Son ALWAYS Sick

Are there vitamins that build up immunity for kids? Does he take any vitamins? I would think either something is going around or maybe his immune system needs a boost.

I have a daughter and a son that has been getting sick a lot! My daughter especially. She is 6 and is in kindergarten so I am sure she is bringing stuff home with her too but she started getting sick BEFORE she started school. It was August of last year and it seems like every month there is something wrong! From a cold, to an ear infection, bronchitis, even a couple of stomach bugs thrown in there. It is getting on my nerves and I feel bad for them too!! My son and daughter have to go back to the doctor this week because they both got over ear infections! My daughter also has had this nagging cough on and off for a few months after she had bronchitis in November!! So, no it isn't just you and hopefully the summer they can get over this!! Good luck.

Has he been tested for strep? He may not be complaining of a sore throat but strep can also cause the coughing at times. I'd have him tested just to rule it out, and then, as someone else mentioned, have other tests done. I'd just tell the doctor's office -- before you go in, not when you arrive -- that he is constantly ill and you want to get blood tests done as well as a strep test and you want his sinuses looked at for possible infection too (sinuses drain into the throat, so sinus drainage can cause coughing). Maybe they've done this all already but if they haven't, tell the doctor's office you want a full workup to determine if this is other stuff. It could of course be allergies -- those don't usually cause fevers but I do know of kids whose temperature would rise a little when allergens were very bad. I know you don't want to go to the doctor but I'd set up somethng in advance and say you're tired of this,.

From my personal experience, my son started getting sick a lot because of allergies. We live in an older home where the basement gets a little water into it sometimes. It was enough to cause mold to grow behind a bookcase. This was what was making him sick. We took the drywall out, took out the carpeting and have a dehumidifier running all the time to help eliminate mold from the house.

Your son could just be catching every virus out there, and it may have nothing to do with allergies. Only a doctor can truly say. This could be true especially if he started school this year or a new day care situation, that is often the case. After finally being exposed to everything, in about 6 months it may seem like he never gets sick any more! Wouldn't that be nice?
When in doubt, check it out with your doctor. Good luck!

Mine was always sick for sure and I had the doctor run a blood test to see what was going on with him ... turns out he had a blood disorder that he could grow out of and did :) I would get on the doc about running a test.

My 2 recommendations:

Request to see an ENT and an Allergist. Our son was sick ALL.THE.TIME for the first 4 years of his life. We ended up seeing an Ear, Nose, and Throat doc. He suggested removing his tonsils although they didn't appear to be horrible. After the surgery, the ENT informed us that his tonsils were a lot worse than what he expected. They were super scarred from numerous sicknesses that we ALL missed (the pediatrician, and ourselves!). Also, we took him to an allergist and found out that he has numerous food and outdoor allergies (corn, pumpkin, sulfites, and molds). Since he has been on his allergy regiment and w/out tonsils we are going on over a year without any runny noses, sore throats, or earaches!!! Just a suggestion from one mommy to another. :)

It's not you. You're doing everything you can from a dietary standpoint. It's the environment and the food supply. You cannot get what you need from your food, even if you eat organically and "right" - so says the AMA, and that was 10 years ago. You have to boost his immune system. You can't do it with "healthy" meals. Can't be done, even for adults, at less than 4000 calories a day, which is obesity. I would be happy to help you. In addition to the colds & flu stuff, plus the allergies, we have epidemic rates of kids with "adult" diseases (diabetes, high cholesterol, weight issues, ADD, autism, bi-polar, you name it). I can give you the AMA recommendations as well as info on why pills (vitamins, etc.) do not work because they are not absorbed. You cannot treat this situation with a singular vitamin or a particular mineral - things must be in a comprehensive form that is highly absorbable.

Look at the food "allergies" - peanut-free classrooms, lactose-intolerant kids, gluten-free diets -- but a generation ago, kids ate PB&J sandwiches on wheat bread with a carton of milk. Doesn't it strike you as odd that this is totally foreign? We are doing something wrong, and the cutting edge nutrition companies and food scientists have worked it out.

