10 Natural Ways to Boost your Child’s Immunity

Reopening Schools Amidst COVID and Supporting our Children’s Immunity
A Parent Handout
By Catherine Carleton-Fitchett, R.Ac, ROHP

Reopening schools this fall is the next major stage in trying to return to a new normal amidst COVID. Some provinces are implementing mandatory in-class attendance as in Quebec, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, while Ontario and British Columbia will run both full-time remote learning and classroom options. Guidelines vary with some class sizes reduced and a mix of online and in class lessons. You must decide whether to send your children back to school or continue online learning. Your choice is charged with concerns over the health and safety of your children and the balancing of work demands. Regardless of which education format you choose, you can support your child’s immunity in a number of natural ways.

These recommendations for boosting your child’s immunity can be a challenge to implement but worth the effort. Do your best with them and try not to get discouraged as even making small changes in these areas can make a huge difference in your child’s well-being.

1. Diet – Aim for healthy, nutrient dense foods for a healthy immune system. Serve more fresh fruit and vegetables (preferably organic), whole grains, free-range eggs and antibiotic/ hormone–free meats. Serve less processed, packaged, prepared lunchables, TV dinners and limit eating out at fast food restaurants.

2. Sleep – Set a consistent early bedtime to help regulate sleep, support the 24 hour natural body rhythm and enhance immune function. Remember to turn off the lights, cell phones, TVs, computer games, and other devices that suppress the body’s natural melatonin hormone that regulates sleep. Kids that don’t get enough sleep are more apt to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a cold or flu virus.

3. Exercise – Promote family exercise fun together. Physical activity is important to overall health and helps maintain a healthy weight and immune system.

4. Probiotics – Give your child a good, age appropriate probiotic. Probiotics maintain or re-establish normal bacterial flora in the digestive tract supporting immune health.

5. Supplements – You know it’s important to feed your child healthy foods but that is not always what ends up on their plates. Consult your ROHP/RNCP Nutritional Practitioner and consider adding the following supplements to their diet: Multivitamin, Vit C, Vit D, Zinc, DHA, Calcium/Magnesium etc.

6. Fresh Air & Sunshine (Vit D) – Ensure your child gets enough time outdoors to breath in fresh air and to absorb the sun’s rays to get their Vit D. Boosting oxygen levels is good for cognitive and immune function. Vit D builds stronger bones and teeth and also helps regulate the immune system.

7. Drink plenty of Water – Get your child drinking good quality spring or filtered water while avoiding chlorinated and polluted tap water. Water is needed for every cell, tissue and organ to work properly. Lack of water will make your child feel tired and drained of energy. Water Intake: Aim to have your child drink half their body weight in ounces.

8. Keep sugar to a minimum – Sugar suppresses the immune system and leaves your child more susceptible to infections. *75 to 100 grams of sugar (contained in two average sodas) can hinder the ability of white blood cells for up to 5 hours causing white blood cells to be 40% less effective at killing germs.

9. Do not use antibiotics for viruses – Antibiotics do not work on viruses. Antibiotic over prescribing damages your child’s good gut flora that is vital to immune function. Instead work with Vit C and other supportive immune supplements.

10. Avoid undue exposure to electromagnetics – Distance is key to avoiding the negative health implications to EMFs, be mindful of the time children spend on cell phones, computers, and game systems.

Resources:
1. Pediatric Health Practice & Protocols July-Aug 2016
2. A Practical Resource for Naturopathic & Integrative Practice VOl 1 No. 1
3. Dealing with colds and flus, Cecilia Ho, ND
4. The Danger of Antibiotic Overuse, Kate Cornan, MD
5. Lack of sleep can make you sick, Eric J. Olson, M.D
6. EMF Science, Nick Pineault