What to do with a frequently ill child. Dr. Komarovsky about what to do if a child is often sick? Causes of frequent colds

Does your child get sick very often and you don’t know what to do? Many parents are familiar with this situation when they don’t see their child healthy for almost six months, because one “cold” replaces another. And if the doctor asks them: “What are you complaining about?”, they answer: “The child is often sick.”

Who is considered a frequently ill child?

In domestic medicine, the following are considered to be frequently ill: children under 1 year of age, if there are 4 or more cases of acute respiratory diseases (ARI) per year; children from 1 to 3 years old - 6 or more acute respiratory infections per year; children from 3 to 5 years old - 5 or more acute respiratory infections per year; children over 5 years old - 4 or more acute respiratory infections per year.

Often, a child is ill not only often, but also for a long time (more than 10 - 14 days with one acute respiratory infection). Children who are ill for a long time can also be classified as frequently ill.

Externally, acute respiratory infections can manifest as a runny nose, cough, redness of the throat, general weakness, and fever. Frequently ill children may have one, but long-term symptom, for example, a constant cough or coughing, constant nasal discharge, while the temperature may be normal. If a child has a constantly elevated temperature, but there are no symptoms of acute respiratory infections, this is often a sign of chronic infections and requires a detailed medical examination.

Why does a child often get sick?

If a child is sick often or for a long time, this means that his immunity is weakened.

Causes of weakened immunity:

1. The functions of the immune system begin to develop in utero, so intrauterine infection, prematurity or morpho-functional immaturity of the baby can lead to the child subsequently becoming often ill.

2. The next important factor for the formation of immunity is mother’s milk, therefore breastfed children rarely suffer from acute respiratory infections, and vice versa, an early transition to artificial formula can lead to the fact that already in the first year of life a child may begin to suffer from frequent colds .

3. In the first year of life or at an older age, as a result of various unfavorable factors, the baby may develop background conditions that weaken the immune system. This is intestinal dysbiosis, hypovitaminosis, rickets.

4. Severe weakening of the immune system often occurs after serious illnesses or surgical interventions. If a child has had dysentery, salmonellosis, pneumonia, or tonsillitis, his immunity is weakened.

5. Viruses greatly weaken the functions of the immune system. After suffering from influenza, measles, and other viral diseases, a child has an increased sensitivity to infections and may become frequently ill.

6. Long-term use of certain medications weakens the immune system. Such medications are immunosuppressants used for autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), some antitumor drugs, steroid hormonal drugs for oral administration, and most antibiotics. If the use of these medications is necessary, it is advisable to take preventive measures to maintain normal immune function.

7. The presence of chronic diseases in a child also weakens defense mechanisms and can cause the child to get sick often. Such diseases can be chronic sinusitis, tonsillitis, sluggish and atypical infections caused by pathogens such as mycoplasma, pneumocystis, chlamydia, yersinia. Often the cause of weakened immunity is worms, which are quite difficult to diagnose in feces.

8. There are congenital immunodeficiency conditions, including isolated immunodeficiencies, when a child has a defect in one part of the immune system. Children with such immunodeficiencies can often suffer from any recurrent diseases, i.e. recurring diseases. If a child constantly suffers from the same type of disease, for example, recurrent thrush, chronic infection of the ENT organs, he needs to be examined in terms of the existence of congenital immunopathy.

9. Finally, proper balanced nutrition and regimen are of great importance for the normal functioning of the immune system. A child can often get sick for a long time if his diet lacks vitamins or the diet is unbalanced, for example, there are no animal products or the food contains a large amount of carbohydrates, but little protein and fat. If a child is rarely in the fresh air, leads a sedentary lifestyle, and inhales tobacco smoke from adults who smoke, this can lead to a weakening of his immunity.

How dangerous is it for children to get sick often?

Frequently ill children are not only a medical problem, but also a social one. Such children, as a rule, have a disrupted schedule of preventive vaccinations, they cannot attend preschool institutions, and at school age they are forced to miss school. Parents often have to take time off from work and stay home with a sick child.

A frequently ill child develops a “vicious circle”: against the background of a weakened immune system, the child becomes ill with acute respiratory infections, which, in turn, further weaken the immune system. As a result of the body's increased sensitivity to various infectious agents and a decrease in protective mechanisms, there is a high probability of developing chronic, sluggish infectious and non-infectious diseases (gastritis and peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, bronchial asthma, chronic sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, etc.). The presence of chronic infections can lead to retarded physical development and allergization.

Frequently ill children may develop various psychological problems and “complexes.” First of all, this is an “inferiority complex”, a feeling of self-doubt. The inability, due to frequent illnesses, to live a full life for one’s age can lead to social disadaptation (the child may avoid peers, be withdrawn, rude, irritable).

Given these possible consequences, parents should be interested in preventing the weakening of the child's immunity.

