Homeopathy to Boost Immunity in Babies
Homeopathy is ideal for babies and children as it is a gentle yet highly effective system of medicine. Children respond wonderfully to simple homeopathic remedies. The mildly sweet pills or liquids are easy to dispense and are more palatable than many conventional medicines. Homeopathic remedies are safe to use in the very young, including new-born babies.Most common illnesses of childhood can be quickly and effectively managed with homeopathic medicines.Babies when they are born have underdeveloped immune system and are therefore prone to infections.
Our Built-In Defense Systems
Your immune system is a complex system capable of amazing things. Overall, its basic task is to protect you by recognizing anything that gets into your body, determining if it is foreign, figuring out if it is friend or foe, and responding accordingly. When your body is faced with defending itself from intruders such as bacteria or viruses, for example, many types of cells within your body spring into action. Some respond by producing infection-fighting proteins called antibodies. Others, such as white blood cells, are able to attack bacteria directly and destroy them. Through methods such as these, your body’s immune system is often able to prevent you from getting sick, and helps you get well again if you do become sick.
New-born Defenses
We know that a new-born’s immune system is not nearly as effective as an adult’s or even an older child’s, and that it takes many months before a new-born can fight off infection as well as someone whose immune system is fully matured. Nonetheless, you may be pleasantly reassured to know that new-borns are much better protected against (or immune to) potential illnesses and diseases than you might otherwise think. This is because during pregnancy, disease-fighting antibodies made in the mother’s immune system are able to make their way across the placenta and into her baby’s body. Fortunately, these antibodies stick around for several months and are able to give new-borns an added level of protection from many routine illnesses during this important time when they are not as able to effectively make their own antibodies. However, all good things must come to an end, and infants gradually get less and less benefit from their mothers’ antibodies—that is, unless they are breastfed.
The Value of Breast Milk
Breast milk not only has unquestionable nutritional value, but it provides infants with an added level of immune protection that no commercial formula has been able to duplicate. That’s because even colostrum—the first milk produced by new mothers contains large numbers of antibodies and other infection fighting cells. Through breast milk, nursing mothers are able to provide their babies with a continued source of antibodies long after they deliver. As a result, breastfed babies are protected against many if not all of the diseases to which their mothers’ are immune. It is because of this significant boost in immunity that breastfed babies have been shown to get sick less often, suffer from fewer ear infections, and experience less severe symptoms when they do get sick. And while you may be familiar with the risk of uneven heating and scald burns associated with microwaving breast milk, its worth noting that doing so is also thought to destroy the immune properties of the milk.
A New-born's Risk for Colds
New-borns are at high risk for colds or other infections for the first 4 to 6 weeks of life. That’s because their immune system is functionally immature. Babies do get some immune protection from the antibodies they receive from the placenta before birth. They also get antibodies through the mother’s breast milk if they are being breastfed after birth. But there are many germs they can’t fight off.
It’s important to help new-borns build a strong immune system before they are exposed to cold viruses. A virus that causes a mild illness in an older child or an adult can cause a more serious illness in a new-born. Here are some ways to reduce the risk of colds for your new-born:
Breastfeed your new-born baby — it helps boost your baby’s immunity. Sterilize bottles and nipples between uses by boiling them or running them through the dishwasher. Discard unused formula or breast milk (if bottled), after each feeding — baby’s saliva has germs which multiply quickly. Keep baby’s formula or breast milk in the refrigerator until just before feeding time. Then warm the milk and feed it to the baby immediately, before bacteria have a chance to grow. Wash your hands frequently before and after feeding your baby and before and after changing your baby’s diaper. Keep new-borns away from anyone who is sick. If possible, avoid crowds and using public transportation with new-borns.
Homoeopathy for Boosting a Baby’s Immune System*
Homoeopathy is another way by which you can boost the immune system of a baby. An infant who falls ill repeatedly can benefit from homoeopathy as it will build the child’s resistance and his immunity becomes better.
Benefits*
- Naturally strengthen immune functioning in children.
- Promote your child’s natural resistance to illness.
- Keep little bodies strong an healthy.
- Maintain vitality and vigour.
- Restore health after illness.
- Break the antibiotic cycle.
- Reduce risk of infection during the cold and flu season.
There are many homoeopathic medicines which help boost immunity in children. But each child is different so the homoeopathic medicine for each baby is different as homoeopathy works on individualization.
For children's ailments consult a homoeopathic physician to prevent illnesses in babies and promote their immunity.
Self-medication is not advisable.