Always Sick - Roseville,MI

J.,

I am in the same boat as you. My household has also been sick for the entire winter. I think we have had a week off here and there, but it has been a long winter. I have a 3-year-old and a 7-month-old and between my husband, myself and them, one of us has been sick all winter. We also eat very healthy, take vitamins and probiotics. Hang in there. J.

There is a lot going around right now. I would discontinue use of the anitbacterial...it can actually make things worse. Soap and water often is best.

I have to agree with the other moms who have said that using antibacterial soaps and cleaners all the time not only ultimately weakens the immune system, but there has been a LOT of research done in the last few years to indicate that overuse of these products has actually *caused* many of the "super bugs" we have been seeing lately. This is because 1) our immune system is weakened by not having an opportunity to build up immunities gradually due to our overly sterile habits and 2) because many of the "bugs" going around now have mutated to be unaffected by our antibacterial products, and sadly, due to the overperscription of anti-biotics, this is true of them as well.

Probiotics (which encourage the growth of healthy bacteria inside your body) and vitamins are an excellent idea whenever illness threatens. I just bought my kids (a few of whom seem like they might be getting sick) a supplement called Sinupret Syrup (I found it in my local Rite Aid next to the kids' liquid allergy meds) which is sold as a "dietary supplement" that supports clear nasal and sinus passages, and helps strengthen the body's natural immune defense. Apparently it is very highly regarded in Germany and I have to say in the last few days of using it, the kids have been improving.

Also, do get tested for mold/radon. Even if there is no problem, it should help you sleep easier at night and at least get it off the table as a possibility

Also, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Our bodies need plenty of water to keep things flowing (not getting blocked up in the ears, sinuses, etc) and to effectively flush wastes from our systems.

Airing out the house when everyone is/has been sick is something we often do with good effect around here too. (Just be careful any current sick are away from cold drafts!)

Good luck surviving this last of winter's hurrahs..

T.

J.
I feel for you! Try not to flip out too bad though...it is the winter/spring treansition in Michgan. I always dread November through May, but Feb/March/April seem to be the worst. It is so scary having a new baby be sick, and it is probably germs that your older two are bringing in from preschool (that was the sickest time for my family, when my oldest two were in preschool).
One thing that struck me, however, was the mention of chronic ear infections. If that is the case and they have been on antiobiotics (especially more than once), they ultimately have no more "good" bacteria left in their intestines---which is the center of their immune system. I would go to Whole Foods and get some good yogurt and a separate children's probiotic. You need to rebuild the "good" bacteria so that their bodies can defend against all the other germs out there. Get some for you/husband and an infant one for baby. Quit worrying about your house so much, that's not where they are contracting these bugs from. And if it makes you feel any better, as long as you rebuild their tummies, they are building up a strong immune system. They will most likely not get so sick when the "preschool age" is over.
As a sidenote, the antibacterial cleaning agents truly are harmful. I try to only use them when we have the stomach flu in hopes of not letting it spread...and it never works anyhow. Your best defense is to just tell your kids they need to wash their hands very well (sing the abc song) with warm water every time they come into the house....to protect the baby. I have explained this to my 7/8 year old (definitely easier to understand at that age) because they also have a 16 month old baby sister. They have always understood the need to 'wash hands', but now they are diligent about it because they adore the baby.
I try to keep us all on probiotics throughout the year, but really stay on top of it as soon as school starts, and it definitely helps...but it is hard to avoid sickness completely. Your post has reminded me that I am dreading the "preschool" years again. Uggh.
Hope you are all feeling better/staying well soon!

Hi J., I can understand your frustration. What the press does not tell you is that all Lysol and strong disinfectants do is make super bugs. Best to build your immune system as there is bacteria everywhere, we will never get away from them. Get some books on Natural Healing. Check out Dr Mark Stengler on google. Get into prevention naturally, not chemically.

I have been a natural nut for over 30 years, it pays off, 75 years old and rarely, if ever ill, no medications, normal blood pressure, lots so energy. Once a month you can listebn to educational free call on health 1-800-211-9360 passcode 463432 - next one May 9th at 1pm Eastern Standard Time. Helping People Help other People is the motto! God Bless, Gladys with Nutrimetics by Avalla

Hi J.,
I was watching the show "The Doctors" last week, and this family had the same problem. THey did a radon check, you can buy that over the internet or at a hardware store. It doesn't cost much. Or the the other thing they checked for was mold, and that was what was making the family sick. The older son had chronic ear infections too. They kept a clean house as well. I am not saying this is what is wrong, but it's something to think about! Good luck I hope your family gets better!!

