Childhood Diseases (Holistic)
About This Condition
- Learn about vaccinations Talk to your healtcare provider about the potential risks and benefits of using vaccinations for preventing childhood diseases
- Diet right
Ensure your child eats a nutritious diet to boost his or her immune system and improve the effectiveness of vaccinations
- Take your child for a checkup
Visit your child’s doctor to make sure the disease does not result in serious complications
About This Condition
Some of the most common illnesses of childhood cause skin eruptions and are known as exanthems. The childhood exanthems include rubeola (measles), rubella (German measles), chicken pox, erythema infectiosum (fifth disease), and roseola infantum, all of which are viral infections, as well as scarlet fever, a bacterial infection. All of these infections affect the respiratory system and are highly contagious.
Children with these illnesses usually recover fully even without treatment; however, all of these conditions carry the possibility of severe complications, such as pneumonia, heart and kidney damage, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Vaccinations and other changes in modern lifestyle have rendered several of these previously common illnesses virtually nonexistent in the developed world, though they are widespread and remain a major cause of childhood deaths in other parts of the world.
Symptoms
Children with a childhood disease may have symptoms including muscle aches, fatigue, fever, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, and vomiting. There may also be an itchy skin rash with red bumps that may look like blisters.
The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.
| Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|
| Balance your nutrition | Feeding children a nutritious, balanced diet helps defend against childhood diseases, as malnutrition increases the likelihood of illness. Children who suffer from malnutrition have weakened immune systems and are more likely to acquire exanthemous infections and to experience more severe illness from them. Malnutrition contributes to half of all childhood deaths from infectious diseases worldwide.Measles, a common childhood viral infection, is more likely to result in permanent blindness and is more likely to be fatal in children with poor nutritional status. Measles vaccinations are less effective in children who are malnourished. |
Our proprietary “Star-Rating” system was developed to help you easily understand the amount of scientific support behind each supplement in relation to a specific health condition. While there is no way to predict whether a vitamin, mineral, or herb will successfully treat or prevent associated health conditions, our unique ratings tell you how well these supplements are understood by some in the medical community, and whether studies have found them to be effective for other people.
For over a decade, our team has combed through thousands of research articles published in reputable journals. To help you make educated decisions, and to better understand controversial or confusing supplements, our medical experts have digested the science into these three easy-to-follow ratings. We hope this provides you with a helpful resource to make informed decisions towards your health and well-being.
3 StarsReliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.
2 StarsContradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.
1 StarFor an herb, supported by traditional use but minimal or no scientific evidence. For a supplement, little scientific support.
| Supplement | Why |
|---|---|
3 Stars Vitamin A High doses of vitamin A may be used to treat measles or chicken pox, but only under a doctor's supervision | Vitamin A plays a critical role in proper immune function, it has been used successfully to prevent and treat measles and to treat chicken pox. Preliminary research shows that supplemental vitamin A improves the likelihood that the measles vaccine will provide protection. Vitamin A has, since the 1920s, been the subject of much research into the prevention and treatment of childhood exanthems, particularly measles. This nutrient has a critical role in proper immune function, and there is evidence that supplementation with vitamin A reduces the incidence and severity of, and deaths from, childhood measles. The World Health Organization (WHO) has therefore recommended that children with signs of deficiency receive supplementation with vitamin A. The recommended amounts are 100,000 IU for children younger than one year and 200,000 IU for children older than one year, immediately upon diagnosis, and repeated once the next day and once in one to four weeks. A controlled trial of African children given vitamin A supplementation according to the WHO’s recommendations found that severity of measles and its long-term consequences were reduced by 82% on day eight, 61% in week six, and 85% six months after the onset. Another controlled trial found that giving approximately 200,000 IU of vitamin A once during measles illness was not adequate to provide any benefit in African children whose vitamin A status was unknown. In a controlled prevention study, Indian children treated with 2,500 mcg (8,333 IU) of vitamin A weekly had fewer measles complications and less than half of the rate of death as compared with children receiving placebo; but in another study, Indian children receiving 200,000 IU of vitamin A every six months did not have a different rate of total infectious illness nor rate of death as compared with children receiving placebo. An analysis of 20 controlled trials concluded that vitamin A supplementation reduced deaths from measles respiratory infection by 70%. While vitamin A deficiency is widespread in developing countries, it has also been reported in the United States and has been linked with more severe cases of measles. