The article was written by Dr Shweta Singh.
Ways to boost Child immunity
Our surroundings are full of endless array of Microscopic pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi) or toxins & Whenever we’re exposed, it’s our immune system which detects, analyse & protects us by producing antibodies to fight against such infections & keep us healthy & resist many recurrent similar threats comes along.
The second wave of Covid-19 proved itself to be very intense & devastated. Experts says ‘Our kids could be in the grip of Covid third wave more than adults’. We need to find ways through which our children could escape & combat this prevailing pandemic.
The best option is to build a robust and healthy immunity that will serve as a lifelong protection against infections.
What is Immune system & how it works?
The immune system consists of different organs, cells and proteins that work together.
• The inherited innate immune system – it is composed of the skin, eye’s cornea and the mucous membrane that lines the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts. These are the physical barriers to protect our child against harmful infections.
• The adaptive immune system – create antibodies against specific infections to protect us after our body has been exposed to certain infections. It may take several days but once it developed, the immune system will be able to recognize the infections & defend against it
Child immunity is usually weak during the first weeks of life while developing a mature immune system is crucial to be healthy throughout life. Children whose immune systems do not have the strength to fight are more prone to recurrent and life-threatening infections.
The first exposure to the bacteria while passing through the birth canal trigger the initial development of immune system in new born whereas babies delivered by C-section do not undergo same exposure which can impair normal development & lower their immunity.
What are the possible ways to augment the defence ability and enhance the natural immune system?
Exclusive breast feeding for at least the first six months is imperative as Infants of less than one year of age rely on their mother’s milk to receive antibodies which provides protection. The so called formula milk cannot give this protection due to lack of antibodies.
Nothing can replace nutritious balanced diet which includes carbs, proteins, little fat, minerals & vitamins; not the supplements, they won’t hurt either except given without seeking medical advice. It is highly important to understand our child’s daily nutritional needs. Serve up your child a healthy platter containing all colours of fruits & veggies. Green leafy vegetables, seasonal fruits especially enriched with vitamin C like oranges, pineapple, berries etc., pulses, nuts and eggs should be added in diet. Curd, buttermilk can also be given. Restrict junk foods or limit it once in a month.
Overconsumption even of healthy diet may have negative impact on immune system. Obesity, gastro-oesophageal reflux & diabetes are also potential consequences of overfeeding in children.
Keep your kids hydrated by enough liquid intake, at least 2-2.5 litres a day. Lukewarm water is more beneficial than the cold one. Milk is a healthy choice, you may add pinch of turmeric, cinnamon, jaggery to make it tastier. Restrict intake of cold drinks, packaged juices, coffee & tea etc.
A sound sleep is crucial to nurture the developing immune system, so a child should have an environment that is conducive to the quality of sleep.
• A newborn baby 18 hours per day, and a toddler 12–13 hours per day. A preschooler should sleep 10 hours per day. (table)
It is always beneficial to rise early in the morning & go to bed early at night. The disturbed sleep pattern disrupts kid’s circadian rhythms or biological clock & make them prone to illnesses.
Be a role model for your children & indulge them into lifelong fitness habits. Enjoy doing exercise, dance, yoga or fun family activities with them to boost their energy & lowers the stress levels.
Mental health is as important as their physical health; Motivation is the key. Since the outdoor activities are at stake due to the current pandemic, mind games like puzzels, chess etc. are helpful to activate brain cell growth. If your child is vitamin D deficient, supplements can be given as it is necessary for mental & physical growth.
Pay attention to hygiene & make sure your kids wash their hands often with soap, following proper hand washing technique for 20 seconds especially before & after meals, after using toilets, after playing outside & with pets helps to reduce the spread of germs.
Wearing face masks keep the infections away but it is not recommended for kids younger than 2 years old to avoid risk of suffocation. It may feel like a challenge but try to explain the importance of face masks to your children & make them familiar with them. Remind them to maintain social distancing & cover their nose & mouth with masks when outside home.
Passive smoking lowers the immunity. Dear parents, it is better to quit smoking or atleast keep your kid away from such exposure.
Adopt homeopathy for better health. Homeopathic principles are unique & different from the so called modern medicine. They are well known to strengthen our own immunity to fight against diseases based on ‘SIMILIA SIMILIBUS CURENTUR’.
The different organs of the body that contains immunity cells includes adenoids, bone marrow, lymph nodes & vessels, peyer’s patches, spleen, thymus, tonsils. Therefore the surgical removal of these organs in any case wouldn’t help instead lowers the immunity & make our children prone to illnesses.
Constipation, dry skin, cold, cough, flu, diarrhoea are the commonest problems encountered in kids nowadays, usually they won’t respond to antibiotics. Mind it, antibiotics don’t work for infections caused by viruses. Irregular, unrequisite use of antibiotics helps bacteria become resistant to them so it won’t safeguard your child.
The sweet pills being the favourite remedy of children treat the patient as a whole based on totality of the symptoms irrespective of the infective agents likes bacteria, viruses etc. as they are not the causes but end results of disease. The constitutional treatment not only recovers the kids from any kind of acute or chronic infections but also prevent reoccurrences in comparison to the disease specific remedies. So, don’t compromise your child’s health & consult your homeopathic doctor today for the homeopathic immunity doses.
About Author
Dr Shweta Singh, MD (HOM)
Senior Consultant: Orbit Clinics
Chief Administrator: KHA Homeopathy Study Group, USA
President: Delhi Homoeopathic Medical Association, India
Senior Research Fellow: CCRH, New Delhi
Former Assistant Professor – Organon of Medicine Dept.