One child gets sick once a year, and the other practically does not get out from doctors. Moreover, both live in the same conditions, in the same climate, attend the same kindergarten. It's all about immunity, which is stronger in some children, and weaker in others. In this article we will talk about how can you raise the immunity of often sick children with folk remedies, as well as how to maintain immunity in a child, which is more rare.
What is immunity
This is a whole range of measures that the body takes as soon as something starts to threaten it.
The defense mechanism recognizes a foreign "guest" (it can be a virus, bacteria, toxins, etc.) and activates "special forces" - immunocompetent special-purpose cells, whose task is to block and destroy the alien - this reaction is called an immune response.
Sometimes an autoimmune reaction occurs in the body, when the immune system destroys the cells of its own body, but not healthy ones, but those that have undergone a mutation, for example, tumor cells.
Immunity is much "smarter" than it seems, it is perfectly oriented in terms of "friend or foe", and also has a long-term "memory", since after the first contact with a new virus for itself it "remembers" it, and next time quickly identifies and takes urgent action.
This ability can be clearly demonstrated with the familiar chickenpox. The virus that causes it practically does not mutate, therefore, after a person has had chickenpox, his immunity knows the causative agent of the disease well, and suppresses any attempts to cause the disease again. A person suffers from chickenpox, as a rule, only once in a lifetime. But the flu and ARVI cause viruses and their strains, which are constantly changing, so we get sick with these ailments much more often.
Each of us has two immunities: one is innate, the other is acquired. The congenital acts only in general terms, understanding foreign agents as one undesirable factor. He cannot "memorize" new viruses and bacteria. Acquired - more active immunity. He "learns" and "trains" all his life, starting from the first days after the birth of the child.
In children, after birth, the maximum load falls on innate protection. And gradually, with each new disease, with each unfavorable factor from the environment, an initially weak and imperfect acquired immunity is formed.
Several important organs and systems are involved in immune defense. Red bone marrow creates stem cells and is responsible for lymphocytes. He is actively helped by the thymus (thymus gland), which differentiates lymphocytes. A considerable load falls on the lymph nodes, which are located very "thoughtfully" - along the lymph vessels. The largest organ of the immune system is the spleen.
Factors
The mechanisms and factors of immune defense are different. Non-specific factors perceive and resist any kind of pathogenic organisms. Specific ones are especially effective only against some specific pathogens. It is these factors that form the immunity's ability to memorize enemies "by sight".
In addition, factors can be permanent or unstable. The skin and mucous membranes, microflora, inflammation processes, body temperature and basic metabolism are constantly under the protection of nonspecific immunity. Non-constant factors come into force after the "intruder" enters the body - inflammation appears, the production of interferon protein is activated, immunity cells - phagocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages, etc. are activated.
How to tell if your immune system is weak
In young children, as we have found out, the acquired immunity (which is very important in diseases) is very weak, and is still being formed. The younger the toddler, the weaker its protection... If the doctor says that your child's immunity is weakened, this means that the deficiency of protective functions is below certain age norms.
The doctor comes to this conclusion after studying the patient's card. If the frequency of diseases, mainly colds, in a child exceeds 5-6 times a year, we can talk about weakened immunity.
Parents can notice this condition on their own, because the external manifestations of immunodeficiency are quite bright: the child has disturbed sleep, he often complains of fatigue, headaches, he has poor appetite, depressed mood, increased moodiness. Quite a characteristic feature - weak hair, nails, dry and problem skin... Children with reduced immunity may develop dark circles under the eyes, in addition, they are more likely to have allergies than other children.
Modern medicine offers a special study of the immune status. To do this, an immunogram is made - a comprehensive diagnosis that will allow to establish the composition of blood, the presence of antibodies to certain diseases, immunoglobulins in it, specialists will analyze the cellular components of the immune system. The doctor will receive all these data from a special blood test of the patient. The average cost of an immunogram in Russia is from 350 rubles.
Immunodeficiency can be different. The mildest form is when a child is weakened after an illness. It is temporary, and the baby's condition will recover rather quickly. The most severe pathology is HIV infection, when the child's immune system needs constant drug support.
The reasons that cause immune weakness are different:
- Congenital pathologies of organs involved in the defense mechanism.
- Congenital malformations of the respiratory and digestive systems, as well as HIV infection that the child received in utero from the mother or independently (through blood transfusion or untreated medical instruments).
- Previous infection, especially if it has not been properly treated.
- The state of hypoxia that the baby experienced during the mother's pregnancy.
- Premature birth. Premature babies are more susceptible to infection.