This is not a medical solution. But when this happened to my family, we turned down the heat, opened all the windows and left for several hours. This seemed to work, and we broke the chain of illnesses. Wish you the best.

Stop using that awful lysol disinfecting spray. It's toxic. Use vinegar and water. That does the same but you could eat it and be safe! They are probably breathing that awful stuff in. They could have reactions to it. The more they are sick now, the stronger their immune systems will get, so keep that in mind. Just don't give them any antibiotics if they don't need it. Give your little one powdered probiotics - Maxiophilus- especially for babies. You just put it on their tongue. It doesn't taste. Just a little each time throughout the day. Keep breastfeeding if you are. This will all soon pass. Spring is almost here!

Well, I can tell you that I feel your pain...and it's not just you and I in this horrible circle of constant sickness. My son, who is almost 1, has had colds, croop, and the flu over this winter. I have been sick, my husband has been sick, it's been just irritating and, well, bad. We're not the only ones though, I have several co-workers with small kids and babies and everyone says the same thing, both they and their kids have been sick, with one thing after another, for months. Now, my son does go to daycare, so, that obviously puts him right in the mix of all of the cooties, but, another person I know told me that he and his wife have had their almost 1 year old to the pediatrician a TON of times, the ER at least once, etc, over this winter season, and their child only just started any form of daycare this past month. I don't know why it's been so bad, and I feel for you. I know how scary it is to have a 3 month old who is sick. My son has had something, on and off every couple weeks it seems, since that age. I am hoping the warmer weather and summer will bring less illness. Good luck and I hope you get a break soon.

Dear J., My heart goes out to you....that is very hard! Are you exhausted?

May I ask a few questions to better understand your situation?

Do you have dogs or cats?

Have you and the children been on antibiotics?

Have you ever heard about check your vitamins to see if they disintegrate?

Is your home new or are you new to your home?

You have worked so hard doing what you know to do. These are some things, and there are a few more things, that aren't obvious.

I have some good CDs that help us Moms learn what else we can do. I would be glad to lend them to you. Would you like to listen to them?

warmly,
M.

Do your kids go to daycare? Germs fly through there no matter how disinfected it is. As for the ear infections, my brother had chronic ear infections and had to have tubes put in his ears. My kids' paediatrician warned against using too many things that claim to get rid of 99.9% of germs and bacteria because without exposure to said germs and bacteria, kids bodies can't build up the necessary anti-bodies to fight off common infections like colds or flus. Good luck!

spraying lysol is horrible for your kiddies :( Sounds like u may be "too clean".. Kids actually need germs to build their immune system. Over cleanliness has been said to cause these kind of issues in kids (according to some of the news health programs I've seen).

If your two toddlers go to preschool, they will be bringing all kinds of things home with them. Hand washing is so imortant, especially with toddlers since they put everything in their mouths. You might try really airing out the house and make sure they wash their hands alot especially before snuggling the new sweetie. As for the ear infections...dairy can be the culprit for chronic ear infections. Try eliminating milk and milk products from their diet and see what happens. I would keep as much sugar OUT of their diet as possible. In the big picture, toddlers get all kids of bugs and they pass them around and around because of toddler habits. Spring is on its way and things will get better! Get them outdoors for some good sunshine. One more thing...your house could be too clean.

Hi J.---I am sorry to hear that you've not been able to get rid of these sicknesses this winter. I also have heard that it has been especially bad.

Would you be interested in information about how the immune system works and what you can do to keep it functioning at peak efficiency? I am taking a Wellness class from a Naturopath in Columbus OH. She also has her PhD in nutrition. I can share information with you why your vitamins do not protect you as we are lead to believe. I can also share numerous articles and studies to show that fruits and veggies are the best source of vitamins and antioxidants, AND, that at times, isolated vitamin supplements can actually cause more harm than good.

Did you know that we are supposed to eat 7 to 13 servings of different kinds of fruits and veggies every day? I am committed and passionate about helping others learn how to optimize their health. I would be happy to help you, with whatever you would like to learn.

