Children's immunity through the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine

Children's immunity. This is a topic that every mother would like to have in her little finger. Although it is often talked about, there is one perspective that still remains a bit in the background. It is the view of traditional Chinese medicine. It approaches children's immunity in a way that is close to many mums' hearts. It focuses on prevention, and if there is already a disease, it offers purely natural help.

A child's organism is fragile

An old Chinese medical book says, "Children do not have external defenses, so external evil can easily enter the body and attack the lungs." By external evil we mean "external pathogens" such as wind, cold, heat, humidity (we nowadays say viruses, bacteria, etc.). This is why so many children so often suffer from respiratory problems such as coughs, colds, congestion, allergies or asthma. This is because young children's respiratory systems are not fully developed and they are more susceptible to the invasion of pathogens that mainly attack the respiratory system.

The importance of "Spleen"

The second cause of weakened immunity is usually weakened Qi energy of the Spleen (the Spleen in TCM is not just a small organ in the left lower rib cage, but basically the whole digestive system). This is why Chinese medicine places great emphasis on diet, on careful selection of foods that support the health of the Spleen.

The basis of the diet should be complex carbohydrates supplemented with small amounts of high-value protein and servings of lightly cooked vegetables. Even children need a diet that is fresh and tasty; local foods are highly recommended. Most foods need only be lightly cooked to keep the food crisp. Digestion starts in the mouth, so it is a good idea to teach children to chew their food thoroughly first and enjoy every bite. It's not for nothing that they say you are what you eat, and this is doubly true for children, who need a good diet for their healthy development.

In general, foods that strengthen the Spleen are neutral or warm sweet in nature: light cereals, especially white rice and rice porridge (congee), oats, roasted barley, glutinous (sweet) rice, speltsweet potatoes, celery, pumpkin, carrots, corn, parsnips, chickpeas, black beans, sweet potatoes, yams, peas, walnuts, chicken, beef, lamb, liver, kidney beans, mackerel, tuna.

And then, of course, there are the vital mushrooms, whose beneficial effects on the body are confirmed not only by traditional Chinese medicine, but also by modern scientific studies.

What Spleen does not like are uncooked and raw foods of a cold nature (especially in autumn and winter): salads, raw fruits (whole and squeezed juice, especially citrus), wheat, sprouts and cereal shoots, raw vegetables, tomatoes, spinach, chard (romaine), tofu, yams, seaweed, salt, too many sweet foods and concentrated sweeteners, brown rice and foods that retain and create ice cream and dairy products (except small amounts of butter and yogurt), sugar, chocolate, nuts and seeds (except walnuts), nut butters.

Call in the mushrooms to help

But let's get back to the vital mushrooms. Take the Reishi mushroom. It is considered the queen among mushrooms and rightfully so. Reishi contains many bioactive substances that make it absolutely unique. In Reishi we can find, besides vitamins, minerals, a large number of polysaccharides beta glucans, ganoderans, but also steroids, cyclic esters of lactones, triterpenes, which include ganoderic acid or lanostans. Thanks to this, Reishi can activate the body and maintain our natural defences, as well as contribute to maintaining the normal function of the circulatory system.

You can find it in the very popular Dragon Syrup or Mycocomplex. The syrup is particularly suitable for young children who are unable to swallow tablets. The syrup contains mushrooms Reishi and Cordyceps, Echinacea and Acerol (a natural source of vitamin C) and mothers start using it already during the summer months, when children are waiting for the return to the playgroup and the cold autumn and long winter.

Mycocomplex is suitable for older children (5 years and older) as well as adults. It also contains the vital mushrooms Reishi and Cordyceps, plus the mushrooms Agaricus and Shiitake. Agaricus is the most active of all the vital mushrooms, making it very suitable for maintaining proper immune system function. The whole mixture is supplemented with Acerola, a natural source of vitamin C.

Cold or hot wind attack

So far we have talked about boosting immunity and preventing illness. But if the organism is too weakened or the pathogen too strong, sometimes the child will get sick. Even in these cases, Chinese medicine can help. For example, the number one choice for many mothers is a syrup based on the traditional recipe of Yin Qiao San (Tiger syrup), which is especially excellent at the beginning of an attack of hot or even cold wind. The ancient Chinese did not have microscopes, so they were ignorant of viruses and other infectious disease agents, and saw cold or hot wind infestation as the cause. The Yin Qiao San mixture is excellent in the early stages of infestation. After that, it is good to use some traditional tinctures according to the current condition. If you are not sure, write or call the MycoMedica.cz Counseling Center.

Good news at the end

It is usually much easier and quicker to get rid of problems in children than in adults. Illnesses in children come on quickly, but they usually go away quickly too. And because the organs and energy pathways in children are not yet fully developed, they are also "simpler" and so eliminating a pathogen from the body or moving blocked Qi energy is much easier.

Author:Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapist

Milan Schirlo

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