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended supplementation with vitamin A for children between the ages of six months and two years who are hospitalized with measles and its complications. The recommended amount is a single administration of 100,000 IU for children aged 6 to 12 months and 200,000 IU for children older than 1 year, followed by a second administration 24 hours later and a third after four weeks in children who are likely to have vitamin A deficiency. One trial showed that low levels of vitamin A are more prevalent in children with measles than in similar children without measles, with levels rising back to normal several days after the onset of the infection. This observation led the authors of the study to conclude that vitamin A deficiency is a consequence of infection with the measles virus and to recommend supplementation with vitamin A during measles infection even when prior deficiency is not suspected. Vitamin A stores have also been shown to be depleted during chicken pox infection, and some preliminary data supports its use in treatment of chicken pox. In a controlled trial, in which children without vitamin A deficiency were given either 200,000 IU of vitamin A or placebo one time during chicken pox, the children given vitamin A had shorter duration of illness and fewer severe complications. The researchers then treated the patients’ siblings with vitamin A before chicken pox became evident, and they had an even shorter length of illness. |
1 Star Quercetin Refer to label instructions | Quercetin is a flavonoid that has shown particularly strong antiviral properties in the test tube. Flavonoids are a group of compounds found in some plant foods and medicinal herbs. An antiviral action of some flavonoids has been observed in a number of test tube experiments.Quercetin, one of the flavonoids, has shown particularly strong antiviral properties in the test tube; however, one study did not find quercetin to be of benefit to mice with a viral infection. It is not known whether flavonoids can be absorbed in amounts sufficient to exert an antiviral effect in humans, and therefore their possible role in the treatment of childhood exanthems remains unknown. |
1 Star Selenium Refer to label instructions | Supplementing with selenium, an antioxidant mineral, supports a healthy immune system and has been found to prevent viral infections. Selenium is a mineral known to have antioxidant properties and to be involved in healthy immune system activity. Recent animal and human research suggests that selenium deficiency increases the risk of viral infection and that supplementation prevents viral infection. In a controlled trial, children with a specific viral infection (respiratory syncytial virus) who received a single supplement of 1 mg (1,000 mcg) of sodium selenite (a form of selenium) recovered more quickly than children who did not receive selenium. While it is possible that childhood exanthemous viral infections might similarly be more severe in selenium-deficient children and helped through supplementation, none of the current research involves these specific viruses. |
1 Star Vitamin C Refer to label instructions | Vitamin C enhances the immune system and may protect against viral infections, including measles and chicken pox. Vitamin C has been demonstrated in test tube, animal, and human studies to have immune-enhancing and direct antiviral properties. Preliminary observations made on the effect of vitamin C on viral infections have involved both measles and chicken pox. An active immune system uses vitamin C rapidly, and blood levels fall in children with bacterial or viral infections. Reduced immune cell activity has been observed in people with measles, but in one preliminary study, supplementation with 250 mg daily of vitamin C in children 18 months to 3 years old had no impact on the course of the illness. The authors of this study admit that this amount of vitamin C may have been too low to bring about an observable increase in immune cell activity and thus an increase in speed of recovery. |
1 Star Vitamin E Refer to label instructions | Healthy immune function requires adequate amounts of vitamin E. Animal studies have shown that vitamin E increases immune cell activity and reduces virus activity. Healthy immune function also requires adequate amounts of vitamin E. Vitamin E deficiency is associated with increased severity of viral infections in mice. Supplementation with vitamin E during viral infections has been shown to increase immune cell activity and reduce virus activity in mice. Research into the effects of vitamin E supplementation on childhood exanthems has not been done. |
1 Star Zinc Refer to label instructions | Zinc is a mineral antioxidant nutrient that the immune system requires. Supplementing with it increases immune activity in people with certain illnesses. Zinc is another mineral antioxidant nutrient that the immune system requires. Zinc deficiency results in lowered immune defenses, and zinc supplementation increases immune activity in people with certain illnesses. As with vitamin A, zinc levels have been observed to fall during the early stages of measles infection and to return to normal several days later. There is evidence that zinc supplements are helpful in specific viral infections, but there are no data on the effect of zinc on childhood exanthemous infections. |
Last Review: 06-08-2015
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The information presented by TraceGains is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. Self-treatment is not recommended for life-threatening conditions that require medical treatment under a doctor's care. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2024.
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