What "nutritional supplement" improves immune functions?

[davsand]

I am reluctant to use herbal stuff due to the possible impurities, however, my kid has had one cold after another since about December. She'll go a week or so then come up with another one. Poor little kid (she's almost 8) seems to be getting more than her share this year...

We do a daily vitamin (Flintstones because "they taste better") and we have talked about hand washing to no avail... I finally broke down and got her a selection of the foaming hand sanitizers from Bath and Bodyworks, and THAT hasn't helped.

Any suggestions, short of locking her in the house until spring has settled in?


Laura

[Digit]

1. I just use echinacea.

Of course, a child is MUCH different than an adult and you may want to check with a doctor or pharmacist or both.

For MYSELF, I just take two echinacea when I get that "taste" in the back of my throat or other symptoms of a cold. I then take one every 5-6 hours or for about 1 day.
As I told my doctor, it works like a dream on me...especially since I am a smoker.
Out of the past 4 years, this will be my third year without a cold.
I also wash my hands alot, and am careful not to touch my face after being in public when cold season is upon us.

Of course, a child is MUCH different than an adult and you should check with a doctor or pharmacist or both.
I also made sure it would not conflict with other medications I am taking.

[hvn_nbr_2]

5. Make sure you use the right kind of echinacea

First, as several others said, especially for a child, check with someone knowledgeable first, such as doctor, pharmacist, or other professional. Second, I am not a professional and don't even play one on TV. I know only what I've read, been told, or experienced anecdotally.

There are two kinds of echinacea generally used in herbal supplements, echinacea purpurea and echinacea angustifola. E. purpurea is the most commonly used, because it's cheaper and more available; however, e. angustifola is the one that actually works. I used echinacea for years and noticed for years that some brands seemed to work and others just didn't do anything. Then an old serious herbalist told me about the difference, I checked the labels, and sure enough the one that worked (and was more expensive) had e. angustifola.

<cynical mode on>Sometime within the last couple years a big clinical study came out declaring that echinacea is useless for colds. The way they rigged the study was to use e. purpurea, which apparently every serious herbalist knows does virtually nothing. <cynical mode off>

Herbal preparations often combine goldenseal with echinacea. Seems to work better that way.

There are some other herbal things you could try too: usnea, lomatium, St. Johns wort, osha. Some of them are reputed to be better for bacterial things and some for viral things, but I don't remember which is which. Those are likely to be in tinctures which may or may not contain alcohol, so be aware of that. Also they all taste bad; if you try them, tell your child to swallow quickly.

Someone else already mentioned astragulus. There's also cat's claw (una de gato, if you happen to have a Spanish/Mexican store nearby), which I've found to very effective for me. There are also some Chinese varieties of mushrooms but I don't know which are specifically for the immune system. I started this winter season getting a new cold every other week, but since I started taking a combination of Chinese mushrooms, I haven't had a cold in months even though everyone around me was getting them all the time.

One final thought: Have you definitely established that it's colds and not allergies? Some kinds of allergies can kick up in winter (molds or mildews that like cold, damp places, dust and dust mites and such that may be worse with all the windows closed all the time, etc.) If your child doesn't have a fever, it could be allergies.

[Eloriel]

18. BOTH echinaceas work --

I've used both, and in fact have most often used E. purpurea, and am perfectly happy with it.

What I would advise is making sure to get the root. I believe flowers and leaves are also effective, but IMO the "power" is concentrated in the root, which is not at all unusual for herbs.

I've used echinacea for well over 20 years.

I try to stay AWAY from the combos with goldenseal only because (1) goldenseal is overharvested and in danger now and (2) it's my understanding that you can get too much of it -- it collects in the liver, IIRC, and tends to stay there. It's a wonderful herb, but NOT for overuse. There are times I take it, but for very acute problems.

Echinacea is an immune system booster. You can take it every day (lay off one day a week or several days a month to keep your body from desensitizing to it), but other than that it's a very good herb for staying healthy. Echinacea is NOT for anyone with immune system disorders.

Other anti-microbials that I can think of include:

* colloidal silver
* (Essential) Oil of Oregano
* Olive Leaf
* Chapparal (not available anymore except in bulk)
* Grapefruit Seed Extract
* Pau d'Arco

I'm sure there are others that I either don't know about or am forgetting. Notice I am NOT providing any information on use for these, and that's because I'm not advising anyone to take them. If anyone wants to explore these or other remeides, they'll have to research them on their own.

