What do they usually get nowadays? Pollution, a pop, french fries (saturated not only with unhealthy fat, but a long list of chemicals too, such as acrylamide) , and the TV or GameBoy. Facing reality, parents know how hard it is to stem  the tide:  the chances of getting our children voluntarily to do something different from their friends is balanced neatly with the amount of time we are prepared to spend persuading them! 

I remember nostalgically the days when I had my little ones under my complete control:  until they went to school, they thought cornbread was cake.  It was all downhill from there.

and it is becoming clear that chronic childhood problems are not satisfactorily treated by conventional means. Parents are not happy about giving their children drugs, often in increasing quantities over time, often with escalating side effects, and usually without any happy outcome for the health problem originally addressed. 

Even the miracle of vaccination, which made such a difference in so many lives, has now become a threat:  I do not see that there can be any question about the connection between the daunting number of childhood vaccinations and the epidemic of autism.  The government is vehemently  rejecting the possibility that mercury might be  the culprit,  at the same time as it recommends discontinuing its use,  but it is entirely possible that simply the burden of so many viruses all at once is too much for the sensitive systems of small children. 

Renowned pediatrician Dr. Sears recommends this routine for children about to be vaccinated, to protect against the effect:

Vitamin A. This specific vitamin helps with neurologic health. It also helps regulate the immune system’s response to infections. Some researchers believe it can play a role in protecting the brain from vaccine side effects. Give vitamin A once a day for 3 days prior to vaccines and continue each day for 10 days after. Infants should get 1500 IUs daily, toddlers and preschoolers 2500 IUs and older kids and teens 5000 IUs.  Another choice would be a total multivitamin liquid or chewable. A better source of Vitamin A is cod liver oil, (Lynn: my emphasis) available at health food stores. The label will say how much Vitamin A is in each teaspoon. You should be aware that overdosing Vitamin A can be toxic, so do not exceed the suggested amounts. I would suggest not using cod liver oil for any baby younger than 9 months.

Vitamin C. This anti-oxidant vitamin can help boost the immune system and may decrease vaccine side effects. Give this once a day for 5 days starting on the day of the shots. Infants should get 150 mg daily, toddlers and preschoolers 250 mg, and older kids and teens 500 mg. Vitamin C drops, chewables, and capsules are available at any health food .. store. The amount of Vitamin C in the multivitamins discussed above (with vitamin A) usually isn’t enough.
 

The importance of diet overall has come to the fore again in this study, which suggests that breathing problems in kids are improved by 80% if they follow a Mediterranean type diet.  See my article on a Healthy Diet here.

Fortunately the tide is turning, and on every hand  there is advice on limiting calories, choosing foods, avoiding junk, not eating fast foods - I hope some of the suggestions here will make the right choices easier. We must all be concerned with promoting health and ideal weight as an objective that will enable children to enjoy being children.

Little bodies need all possible help to stay strong and well.  I try to explain to parents why their children are frequently sick by comparing them to little paper boats in a pond, affected by the slightest ripple - where we grownups are ocean liners, better able to weather storms. I ask them to imagine how repeated waves will affect the little boats, and then I try to show them how to calm the waters.

Sometimes the ripples can become more threatening as  Doctors use the tools at their command , tools which usually address the results of the problem rather than the causes. When you are treating a sick child, that is not the time to ask WHY is this bacterium triumphant - you have to get rid of it . Unfortunately, however, if one does not subsequently answer that all-important "why", all too likely the problem will recur. In other words, once the initial emergency is overcome the real healing needs to begin.

It draws a road map of the effect faulty diet has both on the developing brain  and the susceptible brain of the adolescent.  It is called "The Crazy Makers - or How the Food Industry is destroying our brains and harming our children" and can be ordered from her website here - you will need to scroll down the page to locate it: it is item #10. You will  also find outlines for successful and "do-able" strategies for the family.

Almost always these infections are caused by early introduction of proteins harmful to the developing infant' system, most frequently dairy and/or wheat. If your child is frequently sick, consider removing these foods from the diet long enough to determine whether they are a factor.

Also consider using  three common and very safe supplements

•  larch arabinogalactans, a natural substance which not only helps with immune system strength, but also helps with the needed flora in the intestines.  (More Information.)
• colostrum  the ingredient nature provides in a mother's first milk to boost immunity in the infant
• and probiotics.  which inoculate the child's digestive tract with the friendly bacteria it needs to thrive:  bacteria which are largely eliminated by the use of anti-biotics, which cannot distinguish between the good bacteria we need and the bad bacteria they are taken to control.

Experiencing early and frequent infections ins a child suggests food allergies: consider a digestive enzyme specially formulated for kids.  These can also be indicated and prove helpful when stomach aches are frequent, and/or gas and alternating constipation and diarrhea are present.

One simple thing to remember which can make a big difference:

Breakfast is always the most important meal of the day, and during the school year skipping breakfast can be disastrous.

 In  Minnesota, a " Breakfast Study" determined that 'students who ate breakfasts before starting school had a general increase in math grades and reading scores, increased student attention, reduced nurse visits, and improved student behaviors'.  The American Dietetic Association states that children who eat a healthy breakfast 'meet their daily nutritional needs, keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels, attend school more frequently, and make fewer trips to the school nurses office complaining of tummy aches.
 

