree with Marg. "Common medical wisdom" states that you can expect your kid to get six to seven "viruses" in a year, even if breastfed. Babies build their immunity one virus at a time. I have found that if I get a cold, my baby is sure to get it (8 mo.). I'm not saying don't try to boost immunity, that's a good idea. Just realize that part of being in the world is dealing with our environment.
P.S. I know a lot of moms who would kill to have only had two colds to deal with this season, including myself. And I consider my kids healthy.
yogamama
Moderator posted 02-06-2001 11:24 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret -
I think my kid is always sick but my husband points out how robust he is and how quickly he bounces back.
My husband is a nurse and belives that kids are supposed to get many colds each year to build the immune system. In reality, our son seems much more vibrant and healthy since he recovered from pnemonia last week.
I guess I just have a hard time when he is sick and I feel so helpless that I want to "boost" his immune system, but maybe this is nature's way of doing it...
Thanks for the reminder,
Kathleen
alianmama
Member posted 02-06-2001 03:12 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, this may seem the most far-out...but, this last year I've become a raw-foodist. Right now, at least 90% of my diet is raw. Since I've done this, not only do I not get yeast infections at all anymore, but my joints don't hurt, my energy level is higher than when I was a teenager, and I DON'T GET SICK anymore! In the last month alone, my sister was diagnosed w/a brain tumor, she moved back with me, I've been raising her two babies in addition to my boys, this has been the MOST high stress time of my entire life, I've got sleep-deprivation all over again because of the 3-month-old, I am a middle-school teacher by profession and have been exposed to countless nasty illnesses, and EVERYONE except me, my DH, my one boy (who eats mostly raw) has been sick with nasty, lingering chest colds, flu, head colds, stomach viruses...I can say that I felt a little more tired than usual for a day or two, and that I actually had to blow my nose for a day, but that was it! And honestly, I used to get most of what went around...so I must say that my personal experience, plus the plentiful lieterature on raw-food diets, has worked 100% for me. Info on raw food diets is easy to find, and trust me, it's not just salads!
Bottom line, prevention is better than a cure. You can be sure I've been exposed to the same stuff as everyone who's getting sick around me, my immune system IS getting a workout- but it's so strong now that I don't get debilitated while it's fighting off the bugs.
Hope it helps. My dh teases me saying "raw food has become your new spirituality" because I'm so into it- but hey, if it works...
starmom
Member posted 02-06-2001 05:18 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raw garlic is a great immune booster taken daily. I don't know if you could find a way to get your little one to eat it, but maybe it would come through your breastmilk?
Rainyday
Member posted 02-07-2001 09:31 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About echinacea...
There may be no harm in taking it all the time or for prolonged periods, but it seems that many herbalists etc. agree that it is most effective when you 'surprise' your body with it in higher doses at the first signs of illness, for a few days...but with chronic illnesses, perehaps this is not how it should be taken.
k'smami
Member posted 02-07-2001 11:45 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So if you never get sick, does that mean your immune system isn't "learning" a new virus? I thought that one could be exposed to a virus and not get sick. Which is why when my son gets a cold I have this fear that his immune system is under stress (relatively speaking).
I think that what it means to never get sick is that you don't succumb to the viruses and such that your body is exposed to and fighting.
I like that, that's what I feel most of us want for our children.
summermom
Member posted 02-07-2001 02:43 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's my Cold-zapper Cocktail:
1) Vitamin C capsules
2) Echinacea tincture
3) Goldenseal tincture (skip if pregnant)
4) Garlic capsules
5) Lots of hot water and a scarf around my throat (stay warm!)
I have never had the courage to try and find out by a process of elimination, exactly which of these is the magic ingredient, but something in it works! You take it at the first sign of a cold / sore throat and take it often, (the Vit. C you take every hour till you get the runs, then you space it out a little more). My colds rarely develop into full-blown colds and are usually gone within a day. I wonder, though, how this cocktail would affect the taste of breast milk.
And I also try to stay away from citrus and too much raw food in the winter because it's supposed to be too cooling (yin). There's also this theory that one is better off eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season and native to the area you live in.
Hope this helps!