Prevention: what can be done to prevent your child from getting sick often

Even during pregnancy, the expectant mother needs to take care of the health of the unborn child. A woman preparing to become a mother needs to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. It is very important to put the baby to the breast immediately after birth, when colostrum, rich in immunoglobulins, is released from the mammary glands. Breastfeeding is very important. Breast milk is the most important component for the formation of a child’s immunity, so even if there is little milk, it is desirable that the child receives it. If you have to supplement your baby's feeding, stability is important, i.e. there is no need to change formulas if the child is not intolerant to the formula he receives.

As mentioned above, a weakened child’s immunity can occur against the background of intestinal dysbiosis or hypovitaminosis. It is important to identify these conditions in the first year of life and correct them under medical supervision. For children under 3 years of age, during the autumn-winter-spring periods of the year, prevention of rickets with vitamin D preparations (vigantol, vitamin D2 and D3) is indicated.

In summer, there is no need to carry out drug prevention of rickets, provided that the child spends a lot of time outdoors (not necessarily in direct sunlight). In addition, sea air is very useful for children who are often ill. Therefore, if possible, if a child often suffers from colds, he should be sent to sea.

To prevent weakened immunity, you can use multivitamin preparations, but before giving them to your child, you should consult a doctor.

It is important to establish a balanced diet. For the normal functioning of the immune system, it is necessary that the child’s diet contain proteins and fats of animal origin (dairy and fermented milk products, meat, fish), vitamins, the main sources of which are vegetables and fruits.

In summer, children older than 4 - 5 months are very useful from fresh, non-heat-treated fruits, berries, and juices. They contain significantly more vitamins than the same products after heat treatment or canning. A child’s body can accumulate vitamins over the summer, which will strengthen its immune system.

Hardening has a general strengthening effect on the body. There are different hardening methods. Some involve pouring cold water over the entire body, others - only certain areas (legs to knees, shoulders and neck). There are types of hardening without water procedures (air baths). But for all types of hardening there are general principles.

Any hardening should be started gradually, gradually increasing the procedure time and gradually lowering the temperature of the water (or air). Hardening must be carried out regularly, and if for some reason the procedures are interrupted, they must be resumed from the very beginning. Only by following these rules can a positive effect be achieved.

Since worms are one of the factors that weaken the immune system, parents need to remember about hygiene measures: teach the child to wash his hands, avoid playing in the hallway and restroom, make sure that the child does not pick up objects on the street or pet street animals, periodically spend time at home wet cleaning and washing toys with soap. Given the difficulty of diagnosing worms in feces, it is possible to conduct preventive anthelmintic courses several times a year, especially in the fall.

What to do if your child is often sick

If a child is often sick, it is important to cure chronic diseases, especially pathology of the ENT organs: chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis (sinusitis, frontal sinusitis), adenoids.

Parents of frequently ill children should consult a doctor (pediatrician, gastroenterologist, immunologist). Doctors will order tests to help determine the cause of weakened immunity. After this, depending on the cause, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment and give appropriate recommendations.

If you are reading this article, it means that you are really worried that your child is often sick. This means that you have already begun to take steps to study and competently influence this problem. We wish you success and good health to your child!

If a child often gets colds, this is stressful for any parent. When this happens constantly, and even with complications, this is a serious reason to think about the state of the baby’s immunity, because any disease is better to prevent.

A frequently ill child should definitely consult a pediatric immunologist - a specialist who deals with the body's defenses. If necessary, an endocrinologist, otolaryngologist and gastroenterologist will be involved. Then, through the joint efforts of doctors and parents, it is possible to save the baby from this scourge.

Parents want their children to always be healthy. If a child is often sick, it is necessary to visit an immunologist

Why do children often get sick?

How to understand that a child is often sick? Doctors have their own standards for the number of acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections per year, by which they can evaluate a frequently ill child. They are calculated by age.

Also often sick are children who get sick easily - they quickly develop a high temperature, and the slightest draft or drinking a cold drink leads to a cold. Often sick children cannot recover completely for a long time; residual effects in the form of coughing remain for a long time - more than 2 weeks. Typically, such babies suffer from respiratory viral diseases, complicated by conjunctivitis, sinusitis, otitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis and other inflammatory processes.

Why do children often suffer from colds? Congenital immunodeficiency is very rare, so most often the cause lies elsewhere:

• hereditary factor;
• intrauterine infections;
• hypoxia at birth;
• poor nutrition, lack of vitamins;
• unfavorable environmental conditions;
• allergy;
• foci of the inflammatory process in the body;

• helminth infection;
• metabolic disorders;
• rickets;
• insufficient hygiene;
• unfavorable family climate, exposure to stress;
• adaptation period in kindergarten, school;
• self-medication, especially with antibiotics;
• dysbacteriosis;
• low physical activity.

These are the prerequisites that cause a decrease in immunity. Any pathogenic virus or bacteria that enters the baby’s body easily multiplies and leads to a cold. If you do not pay attention to this phenomenon, let the process take its course and do nothing, this will lead to permanent, chronic diseases. In addition, for such children, the vaccination schedule is shifted and the child does not receive vaccinations against dangerous pathologies on time.