Call me any time. In health, D. ###-###-####

My 3 year old, husband and I (who happens to be 8 months pregnant) have had a horrid winter as well. I am glad that spring is coming as it will allow us to get some space from each other, as I know that this very long, very cold winter trapped indoors has made it all so much worse - can't imagine having to worry about a baby on top of everything else. Sounds pretty normal to me. With the house cleaning, I would just focus on making sure the kids wash their hands with normal soap and water for two rounds of happy birthday, cough/sneeze into their arms (not hands) and that they always wash their hands before touching the baby. Might help out until spring finally shows up... its just been a bad year!

The most important advice I can give you is to see a chiropractor! The nervous system controls EVERY function in the body and when your spine is aligned correctly and with proper nutrition, your immune system is able to function at its best.

You are doing a good job keeping your external environment clean, but that will not keep you from getting ill if you don't work from the inside out. GERMS DON'T GET YOU SICK! It is the body's inability to fight off the infections that causes us to get ill.

I can tell you from personal experience that myself and my 3 children get adjusted regularly, take no medications, eat healthful, and rarely get sick. When we do, it is usually very quick and not severe. I'm telling you, my husband sees MIRACLES in his office everyday! If you would like to try it or get a referral to a chiropractor close to you, give his office a call: Dr. Chris N. ###-###-####

email me back if you have any questions!

Are you breast feeding? Also, what brand of vitamins do you take? Brands at the grocery store are synthetic and are not food based. As a result, they are literally going in the mouth and coming out the other end in a solid state. This means the body is not absorbing or benefiting from the vitamin.

Also, anti bacterial soaps are not good. Probably sounds crazy, right? But we do need some bad bacteria. Having the kids use a regular soap versus antibacterial, and singing the ABCs or Happy Birthday song while washing their hands will work.

Using products such as Lysol may be hindering their immune system. There are harmful chemicals in Lysol and Lysol is alsol flammable. This may seem off the wall as our moms used those products and that is why so many people use those same products today. But research shows there are many cleaning products that our moms used that are not good for our health. In fact many contain formaldehyde.

If this is something you would like to talk about, email me your telephone number and best day and time to reach you. I would be happy to help.

M.

J. I am sorry to hear you all are so sick all the time. But I have to agree with an eariler post. People have been lead to believe that all the hand sanitizers with anti bacterial and disinfecteds are good for you. They are not they are children need some type of dust, dirt and exposure to other germs to build an immunity to them. I had an ex whose daughters were treated like china dolls till they were 2 no exposure to anything. These children had colds all the time it was so sad and horriable. My oldest son would get sick occasionally and my youngest the same.
But if you dont agree then you dont agree another suggestion to your routine in the winter turn down your heat open some windows in your house for 30 mins once a week. Houses these days are built so air tight that all your furnace is doing is recirculating the germs in the air. Yes there is a cold air return but it doesn't take out the bad air. I always aired my house out after my ex's daughters went home when they were sick. And ususally no one got sick if they did is wasn't as bad only a day or two insead of the week or longer.
I don't disinfect the way you do have three dogs in the house mop once to twice a week have a child in elementary school a high schooler and we have only had one bad cold a piece this winter.

Probiotics for the long term may help. If they've been on antibiotics for the ear infections, they probably need some PRObiotics for a while to repopulate their guts w/ good gut flora. Ask your ped. He/she should have told you about them.

There is a lot of new research on the relationship between low vitamin d in the winter and illness -- perhaps your doctor would check the childrens' vitamin d levels and prescribe it for them?

If the older two have chronic ear infections, that could be related to the diet, particularly milk.

Winter time is certainly very difficult. Lots of colds and flu going around, my pediatrician told me they've been seeing whooping cough in the elementary schools this year as well. Your older kids are exposed to lots and lots of germs...then they bring it home. You're probably run down from caring for a newborn... so that gets you sick and your little one... well, he's still developing his immune system so he's very vunerable.

Are you breastfeeding? Quite honestly, breastfeeding is one of the best defenses for little babies against getting sick. When my daughter was young, we lived in a big city. Although I don't have any other children right now, we rode the underground and were in contact with all sorts just about every day. She was never sick.

Also, have you considered your using too many antibacterial items? Our bodies need to be exposed to germs to build natural defenses. Germs get into our system and they don't always cause us to get sick, but often times our bodies just react to them internally and build a defense. That saying our grandma's used to have.... "a little dirt never hurt" ... well, it's actually pretty true.

