When a child’s immune system is struggling, the conventional response is usually medication to suppress symptoms, but that approach treats the surface, not the source. Real, lasting improvement comes from addressing the underlying causes of immune dysfunction: what your child eats, what they’re exposed to, their stress level, how their gut is functioning, and how well their body can detoxify and regulate itself.
Whether your child is dealing with eczema, allergies, autism, or another chronic condition, the path forward is the same: reduce the burdens on the immune system and give the body what it needs to heal. Here are the key areas to focus on:
Diet and Nutrition
The first step to supporting a healthy immune system is to incorporate a clean, whole-foods diet with as many nutritious organic and local foods as possible. This means removing fast food and processed and ultra-processed foods, especially those containing synthetic chemical preservatives, dyes, genetically modified foods (GMOs), and inflammatory seed oils. If this feels like a tall order, see the Feingold Diet as a way to get started.
Special diets designed to heal the gut and improve overall nutrition can be a critical part of supporting the body’s immune system and function. Many parents have found that eliminating gluten, casein or other food sensitivities from their child’s diet can help reduce stress on the immune system because it removes the constant burden of inflammation triggered by these foods. If you are uncertain which foods might be an inflammatory trigger for your child, you can have your child tested at one of the many laboratories specific for IgE, IgG,and IgA – see Allergy and Sensitivity Testing.
Every child is different, but for those who can tolerate fermented foods, such as miso soup, kefir, sauerkraut and kombucha, these foods can help heal the microbiome by re-introducing good microorganisms into the gastrointestinal tract. These healthy microorganisms are a critical part of the immune system, and a more diverse and healthy microbiome will result in a more robust and healthy immune system.
Healthy fats are also very important for brain development and the immune system, so make sure your child eats a variety everyday such as eggs, cold-pressed olive oil, unrefined coconut products, clean fatty fish, avocados, kefir yogurt, and soaked nuts and seeds. Finally, healthy sources of clean protein provide the essential building blocks for a strong immune system.
Lifestyle Changes
Our children today have to deal with innumerable toxins in the environment, including toxins found in our homes and everyday products like soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and more. Each additional toxic exposure means additional burden on the immune system. It is important to change your family’s current lifestyle by incorporating as many of the following lifestyle elements as possible:
- Natural lighting (instead of blue-light/cool-light heavy LEDs)
- Improved air quality (adding an air filter if necessary)
- Pure filtered water
- Non-toxic cleaning products
- Organic foods
- Cotton clothing
- Non-toxic hygiene and personal-care products
- No microwave usage
- Avoiding aluminum cookware and products
- Avoiding non-stick cookware
- No tobacco exposure
- No chemical pesticides or herbicides
- No plastic containers
- Being aware of geopathic stress
- Eliminating toxic building materials
- Removing rugs, carpets, and furnishings with synthetic coatings
- Eliminating all electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs), including WiFi
See Lifestyle Basics.
Detoxify and Heal the Gut
Modern children today are saddled with fungal and bacterial imbalances in their microbiomes. Candida, fungus, parasites, bacteria, viruses, mycotoxins, and many other pathogens may be found in unhealthy levels in the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary and lifestyle changes will certainly help restore balance, but specific natural supplements to detox, heal and rebalance the gastrointestinal tract may be recommended by your natural health practitioner.
Long-term usage of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals can damage the immune system by wiping out the healthy microflora that keep the gastrointestinal tract in a state of balance. Consult with a natural health practitioner to discuss whether natural alternatives such as herbs or homeopathy might be a gentler way to address infections.
For parents who want a clearer picture of “what’s in the gut” in terms of microbiome inhabitants, there are several tests that can be taken that can give some insight into microbiome health. There are simple stool tests, like the one offered by Tiny Health, that sequence the DNA of microbes in the gut, and there are also urine tests like the organic acids test that provide a snapshot of what in your gastrointestinal tract by measuring the metabolites (excreted waste and byproducts) of gastrointestinal microbes.