I have personally used colloidal silver very successfully in the past to knock viral infections (common cold) in the head and stop them cold. However, I think I overdid it because now I have a reaction to large doses.

Two other classes of herbs are worth mentioning here. The whole body tonics (astagalus, cayenne, kelp, and many, many others) and blood purifiers (burdock, dandelion, many others). Then there are organ system-specific herbs (dandelion, burdock, milk thistle, hawthorne berry to name just a few) which can help purify and/or strengthen various organs.

The reason they're important is that it's fine to seek out alternative remedies to treat problems on an ad hoc basis (the way Western medicine tends to do it -- that is, kill the symptom, which is why Western Medicine is also called allopathy), but REAL herbalism and REAL alternative healing have a completely different paradigm. You may address and seek to alleviate symptoms, but you also address underlying weaknesses and problems and this can take weeks and months rather than just a few hours or days.

[DemExpat]

2. I take Astragalus root for immunity and bronchitis...

but not sure this would be a good pick for kids with colds.

I kinda "gave up" :-) when my kids were growing up trying to find the herb or supplement that would help them withstand colds...:-(
I kept up with the multi-vitamins, and boosted the fruit and veggies, but those years were an almost uninterrupted chain of cold after cold.

Now that they are in their early 20s, they seem to have much less trouble!

:hi:

DemEx

[davsand]

10. Kids GET more colds.

I know this, and I also realize that those colds are building her immune system up for the rest of her lifetime. I try not to obsess about it--her colds pass in about three days compared to the ones I get these days (those seem to last almost a week!) but I just keep wondering how some kids escape this and others seem to get EVERY bug that comes along. This year, it seems like she's had every bug that has come along.

I had a fascinating conversation with a guy I know who is a Doc, about this subject of kids and colds. He's of the opinion that all those colds serve a purpose and some colds are important for kids to get. He contends those colds do strengthen immune responses to certain types of virus, and potentially to some types of cancer mutations caused by virus.

Incidentally, he also told me something that really made me feel uncomfortable about this Chicken Pox vaccine they are using now. He asked me if I'd given it to Material Girl, and I told him that yes, Illinois "requires" it (He lives and practices in Texas.)

He says that having Chicken Pox as a kid helps somewhat to boost immunity to SMALLPOX. He's worried that these kids who are getting the vaccine for Chicken Pox will be even more susceptible to Smallpox than they might have otherwise been. As he explained it to me, the "poxes" are related and any of the childhood versions help with immunity later.

DemEx, I bet you are glad your kids are older--eh?

Thanks!



Laura

[Nancy Waterman]

3. Do you give you anything for the colds?

I mean regular drug store meds? Because these are suppressants, they tend to generally weaken the immune system.

I use Cold Calm, a homeopathic remedy by Boiron that you can get at most health food stores. Kids like homeopathic remedies because they taste good. Have her chew up a couple at the very first sign of the cold, taken on an empty mouth, half hour away from any food, before or after. Repeat every couple of hours for the first day or two and then a few times a day. Also get some Emergen C and mix it with juice. If you give her the Cold Calm at the very first sign (sore throat or what ever) and the C, you may be able to avert the cold altogether.

Oxyfresh makes a product called Stress Relief Plus. I pay them $30 or so a
year to be a distributor so I can get this product wholesale. I buy it by the case because it is cheaper still. I give it to the kids in either juice or a smoothie every day. It strenghtens the immune system and helps with focus and mental energy. I take it everyday as well. I see it as my health insurance policy for the future. Iti s a combination of various herbs.

[Digit]

17. I purchased some Cold Calm as Nancy advised in the above post.

It says it is fine for children and it tastes like those orange St Joseph's baby aspirin.
They disolve quickly under the tongue.
Thanks Nancy!

[tlcandie]

4. I use the two listed here .. which is combined all in one with yet another

Reischi... I believe is the spelling for immune building when feeling sick, tired, or before traveling, etc.

www.diamondorganics.com has some great supplements and pure if you are interested!

[Ilsa]

6. How about colostrum?

I think you can get capsules of stuff called Colostrum Gold or something from Kirkman laboratories. I don't know if that will help or not, but you could read about it on their site.

My kids take Nature's Plus / Source of Life / Animal Parade chewables.

