SIGNS OF A DEPLETED IMMUNE SYSTEM
• Fatigue and listlessness
• Repeated infections
• Allergic reactions
• Slow wound healing
• Inflammation
THINGS THAT DEPLETE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
SUGAR AND A POOR DIET - The immune suppressing effect of sugar starts after less that 30 minutes after eating and can last for up to 5 hours.
LACK OF SLEEP - Not getting enough sleep can deplete the immune system
VACCINATIONS - There is a school of thought that vaccinations can damage the immune system. It is thought that injecting a child with up to 10 different viral and bacterial vaccines before the age of 5 can protect from certain diseases but may cause chronic immune dysfunction. If you think that your child has very low immunity and has been vaccinated or they had a negative reaction to vaccination it may be best to take them to a naturopath or homeopath for them to deal with the negative side effects.
ANTIBIOTICS - Excessive antibiotic use may cause your child to become antibiotic resistant and have a lowered immunity.
MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH - Psychoneuroimmunology is the study which recognises how someone feels and what is going on in their life and the effect it will have on their immune system. An unhappy child is much more likely to have an under functioning immune system. Negative emotions or shock and trauma held in the system of the child can have a negative effect and lower the immune system as can stress, depression and anxiety. There are studies which show that laughter and positive thought can stimulate the cells of the immune system helping the child be more robust against disease.
IMMUNE SYSTEM BOOSTERS
• Diet - make sure your child has 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and avoids sugar as much as possible.
• Vitamin C - helps the production of white blood cells which
fight off disease and decreases inflammation. It is found in
blackcurrants, broccoli, oranges and green leafy vegetables.
Extra vitamin C is essential if there is a smoker in the family home.
• Zinc - this is an important mineral for the immune system.
• Echinacea - boosts the immune system and has antiviral properties. Make sure you give an age-appropriate dosage
and should only be taken for two weeks at a time.
• Probiotics - friendly bacteria, by boosting your child’s intake of friendly bacteria can help in the body’s natural
defence mechanisms keeping ‘invaders’ in check. Again make sure it is age appropriate.
• EFA’s - Essential Fatty Acids improve the function of the immune and the nervous system and decrease inflammation
• Washing hands, this may sound obvious but just getting your child to wash their hands more will protect them
from disease.
• Help your child with any emotional problems they may have
and get them to talk instead of bottling things up.
If your child has a very low immune system and seems to come down with every bug around it may be best to send them to a naturopath or homeopath for additional support. They will be able to assess the cause and treat the problem from the seed level as well as treating the symptoms whilst supporting your child’s immune system.
| Case Study - R.W. aged 13 R.W. came to me feeling very low, glands were enlarged and had a constant sore throat. She was also very tired all the time and had repeated colds every year. Also feeling emotional and stressed due to parents divorce over the last year. Had always been susceptible to ear infections during the winter and had had repeated antibiotics. When I tested her she had lots of emotional stress and well as anger within her system and her thymus gland was particularly low. I told her to cut out sugar from her diet for 6 weeks and prescribed a remedy just to boost the thymus gland as well as a homeopathic remedy to balance her emotions and one to detoxify the antibiotics from her system. I also put her on a combination of Echinacea and Black Elderberry to boost her immune system. I saw her 6 weeks later and she no longer felt as emotional and her sore throat had gone and not come back. Her energy levels had also improved. When I tested her again she did have some negative emotion left in her system but her immune system was in peak condition. I prescribed a remedy to deal with the residue emotions and Vitamin C for the winter months. |
For further information please contact Samantha Hurst N.C.
Email: samanthahurst@naturopathy.wanadoo.co.uk
or to book an appointment call 01268 741000
• If anyone has any questions they would like answered in
the next issue of The Parents Guide please send them to
Samantha on the above email address.
• This health advice is intended to guide parents and is not to be treated as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your child’s medical care.