I have this theory that we all have a weaker system. For me, it was always ear-nose-throat, but I think for my dd, it is her lungs. She's allergic to peanut, cat fur, and cat dander and shows a very high reactivity number (IgE number), suggesting that she's going to keep developing sensitivities. She's had pneumonia twice in the past 8 weeks and has really wet coughs with fever at least once a month. We do air purifier and humidifier.

I want to strengthen her immune system - especially her respiratory system. Anyone have experience with this in toddlers?

I complained to her ped that I did all the "right" things to prevent this, but that it feels as if the nursing was for nothing. He said it is good that we nursed (and continue to nurse) because "it could have been worse." Not much consolation when your poor little bug just sounds miserable.

anyway, TIA

I hear you mama. There is nothing worse than feeling helpless when your babe seems to need you the most. But really, giving her sensitivities you are doing a wonderful job. It seems like it has been a constant battle for you. But your babe will thank you for all this care and love.

As for how to strengthen her immune system, I really can't help you much here. Do you add any essential oils to the humidifier? You may want to try asking Ian (mikifrog) for advice. He has a wealth of of knowledge. Good luck mama and have faith in your abilities to do the best for your angel.

Deb

bumping because i am interested in any info for my neice who is about the same age

I'm interested in reading responses to this...except mine isn't a toddler. He's 5 and on steroids yet again (3rd time since November, second time in 3 weeks), he's on singulair, pulmocort and albuterol..sigh..........

When my eldest (she is 13 now) was a baby, she was sick constantly. She even went to Sick Kid's Hospital etc. The only thing they could suggest was to remove her adnoids, tonsils, and then put tubes in her ears.

We refused. We got a lot of flack over that one at first! (But that is a different story).

She had just turned two at this point. We were living in Labrador at the time. We flew to Ontario and took her to a homeopathic dr., whom we really trusted. With his guidance, we put her on daily supplements of echinacea, and and about three other items. We then elimiated all corn, wheat, dairy, and tomato products.

Within three days she was well. We were very strict about her diet. In the meantime we also had to watch her routine to ensure she got enough sleep etc. We had her tested for allergies and found out she was very allergic to mold. We still had to be careful but we were able to avoid antibiotics until she was 6.

Now that she is 13, she has out grown most of her sensitivities. She still has to be careful about dairy products, but doesn't have to watch her diet otherwise, except to ensure it is a good one. She can't handle some of the environments that others can, and doesn't do well on a lack of sleep.

I am only sharing my experience in case it helps. I know that homeopathic remedies don't always do enough. Perhaps you have already tried the elimination diet or your 20 month old's diet is already restricted due to age.

I can't emphasize enough how sick my baby was then and how much flack I got from people for doing what we did. But our baby flourished as a result of our decisions and that is all that counts.

Good luck!

Jeni

My son Liam was on all the meds you described. They kept telling me it was just a virus then all of a sudden it was full blown bronchial asthma. Today he is on nothing. I cut down on his milk consumption, he is no longer in daycare, and pretty much had to make sure that no one sick came to the house, every little thing set it off.
It took a few months to build up his immune system again, he doesn't eat animal products much so I think that helps. So far no wheeze or rattle but I am waiting to see what the change of weather brings.
Aggie

I agree with the food allergy suggestions. They are finding that many cases of asthma and respiratory infections are food allergies/intolerance (I say intolerances because some do not show on allergy tests). Both my girls have respiratory reactions to dairy. I was nearly hospitalized for pneuomonia at age of 5. Turns out it was a dairy allergy. Once they removed dairy, all my symptoms that I had had for my life disappeared. I still do not tolerate it well.

I would get a well researched book (not sure which one) on food allergies and/or asthma and read up on it. Search the internet for current information. Most doctors are not knowledgeable in food allergies, even allergists. Most dismiss the symptoms as viruses, etc.

Also, with running a humidifier, be sure there is not a mold issue in it or the room. The humidifier might be making it worse.

HTH

T. doesn't like dairy...he doesn't drink milk, dislikes cheese/yogurt. SO...In his case, I don't think it's the dairy. Although, it could be *casein* or *whey* that is affecting him.

I suppose it's possible to have other food *intolerances* that I'm not aware of.

Wheat is supposedly the second most common allergen behind dairy. I always thought it was soy. For some reason, you just hear more about soy. Maybe because so many use it as a replacement for dairy. But here are teh common allergens in no order:

dairy
wheat
corn
soy
yeast
egg
peanut
tree nuts
food dyes

All can produce a variety of symptoms from upset stomach, hives, runny nose, wheezing, shock, etc. No one thing effects anyone the same. Also, sometimes the child will dislike a particular food a lot or may crave it a lot and be intolerant of it. And symptoms may change. I no longer have respiratory symptoms to dairy. I have joint pain, diarrhea, cravings. My oldest had stomach symptoms to dairy as a baby. Now hers are respiratory.