From birth to 2 years

For children from birth to one year, incidence of more than 4 times a year is considered frequent. The child’s immunity is still very weak, it becomes a target for pathogens of infectious diseases.

Artificial babies are much more likely to fall into the BBD category than children who were fed their mother's milk

This is especially true for bottle-fed children. Mother's breast milk gives the baby antibodies and necessary microelements, beneficial bacteria that protect his body better than any medicine. This is why it is so important to breastfeed your baby for as long as possible.

Up to 6 years

After two years, the baby’s immunity begins a new test - he goes to kindergarten, where he comes into contact with a huge number of different microbes. In addition, the baby experiences severe stress from being in a new environment and being separated from his parents, which also does not have the best effect on his immunity - he begins to get sick.

The incidence rate is high at this age - more than 5-6 times a year. It is better not to send children with weakened immune systems to kindergarten until they are 3 years old, but to use this year to boost their immunity.

During school and adolescence

The same situation is typical for children in older preschool groups and up to 5th grade. Schoolchildren continue to get sick often, more than 4 times a year. Closer to adolescence, the immune system becomes stronger, the child no longer gets sick for so long and often. The exception is children who often suffer from acute respiratory infections, growing up in conditions of overprotection, who are not hardened and “fed” with medications at every opportunity.

If you raise a child in “greenhouse” conditions from childhood, then strong immunity will not be formed at school age

What to do if your child has frequent colds?

Dear reader!

This article talks about typical ways to solve your issues, but each case is unique! If you want to know how to solve your particular problem, ask your question. It's fast and free!

To find out the causes of persistent colds in a child, the doctor must conduct a complete diagnosis of the body. He will appoint:

• blood analysis;
• Analysis of urine;
• bacterial culture from the nasopharynx to assess sensitivity to antibiotics;
• extended immunogram (if necessary).

If a child is often sick for a long time, a pediatrician or immunologist, after evaluating the test results, will be able to identify the cause of this condition. He will prescribe medications, physiotherapy and give recommendations to improve the baby’s health.

Medicines for prevention

For preventive purposes, the following drugs are prescribed:

• Immunostimulants. Echinacea tincture, preparations with ginseng, propolis, royal jelly (if you are not allergic to honey) will help. Suitable medications include Bronchomunal, Anaferon, Ribomunil (we recommend reading:).
• Other medications are prescribed by specialists depending on the cause of decreased immunity. You may need to treat helminths, dysbacteriosis, gastrointestinal diseases, etc.

Physiotherapy

If necessary, the doctor prescribes physiotherapy:

• UV exposure to existing foci of inflammation with ultraviolet light;
• speleotherapy, or salt cave, when a child inhales salt vapors;
• magnetic laser therapy eliminates inflammatory processes in the body;
• balneotherapy, or treatment with mineral water internally and externally;
• inductothermy by heating certain areas of the body;
• heliotherapy, or sun treatment, sunbathing;
• climatotherapy, trips to the sea.

Massage

Massage helps a lot when a child has just shown the first signs of illness. For example, postural drainage techniques (position therapy) can help clear away mucus buildup. For each age, a special massage course is applied.

Nutritional Features

Babies under two years of age should receive breast milk for as long as possible, and after breastfeeding is completed, older children must also include in their diet:

• dairy and fermented milk products;
• lean meat and fish, eggs;
• cereals, legumes;
• fresh fruits and vegetables;
• dried fruits;
• It is better to replace sweets with natural sweets - marshmallows, marmalade, jam.

At the same time, you should not introduce complementary foods early, as our grandmothers used to do. A child of two months does not need carrot juice at all. It is better to follow WHO recommendations and start feeding your baby vegetables and cereals no earlier than 5-6 months, so as not to undermine the health of the gastrointestinal tract.

You need to exclude harmful foods from your child’s diet: sweet carbonated water, chips, crackers, fast food, etc. You need to carefully study the labels on food products - an abundance of additives with the prefix “E” will not bring any health benefits, rather, on the contrary.

The health of a child and the frequency of viral diseases directly depends on his diet, so there should be no “food waste” in the baby’s diet.

Hardening

Hardening rules:

• the temperature in the children's room should not be higher than 18-22 degrees;
• long walks in the fresh air;
• walking barefoot on uneven surfaces; in summer you can walk on grass or pebbles, and in winter you can use a special mat;
• rubdowns, contrast douches with a gradual decrease in temperature;
• The baby should take air baths from birth, the temperature in the room can also be reduced little by little - in summer such procedures are carried out outdoors;
• swimming in open reservoirs and pools.

All these procedures strengthen the immune system. A child growing up in “greenhouse” conditions will continue to get sick.

Physical exercise

Special gymnastics are indicated for infants from birth. Recommendations for exercises can be found in the child’s outpatient record or viewed on the Internet. They differ for each month of the baby’s life, because his development occurs very quickly, and he is constantly acquiring new skills.

A healthy child is an active child, so daily physical activity should be present in the life of every little one.

There are special complexes for older children who are often ill. They include breathing exercises to improve blood supply to the respiratory organs, increase muscle tone and strengthen the nervous system.