Sparrow
Moderator posted 02-07-2001 06:42 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
our local food stores carry both Knudsen brand and Mountain Sun Organics Lemon Ginger Echinacea juice- we drink it allthe time, and (knock on wood) ds hasn't been sick yet & I've been healthy since I bounced back from childbed fever-- over a year. I don't drink it every day, but we get it several times a week & it tastes great- ds loves it in his sippy cup
hugs
sparrow
yogamama
Moderator posted 02-07-2001 09:28 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alianmama:
I just wanted to say that it's great that raw foods are so good for you, but raw foods aren't for everyone. In areyvedic medicine certain doshas (body types) aggrevated by raw foods. I am vata (one of the 3 doshas) and I need to eat warm cooked foods. If I eat a cooked apple I feel great, but if I eat a raw apple I feel like it's too acidic and I feel yucky.
It sounds like you may be pitta or kapha (the other 2 doshas), but definately not vata. Kaphas are natually heavier people and need to avoid milk, fats and other dairy (raw foods would be great) and pittas are naturally athletic and need to avoid ice cold foods (raw foods okay). Andrew Weil has some good books on ayurveda.
Sorry that had nothing to do with boosting the immune system.
Kathleen
yogamama
Moderator posted 02-07-2001 09:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by yogamama:
Alianmama:
I just wanted to say that it's great that raw foods are so good for you, but raw foods aren't for everyone. In ayurvedic medicine certain doshas (body types) are aggrevated by raw foods. I am vata (one of the 3 doshas) and I need to eat warm cooked foods. If I eat a cooked apple I feel great, but if I eat a raw apple I feel like it's too acidic and I feel yucky.
It sounds like you may be pitta or kapha (the other 2 doshas), but definately not vata. Kaphas are natually heavier people and need to avoid milk, fats and other dairy (raw foods would be great) and pittas are naturally athletic and need to avoid ice cold foods (raw foods okay). Andrew Weil has some good books on ayurveda if you are interested.
Sorry that had nothing to do with boosting the immune system.
Kathleen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
steph
Member posted 02-09-2001 08:07 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would recommend incorporating astragulus root into your diet. It's a chinese herb, that looks like a wooden tounge depressor. It's flavour is so mild that you really can't taste it. You can add it to the water when you're cooking rice, or soup, etc. Just throw it in and let it cook with everything eles, and pull it out when ready to serve. It really does help to build the immune system, and is so easy to use. A good natural food store or herb (not vitamin/pill) store should have it.
caraleigh3
Junior Member posted 02-09-2001 12:42 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me see if I can give you any peace of mind. First of all, I'm a complementary health care provider and I have a 2 1/2 year old with another on the way. I believe echinacea is too strong an herb for children under three or four. So it's no big deal if you've already used it occasionally, but I wouldn't continue using it and certainly not on a regular basis. It sounds like you're doing a great job with diet. One thing I do with my little one is buy phytonutrient capsules. They are capsules of flash dried veggies like garlic kale broccoli and other greens. I mix some into a little applesauce or into a shake and make him eat half to a whole capsule per day. I've also noticed that sometimes teething or other stressors make children more vulnerable to full-out colds or flu and this is also okay. The first three years are crucial for developing the immune system, so back to your original question, how to boost the immune system, Ironically, letting it learn how to fight infection is the best way to help your child develop a strong immune system. Getting sick isn't always a bad thing. It can actually be a sign of health. It takes a healthy body to fight infection. Take care.
Jayne
Junior Member posted 02-12-2001 04:19 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you allow your vegetarian son cod liver oil? It is one of the best remedies to both build up the immune system and the mucous membrane. Maintenance dose is 1 teaspoon a day for life. Start as soon as you can because babies and usually young children love it so hook 'em young!
When sick, double the dose.
2Bwellinformed
Member posted 06-27-2001 09:22 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bump
note - Cynthia in Arabia's reply concerning echinacea myths and caraleigh3's response concerning echinacea and infants
[This message has been edited by 2Bwellinformed (edited 06-27-2001).]
Tameron
Member posted 06-29-2001 07:36 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting your children chiropractic adjustments will help boost their immune system!