Also, dairy is in most processed foods. It can be listed as a spice, flavoring or caramel color. Wheat is disguised under those same terms as well along with terms like starch, thickener, etc.

This is not quite what we do....
I'm interested in what someone can do. DS2 developed pneumonia when he was two months old. His lungs still seem to be his weak spot.

Sinus Survival is a book at the library that has all sorts of information, in a well- organized form.

Clean air inside: eliminate carpets, indoor pets, mold, mold in corners, vinyl blinds, "furry" furniture. Blow out the air vents, bleach out your humidifier.

Contemplate eliminating plywood, pressboard, and things like that. Contemplate getting slipcovers, so you can wash and bleach them monthly (weekly, if need be) White cotton canvas holds up well.

Make people take their shoes off to enter your house. Utne Reader has an article this month, on that subject. It keeps outside dirt, outside- incluing pesticides, and mold.


Infant massage, especially tummy, back and chest. And sinuses. I know my two month old was having sinus headaches. He looked like a cat: my thumb could cover the whole center of his forehead.

Increase potassium and magnesium: it makes it easier for her body to move sodium and calcium, which contribute to the "stickiness."

Blueberries, and cranberries, if you are brave. Even cooked, they decrease bacterial stickiness, which decreases bacteria "sticking around."

Sunshine, every day, outside, It was the treatment of choice for TB, before penicillin, and it does seem to make lungs happy. Bare bodied, as much as the weather permits.

Bicycling her arms and legs, or getting her to run, if she runs. Yoga, or moving her into yoga stretches. I've heard it moves lymph around. No clue, but my kids like it.

Ari

Thanks to all who have posted on this. I feel that I'm pretty good at detecting what is going on with my child - for instance, I never, in a million years would have thought she would be allergic to cats since both my dh and I come from exceedingly long lines of cat people, but I just *knew*. There have been times where I didn't think her symptoms were that bad, but had a gut feeling and turned out to be right and there were other times where her symptoms were more dramatic, but I knew she was okay. That said, I *know* it isn't an issue with dairy. Truth be told, I don't drink dairy and most of her dairy is me. But, I know it isn't that.

Originally posted by Ariadne Umbrell
Clean air inside: eliminate carpets, indoor pets, mold, mold in corners, vinyl blinds, "furry" furniture. Blow out the air vents, bleach out your humidifier.

Contemplate eliminating plywood, pressboard, and things like that. Contemplate getting slipcovers, so you can wash and bleach them monthly (weekly, if need be) White cotton canvas holds up well.

Make people take their shoes off to enter your house. Utne Reader has an article this month, on that subject. It keeps outside dirt, outside- incluing pesticides, and mold.

Blueberries, and cranberries, if you are brave. Even cooked, they decrease bacterial stickiness, which decreases bacteria "sticking around."

Sunshine, every day, outside, It was the treatment of choice for TB, before penicillin, and it does seem to make lungs happy. Bare bodied, as much as the weather permits.

Definitely going to do all of this. We have a new home with new carpeting we bought just before she was born. We already have plans to get rid of all carpeting within five years and move to all hardwood. I need to bleach her humidifier. And, interestingly enough, our weather has recently gotten better and I've felt moved to get her outdoors as much as possible.

Thank you all.

I love the pictures of you guys, btw

Originally posted by Ariadne Umbrell
I love the pictures of you guys, btw

Thanks, I was just thinking how much I really need to change it since it is nearly a year old. Don't think the current nursing pics would be as sweet since she's usually attempting some sort of acrobatics.

Both my kids have "weak" lung spots at least according to pure genetics. Jake has major sinus issues.

Ari, your list is great -- just put that book on hold. Lots of stuff we can add to our list, some that we already do.

Here's what we did in the past year that made a difference. (Last winter Jake was on abx 6 times for sinus infections, this winter - nothing.)

Clean air inside: eliminate carpets, mold. (Haven't gotten rid of our dog, and our old A/C unit is likely filthy as are the air vents, I'm sure. But we run an air purifier in the bedroom where J sleeps and keep things CLEAN.)

I have to say eliminating the carpeting has been the *major* change in the past year.