Hello LoveMy2Boys---Kids tend to get sick more than usual because their immune systems are building those immunities, and the only way they do that is by exposure and catching a bug. But, there are things we can do to help support a healthy and optimally functioning immune system and that starts with our diet and lifestyle habits. Let me first say that I am not suggesting your family has a poor diet, rather that your son's immune system may seem to require extra support.

I have been working in wellness for nearly 8 years now. I have a background in home economics and have been taking wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. Her classes are recognized and licensed by the State of Ohio. I have some great info that I can share with you, if you'd like.

So, what are optimal lifestyle habits? Diet is huge. It should consist of MOSTLY plants, about 90% of calories with the rest coming from good quality (either organic or hormone/antibiotic free) animal protein. It is best to eliminate dairy...dairy proteins are highly allergenic, a leading cause of type 1 diabetes and increase the risk of many cancers...see www.pcrm.org and put dairy in the search box to learn more. Plants have the nutrients necessary to allow the body to do what it knows how to do. It is like putting the right kind of gas in your car. Your body is an engine and it performs best with the right kind of high quality fuel.

We also need lots of filtered water, plenty of sleep, exercise and we need to manage stress for optimal health. Stress is actually worse than smoking for our body.

So, the more fruits and veggies that your son, and your family eats, the stronger and more balanced our immune system becomes. Balance is important because it means that allergies and autoimmune disorders are minimized.

What do we do then, as many kids tend to be developing tastes and it is hard to get them to eat a large variety of fruit and veg? Many turn to multi-vitamins. But these aren't the answer either. Many studies have shown that they DO NOT reduce our risk of degenerative disease. But, study upon study shows that FOOD does indeed reduce our risk of disease. You want a suplement that's made from whole food. There are several on the market but only one backed by independent research to show that it does something in the body. I work with medical professionals, like Dr. Bill and Jim Sears (www.askDrSears.com and the ABC show, The Doctors), who offer this food supplement to their patients. Kids don't get sick as often, period.

If you would like to know more about any of the concepts I've shared, please feel free to contact me. It really is simple...more, and mostly, fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and nuts and seeds. I've got lots of great recipes, shopping tips, serving suggestion charts for kids of different ages. Let's talk and then you can decide what's best for your family. Hope this helps. Be well, D.

Everything is 'God's green earth is traumatized by the hot, then cold, then hot again. Stuff doesn't know if it's shutting down for Winter or coming out of hiding for Spring. Stuff keeps budding then dropping off then budding out again.........he's most likely having drainage due to the season. I can easily get walking pneumonia each Spring and Fall due to this reason.

I would not treat him with an antihistamine or anything like that. They really dry out the sinus' and lungs and make it really really hard to blow it out or cough it up. Use the moisture from a steamy shower at least once a day, keeping his hair and body clean will also help with the allergens, then try the humidifier. If your house has plenty of moisture already then he should just get better as soon as Summer gets here.

Rule out other infections. Have your physican do a blood test to check his IG levels. IG's are the antibodies in your body that fight infections. There are 5 IG's that have different jobs in the body. They can also check pneumo titers too. My daughter has an immune deficiency and she is always getting sick. These blood tests confirmed it. Immunologists treat these type of infections but any doctor can do this test to rule it out. Also you may want to test for allergies. They also cause havoc with the body.

I've observed 2 things from my own experience & from other families. I notice that kids that tend to get sick over & over either don't eat healthy foods (5-6 servings of fruits & veggies every day!) or they live busy lives (always on the run -- in sports, shopping, etc.). Do you notice this in your family?

We track our fruit & veggie intake every day on a white board. (The adults, too!) =) When my kids reach the recommended amount (5-6 total) then they get to pick a prize (small items like tattoos, stuff from the Dollar Store). This also helps when they ask for a sweet snack -- we check the board. If they have had at least 3-4, I usually let them have a sweet. If not, they know they need to eat a veggie (usually) =) and then they can have one. It cuts the fighting down to almost nothing!

Also, if your family is really busy, pick one night a week that you stay home as a family. No one schedules anything on that night, and you can play games or watch a movie, or go outside & play kick ball, etc. It's been great for us! Ours is Tuesday evenings, and we made rice krispie treats last night. It doesn't need to be something huge or even planned -- just one night a week that is just for family.

I hope this helps! And that your boy gets healthy for a long period of time!