Comments on: Fact or Fiction? “Building” Your Child’s Immunity Through Illness

By: JoDee

JoDee — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:38:41 +0000

My site is not up and running yet but will be in a week or so. I found this blog very intriguing and do agree with it. However, I do have a little bit of a different view or ways to help our children, I guess.

My first child was sick almost since birth with one thing or another. The pediatrician kept putting her on antibiotic one after another. She would just get off one, a week later get a runny nose then turn into something more severe. Finally, when she was three years old, I just couldn’t stand it anymore. The doctor bills were just crazy and I finally realized, her immunity was so low, that no matter what she caught, it always went into something more severe. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands.

I started researching vitamins and building your immunity through vitamins. To make along story short, I started her on vitamins and my daughter does not go to the doctor anymore except for vaccines and annual visits! My second daughter has been very healthy since birth and I definately believe it is due to the vitamins they take daily. If you are interested, I also blog this on
http://buildinghealthykids.blogspot.com/.

By: Jennie M

Jennie M — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:31:14 +0000

I certainly did not want to suggest that we should closet our children or make anyone feel bad about going to daycare. Kids get colds. It’s a part of life! They can get colds if they go to daycare or even if stay home most of the time — in our house right now, we all have a pretty nasty rhinovirus right now that we caught from the nanny who comes only twice a week. There are certain things we can do to try and prevent the spread of infection, but we’re humans and we touch each other, spreading both infection — and love.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:50:19 +0000

it has been so helpful to read this blog. I have a 4 month old who was just hospitalized over Christmas with RSV that turned to Pnemonia. I have been Soo guilt-ridden b/c she attends daycare and I feel like I caused this!! This is my first, so I’ve been your typical new mommy, but it seems like she just keeps catching another virus. I can’t keep her 100% for very long! I really would love to believe it will all stop and she’ll “build her immunity”.

By: Me

Me — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:33:36 +0000

very interesting, i always wondered about that.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:46:57 +0000

Just an added point on breast feeding. The immunity it offers is localized. That is, mainly for gastro-intestinal things. It’s not going to help with colds though there’s some evidence to show that bf babies have fewer ear infections.

By: Philb

Philb — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:22:45 +0000

Wow, I’ve held the “Hygiene Hypothesis” for years but didn’t realize it’d been suggested or studied at all seriously.
For myself I grew up on a farm walking around and in sheep pens, bales of hay, and the like, and I’ve never experienced anything like the allergy symptoms that friends report.

My own personal take on stuff of this sort is more along the lines of the parent(s) being able to relax a little. I agree with Dr. Chuck that deliberately exposing kids to an illness just doesn’t sound right. On the other hand, fear of a kid getting germs shouldn’t prevent them going to the playground and park either.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:13:39 +0000

Dr. Chuck, thanks for reading and commenting! Your input is encouraged. I hope you continue to visit us.

By: Dr. Chuck

Dr. Chuck — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:30:21 +0000

I’m not sure if physician input is encouraged in this blog, but I wanted to complement you on a well written entry. I, too, have seen the study mentioned by Kate, above, citing a decrease in absenteeism in early elementary school among those who attended daycare. I often mention the study to parents who are guilt-ridden about their child’s frequent daycare-related illnesses. The problem is that older children often handle colds better and are less likely to develop ear infections. Daycare is often a necessity for parents, however, and the benefits to the family of having two working parents must be weighed against the risks of more frequent colds.

The theory Chanson mentioned is called the “Hygiene Hypothesis” and has some support in the literature. It is controversial, however. Even if true, one has to decide whether allergies and asthma or frequent viral and bacterial infections are the lesser of two evils. I would never recommend intentionally exposing your children to a “wild” illness (as opposed to a “weakened ” virus in a live vaccine) with the goal of stimulating their immune system. The second child in a household exposed to chicken pox, for instance, often develops more severe disease and is at increased risk of complications such as cellulitis and pneumonia.

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:45:58 +0000

Thanks for writing about this so well, Jennie! I admit that I am the one who parroted the old claim about colds building immunity. I heard it from my husband, who heard it from his sister…. I was trying to reassure Jennie after that YMCA incident.

So I’m glad to know the degree of truth involved in this claim. So much of the time we hear these claims and accept them, but we don’t know the science behind them. This post is to me the essence of why Jessie and I started this blog, so kudos!

Meanwhile, we are dealing with an attack of croup over hear at my place. I’m afraid this is also a daycare related event. I may do a post about croup, just for the heck of it.

By: chanson

chanson — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:11:24 +0000

People also claim that the reason allergies are on the rise in industrialized nations is because our environment is relatively sterile. Do you know if there’s any evidence to back that claim, or if it’s just a question of making guesses based on correlations?