In addition to exercise therapy, you can play outdoor games with your child in nature, play sports, go on bike rides, ski and skate. It’s good if the whole family does morning exercises, instilling this healthy habit in their children.

Other ways to strengthen immunity in children

• Eliminate local foci of inflammation and treat chronic diseases (caries, tonsillitis, adenoids).
• Prevent colds during epidemics. Garlic and onions chopped on a saucer will disinfect the air in the room. For the same purpose, garlic amulets are made from Kinder surprise cases for a child’s neck. After visiting the street, kindergarten or school, you should rinse your nose with saline solution to wash away viruses from the mucous membrane. You can gargle with chamomile decoction.
• Humidify the air in the room. Dry air irritates the mucous membrane of the nose and throat, making it easily vulnerable to viruses. You can purchase an air humidifier, place containers of water in the room, or hang wet towels on the radiator.
• Dress for the weather. You should not wrap your baby up or dress him too lightly, everything should be in moderation. There is an unspoken rule that goes like this: the child wears one more layer of clothing than you wear. This is true for young children who have not yet developed a thermoregulation system.

Personal hygiene rules must be instilled from a very early age.

• Teach your child to maintain hygiene - wash your hands every time before eating, after visiting the toilet, and when coming from outside. It should be explained to him that stray animals should not be touched.
• Avoid strong allergens. This applies to food, feather pillows, and hygiene products. If your baby is susceptible to allergies, you need to frequently wet-clean the room and wipe off the dust, because allergies are often caused by dust mites.
• After recovering from another respiratory disease, you need to give your baby 2 weeks to recuperate and only after this period should you attend crowded events or travel on public transport, where you can catch the virus again. An infant should limit contact with other people for a month after birth.
• Maintain proper rest and sleep. It is known that you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day. If the body does not rest, it does not have the strength to fight diseases.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

Well-known and respected pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky believes that frequent incidence of illness directly depends on the lifestyle of the family in which the child is growing up. Many children often get sick, and this is normal, so you should not immediately give your baby all kinds of medications. It is necessary to give the immune system the opportunity to cope with the disease on its own. The most effective ways to strengthen the immunity of any baby: hardening, good nutrition, walks and taking as little medication as possible.

Many mothers whose children often get sick ask doctors about how to strengthen their child’s immune system. In fact, if a child catches a viral infection where nothing happens to other children, it means that his immunity is reduced. The logic is simple - strengthen the immune system, and there will be no problems, mother’s endless sick leave will end, and the child will be able to freely go to kindergarten, to the sports section, and even to the pool, if his parents so desire.

Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. If a frequently ill child has a decrease in immunity, then it is secondary. In other words, it was not a decrease in immunity that led to frequent ARVI, but frequent ARVI exhausted the immune system. There are only three reasons for frequent infections, and eliminating them will not require much effort from parents. Moreover, all these reasons are external, and are the result of the influence of environmental factors on the child. Frequent colds in a child are not a hereditary disease or some terrible syndrome, so parents have nothing to fear.

You can help a child, you just need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to make some efforts.

The first reason is that adults are to blame.

This happens quite often - the baby does not yet go to kindergarten, but is sick almost every month, sometimes for a long time. The pediatrician, of course, throws up his hands, prescribes antibiotics and writes out another sick leave for the mother.

It seems that the child hardly communicates with his peers, and the adults around him do not get sick very often, and the temperature rises once a month, sometimes even more often. Why?

Because next to the child the real focus of infection is the so-called asymptomatic carrier. It is not the child who needs to be treated, but one of the adults who often communicates with the child, mother, grandmother, father.... The most likely cause of frequent ARVI in children who do not go to kindergarten is chronic tonsillitis in the mother. She had already forgotten about it, fortunately, sore throats have not recurred for many years, but mother’s tonsils still remain a source of infection, only it is not the mother herself who suffers, but her baby.

If a child has snot “for no reason” and no nasal drops help, again the child’s adult environment needs to be treated. Even the most weakened “home” child will not often “catch a cold” if there are no infections around him.

What to do? This situation is not at all an indication for the immediate removal of tonsils from all family members. It is enough for mom (and sometimes dad) to undergo a course of rinsing the tonsils with an otolaryngologist - the tonsillitis will recede for years, and in the meantime the child will get stronger and stop giving out an elevated temperature with every mother’s kiss.

Reason two - kindergarten

This happens to children who go to kindergarten.

Why? Because in a children's group, any infection spreads with enormous speed, and some parents try to send even openly sick children to kindergarten - because today they have some urgent matters at work.

The consequence of frequent acute respiratory viral infections in a child is the formation of a chronic focus of infection in the upper respiratory tract. Most often, such a lesion looks like an enlargement of the adenoids (the child does not breathe through his nose and snores at night) or, at an older age, like chronic tonsillitis. These are already frequent sore throats with high fever and plaque on the tonsils.