Nutritional Supplementation
An individualized nutritional supplementation protocol, depending on the child’s nutritional needs, may help support the immune system. Some common nutritional supplements that are used to support the immune system include:
- Probiotics and prebiotics (preferably as foods)
- Phytonutrients found in whole food-based supplements
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- Essential fatty acids
- Vitamin D3 is commonly recommended to support the immune system but it is preferrable to get your vitamin D from natural sun exposure. If sun exposure is not possible, some practitioners recommend that vitamin D3 be taken with vitamin K2
- Mushrooms like reishi, lions mane, and cordyceps
Speak with your child’s practitioner to learn what nutritional supports might be right for your child.
Detoxification
A detoxification protocol should only be considered after your child has done the following action items:
- Eaten healthy (preferably organic) foods on a consistent basis
- Eliminated food sensitivities and intolerances
- Thoroughly cleaned up the gastrointestinal tract and has healthy regular bowel movements (at least once per day)
- Addressed any significant nutritional deficiencies
Natural health practitioners and homeopaths may use the following detoxification strategies to support safe and gentle detoxification:
- Herbs that support detoxifcation such as milk thistle or dandelion
- Nutritional supports like N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) or glutathione
- Liquids such as zeolite
- Transdermal detoxification creams
- Homeopathic remedies or homotoxicology
Support Methylation
The methylation process is very important for detoxification and always should be supported. These researchers posit that DNA methylation may play a significant role in the etiology of about 70% of autism cases. Methylation may have an effect on many neurological functions and on the body’s ability to detoxify.
Methylation is critical to the production of glutathione, which is the master antioxidant that excretes environmental toxins and pathogens out of the body. Having normal glutathione levels enables the body to excrete the environmental toxins efficiently.Supporting methylation with supplements or transdermal creams is paramount to healing the immune system.
Nervous System, Sensory and Structural Therapies
There are many methods for regulating the nervous system and reducing the burden on sensory systems. A regulated nervous system can result in a more resilent and more robust immune system. Anything you can do to take the “total load” of stressors off the sensory and nervous systems is going to give the body and the immune system more energy to do its job. Some of these therapies include:
See Neurodevelopmental Therapies and Structural Therapies.
Reduce Stress and Balance Hormones
When there’s an imbalance in the hormones, the immune system can be directly affected.
Many children today have high anxiety and stress due to modern lifestyles. This stress results in constantly elevated cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones which can deplete the body of energy and nutrients quickly. It is well established that chronic stress damages the immune system, and our kids are not exempt from this experience.
You can ask your natural health care practitioner to check for hormone imbalances as sometimes there are more complicated hormonal irregularities (as with thyroid conditions) that can further affect immune health.
See Reducing Stress and Hormones.
Address Chronic Infections
Chronic (latent, persistent) infections such as Lyme and coinfections, mold, HHVs, EBV, and more can contribute to immune dysregulation and a draining of the body’s resources. Testing for chronic infections may be the first step in identifying a hidden stressor on the immune system. Many times these chronic infections can be treated safely with herbs and homeopathy.
About Beth Lambert
Beth Lambert is a former healthcare consultant and teacher. As a consultant, she worked with pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and other health care companies to evaluate industry trends.
She is the author of A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America’s Children (Sentient Publications, 2010). She is also a co-author of Documenting Hope's Brain Under Attack: A Resource for Parents and Caregivers of Children with PANS, PANDAS, and Autoimmune Encephalitis. She is a co-author of Reversal of Autism Symptoms among Dizygotic Twins through a Personalized Lifestyle and Environmental Modification Approach: A Case Report and Review of the Literature, J. Pers. Med. 2024, 14(6), 641.
In 2009, Beth founded Documenting Hope and currently serves as Executive Director. Beth attended Oxford University, graduated from Williams College and holds a Masters Degree in American Studies from Fairfield University.
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Sources & References
Gholamalizadeh, H., et al. DNA Methylation in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Biomarker or Pharmacological Target? Brain Sci. 2024 Jul 23;14(8):737.
