Understanding Your Child’s Immune System

The immune system is such an incredible powerhouse there should honestly be a superhero solely dedicated to it.

And instead of directing focus on why many children have problems with their immune system (and we will touch base on this), let’s focus on how we can strengthen your child’s immune system instead.

Unfortunately, we can’t have our children walking around in a protective bubble to shield them from every bacteria, virus, fungus and parasite known to man. Germs are a part of daily life and actually being exposed to them (at times) is not such a bad thing as this can enhance a child’s immune system. Even picking up those darn childhood diseases like mumps, measles, rubella and chicken pox can give your child a lifetime of protection against these diseases (pathwaystofamilywellness).

So what can we do to help make sure their immune system is strong to start with and then maintain it and build upon the strong foundation? Prevention.

Prevention is one way to avoid subjecting your child to repeat cycles of antibiotics and/or other medications. Effective ways of doing this include breastfeeding, good nutrition, nutritional supplements, a healthy state mentally and emotionally, a nontoxic environment, chiropractic, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics (which can build a tolerance over time) and vaccines, low stress and of course much rest and exercise (pathwaystofamilywellness).

Many children in today’s world actually have an immune system that is overactive. It is chronically stimulated, and as a result it is no longer able to create a proportionate response. The immune system becomes like a bull in a china shop, attacking everything (including healthy tissue). This is when an autoimmune disease may sprout its ugly head.

There are many reasons why this happens. One of the most commonly overlooked reasons is that the nervous system is no longer properly controlling the immune system. Without the proper guidance from the brain, the immune system does not know how to have a healthy response.

This means that their nervous system is constantly on edge. As a result of this, the body is focused more on immediate survival. Digestion, proper hormone production, development, and the immune system become a distant afterthought to a nervous system that is in sympathetic mode.

The children who undergo our program often have one major thing in common: when we can restore a normal, healthy balance to the nervous system, the immune system improves.

When the immune system becomes balanced, many of the hyper-allergic responses that the child has been suffering with go away. This leads to healthier, happier kids, who get sick a whole lot less.

The Digestion Connection
Another system that is intimately related to the nervous system is the digestive system. Children who have problems with their digestive systems are much more likely to have problems with their immune systems.

One of the most important steps to healing the digestive system is to remove offensive foods that trigger a negative immune response and cause leaky gut syndrome.

The GAPS diet and Specific Carb Diet are two fantastic diets to help heal leaky gut syndrome. Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia by Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride is a great book on this topic and outlines the diet that can significantly help the digestive, immune and nervous systems.

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