How to fight? Of course, the best way to cope with the spread of such infections is to place a nurse at the entrance to the garden, who would mercilessly send home any child with a bad nose. In some kindergartens, by the way, they do this. But, unfortunately, not in all of them.

Here, too, you need to contact an otolaryngologist, but not an adult, but a pediatric one. The task of such a doctor is to identify and sanitize the very focus of infection that leads to frequent ARVI. By the way, such a child sometimes does not even need to contact his peers - with any hypothermia, the infection on the adenoids becomes active - the child seems to infect himself.

But you don’t have to immediately agree to remove the adenoids; you need to weigh the pros and cons. A course of medicinal rinsing and physical therapy can easily clear up the infection, and the stress that occurs after surgery can itself weaken the baby’s immunity.

And only after the child’s tonsils have shrunk can we begin to restore the immune system. It was simply useless to do this before.

The third reason is chronic fatigue syndrome

Recently, more and more often, doctors are finding the Epstein-Bar virus in frequently ill children. This is a virus from the herpes-like group, and it can stay in the body for an extremely long time. His track record includes infectious mononucleosis, mumps and the already familiar chronic tonsillitis and adenoids. Doctors also attribute to this virus a currently fashionable disease - chronic fatigue syndrome. Periodically exacerbating, the Epstein-Bar virus causes frequent and long-lasting acute respiratory viral infections in children, accompanied by high fever, enlarged tonsils (tonsils) and enlarged cervical lymph nodes (“glands”). This problem is extremely unpleasant, but it can be overcome.

How to fight? The algorithm for combating the Epstein-Bar virus is simple - as in the previous case, the foci of infection need to be sanitized. The fact is that on the tonsils affected by the virus, bacterial flora very often settles - the same staphylococcus, which is then detected in the doctor’s smears. In addition, antiviral therapy (most often acyclovir) is necessary during an exacerbation of infection. Outside of an exacerbation, acyclovir is useless - a virus that does not actively reproduce is practically invulnerable. But the immune system is quite capable of controlling the number of the virus itself - however, only when there is no exacerbation of the disease.

If you follow such an algorithm, in six months the Epstein-Bar virus will simply die out, and the child will stop getting sick so often. Of course, antibodies to this virus will remain for life, but this is not scary - the body forever retains those cells of the immune system that are “specialists” in diseases already suffered.

Thus, measures to improve the child’s immunity should be carried out only after eliminating the above-mentioned causes of his frequent colds, otherwise they will be ineffective at best.

A child who is often sick - what to do? To begin with, understand that this is not a diagnosis at all. This is a clinical observation group. It includes children who often suffer from respiratory infections, and this is not associated with obvious congenital and hereditary pathologies. Formally, the group of “frequently ill people” is defined as follows:

if a child is aged 3 to 4 years, he gets sick more than 6 times a year;

if a child is aged 4 to 5 years, he gets sick more than 5 times a year; - if the child is over 5 years old, he gets sick more than 4 times a year.

When this happens, parents often blame the “bad doctors” and begin to torture their children with new and new medications on their own - which can only worsen the problem. If a child is often sick, this means that he is constantly exposed to sources of infection. They can be inside the body itself or in the external environment - for example, with a large number of contacts with people. It is no coincidence that many parents associate the surge in diseases with the child’s beginning to attend kindergarten. But the reasons can also be at home, in the family.

External factors

• lack of sanitary culture in the family, defects in care, for example, poor nutrition, not taking the child for walks or doing physical exercise;

material disadvantage, poor sanitary and living conditions, and in quite prosperous families, on the contrary, overprotection of the child;

uncontrolled use of antibiotics, antipyretics, which disrupt the functioning of the child’s body’s protective factors;

the presence of chronic diseases of the ENT organs in parents and other family members who live with the child; using shared utensils, etc.;

vaccinations before visiting a child care facility. Many parents often delay vaccination until they enter kindergarten, and vaccines weaken the functioning of the immune system - as a result, the child gets sick a few days after the start of adaptation to the conditions of the kindergarten;

parents did not take preventive measures before starting kindergarten, as a result the child’s body cannot cope with overwork and overexcitation of the nervous system;

the child starts attending kindergarten (especially under the age of 3). At this age, children are very susceptible to respiratory diseases.

a large number of contacts in places with large numbers of people: transport, supermarkets, etc.

The ENT doctor for my two children, Svetlana Danilova, usually categorically tells parents whose children suffer from sinusitis, otitis, and adenoiditis that they urgently need to take their children home from the institution for at least a couple of months. “If it were my will, I would close all the kindergartens,” Svetlana Vladimirovna categorically states.

But parents often do not have the opportunity to leave the child at home: either there is no one with them, or the financial situation does not allow only the father or mother to work.

Internal factors frequent child illness:

• Pre- and postnatal unfavorable scenarios for the development of the child, for example, malnutrition, rickets, anemia, prematurity, hypoxia during childbirth, encephalopathy;

early artificial feeding affects the maturation of the immune system;

allergies, especially those that are inherited;

the child has foci of chronic infection in the oro- and nasopharynx;

there may be viruses and pathogenic flora on the mucous membrane of the child’s nasopharynx;

“local” immunity of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract does not work well;

the child’s processes of thermoregulation and thermal adaptation are disrupted;

disruption of the intestinal microflora.