- Unfavorable ecological situation, living in a region with an increased radiation background.
- Long-term and uncontrolled use of antibiotics and antiviral agents - immunostimulants and immunomodulators.
- A big trip during which the child changed the time zone and climate.
- Severe stress.
- High physical activity.
In the next video, the well-known pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky will tell you everything about childhood immunity and give useful advice on how to strengthen the child's immunity.
Folk remedies
Children with weakened immunity should be given more vitamins, everyone knows this. Moreover, it is better if these are seasonal vitamins, fresh, and not in the form of tablets and capsules. In summer, fresh black currants, raspberries, cherries and apples are useful for general strengthening. In the winter season, you can give your child compotes, teas and decoctions of frozen berries, dried fruits and herbs.
It is better to avoid alcoholic infusions, they are contraindicated in childhood. It is best to prepare the products yourself, at home. If you do not have the skills to collect and harvest useful herbs, then you can always buy them inexpensively at any pharmacy.
The following products and traditional medicines are of particular value for enhancing the immunity of a child.
Honey and propolis
Beekeeping products should not be given to children with acute allergies and a tendency to allergic reactions in general. It is not advisable to give honey to children under three years of age. To boost immunity, you can add honey to any tea that you prepare for your child, to milk, and to almost any decoction and herbal infusion.
It is better to purchase propolis in the form of an aqueous solution at the pharmacy. Children are given it in a few drops, depending on age, 2-4 times a day.
Echinacea
Echinacea preparations should not be given to children under one year old, the rest of the children are allowed to take this medicinal plant orally in dosages that correspond to age. With pharmaceutical preparations with echinacea, everything is more or less clear, since all dosages are indicated in the instructions for use. A lot of questions are raised at home preparation of funds and their dosage regimen.
To prepare homemade tincture, you need to take 50 grams. chopped herbs and 100 ml of boiled water. Mix everything and hold on a steam bath for about a quarter of an hour. Cool, strain with gauze or strainer. You need to give the tincture to the child one quarter of a glass in a cool form.
For a more pleasant taste, you can add dry leaves of black currant, raspberry, strawberry and lemon balm to the tincture. Phytoenzymes, which are abundant in echinacea, have a beneficial effect on the quantity and quality of immunocompetent phagocyte cells. This is due to its effect on immunity.
Aloe juice
An affordable houseplant is rich in vitamins and other substances that stimulate the immune system gently, without unnecessary pressure. To get juice, you need to cut off the fleshy and juiciest leaves, put them in the refrigerator and keep them in a low temperature for a couple of days. Then finely chop the leaves, fold into a "knot" of gauze and squeeze the juice. You can add a little water to it and keep it in the refrigerator for no more than 12 hours. Over time, the product will lose its healing effect.
Aloe juice for children can be mixed into tea or compote, and also given in pure form 3-4 times a day for a tablespoon half an hour before meals.
Rosehip
Berries and leaves are widely used in alternative medicine. For a child with a weakened immune system, you can prepare a compote with rosehip berries, you can make an infusion, but the broth is most popular among parents. To prepare it, you need five tablespoons of berries (can be dried), a liter of boiled water. The berries are poured into boiling water and kept on low heat for about a quarter of an hour. Then the broth is poured into a thermos, closed with a lid and insisted for 10-12 hours. Children are given a decoction warm 4 times a day for a quarter of a glass.
Ginger
Ginger root will help the child cope with the disease when the disease is in full swing, and will also strengthen the immune system if it is weakened after the illness. Finely chopped root is added to tea in small quantities, you can also make a decoction from it and give it to your child a tablespoon twice a day. Very effective in immunodeficiency states of ginger jelly. To prepare it, you will need a root weighing about 250 grams, one lemon and a teaspoon of gelatin.
The root must be washed and peeled, the lemon is also freed from the peel and seeds. Both ingredients are passed through a meat grinder, gelatin and sugar to taste (or honey) are added. The jelly is placed in the refrigerator, and after hardening, it is given as a dessert 3 times a day, a teaspoon after a meal.
Cranberry
This berry is rich in vitamins and acids, which is why cranberry juice is so popular for colds. To raise the child's immunity, it is better to make a delicious dessert from cranberries, which the child will regard as a delicacy, and not as an unpleasant and obligatory medicine. For this recipe, you will need 200 grams of cranberries and 400 grams of apple slices. Everything needs to be mixed and filled with syrup made from 200 grams of honey and half a liter of water. Over low heat, the resulting mass must be held for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. After that, the delicacy is cooled, poured into a jar and stored in the refrigerator. The child is given a teaspoon three times a day.
