10 Back To School Tips To Support The Immune System
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Oh, the fun! Well some of it.
The end of summer…. is not my favorite time. Most look forward to sweaters, pumpkin spice, and leaves changing color. Oh, and a break from the heat. Well, I'm not that gal, so add the craziness of back-to-school shopping, planning, and, oh, high school fall sports (this is a level of its craziness) then I'm ready to go on vacation again! Alas, I can not, and now I need to keep my tiny humans healthy (well, not that tiny anymore).
I love helping other families be healthy and why I wrote this blog. I often hear one of the comments: "I hate it when one person gets something because now it goes around to everyone and our whole family is out for weeks." What if I told you it doesn't have to be that way? Or the common preschooler gets 6-12 colds a year! But maybe you can reduce that or make it so they don't have horrible symptoms that last for weeks. It is entirely possible when following these steps below. Why do I know that? Over six years of education, research, practicing them in my household, and helping others do the same. Even when a close friend's husband was battling cancer, he could stay well when they got sick so at least both parents weren’t out for the count. Let’s get started!
Sleep- I know easy one or say easier said than done. Especially if you have a toddler, baby, or teen! They all don't like to sleep. However, we lower our immune systems when we don't get enough sleep. Our body cannot fight things off as well, and if we are constantly exposed and getting no sleep, we are increasing our likelihood of catching it and showing symptoms.
The American Academy of Sleep recommend for optimal health:
Infants* 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Nutrition- My 17-year-old recently decided he would buy a lot of mountain dews and chips at work (found evident on his floor in his bedroom) and refuse most of my veggies/fruits I purchased and his multi-vitamin (he has sensory issues, so decreasing healthy food is not uncommon for him, so he needs a multi-vitamin). He got to experience being sick right before school started. If our bodies are not getting daily doses of vitamin c, zinc, iron, probiotic foods, DHA/EPA, and nutrients called phytonutrients, we are setting it up for sickness galore. Then if adding a lot of processed foods, caffeine and sugar we increase the risk even more. I highly encourage a variety of foods for our kid's diet (check out my blog post on tips below) and a quality kids multi-vitamin (especially with c, zinc, and DHA). Check out my link below with my favorite one for the little ones. Currently, there is no recommendation for a general multi for children. This is just what I saw help my family. However, if you have very selective eaters, special diet or a child who has had anemia then may be beneficial. Teens, especially females can be low in iron and monitoring this and including more iron rich foods and possible muti-vitamin may be needed. Meal planning helps us have more variety and nutrition in our home as well! If you are stuck on what and how to do this and need help, check out a recent course I did with Aubrey Poremba @AHelpingofHealth to help your school year start organized, healthier, and less stressed!
3. Exercise- Did you know exercise helps our bodies make more antibodies against a disease pathogen it may be fighting? Or that during exercise, it can lower the immune system but afterward, within hours, our immune system is more robust than before we exercise. I live by the rule "unless I have a fever, am in a lot of pain, or am vomiting, I exercise." I've felt a tickle in my throat and went for a walk or light run, and it was gone afterward! Now it might be a combination of the above, but still, I notice a difference, and the research behind it doesn't lie. Kids need to move and so do parents. Kids should get 1 hour of play (exercise) at least a day and adults at least 150 min of moderate-strenuous exercise a week. Below is official recommendations for specific ages.
Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines:
Infants need multiple times on the floor playing throughout the day.
Toddlers need at least 180 minutes in activities that develop gross motor skills such as walking, unstructured free play and playing on a playground a day.
Children ages 3-5 at least 180 minutes of physical activity throughout the day (approximately 15 minutes of every hour while awake).
Children 6-17 years old need to engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, including vigorous-intensity, muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week.
4. Sunshine- this goes into exercise/play! Get outside. Our bodies need vitamin D. We Need the probiotics in the dirt the kids touch (or eat), which will help our immune systems stay strong… another thing my 17-year-old was not doing enough of when he got sick. If we are in the northern hemisphere, there is another good chance we have lower vitamin levels and checking them may be beneficial to rule out if that is why someone is constantly getting sick.
5. Decrease caffeine- now, I hope your preschooler isn't getting any of that, but if you have teens or you are exhausted, then there is a good chance you are getting caffeine. 73% of children any given day consumes caffeine. Did you know large amounts of caffeine has been shown to decrease immune cells? AKA immune system. some research does show anti-inflammatory responses with caffeine but this is with normal human consumption. Do not go over 400 mg as an adult, pregnancy up to 200 mg have shown safe (unless high risk pregnancy or doctor said to cut back) and children should not have more 100 mg.