Comments Ivan Leskov, otolaryngologist:

“The real problem begins when the child has to be sent to kindergarten, where there are 20-25 people in the group. Of these, three or four are always in the prodromal period of infection, or come to kindergarten after sick leave - not fully treated. And although a 3-4 year old child can already develop antibodies to infection, the main link of immunity - the T-system - is not yet working (it is formed by the age of 5-6). This means that from 3 to 6 years of age there is a danger of the child developing chronic bacterial foci of infection (tonsillitis, adenoiditis), or persistent (Latin for “permanently resident”) chronic viruses, which, in particular, include the Epstein-Barr virus, adenovirus and cytomegalovirus. If a child is often sick, simply stimulating his immunity will not give the desired results.”

What to do?

Three smart steps will allow you to break the vicious circle:
1. Identify and sanitize chronic foci of infection;

Get tested for antibodies to viruses;

After completing the first two points, begin the rehabilitation of the child’s immune system

It is necessary to show the child not only to the pediatrician, but also to the otolaryngologist. It is the ENT doctor who can assess the condition of the tonsils, adenoids, paranasal cavities and eardrum. It is diseases of the ENT organs that cause frequent illnesses in children.

The ENT doctor should give a referral for analysis - culture from the mucous membrane of the pharynx and nose to assess the microbial condition. In the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx in frequently ill children, fungi of the genus Candida, staphylococci, Haemophilus influenzae (by the way, since last year, children at risk began to be vaccinated against Haemophilus influenzae infection free of charge), and enterobacteria often live peacefully. They are the source of the inflammatory process.

As a result of the evaluation of the tests, adequate treatment is prescribed. And only after the child has fully recovered can we begin to rehabilitate the immune system.

How to rehabilitate a child’s immune system?

Today, pediatricians very often use in their practice herbal preparations and homeopathic medicines. Most of us are familiar with adaptagen plants. To stimulate the immune system, eleutherococcus, echinacea, liceweed, levkoy, Schisandra chinensis, Rhodiola rosea, and Aralia Manchurian are used. Pharmacies sell extracts and tinctures of these plants. In practice, the following dosage is usually used: 1 drop of tincture for 1 year of life. During the epidemic period, immunomodulators are given to the child during the week - excluding weekends - for a month.

Connoisseurs bee products They claim that immunity can be boosted with royal jelly, bee jelly, and propolis.

If a child constantly suffers from runny noses and otitis media, it is necessary to stimulate his local immunity. It is necessary to use drugs (on the recommendation of an ENT doctor and after tests) that normalize immunity in the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. These medications contain lysates of bacteria. They help prevent infections in the nasopharynx. Ribosomal immunomodulators, bacterial lysates and membrane fractions and their synthetic analogues are known. I don’t specifically name the drugs themselves; they should only be prescribed by a doctor, preferably good immunologist.

Comments Fedor Lapiy, infectious disease immunologist:

“Before prescribing a drug, it is necessary to assess the child’s health condition. To begin with, a general blood test is looked at to see if the content of lymphocyte cells is normal. Their number indicates whether the child has a severe disorder of the immune system (the norm for children aged 4 years and older is 6.1 - 11.4x109/l). It is determined whether the child has suffered from pneumonia, purulent otitis media, meningitis and other serious illnesses. After this, other studies may be required - immunograms. They are different. Sometimes, in order to correctly assess what is happening with the child and prescribe adequate, effective treatment, an immunologist can prescribe a very narrowly targeted test. In this case, the immunogram itself will show the norm. But this will not mean that the problem has been resolved.”

Have a good time interferon prophylaxis. Even for newborns, pediatricians prescribe native leukocyte alpha-interferon (in ampoules) during seasonal morbidity. There are recombinant types of interferon - influferon and viferon (suppositories), anaferon and aflubin. Arbidol is an interferon inducer; in addition, it is also an antiviral drug. Don't forget oxolinic ointment. In the morning and evening, after you have cleared the child’s nose of mucus and just crusts, carefully lubricate the mucous membrane with a cotton swab with ointment applied to it.

There are also physical therapy options for restoring immunity. Many pulmonary departments and children's health centers have so-called gala chambers, they model the basic parameters of salt caves. Highly recommended for children with bronchopulmonary diseases, allergy sufferers, and simply children who are often ill. Being in the halochamber activates T cells, the synthesis of endogenous interferon and the level of immunoglobulins increases. Usually two courses are conducted per year. For example, in autumn and spring.

Aromatherapy– a physiotherapeutic procedure using volatile biologically active substances. Depending on the use of the essential oil of a particular plant, there will be a corresponding effect. The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of pine needles, lavender, laurel, fennel and basil oils are widely known. In aromatherapy, a strictly individual selection of essential oil is required.