Garlic
In terms of its effect on the body, garlic can be compared to ginger. Only the drinks and infusions made from it are not very tasty, and children rarely like them. It is not necessary to stuff a child with a decoction of garlic without unnecessary need, it is enough if you add it fresh to salads and other dishes that are included in the child's diet.
Chamomile and linden
These medicinal plants can be bought at the pharmacy and brewed according to the instructions. To prepare homemade broth, you will need 10 grams of raw materials per 300 ml of water. You can give children decoctions of linden and chamomile a tablespoon three times a day. Children from 3 years old can be given combined herbal remedies in which several plants will be mixed. The combination of chamomile with lemon balm and St. John's wort, as well as chamomile with sage and violet flowers is very useful for strengthening the immune defense.
We lead the right lifestyle
Normalizing your lifestyle is half of a successful campaign to boost your child's immunity. The child's nutrition should be complete, balanced, saturated with vitamins, microelements... The child should walk, every day, in any weather, at any time of the year. Walking in the fresh air oxygenates the blood. A baby with a weakened immune system should rest more, make sure that the baby's sleep is sufficient, if necessary, after consulting a doctor, use mild sedatives to normalize the child's sleep and mood.
The trendy trend in medicine today - psychosomatics - claims that all diseases are from the nerves. I don't know about everyone, but immunity problems are very closely related to the psychological state, and therefore limit stress, let every day for your little one be filled with something positive, kind, limit computer games and watching TV.
If your doctor has told you that your baby has a weak immune system, it's time to think about strengthening procedures such as hardening. They should be systematic and constant, become an integral part of life, then there will be a persistent and noticeable effect - the child will start to get sick less and less often.
For children of the first year (the period when immunity is formed at the fastest pace), it is advisable to do systematic courses of general strengthening massage aimed at improving blood circulation, developing the muscular and skeletal system.
The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
The well-known children's doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky names the behavior of the child's parents as the main reason for the decrease in child immunity. Overly caring mothers and fathers create almost sterile living conditions for their beloved baby: they try to protect them from drafts, close the vents, do not allow petting a cat on the street, feed them with hypoallergenic and pasteurized food, which has passed several degrees of purification. Immunity cannot be formed strong and healthy if it does not have contact with pathogens. Only with such "communication" and opposition is the defense hardened.
Thus, parents who are concerned about increasing the child's immunity need to think carefully about their own approach to parenting and their own lifestyle.
Another type of pest relatives are mothers and fathers, who are categorically against any vaccinations in childhood. Vaccines make it possible for the immune system to get acquainted with the causative agents of the most dangerous diseases, and for this the baby does not need to get sick with such serious ailments as measles, polio, hepatitis. If adults are denied this opportunity, then the child's immunity will be vulnerable and weak.
As for immunodeficiency, Komarovsky considers it criminal to make such a diagnosis to every second baby in the country. In fact, in clinics they talk about weakness of immunity if the child is more than 6 or more times a year.Evgeny Komarovsky assures that this is a wrong approach, because doctors consider all infections - both viral and bacterial.
According to Evgeny Olegovich, frequent illnesses with influenza or ARVI cannot be considered a sign of a lack of protection. We can talk about pathology if a child just as often suffers from bacterial infections, he has otitis media more than 8 times a year, pneumonia more than twice a year. Fortunately, he stresses, such children are not so common - one case in 30 thousand babies).
Evgeny Komarovsky categorically warns parents against the use of medicines, the name of which contains the words "immunostimulant" or "immunomodulator". Their effectiveness in a clinical setting has not been proven, but there is a certain relationship between the use of such drugs and immune "laziness", when the own defense mechanism gets used to it, that the pill decides everything for it, and simply stops coping with its duties, starts "lazy".
According to Komarovsky, it is possible to increase the immune abilities of the child's body only by qualitatively changing the lifestyle of the whole family, and first of all, of the child himself. Without this important condition, no folk remedies and "miraculous" medicines (if they are nevertheless invented!) Can make a child stronger, more resistant to disease, stronger and healthier.
Tips
- From the very birth in the house where the child lives, there must be a "correct" microclimate: air temperature - about 19 degrees, air humidity - 50-70%. And only so.
- Temper the baby from the very beginning of his life, walk, ventilate the nursery, do not wrap up the baby.
- Do not give folk remedies that contain allergenic components to boost immunity. If you are not sure whether there will be a reaction, give the initial dose, which is 3-5 times less than the prescribed dose. If no negative manifestations appear during the day, the remedy can be given.
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