06 Jun 4 Factors that Deplete the Immune function

The gut plays a central role when it comes to an immune system working at peak performance.

This is because 80 percent of the immune system resides within the gut wall.

Also living deep within the gut, along side the immune system, is a collection of different types of bacteria, collectively called the gut microbiome. These play a very important role in your child’s health and are a key component to a robust immune system.

Good Bacteria – The Back Bone of A Healthy Immune System

Bacteria is mostly associated with germs, however, they are extremely important for immune function.

The bacteria living in the gut are the back-bone of a healthy immune system. And this is because the bacteria and the immune system work together hand-in-hand to fight off infection and keep your child healthy.

An imbalance of bacteria where there are more bad than good microbes in the gut may a contributing factor to poor immunity.

The best way to help support the growth of healthy microbes in your child’s gut, is to ensure they are eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fermented foods.

Here are some of the main offenders that may be depleting your child’s beneficial bacteria to negatively impact their immune function.

Constipation

If your child is constipated, this is a leading cause of poor gut health which may impact the immune system.  When food is sitting around inside the gut for days or weeks on end, it is essentially fermenting and going off.  Constipation negatively impacts the immune system by disrupting the balance between the good and bad bacteria.

Ideally, your child needs to have one or two good poops each day.

Fizzy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Fruit Juice

Any one of these drinks can contain up to 8 teaspoons of sugar per serve.  Sugar depletes immunity in a number of ways. It feeds bad bacteria and this can fuel a fungal overgrowth on the gut wall that negatively impacts the immune system.  

If your child has a white coating on their tongue, this can be a sign there is a fungal infection present.

Multiple Courses of Antibiotics

Antibiotics kill all bacteria, good and bad. They can be especially harmful to the friendly bacteria living deep within the gut when they are prescribed in the first few years of life. This is because friendly bacteria are still trying to establish their diversity and numbers. Once the friendly bacteria are depleted, it can be difficult to re-establish their numbers and this is especially the case in the early stages of your child’s development.  A common reason for prescribing antibiotics is ear infections. Read this post for a natural way to treat ear infections without antibiotics.

Processed Food

Basically anything that comes in a package is processed food and a large percentage of these can also be classed as junk food. Processed foods are usually high in sugar which feeds bad bacteria and they also contain chemicals in the form of preservatives, colours and flavourings all of which negatively impact friendly bacteria – remember, these are the back bone of your child’s immunity.

FIONA STOCK | THE CHILDREN’S NATUROPATH | MELBOURNE NATUROPATH

MAKE A NATURAL THERAPIES APPOINTMENT TODAY TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILDREN’S NATURAL HEALTH

To make an appointment with Fiona Stock, naturopath in Melbourne, Contact hello@thechildrensnaturopath.com. I’m here to assist you and your child on your journey to better children’s health.

Online Learning | Children’s Health | Melbourne Naturopath

Would you like a consultation with me at a fraction of the cost? My online learning classes are jam packed with more advice than I provide in a face-to-face appointment. It’s evidence-based naturopathic wisdom coupled with the latest scientific research on kids health I’ve successfully shared with clients over my 20+ year career.

I’ve also included cheatsheets, checklists, nourishing recipes and 25 page book of class notes.

You will learn:

• ✅ Understand the cause if common childhood conditions (eczema, poor immunity, food allergies, food intolerances, poor focus & concentration, ADHD, behavioural problems).
• ✅. Supporting immune function to help support allergic conditions.
• ✅. Support optimal brain function.
• ✅. Healthy Eating Plan – including portion size for each age-group.
• ✅. Natural medicine recommendations,
• ✅. Plus much more…

Fiona Stock is a Naturopath Melbourne depends on.

Fiona focusses on natural therapies for children’s health.

Brisbane Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Brisbane

Adelaide Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Adelaide

Sydney Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Sydney

Perth Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Perth

Kids Nutritionist | Children’s Nutritionist | Baby Nutritionist | Baby Naturopath