Hopefully if this message has been instilled in childhood, when they head off to college it will not be forgotten!  Ignoring the first meal of the day is one of the main reasons for grabbing junk food later, as blood sugar swings cause freak appetites and fast food  is usually the only food available on the run.

Of recent years, research into the importance of certain fatty acids  has proven to be a boon for kids.

It now appears that trans fatty acids are villains not only to our cholesterol levels as adults, but to our children as well  This shouldn't really come as such a surprise:  My credo has always been that the more the hand of man intervenes between food at its basic and you, the worse off you are:  I have ALWAYS  recommended butter over margarine, as far back as margarine existed! 

A team of Finnish researchers has  found that the kind of fats in children's diets diet may play a role in the increased incidence of allergies. Their study found that children who eventually developed allergies ate less butter and more margarine compared with children who did not develop allergies. The allergic children also tended to eat less fish, although this dietary difference was not considered  significant. This is not the first  study  to indicate that polyunsaturated fats may play a role in allergies:  fats like those in margarine have been shown  to promote the formation of prostaglandin E2, a substance that promotes inflammation and causes the immune system to release a protein that triggers allergic reactions. Allergy 2001;56:425-428

Recent research is pointing to a defect in fatty acid metabolism as playing a part in ADD/ADHD, and for these children (who very often suffer from dry, flaky skin - sometimes behind their ears)  Evening Primrose Oil and DHA prove helpful.

Another point for Grandmother is that Cod Liver Oil appears to be really beneficial for children, helping not only with vision and intelligence, but with immunity as well.

Does anyone else remember in the Dr. Doolittle books, when he breaks a window, and the policeman asks him whether he did it because he expects to profit from  any injury?  Consider the fact that many of the companies that produce the toxins, also make the drugs prescribed for health conditions resulting from them. 

Quote:" Most of the public is completely unaware of how pervasive toxic chemicals are in our homes and offices. If it were just one or two of the chemicals--the effects might be tolerable. But that is not the case at all because the relentless cumulative and synergistic effects of these chemicals is causing great harm to human, animal and environmental health. When we, our children and our animals suffer symptoms or become ill, have trouble with our reproductive systems -- we spend many thousands of dollars on medical imaging, tests, treatments, operations, hospitals and drugs... a circle of profit that has no equal in the corporate world. Again this year - the chemical/pharmaceutical industry was declared the most profitable industry in the world"    Full story.

 

Consider spending less time keeping your house immaculate, which would free more time for planning your child's diet.

Not only will this result in a healthier diet, but interesting studies suggest that a little dirt may actually help! In the Journal of the American Medical Association (2002;288:963-972.:  ) lead researcher Dr. Dennis R. Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta noted in an interview with Reuters Health that where conventional wisdom has held that having a pet increases a child's risk of developing an allergy to that animal, evidence is mounting that the opposite is true," Ownby said. He added that, "surprisingly," exposure to two dogs or cats also seems to cut the risk of developing other common allergies, such as sensitivity to dust mites and pollen."

New information is showing that the average home's "dust" contains high levels of disruptive toxins.  Check the report, and then check RESOURCES at right for links to some informative "Greener Cleaner" sites.  I hope this will inspire you to clean with fewer chemicals, use safer paints and plastics, and most particularly, for those with rug rats, look at eco-carpeting.

A  British study (Archives of Disease in Childhood June 2002;87:26-29)   also weighs in on the subject of being too clean: that children with the highest degree of personal hygiene -- those who washed their faces and hands more than five times per day, cleaned before meals, and bathed more than two times each day -- were the most likely to develop eczema and wheezing between the ages of 30 and 42 months ....As the level of hygiene increased, so did the risk of developing eczema or wheezing ... The link between hygiene and allergies is in step with the so-called "hygiene hypothesis" -- the theory that a lower exposure to germs affects the immune system's development in such a way that it is more prone to allergic reactions. Some interesting dirt on anti-bacterial soaps.

I do feel we have reached a point with our food supply where time stresses for the preparer and deteriorating nutritional quality combine to make it very difficult to do the absolute nutritional best for a child. . I therefore encourage  supplementing the child's diet with a multivitamin and mineral, first checking to make sure that there are no chemicals or coloring agents in it.

 For those little ones who suffer from recurring infections, there are herbal preparations that help boost and protect the immune system. Vitamin C is essential, and I recommend extra, especially if the child has asthma: there is a definite correlation between asthma and low vitamin C levels. The easiest and most tolerable way to give  Vitamin C to children, not to mention the most economical, is to slip a little Vitamin C powder into a drink - orange juice is often ideal. One half of one quarter teaspoon of the powder equals 500 mg of C.  There are also green food preparations which will to a certain extent compensate if your child absolutely WILL NOT eat fruits and vegetables.

The important thing, in my view, is to encourage parents to consider calming the waters before loading ballast onto the boat, to continue with our metaphor. If we can nourish these vulnerable little guys properly with the things their developing bodies need to function and be healthy, perhaps their craft can sail through choppy seas with their sails fair trimmed, and come safely to port in health and happiness.