Immunology Problems/ IGA Deficiency

Alot of MD's overlook nutritional deficiencies and problems. If your son is having immune issues, you need to build up his immune system -- it may be a nutrition issue. Sometimes repeated courses of antibiotics will actually hurt your immune system. I would recommend getting some nutritional counseling. It's probably not covered by insurance, but your already spending alot and this could help heal his body over the long term so he can fight off infections.

K.,

I'm so sorry...I know dr's can be very frustrating. We were told when my daughter was 4 months old that she was allergic to milk and soy (without doing any testing.) So, I completely cut milk (all dairy) and soy out of my diet because I was breastfeeding. Then when she turned 1 (I was still breastfeeding)...we were told to take her to an allergist and have her really tested. Guess what the test came back negative, but every time she eats dairy or soy...her cheeks turn bright red and she becomes very gassy and fussy (all symptoms of being allergic)...so I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do or where to go. It is crazy how milk/soy is in EVERYTHING!!! Basically I have to keep her on only fruit, veg, and fresh made meats.

Best of luck! And p.s....if it's a sinus infection it should clear up on its own...give it a few days and the poor baby should feel better. Merry Christmas!

My husband had non-stop sinus infections and then he started taking garlic. Garlic is a natural antibiotic. You can get it odorless and coated. As long as he stays on the garlic he has no infections. His infections were caused by constant irritation caused by allergies.

I would suggest looking into natural ways to take care of the infection...filling the cavity with salt water daily to cleanse it, garlic for the immunity boost, etc. If standard medical procedures aren't working for you then it is time to start thinking out of the box.

Good luck.
VickiS

K.,
Doctor's are human too... If you don't think your doctor has the right diagnosis, then get a second opinion, or third if you need. Many illness go untreated because doctors misdiagnosis. Always follow your gut when it comes to your kids... you know them better than any doctor. If you know he doesn't have the flu then take him somewhere where the doctor will listen to you and not just follow tests that can be misleading.

I also was diagnosed with IgA deficiency. Its a hard thing to live with, but my husband and I are exploring some natural ways of helping me with my deficiency; This inculed's, changing our diet to include more fruits and raw veggies. We are also going to start on some consentrated veggie pills that we found online at the seagate company.
Here is a little information that you might consider:

Alternative Treatment
Several nutritional supplements are reported to help build the immune system. These include garlic (contains the essential trace element germanium), essential fatty acids (found in flax seed oil, evening primrose oil, and fish oils), sea vegetables such as kelp, acidophilus to supply natural bacteria in the digestive tract, and vitamins A and C, both powerful antioxidants that improve immune function and increase resistance to infection. Zinc is another nutrient essential to immune system functioning. Green drinks made with young barley are believed to cleanse the blood and supply chlorophyll and nutrients for tissue repair. Alcohol, certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and coffee and other caffeine drinks should be avoided.
Fish, fowl, and lean meats can be consumed in moderation. Sweets should be reduced or avoided.
A healthy immune system can be maintained by providing essential nutrients through a good diet and regular supplementation. Parents can help assure that their children and teens have three nutritious, low-fat, high-fiber, whole-food meals a day (limiting or eliminating altogether refined or prepared foods and fast foods) and healthy snacks in between, such as nuts, fresh fruit, popcorn, raw veggies, and whole grain crackers with nut butters (if no allergies to peanuts or other nuts), naturally sweetened jellies, and low-fat cheeses. Vitamin supplements should include vitamins A, C, and E, valuable parts of the body's defense system that help to increase production of healthy white blood cells and to fight infection.

Here is the web page that we are getting our supplements from:
http://www.seagateproducts.com

Here is another web page that might intrest you:
http://www.knowthecause.com

If you haven't had your child tested for allergies, it would be something you should consider. After years of ear infections, bronchitis, etc., we had our daughter tested. She was allergic to trees, pollens, mold, and many foods. As soon as we took her off the offending foods she was better, and then shots helped even more.
Another natural treatment that has worked for me is taking probiotics. A good health food/vitamin store will help you. It builds up the immune system so the body can resist the infections. I live in East Texas, as one of your respondants indicated, and suffered for years until I started taking probiotics.

There is no doubt in my mind you should post this on motheringdotcommunity (mothering.com/discussions). There is no better resource I've found for mothers learning about caring for their kiddos through all sorts of issues. The specific board you might try first is "Health/Health & Healing."
HTH!!

o wow how familar this sounds. that is my story. a couple years ago my daughter 7 at the time, seemed to always be sick it was strep after strep, then we got her tonsils out. then it was ear infections, and sinus infections. she would get better on antibiotics, then within 7 days off, she would be sick again. we did this cycle for a long time. then it was chicken pox, again and again (which is unheard of). up until this time, she was the perfectly healthy child. well to make a longggg story short. and after lots of pediatricians, allergist/immunolgist, ct scans, blood tests, she has no natural killer cells. this is the reason she would get sick so easy, and then couldnt get rid of it. we got to a point to where she was on clindimician for 21 days at a time, then just constant. well we did igg ingections im. now she takes echinicia (herbal supplent) daily, and is soooooooooooo much better. any ?'s dont hesitate to ask.
S.

