Contents
Allergies in children, causes, treatments, how to avoid
The kid gives out a reaction to literally everything, suffers, does not sleep at night, and with him you. The house is full of drugs, and so is your purse. Allergies are more serious than they seem.
No, we will not offer you revolutionary treatment regimens. This should be done by an allergist. We will tell you how to prevent the development of allergies, recognize its first signs, and how a mother can help the baby on her own.
Over the past 30 years, the number of children with allergies has doubled. According to official statistics, in Russia every fourth child suffers from allergies, according to unofficial statistics – at least half. There are a huge number of reasons, some of which are created by the parents themselves: the deterioration of the environmental situation, harmful products, the lack of breastfeeding, uncontrolled intake of medications, an excessive focus on sterility.
At first, the child’s immunity has not yet been formed and is only learning to distinguish between dangerous and safe external influences. Experts have repeatedly proved that children in rural areas have a much lower risk of allergies. And all because they are constantly in contact with natural stimuli, training their immune system. When a child is protected from everything in the world, the immune system begins to be lazy and reacts chaotically to everything, and there are more than enough allergens in the city. Finally, immunity finishes taking antibiotics “just in case” and for any reason.
Five main types of allergies
Food
It occurs with the use of products containing histamines, preservatives, antibiotics, flavors, stabilizers and dyes. Babies most often react to cow’s milk and formula, older children to citrus fruits, eggs, sugar, honey, tomatoes, nuts, red berries and wheat. The first signs of the disease are skin rashes, frequent regurgitation, prolonged colic, and bloating.
On animals, plants and dust
Allergies to animals can be caused not only by wool, but also by saliva, epithelial cells and urine. It is believed that the likelihood of an immune response is less if a child is in contact with a pet from the first day of his life. When pollen from flowering plants reacts, hay fever occurs. House dust allergies are caused by tiny dust mites. All of these allergens lead to respiratory problems: itchy nose, prolonged runny nose without other signs of a cold, frequent sneezing, nasal congestion, coughing and watery eyes. If measures are not taken in time, allergic asthma or bronchitis may develop.
Contact
Sources – household chemicals, cosmetics, insect bites, inappropriate diapers and bedding. For example, artificial latex-like mixtures and adhesives are added to coconut coir mattresses to increase strength, which lead to the evaporation of formaldehydes with a characteristic chemical odor and sooner or later cause allergies. Skin rashes are always located in the area of contact with the allergen and are most often localized on the cheeks, chin, back, forearms, buttocks and abdomen. Lack of treatment can lead to eczema.
Medicinal
Most often it occurs after a course of antibiotics against the background of dysbiosis, with the wrong combination of drugs and long-term treatment with the same drug. It can cause both a local reaction in the form of urticaria and a life-threatening condition – anaphylactic shock.
Cross
There are times when several antigens cause a reaction at once. For example, the immune system first reacts to the flowering of one plant, then to another. And combining certain plants with food can increase allergies.
Five rules for dealing with childhood allergies
Food. If possible, do not deprive your baby of breastfeeding, remember that mother’s milk is the main building material for your baby’s immunity. Follow your diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Prepare food only from fresh products, avoid canned, smoked and other products with a long shelf life – they contain harmful additives. Don’t overfeed your baby. According to Dr. Komarovsky, the approach “there is not as much as necessary, but as much as it fits” leads to the fact that the body is not able to digest all the food and, as a result, gives an allergic reaction. As a rule, the child intuitively himself feels how much, what and when to eat.
Treatment. Do not self-medicate. This also applies to allergies and other diseases, even a banal seasonal cold. Only a doctor will be able to choose the correct treatment, taking into account the characteristics of your child and related diseases. Avoid the use of a large number of drugs at the same time, this significantly increases the allergy of the body.
Home Improvement… Damp mop regularly, ventilate the room and maintain optimal humidity levels. Do not smoke at home; secondhand smoke increases the risk of allergies and respiratory diseases. Filter the water in which you bathe your baby, as tap water contains chlorine, use only baby cosmetics and special washing powders. Get rid of breeding grounds for dust and harmful microorganisms: heavy curtains, carpets with long pile, lots of stuffed animals. Pay special attention to bedding. It is better to give preference to modern hypoallergenic materials, because, for example, even with proper care, a huge number of harmful bacteria, mites and fungi literally live in a down pillow, and low-quality bedding contains dyes. For an allergic person, mattresses and pillows made of polyurethane foam are well suited: the material is environmentally friendly and completely excludes the appearance of harmful settlers. It is best if the mattress bears the CertiPUR label on the packaging. It guarantees compliance with European emission standards for volatile substances. These include, for example, sleep products made with IQ Sleep technology.
General strengthening of immunity… For permanent housing, it is better to choose places with a smaller congestion of people, for example, the outskirts of a city or a nearby suburb. Together with the doctor, develop a program to increase the child’s immunity – hardening, proper regimen, healthy eating, sports, vitamins, etc.
Take care of your and your child’s psycho-emotional state… According to the psychotherapist Mark Sandomirsky, many allergic and pseudo-allergic disorders are of a psychosomatic nature. Simply put, the cause of illness is a deep emotional inner conflict that affects the physical condition. In this case, the source of the disease is the parents: their relationship with each other, with the child. Allergy is becoming a kind of way to get emotional release and secondary benefits – it is more convenient to justify yourself through illness than to realize what is happening and solve the problem. What to do? According to the expert, parents (first of all, a mother) should understand and process emotional conflicts, achieve reconciliation for the sake of the child’s health. Modern psychotechnics teach methods of emotional and physical relaxation together with the baby, how to give him positive emotions and receive relaxation.
Doctors advise: do not dramatize and do not write your child down as allergy sufferers for life, often the disease goes away with age. But, of course, you do not need to distance yourself if you see how he is tormented. Approach the problem consciously, do not go to extremes and try to find a middle ground.