[Desertrose]

7. Best & tastiest...Elderberry syrup...great immune system booster

In the herbal tradition of Europe, elderberry wine and syrup have long been used as a healthful drink, especially in preparation for cold winter season. Elderberries are rich in anthocyanins, a unique class of constituents known for their beneficial effect on cellular function, and particularly for their role in maintaining the integrity of capillary walls. Planetary Formulas elderberry syrup captures these unique compounds, uniting science and tradition to bring you this classic cordial to enhance your natural defenses. Made from Sambucus nigra. Suitable for vegetarians and hypoallergenic.

Ingredients:Elderberry Concentrate In A Base Of Honey, Water And Alcohol

also Quantum does a great Elderberry C-Syrup



Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra) may be used as a diaphoretic to break fevers, urinary complaints, edema, rheumatic complaints, colds & flu symptoms and muscle pain. Sambucus Nigra. Nutritional defense against cold and flu season. Rich in Proanthocyanidins.

Ingredients:
Echinacea (purpurea), elderberry (sambucus nigra), mullein (verbascum thapsus), peppermint oil (mentha x piperita), thyme oil (thymus vulgaris), eucalyptus oil (eucalyptus globulus) myrrh oil (commiphora molmol) vitamin c (ascorbic acid), alcohol 20%


I would also shop around for a different childs multiple....I know they have some natural really tasty ones out there. Check some sites on line :)

Good luck. I alwasy hated it when my kids got colds & flu. We were fortunate that it was seldom that they caught them.

Another thought...try some EmergenC packets. They are 500 & 1000mg packets that make a tasty fizzy drink.

[Gin]

8. Meditation............................and it's free..

g

[davsand]

9. Meditatin is a bit beyond Material Girl at this age.

At 7 (almost 8!) she isn't in one spot long enough to sit down let alone meditate for too long! :)

She hates going to bed at night fearing she'll miss something--ANYTHING...

I do find that meditation works wonders for me, however.


Laura

[BuddhaGirl]

11. "Wellness Herbal Kids" by Source Naturals works very well

you can get it in a vitamin or natural health store. It contains echinacea, eldeberry and yin chiao.

My eight year old niece takes this (she is prone to frequent colds) and it has worked very well for her.

[LWolf]

12. Thanks for all the resources suggested here.

This is the worst winter for colds and flu I've ever seen; the kids in my class have gone through two rounds of serious (out a week or more) illness, and several now have strep throat. I have a cold myself. My immune system is strong; whatever they get, I usually don't get at all or get a mild, brief version. This is the 2nd cold I've had this winter.

I'm on my way north to take care of my mom & grandson, after mom's emergency surgery. Both of them have been sick off and on all winter; flus have been bouncing back and forth between them. I'm taking some immune builders!

[LiberalEsto]

14. Hydrogen peroxide

is cheap and effective.

Gargle with a mix of 1/3 peroxide to 2/3 warm water at the first sign of a cold. Also dip cotton swabs in this and use to clean your ears and your nostrils. I used to get a lot of colds. Since I started doing this, I've managed to keep numerous sore throats from turning into full fledged colds.

[tjdee]

13. Same problem as you--Flinstones with extra C help...and Rooibos tea?

My kid is sick all the time lately, and not only do I freak out every time she gets a cold (she has had both pneumonia and bronchitis this season), but I'm a single parent and freak about having to miss work.

Anyway, I find that the Flintstones with extra vitamin C do a pretty good job...each time she's gotten really sick she has missed her vitamins for a few days (because we're out of them or whatever).

I've been giving her Echinacea tea--as much as she'll drink, anyway--I'm going to start giving her Rooibos tea today. Just found out about Rooibos yesterday, LOL, not sure if it's an immunity tea but it seems amazing besides that. It is safe for children, even babies, as it's actually given to babies to cure colic. I just had some, nice taste even without sugar.

[Cleita]

15. I've had good results with echinacea.

I wouldn't know what to give a child though. I always take 1,000 or more mgs. a day for three weeks to knock out whatever bug gets me.

[davsand]

16. Thank you EVERYONE for the ideas!

I've decided to just lock my kid in the basement until it is full fledged summer--I figure THAT should keep her from getting any more colds this year. :)

Actually, I'm gonna give a few of these ideas a try. It can't hurt and might help! I spotted some supplements at the store the other day that are a Vitamin C and Echinacea combo that might be palatable to her. I dunno if you guys have the same problems I do with my kid, but if it tastes bad to her it ian't going in that mouth more than one time...

Peace all!


Laura