Hello K.,

I'm sorry to hear your little boy is having such a hard time with sinus infections. There are already great suggestions. I want to add a couple more.
He may not have allergies, but most likely has intolerances and those don't show up as easily

- no dairy products
- pre and pro-biotics
- vitamin D
- if he likes lemonade, make home made lemonade for him.
- change your dishwasher detergent to a non-chemical one like ecover.

even if he's not allergic to milk, milk thickens up the mucus and takes longer to be eliminated and more bacteria grows.

something might be irritating his sinuses.
I'd stop using candles, air fresheners, sprays, etc.
to freshen the air: get some essential oils (like peppermint and put a couple of drops in the sink, toilet, on a tissue (put it where he cannot get to it)
you can do the same with lavender oil.

also check shampoo, body wash, lotions, etc. minimize those and try to get organic ones as possible.
see if that will make a difference.

go chemical free as much as possible.

and about the ct scans... I just saw in the news how they expose people to much higher radiation levels than previously thought. google it up.

Good luck!
~C.~

I'm a teacher and iga deficienct. It sux. I'm hyper careful about hands to mouth, touching other people's things and just general germ spreading behavior. Unfortunately this is the best prevention I have found. Now is the time to start explaining things to your son. Also, diet is huge!!! I take mega doses of omega and vitamin d as well as a mega multi. Sugar is the enemy. Immune Deficiency Foundation is an excellent resource. Unfortunately antibiotics have been the most effective as far as getting well quickly. :-(

I can't see the answers you have already received, so I don't know if this one will be any different...but...

My son is 5 now but has had "growth" problems and recurrent viral and sinus infections since he was about a year old. We are blessed to have excellent insurance so we have been referred to every specialist and done every diagnostic test in the book (endoscopy for celiac disease, thyroid testing, allergy testing, ct brain (and sinus) scans, sonograms, cystic fibrosis testing, been to infectious disease and ENT specialists repeatedly). After all the wasted time, frustration and money he was FINALLY diagnosed with an IGa deficiency, and ONLY because my husband was diagnosed first. We, too, are dealing with the monthly sinus infections and high fever at night, missed school and work, and general crappy-ness. So the point is, have the blood testing done for an IGA deficiency if you have not already. The bloodwork is fairly complicated and can take from 6 weeks to a few months IF they do it properly. There isn't much you'll be able to do if your son does have it aside from low dose antibiotics on a regular basis, but at least you will know what the problem is and can stop wasting your time and money. I myself am frustrated that we've been back and forth to all kids of specialists for 3 years and no one ever thought to test him for this deficiency that he has ALL the symptoms of. I hope that helps a little. Good luck.

I have immune system problems too. After 1 straight year of being sick, doctors finally put me on gamma globulin injections. They were a miracle. As I understand it, gamma globulin is a way to "borrow" other people's immune sytem. This allows the body to recover enough to fight disease on its own, if it has that potential.

I am not familiar with your son's problem, but for me following a more mediteranean type diet is helpful, More fruits, veggies, and whole grains, fish, olive oils, and nuts. It seems to keep the inflamation down.

I do not see a reason to keep getting cat scans. I have a golf ball sized mucocele. So what. The best treatment is to leave it alone.

About the tests, I can't tell you if they would be helpful or not. My immune system problems were not diagnosed util I was 45 (after 4 strokes). The cost-$50,000. There seems to be little that can be done - except the gamma glbulin. PS they hate to give it. It has never been linked with AIDS, but it is a blood product. For me, I feel that it has saved my life.

While I don't know what could be causing his sinus infections (other than allergies). Have you taken him off dairy, just to see if it helps? Have they tested his allergic reaction to chemicals or something in the environment or outdoors? I don't know what all he was tested for... so again I can't comment.

As far as what you could do right now is boost his immune system. I've been using Olive leaf extract this past winter and it's good for fighting both viruses and bacterial infections. It's a natural antibiotic. It's been used since biblical times for medicine and it's kept my kids and myself from coming down with strep and flu this winter (we started to feel the symptoms and all took some and it didn't develop into something worse. I buy the liquid caps, since mine are old enough to swallow them, but they have the liquid that you could try to get him to take.

Another alternative treatment you could try is homeopathy. It works on the principal of "Law of Similars" that cancel out the problem. There's an article that I read the other day about it:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

Best wishes for your son's speedy recovery.

Hi K. - I can relate to your frustration! We moved to East TX last March never suffering from allergies before and now we (my 2 1/2 yr old, my husband, and I) constantly are sick! Although I'm not as concerned with my husband and myself as I am with my little girl - she's miserable and can't sleep well at night, coughs all the time, sinus infections, etc, etc. I'm fed up with the practical, scientific way of treating the "symptoms" - I'm looking into HEALING. I agree with the other responses - holistic approach is the way to go. I'm now taking my daughter to a holistic chiropractor - according to the research I've done it's supposed to have amazing affects on children and ailments because it heals their central nervous system. Just google "chiropractoric treatment for allergies or sinus infections". If you're in the Tyler area I've found a wonderful Ped. Chiro- Dr. Hopson on Rice Rd. and they have a $20 first time fee to be evaluated. I'm just barely getting my daughter started with treatments so we'll see, but it's worth looking into. Good luck to you and may God be with you in your search for answers!

Call Dr. Chalmers in Frisco. He is a holistic doctor and has helped me and my daughter so much. My friend's lil' boy was doing the same thing yours is with constant infections and such....she has also gone to Dr. Chalmers and switched her pedi to Dr. Bain also in Frisco (who referred us to Dr. Chalmers).....this is the first year he hasn't had constant Rx for antibiotics and so forth. Amazing!! Dr. Bain is the best pedi I have ever seen.....we are so fortunate to have her care for our children.

http://chalmerswellness.com
www.healthykidspediatrics.com