Make people take their shoes off to enter your house. Utne Reader has an article this month, on that subject. It keeps outside dirt, outside- incluing pesticides, and mold. *We have done this for years.*

Infant massage, especially tummy, back and chest. And sinuses. I know my two month old was having sinus headaches. He looked like a cat: my thumb could cover the whole center of his forehead. *Yes, this works great for us, too.*

Increase potassium and magnesium: it makes it easier for her body to move sodium and calcium, which contribute to the "stickiness." *Bananas are a great source and Jacob eats tons of them.*

Sunshine, every day, outside, It was the treatment of choice for TB, before penicillin, and it does seem to make lungs happy. Bare bodied, as much as the weather permits. *We do this as well, thanks to it being the sunny South.*

Trampolines also move lymph around. As does turning one's head from side to side (like looking left, looking right) -- do it slowly -- 11 times at least. This pumps the lymph. There are these little spots where you can *gently* press a finger, right behind the clavicle on the tops of the shoulders. They are little depressions and you will feel little muscle there, it's soft. Press gently like your fingers are bouncing on a trampoline (gently!) a few times on each side.

Also for each cold I follow some or all of the following protocol to help prevent it from moving to sinuses/lungs:

*increase vit C to 250 mg 4x day
*put a couple of drops each of lavender and rosemary (tea tree if you aren't under homeopathic treatment) in the bath (tub should be full, swirl around well before putting child in)
*echinacea/zinc or elderberry/zinc lozenges, a couple a day
*herbal chest rub applied after bath (like vicks but EO's only, no nasty petroleum stuff)
*massage sinus pressure points on face
*extra foot massage paying attention to tops of feet (lung points)
*craniosacral balancing
*call homeopath

Please remember, it's not like I do every single thing for every single cold (or think everyone should). I do some, none or all just depending on how he is handling it...and he has genetic challenges that others may not have. But thought I'd share what we've found works well, in case it helps anyone.

Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm has some really great suggestions, too, for herbal stuff you can do to strengthen the respiratory system. I love that book!

Oh, yes, and we also cut out all wheat. We had RAST blood testing done (though if they told me it would've been 6 large tubes and inconclusive, I probably would have pased), and he came up mildly allergic to it.

The last couple of lists have been right on with what i would suggest.

I'm glad someone mentioned craniosacral adjustments. Craniosacral work can work wonders on problems with just this nature.

I'm not going to list anything that has already been said in those past 2 lists, they were just right IMO.

One thing though, since you were speaking of "strengthening" the lungs. For a 20 month old, excercises that involve blowing work well. Breathing is a balance of in and out. If you command a strong exhale by blowing, you'll be automatically requiring a strong inhale to compensate. It's hard to teach deep breathing to a 20 month old, but it's easy to teach big blowing. Get the kid some bubbles!!!.

And for us who are all growed up, don't forget how healing deep breathing can be. It helps calm, yes, it centers, yes, but it also moves lymph. It's the primary way lymph is moved. So whenever you think of taking a deep breath, why not blow? It's more fun, clears more waste from the lungs, and moves air into the lungs immediately afterwards much more efficiently than just taking a deep breath.

I just wanted to share something that I learned when my 11yo dd was
a baby which has come in very useful for us. She had RSV as an
infant with residual asthma for several years afterwards. I was
working as an acupuncture assistant and learned how to do a
wonderful acupressure massage to ease her asthma. I found it to
work very well not just for her asthma but anytime one of us has any
sort of respiratory illness. Just last night my youngest awoke with
a terrible coughing spasm (she has a nasty cold)so I began to
massage her. Within just a couple minutes she was sound asleep and
breathing freely - not even snoring!

It is very simple:

On the childs back, on both sides of the spine between the spine and
shoulder blades on down the back is the bladder meridian. Starting
at the base of the neck and working downwards (it is very important
that all motions go downwards in this). Use your fingers to press
firmly in a kind of "walking" down the channel until you have
reached the small of the back. Keep repeating this montion. I have
found the pressure of the walking more effective than firm stroking
when you begin the massage. When the initial spasm has disipated and
the child is relaxing (and they will - they LOVE it!)you can switch
to a firm down ward stroke on the channel. If another spasm occurs
go back to pressing until it is resolved.


***For my dd who had the asthma we used a magnetic hammer type thing. (Not a real hammer, lol, it is a soft textured rubber hammer with magnets in the head ) The magnets stimulate the meridian points more intensely than just your hand alone. You could probably have any acupuncturist order one for you I would imagine.***

Also, when she has the symptoms of congestion and coughing the "wet sock" treatment works very well. My naturopath told me to do this with my dd's when they were babies and it worked wonders. Just last year *I* was working on some systemic issues including some sleep apnea and it helped me tremedously.

When getting baby ready for bed, take 100% cotton socks and get them soaking wet but not dripping. (wring them out) with room temperature water. Put them on. Over the top of the wet cotton socks, put 100% wool socks (must be 100% wool). Leave them on all night. Don't be concerned about chills or anything like that as long as you are covering the wet socks with wool socks it will be fine. The wool holds the moisture in and with her body heats them up nice and toasty. This causes the body energy to move downward and get stagnant upper energy to move again.

HTH!