Children’s Corner - Immune System
December 21, 2016 12:19 PM

Is your child getting sick a lot? Perhaps they are bringing home viruses from school. Or maybe your baby has a rash or eczema. Here are three supplements every child should be taking:

 

Fish Oil

Fish oil contains omega 3 fatty acids which are very anti-inflammatory. Fish oil is excellent for the brain development of your child as well as for that dry skin that tends to happen over the winter months.

 

Vitamin D

In North America, most of us are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D acts like a hormone and is involved in many different processes in the body. It’s important for calcium absorption and bone health, our immune system and mood. Low vitamin D has been associated with an increased risk of cancer and more recently plays a role in digestive health. Needless to say, vitamin D is something you don’t want to be deficient in. Children are often born with low vitamin D because their mom wasn’t supplementing with sufficient vitamin D during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I recommend 400IU of vitamin D a day until the baby is a year old. After that, 1000 IU of vitamin D a day is a good dose. Once your child is old enough to get blood work done, getting his or her vitamin D levels tested is important to monitor adequate intake. Note that if your baby is formula fed, they may already be getting sufficient vitamin D and do not need extra supplementation.

 

Probiotics

Probiotics are good bacteria that help digest our food properly. We have more bacteria in and on us than we do human cells! Most of our commensal bacteria is in our digestive tract. This flora helps us ward off infections and plays a crucial role in our mental health. When our gut flora becomes imbalanced due to antibiotic use, poor diet and stress, we are more susceptible to infection, mood swings and pain. Babies born via C-section, did not receive the vaginal flora of the mother to seed their gut and so are more at risk of developing eczema and asthma. Even if the baby was born vaginally, if the mother’s flora is not well balanced, the child will in turn not have a healthy digestive system. It’s always a good idea to supplement with a good quality probiotic for both mother and child.

 

If you're interested in good quality supplements for your kids, come in for a visit and I'll hook you up!