Slightly forgotten Ural Federal District - ultraviolet irradiation. Physiotherapeutic rooms in children's clinics are usually equipped with these devices. As a result of exposure to ultraviolet rays, not only does the bactericidal activity of the blood increase, phagocytic activity also increases, and antimicrobial antibodies grow.

At the same time, we must not forget to perform other “non-drug” health measures. Everyone knows about them, or has at least heard of them, but following these absolutely competent instructions requires pedantic consistency from adults. Rules must become the norm of life.

Organize correctly child's daily routine. He should take a walk, play, and go to bed on time.

Avoid stress. Extinguish all conflict situations in the family. As psychologists correctly note: very often a child gets sick in families where there are unresolved situations between parents. The baby thus attracts the attention of the opposing parties to himself. In another option, the child’s immunity declines due to constant stress due to the situation in the family.

Make it a rule several times a day rinse your nose a solution of table salt (0.9%) or saline solution (costs a penny). Many parents buy sprays, for example, Aqua-Maris. To save money, after the solution in the purchased product runs out, you can carefully remove the cap with pliers and pour saline solution into the bottle. Cheap and cheerful. Other spray systems do not allow for reuse.

They will help the child restore immunity.

- Provide access to clean air. Ventilate more often, at least before going to bed, wet clean the floor in the child’s room. If possible, remove dust-collecting carpets. Or clean them often and very thoroughly.

• A very good tradition - at least once a year take the child to the sea, preferably for two weeks (no less). If this is not possible, go to the village, now open the fashionable summer season. The child should be given the opportunity to clear the bronchi from city air and indoor allergens. Summer is the most favorable time to start hardening procedures. What could be better - pour cold water on the baby’s feet on the grass or run with him along the river bank, and then take a swim in the sun’s spray...

- Make a schedule for visiting specialists. For a frequently ill child, such pedantry is very important. The main ones are pediatrician, otolaryngologist, dentist, physiotherapist. For additional indications: exercise therapy doctor, allergist, immunologist, neurologist.

Incredible facts

In this article, parents who believe that: a) all children get sick (metabolism, the body grows) will find a lot of useful information for themselves; b) medicine to help; c) the child was born so sickly and frail, etc.

Every parent should first of all know that from conception to achievement child For 12 years, his parents bear full responsibility for absolutely everything that happens to him.

And not at all because someone said so, or smart books wrote so, but due to the fact that a child under 12 years of age is completely subordinate to his parents, both energetically and informationally. The mother is responsible for the energy of the baby’s body, that is, for how he feels, and the father is responsible for events, that is, for what happens to the child and how the mother feels.

That is, we can say that fathers are responsible for the well-being of everyone.

Why is a child sick?

1. How the mother influences the child

From the moment of conception until the age of 12, your child's body is being built. Until the moment of birth, the only source of building materials is the mother, and after birth she remains the only source, but is already transformed into a flow of energy.

Everyone understands that during pregnancy you need to carefully monitor your health. But there is one "but". There are things that parents don’t think about or consider unimportant. The formation of the baby’s body has a direct connection with the mother’s psyche, and no unhealthy diet or smoking can cause more damage to the child than a woman with an unbalanced psyche.

All mental disorders during pregnancy, all the stress suffered, absolutely everything is deposited in the baby, disrupting the structure of his body. While carrying a child, the mother must have unshakable calm, always be positive and live in joyful anticipation.

What a mother experiences, she puts into her child. This is an unconditional axiom with which it is useless to argue. There are frequent examples when women who are old by today's standards after 35 years of age, being in absolute peace during pregnancy, gave birth to healthy children that are the envy of worried 20-year-olds. They were just really looking forward to their children and knew that everything would be fine.

Until the age of 12, the baby is connected to his mother by an energetic umbilical cord, and she completely controls his condition. But it often happens that even if the pregnancy was calm, after birth the mother falls into a state of hyperanxiety, when every pimple of her child is perceived as a reason to call an ambulance.

Increased anxiety, in principle, is a normal state of any mother; these are instincts. But do not forget that all the anxieties that a mother has, she pumps into her child. If a mother cannot get rid of obsessive thoughts about the child’s condition, then she will see everything clearly: the child will be constantly sick. Constantly.

The quality of energy a baby receives from his mother depends on her condition. Doctors' appointments are full of anxious women whose children are constantly getting sick. In schools, children's medical records are bursting with thickness. And the reason is the same everywhere: the mother’s condition.

Causes of a child's illness

An analogy can be drawn here with cooking. When you cook soup, do you shake over the pan every minute? What if I over-salted it, what if it doesn’t work out, what if there’s too much onion, what if there’s not enough parsley, etc.? If you cook this way, the food will be impossible to eat.

Only two options are possible: either you are worried that you will spoil the food, or you decided to cook something tasty. Everyone understands the difference in approach. In the first case, you will definitely spoil the food, but in the second, you will create a culinary masterpiece.

