Reducing the risk of allergies for your child
Allergies tend to dominate the children’s playground these days. With more than just asthma on the scene, parents and teachers are heavily overloaded with the responsibilities that come with being ‘on the scene’ at the time of an attack.
Asthma, Glucose intolerance, Anaphylactic seizures, Diabetes, eczema are just a few of the aliments common to today’s child.
Why are these more common now than
they were before?
It is possible that these illnesses and others did always exist but were previously undiagnosed due to lack of knowledge but there certainly were not so many documented cases in the school records as there are today. Whatever the case, they exist in today’s school environment to staggering proportions leaving school staff in a position that renders them accountable for taking the necessary precautions and administering accurate procedures in the case of an emergency.
There could be many reasons why children are suffering more and more with these problems, some suggestions on the causes are, an unbalanced diet, too many processed food products, too many artificial hormones and additives in our raw foods, a less active body, children not being breast-fed, living in an atmosphere where the air contains pollutants that can harm our respiratory system.
What can be done to lessen the risk of your child developing such alergies?
Although nothing is fool proof in life, there are some things you can do to reduce the risk of your child growing up with these problems that most certainly restrict their childhood enjoyment.
A breastfed baby
A breastfed baby has an enormous advantage as far as building their immune system. Also with breast milk there is no thick gluginess in the baby’s intake that can convert into a phlegm-producing agent when the baby has a slight cold.
This is one of the most regular sicknesses for infants that develops into bronchitis and then further into Pneumonia. This is a more serious situation that one may first think. When a baby develops bronchitis during infancy, a change takes place in the respiratory system making it possible for them to contract the same illness repeatedly throughout childhood. It is quite normal for this situation to turn into asthma as the child grows, which is a condition that usually has to be dealt with for life.
“Over the past two decades researchers have analysed the complex constitution of breast milk. And scientists say it is the perfect food for infants. Breast milk has water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals in just the right amounts for baby. It has been well documented that breast milk protects baby from infectious and chronic diseases and may provide some protection against allergies, asthma and eczema.”
Source: ‘Allergy New Zealand’ website: http://www.allergy.org.nz/shop/allergy+today+magazine/articles/allergy+prevention:
+eating+carefully+for+two.html
Dust
Keeping your child’s bedroom free from dust is important as the tiny particles can enter into their system and create irritations and reactions immediately. These irritations usually begin in the nasal passage and will result in a runny nose. Left unattended the mucus will thicken, it will also move further down into the respiratory system and create more serious problems such as those in the previous section.
With any sign of your baby having a running nose, your first line of attack is to clear the nose. You can purchase nasal cleaning solutions and systems from your regular pharmacy. These are inexpensive and highly effective in reducing the risk of the early symptoms developing into more serious cases. The solution used to clear the baby’s nose is a safe water solution, usually sea water or a saline solution. They are easy to use and come in various application forms.
One type is small plastic amboula which you break the top off and squeeze up your baby’s nose. This moistens and loosens the mucus, as you let go of the amboula, the suction sucks back the wet substance in your baby’s nose and drags it out effectively clearing the nose. You would use these five times a day until the nose is clear.
Another form of application is a rubber bulb on the end of a dropper. This allows you to apply the water solution in a similar fashion to that described above. You will find different applications according to the country in which you are living but essentially they all do the same job.
Eat your Vegetables – and your fish!
Eating vegetables and fish regularly has been attributed to having a positive effect on allergy sufferers. Furthermore tests have shown fish to be beneficial in an unborn baby avoiding the onset of allergies when their mother has eaten it during her later months of pregnancy.
Please see related article: Click here.
Start from the start
Usually we are not aware of an allergy that our child may have until they actually have a reaction like a seizure or a rash of some sort. Therefore the most effective solution to protecting our children from the likelihood of developing an allergy in the first place would be to help them to create a good physical and chemical balance from when they are born. One way is through breastfeeding as discussed earlier and another is through avoiding medication as much as possible during the baby’s first year.
By using medications you do not allow the immune system to develop by fighting germs on a small scale. By allowing your baby’s system to fight the germs on its own, it is encouraged to build the immune system up and be able to fight more serious infections or germs alien to the body in a balanced way. Many allergies are simply an over-reaction by the body in attempting to ward off alien chemistry.
Anyone who has more information of the causes of allergies please write to:
info@positive-family-initiative.com
so that we can continue to provide relevant information to parents.
We would love to hear from you.
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