6. Plants- there are some pretty cool things in nature, and besides our food sources of vitamins and minerals, there are plants that have been shown to help our immune systems. At an FNCE conference, one doctor from the NIH and her practice shared her favorite for women and kids. She preferred ashwaganda, elderberry, echinacea, vitamin c, and taught me about a plant I hadn’t heard of, Pelargonium sidoides (Umcka for short). Since then I've been more of a believer the impact of plants can have for our health. Although research is needed much more in this area on its impact on overall immune system, they may be some benefit from using them and we’ve seen it. The link is below to my first favorite umckacare (and there is one for kids) for when someone is showing symptoms. Then my other must-haves in the home are filled with immune boosting, supporting, and defending plants (some minerals too) which include elderberry, echinacea, zinc, ginseng, beta-glucan, and reishi mushroom.
7. Lower Stress- This is for you and your kids. These things drive sickness, including cancer. Ashwagandha is a great plant that highlights one of my other blog posts (Stress Relief) but also talks about other stress-reducing tips. Getting sleep, nutrition, and sunshine will help lower inflammation that is caused by stress. Which we talk about next.
8. Lower Inflammation- Our immune systems are supposed to have some inflammation for killing those unwanted pathogens, however, there is a balance. When our bodies are inflamed chronically it can lower our immune system and cause damage to organs. This can happen in autoimmune conditions where our bodies immune systems aren’t in check. Lower stress, high anti-oxident diet, low intensity exercise and certain spices like turmeric can lower inflammation. Here is one of my favorite ones I use.
Make sure it has black pepper because this helps the turmeric be more bio-available, upwards to 2000% more! Therefore more effective.
9. Hydrate-According to my husband I have to say that because I’m a dietitian, ok, I’ll say it again. Hydrate! Our bodies need water to function best and this includes the immune system. As adults we need 8 glasses/female or 10 glasses/male or at least half our body weight in oz. One of the many reasons kids end up in the hospital is due to dehydration from vominting, fever or diarrhea. If we can keep our kids hydrated we can keep them healthier and hopefully less medical bills. One of the reasons why is because if we become deficient in magnesium (an electrolyte) we end up in a vicious cycle because that will cause vomiting and nausea as well. I don’t know how many times I’ve given someone my hydration drink and they can feel a very real difference. Even in pregnancies. Its because we are replenishing water and electrolytes. So keep water going but if sick or exercising increase electrolytes (either in hydration drink (my favorite attached) or in electrolyte rich foods). A separate blog post with recipes will come soon. Here is recommendations below.
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
4 to 8 years Girls and Boys- 5 cups
9 to 13 years Girls- 7 cups
9-13 years Boys- 8 cups
14 to 18 years Girls- 8 cups
14-18 years Boys- 11 cups
10. Laugh- Last but not least, laugh! This will help reduce stress (help immune system) and actually help increase immune fighting cells! If this is very difficult to do I highly suggest a counselor. As well as some funny memes, videos, and books. Or just find a friend that is funny and hang around them. It will be good for the soul too.
Those are the most essential tips we implement in my home or see others do, and we are healthier. Less sickness, and if we get sick, it doesn't spread much or get over quickly. We rarely have to do antibiotics. I purposely did not go into gut health. Why? Besides the quick mention about being outdoors that needs a blog post all on its own. However, it is a very important immune topic and I’d say probably number one. I firmly believe that when we support our bodies daily with the things above, we do not get sick often, but we can do better when we get sick. As a dietitian and personal trainer, nutrition and exercise are always at the top of my list for being well, including our immune systems. Please help support your health and your families by making consistent choices to be healthy. If you have any questions about getting healthier and less sick or your family I’d love to help!
*Before trying new supplements or lifestyle changes, please consult your doctor or pharmacist. If on any medication there is a risk of interactions with some supplements, please consult with your doctor or pharmacist. This blog post is for education and resources and is not meant to treat disease. If you choose to use any above tips for other than educational purposes, you do at your own risk and liability. Again, consult a physician or pharmacist if making changes or on any medication before using tips.
*I believe in being upfront and transparent. I am a distributor for the links above and make a small profit with any purchase. You can choose to purchase or not. My purpose is to educate and give you the resources if you want to buy. Most of these combinations of immune support plants you can not find on the market. You have a money-back guarantee with them (most supplements don't) like these in the link, but only if purchased through a distributor (Shaklee link). My overall goal is for you to learn what helps your family be less sick
Sources:
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