With a child, everything happens according to an absolutely similar pattern. You either fill him with care, love, positivity, trust, affection and approval, or you tremble over his every step, feeding him with worries, despondency, fears, doubts, and fatigue. If scandals and quarrels in the family are added to everything, then the diagnosis is clear: a mentally unbalanced mother fills the child with irritation, anger and malice, which immediately affects his organs.

Proponents of the energy connection theory also argue that there is no such thing as “catching a cold” or “caught a virus.” A child can swim in icy water in March and not even sneeze afterwards. But only if the mother does not start to worry about it. Or maybe you'll catch a cold out of nowhere.

As soon as information is announced in the media that seasonal flu is raging, overly anxious mothers begin to incredibly worry about their child, and of course, the child, according to the laws of the genre, will definitely get sick. Only those whose mothers know for sure that their baby will not get sick do not get sick. If such a child gets sick, then everything goes away very quickly and easily. That's it, the pharmacy has lost another client.

The mechanism of operation is clear. If a mother has mental problems, or she cares too much about the child’s health, then he is guaranteed to get sick. Any quarrels, family conflicts and stress are also the cause of the child’s inevitable illness.

Everyone should remember one simple thing: disease is not a cause, it is a symptom. Everything that happens to your child is the result of disturbances in his energy field. It remains to find out where this failure occurred: at school, while communicating with friends, or whether he received it from you.

How to save a child from illnesses

The human body's immune system is much smarter than all the parents and doctors in the world. Do not lower your temperature; the process going on in the body at elevated temperatures works better than any antiviral agent. By feeding your baby pills, you damage the functioning of all internal processes that respond to the cause of the disease.

Why does hardening work in your opinion? It's not just about water and its properties, because the body is a self-training system. The body adapts to very different conditions, this is inherent in it from birth, however, these abilities must be activated, for which hardening is used.

A child who grew up in greenhouse conditions has a delicate body, and the range of its functioning is very low, therefore going beyond the usual environment is fraught with results that cannot be predicted. For example, a hardened person may fall under the ice and nothing will happen to him, while another may experience hypothermia because such low temperatures are outside his comfort zone.

A child is sick

If you have a mistrust of this theory, then just check it yourself by recording your conditions, domestic conflicts, and noting the child’s conditions and illnesses. If it does not match, then either the child received stress somewhere on the side, or his unhardened body became hypothermic.

2. Dad's influence on mother and child

The father is the main person who influences the health of the family. It's very simple: the father controls the mother's condition, and the condition of each family member depends on her. If a woman is constantly on edge and nervous, then this is entirely the fault of the father of the family. As well as the child’s illnesses as a result of this.

The role of the father is not to shout at the mother, but to calm her down. Make her feel good, calm, easy and joyful. This can be done in different ways. Just talk to your wife, listen to her, give her a massage, make her laugh, entertain her. After all, this is your woman who relies on you. The whole world, represented by your family, relies on your father.

If the father said so, then it should be so, because the man controls the events in the house, and the wife controls the fortune of each family member. If a husband does not take responsibility for his wife’s condition and is in no hurry to relieve her stress, fears, anxiety and negativity, then absolutely everyone will get sick!

Because a woman’s condition is reflected in everyone’s share. Moreover, a woman can begin to control events, spending her husband’s energy on it. That's when a complete imbalance occurs. After all, a woman who is in a state of anxiety and fear and gets control over events is generally not able to cope with everything correctly.

The father controls the eventfulness of his child with his word. When speaking with a child on some topic, he puts into his words an image that is imprinted on the child because it programs his actions. If dad says: “you can do it,” “you will do it,” “you will succeed,” then so it will be. If the father does not say this to the child, then nothing will come of it.

Why is the baby sick?

The mother does not understand these subtleties. Especially if her state of anxiety has approached panic, then the woman’s imagination begins to draw pictures in which it is not possible to see the child’s events, and she begins to tell him: “you will fall,” “get sick,” “you will break,” “you will spoil,” etc. .d.

Is it worth adding that everything said will definitely happen to the child? And my mother later proudly declares that she knew it, and does not understand that she herself was the cause of what happened. That is why the father must program events, but for this a man must have great strength, otherwise he may lose control, and we wrote above what this leads to.

By the way, in a similar way, women “order” themselves parasites and alcoholics, into whom generally normal men turn. These women begin to take responsibility for events, becoming the head of the family.

Therefore, children are never raised by the mother, only by the father. All the negativity that a woman gives out immediately produces negative energy in her, because she emits exactly what she says.

If a mother accuses a child of being such and such, she fills her child with bad things with her own hands, and even if the child is not really one, he will become one, armless, headless, sick, etc. Many people say that words are just words. If only everything were really that simple.

Psychology of child illness

Each of us is ready to quickly shift all our mistakes onto our neighbor, husband, wife, child, presenting ourselves as white and fluffy. We talked about your responsibility above. It is your readiness to face with dignity the consequences of what you did with the Power that was in your hands.

If you don’t know anything about this or don’t want to know, then this is solely a problem for you and your loved ones. Men must carefully ensure that they are responsible for their word and give their wives care, reassurance, affection and love. If the family is in poor condition, then the man does not work enough.