DS on a vitamin cocktail to help with immune system

[SweetDCofMine]

... to help with recurrent skin infections (has had eczema for years), sore throats, impetigo.... Immune system basically.

Every day he'll take:

5 mls Eskimo Oil
1 Animal Parade MultiVitamin/Mineral tablet (According to tub he's meant to take 2 but his diet is pretty good so I just give him the one).
1 Equinacea tablet
1 Animal Parade Kid Zinc tablet

Oh by the way, gp didn't prescribe any of those, I decided to give them to ds after quite a bit of research. Is there anything else you would recommend?

I would consult a nutritionist if you can.

You might find that there are brands that are more easily absorbed / tolerated. We used Biocare for some and have a really nice omega 3/6 complex that does not taste of fish (i'll look it up and link later). A good pro biotic might be worth considering.

Thank you MistyB. I give my son Eskimo because it has omega 3,6 and 9; it doesn't taste very nice but ds is such a good boy he'll tolerate it in juice! Very interested in link when you get the chance.

I have flash backs of tasting cod liver oil throughout the day when I was younger! I also find the same with capsules!! This Barleans Omega Swirl, however, is YUM!!! I also use it to mix some less palatable enzymes / suppliments that my DC's take. It has omega 3/6 and 9.

We have also used this powder which includes lacto, bifido and strepto bacteria as well as a good vitamin / mineral cocktail but no zinc.

There are so many products on the market it is difficult to know which ones really are best but we also use this biocare vitamin c as it is supposed to be more easily absorbed and does not contain citrus which is sometimes an issue.

Good luck!!

I would be a bit careful with the zinc, and only use it if he is a bit under the weather. Equally the Equinacea.

How is his diet? Any need for multivitamin with iron?

I second you should see a dietician/nutritionist.

If you think that diet is contributing to your DSs problems then ask your G.P. to refer you to a dietitian.
They're the regulated profession regarding diet.

As an aside, I assume you've already had a dermatology referral.

I'm afraid to say that I don't think the list of supplements you've posted are very evidence based for the conditions you mentioned.

Omega 3 (in Eskimo oil) has now had 6 large scale randomly controlled trials, and from the meta-analysis that followed doesn't show any effectiveness in eczema.

Zinc has found use in a few skin conditions but has generally found to be lacking when rigorous testing is done.

Both Vitamin C and Echinacea have been demonstrated to have no benefit in the prevention of upper airway infections but have been shown to reduce the length of such events by about 10% so probably best to only use those when he's unwell.

If you're not satisfied with all the conventional option that the dermatologist can offer (you are far from alone in this, more than half of care givers go down the complementary therapies route) then you probably need to look at probiotics.
They have been demonstrated to reduce symptoms in both adults and children.

I think your mix sounds OK although I would not give them all every day but try to alternate. My ds was once advised to take mega doses by a nutritionist but I didn't feel comfortable with it, so we did as-and-when.

Just as well, as it turned out that he was deficient b/c he wasn't absorbing stuff due to gluten intolerance. Once we stopped gluten the theory goes that he should rebuild his absorption status. I still give him occasional vit as when tested he was Zn deficient. Zn is really important for lots of enzymes, not just immunity. ALso wheat has adverse effect on immunity so you might want to limit that if you can. Make sure he has quality proteins too.

Is B-complex and Mg in the multi you have? They are good too.
I would maybe only do echinacea once in a while.

Thank you all for your replies, much appreciated. Could somebody recommend specific probiotics for children, something tried and tested by your own DC? I once bought some (from the same people who make Animal Parade) and they were so vile my children refused to eat them. I tried them and understood. They tasted of sick. That was £10 down the drain so haven't dared to try another brand because they're so expensie!!

My DS1 suffers v badly from Eczema & also has recurrent skin infections- he is on his 6th lot of anti biotics this year- would be interested in whether these vitamins help you

Hi performancegirl, that was my DS a year ago. I got so sick of it that's when I started doing research. Since then he's only been on antibiotics twice due to skin infections but I honestly cannot say if this is due to the supplements I give him.

In addition to the supplements (and I am religious with them, I do not miss one single day of Eskimo oil for example), I usually add olive oil to his food, massage his whole body with olive oil when I get the chance, smother his skin with pure unrefined shea butter and also use shea butter to protect dodgy eczema patches when he goes swimming.

I also change his sheets every other day and there's no carpets at home.

You need to be almost obsesive with his skin, moisturising as often as you can. It's a pain but it makes a difference. Watch out for things like Vaseline and other emolients which may actually aggravate the issue (lanolin and petroleum can irritate skin and they're everywhere!!

HTH

re: probiotics, we used Biokult, my understanding is that they are formulated by dr Natasha Campbell McBride, check out her website

Thank you nightcat. I'll certainly look those up.

At the moment my DS's worst area is around his mouth. I just can't seem to stop the redness, rawness and dryness developing from his lips, corners of mouth and all around his lips. I've been applying shea butter. Would appreciate some suggestions.

Thanks SweetDCof Mine- he has tried every emollient under the sun & probablly every steroid cream going (currently using Betnovate which i hate as it is so strong). Already doing the bed changing & have no carpets. he has food & dustmite allergies also. I will definitely look into the idea of supplements & vitamins.

Dr Natasha Campbell McBride has alot to say about suppliments and food intolerences. I would also look into food intolerences if you can, excluding problem foods has made a huge difference to my DS's.

ProBiotics: I also use Biokult, I open the capsule and mix with porridge or with the Omega Swirl. I have also used Solgar ABC dophilus in a similar manner and the Nutri Balance has a good range of probiotics in it.