Another thing, ever heard of Sambucol? It's an elderberry syrup and has studies behind it that strongly suggest it does help boost the immune system. I give it to my daughter every days. She's 19 months old, and is in contact with other kids. She's gotten sick a couple of times this winter...but overall ... she's been pretty healthy. Certainly nothing out of the norm, or to the extent I was really worried.

Make sure your kids are getting a good balanced diet full of fresh fruits and veggies. A good diet goes a LONG way in keeping us healthy.

www.nourishmd.com is an EXCELLENT source for info on nutrition. The site is run by a dietician and pediatrician. They are wonderful.

HOpe everyone is feeing better soon.

Maybe you should address your immune systems. When they're low and compromised, it just makes it easier to catch somethng. And it may be like a merry go round, one's immunity is low, catches something, immunity still low in recovery and the next thing comes along.

I would get something to boost everyone's immune systems. And if you get mass produced vitamins, they may not be doing what a vitamin should. I'd go to a health food store and get quality.

sounds to me like your house might be too clean. My ped had told me that kids need SOME dust and dirt to help build up immunities. Obviously don't stop cleaning, maybe just give it a break to every other day, or week. Sanitizers are like antibiotics from what I understand. If you use them all the time, they are less effective, and you are breeding super germs. I have 4 kids myself, 6,4,almost 2, and 2 months, and we have been going through the illnesses just like you. Baby had pneumonia 2 weeks ago...our problem is kindergarten germs comming home :-( Hang in there it WILL get better!

Hi J.,

I am a certified nutritionist and do a lot of nutritional programs for children. There are several things you could try naturally, and I would be more than happy to share more information if you would like. My email is ____@____.com.

Hi J.. Im sorry to hear of this. I know that this must be difficult for you. Im not sure if this is true but they always say that if you over disinfect you break down the childrens immunity. And sometimes the chemicals in the products we use cause the colds. I find when my son is sick I give him a breathing treatment and he is fine. It opens up his airways. This is especially effective when he has the croop. Talk to your doctor about it. Hope this helps.

This year has been especially bad with illnesses for many families. Hang in there.

Hi J., I would guess that it is the toxic products that you are using to clean your house with.THere are alternative products that will keep your children well. Their immune systems are being compromised.PLEASE,PLEASE, PLEASE check out my website http://wellnessliving.healthyhometour.com

For the adults in your family, or those that can swallow a pill, you can try probiotics. I have been using one called
Critical care. If you go with one, make sure it is refrigerated, the bacteria don't usually have a good shelf life at room temp, do your research. For the ones that can't swallow a pill (for the baby, nothing) I would go with Stoneyfield Farm yogurt, it has a probiotic that has sutides backing it that says it cuts down on respiratory illnesses. We used it for about a year during a reallybad season, and I think it did help. I think the probiotic is called l. reuti or something like that. Look it up on their website. It has been a bad season for viruses.

We used to be really big into antibacterial stuff. We started hearing a lot of reports that it using to much won't allow your body to build up a resistance to the germs and you could be sicker. We asked our doctor about it and he said that there is some truth to the reports and he recommended minimal use. I do use a disinfecting soap on our floors and have some Lysol spray that I use when the girls keep passing a cold bug back and force but that is it. We only had one really bad cold this winter and our oldest, who is in school, got a 24 hour flu bug.

I've also heard that DanActive builds up your immune system if you drink one a day. You could try that.

It sounds like you're doing everything you can do. It's just that time of year, I guess. If you're breastfeeding, your baby is getting all of your antibodies and producing more specific ones at every nursing session. If you have enough and don't mind pumping, you could try giving your older kids some expressed breastmilk, too. It will definitely help!

Hello J., It could be that all three of the kids have allergies. A house can be very clean, but still have allergins. Dust mites could be a problem. To prevent it, get allery casing for the mattresses and buy new pillows for everyone. Mold is the other one, which can come from the air ducts. A good air purifier might help. I had my 3 close together also and it was very stressful. Good luck.

We had the same issue last year. My daughter was born in September of 2007. Someone was sick at my house from the time was born until June of 2008! It was horrible! But, just to let you know, this year hasn't been that bad?! Why last year was bad and this year wasn't, I have no idea?! Just keep the faith that it does get better! Good luck and God Bless!