Anonymous wrote:I am so sorry you and your family are going through this. I remember one year when my kids were in preschool that it seemed they were sick the whole year long. We were fortunate that they didn’t have the digestive issues, but there were multiple bouts of colds, croup, strep, etc., and my youngest even had pneumonia around the time she turned three. It broke my heart watching them suffer, I would have much preferred being sick myself if it would have spared them. By the end of the school year I was practically pouring fruit juice down them and serving as many fruits as possible for vitamin C. I don’t know that the juice had any effect, but whether the passing of time brought about a natural end to the various viruses circulating, my kids’ immunity had improved, or various unknown factors contributed, we eventually made it through that year, and the following years were better.
I have absolutely NO medical qualifications or expertise. Strictly speaking as a mother with anecdotal experience, these are things I might do for my kids in the hopes they might help a little and probably wouldn’t hurt. They’re essentially old wives tales from an old wife.
I’d offer lots of fruits and fruit juices, along with whatever vegetables the child would eat, in the hopes that the Vitamin C would help their immune systems.
I’d have them eat as many probiotic foods as possible, including:
yogurt
yogurt smoothies
kefir
and if the kid will eat it:
fresh sauerkraut (from the refrigerated section - I like Trader Joe’s), but this may be a tough sell because of it’s sour taste and vegetable content.
fresh kimchi (from the refrigerated section), which may be an even harder sell than sauerkraut, because it has similar properties, but is also spicy. I don’t even eat it, myself, because it’s too spicy for me.
At the first sign of a sore throat, I’d have my kid gargle warm salt water.
Again, I don’t know that these practices would be any help at all. In my ignorance, I don’t think they would hurt anything, but you should address any concerns with a doctor.
Good luck to you and your family. I hope that he gets well soon (and stays well).
You mean well, but fruit juice is just sugar, PP. Give them a kid supplement or ply them with mandarins and oranges in fall and winter. The Smarty Pants brand of supplements is third party certified.