Mrs Campbell.

I have a daughter that is 4.5years old so I know the helplessness of sitting next to a sick child in bed not knowing what else I can do. Generally this is right before I shlep her back into the doctor since I know something is not right. Last time was about a month ago for strep throat! She had a fever that would not go away with no other cold symptoms. I was perplexed for a while but I kept going back to the doctor, until they figured it out. Thankfully my daughter has been spared the immunodeficiency so she is generally a healthy, happy and active child. She does go to preschool so she does bring home lots and lots of bugs for me. She's fine after a day or two and then I'm sick for weeks!

Have you looked into the possibility of your daughter having asthma? There are differences in the serverity of asthma, one form is called "cold induced asthma" and it only shows up with a cold.
When a cold strikes someone with asthma their airways will hyper react to the presence of virus or bacteria which will start a cascade of mucus. Which in-turn become a breeding ground for bacteria. For someone with a immunodeficiency it can end up as bronchitis or pneumonia.

Maybe run it past her doctor. A naturalpath should have things that would help as well.

The key as always it to try to keep healthy by washing hands and avoiding sick people and a naturalpath should be able to help get your daughters system in better balance to help her little body fight colds et. al..

P.s. Don't rule out allergies. Some allergies are not immediate but rather are a delayed reaction. So the foods she consumes today may end up causing her problems a week from now. The naturalpath can test for delayed allergies.

HTH,
K.

Monique, regarding the brutal winter sicknesses I noticed a couple years ago that when my gas heat furnace started for the winter my sinuses started to dry out and I began to get infections. In the summer here in Seattle I don't seem to have sinus issues at all. So I blocked the furnace vents in our upstairs rooms and put a radiant heater in our room and our kids' room to minimize the drying effect. When we remodel our kitchen I will be putting in a radiant floor to again, reduce the need for the furnace. I also added a humidifier in our room which I keep on the low setting and it seems to help me.

Any possibility of mold where you live?

Another thing, I recently realized that I am allergic to bromine which was how I was treating my hot tub spa (it made me feel strange/weak and made my chest congested). After changing it to a mineral and sea salt treatment system I feel much better. Its possible that chlorine and bromine which are both common in swimming pools could be aggravating things.

Also, Im very susceptible to smoke, dusty air, and pollen which of course leads to sinus/chest infections and bronchitis. For spring allergies I use a nose spray called NasalCrom its a very mild spray with no known side effects.

Just trying to address some of the possibilities in the environment around your daughter. Start with the naturopath though - it may have a big impact.

Again, thanks for the replies. Today I can happily say my daughter is better again... it took a full week though and 3 trips to the Doctor.I am pretty sure that for now anyway the chlorine in the pool does not seem to trigger anything. She had an intense swimming course at the beginning of July (one week for 5 days running )and she never had any problems. The summer has been great, she only had a slight problem twice and both times it got "fixed" in no time at all. She started Nursery again on the 10th of Sept ( she only goes 3 mornings per week) and by the Saturday the 13th she had a runny nose. She seemed to fight it off so it was business as usual and went to nursery as per usual the following week. She goes Wed/ Thurs / Fri, by Friday she woke up with a fever and the rest you know about. In the winter I make sure her radiators have these things hanging of it filled with water and winter time or not I always open her windows during the day to get some air in. There is no mould and I always make sure her bed and room gets cleaned ALL the time in case she doesn't like dust etc.My husband and I don't smoke and when people come over that do they always go out in the garden away from my daughter ( I am very anti smoking and so is my husband)The winter times are really the tricker for her especially being at Nursery where toddlers catch loads of colds, the only difference being is that they have a "normal" immunity and fight it off quite well whereas my daughter will be sick for 10 or sometimes 14 days ! She even had proper Flu last February ( they are giving her a flu jab this year ) and was really ill for 3 weeks. Again, the Summer is great for us, she is well for most of that and we lead quite a "normal" life then. Anyway, spoke to my Husband and he is all up for the Homeopath. Like me he wants to do anything we can to keep her well.I am looking for one at the minute but am trying to find one that is registered. Will let you know how we get on in due course. Thanks again for all the replies, I am most grateful and wish you all good health.

Hello, I just wanted to chime in and reinforce what the other board members are saying. I greatly recommend allergy tests.My son was very ill as a young child (12 now) and his asthma was severe. However, I did not know it was asthma because children do not present as adults do. He just coughed a lot, especially at night, but it wasn't always related to exertion and he never wheezed. I also found that he had allergies to dust, mold, dust mites and other airborne particles. Restricting his exposure was essential in keeping him well.I treated his environment to reduce the necessity for medicines. You can get cotton weave bedding that is woven so small that the dust mites cannot populate the depth of a mattress, but only the surface (as they are always present in nature) and reduce exposure, if necessary. (no carpets on floors, only poly-mix window treatments, plastic box spring cover) These things, if your daughter does have allergies, can keep her well and healthier just by treating and changing her environment.

Team, I wanted to update this discussion since I've modified my natural medicines a bit. After feeling a possible slight allergic reaction to the "Phyto Immune" product I quit taking it. Here are the ingredients in that supplement: Echinacea, Amla Extract, Goldenseal Root, Astragalus, Privot Fruit, Schizandra Berries, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Andrographis Paniculata. Not sure what was bothering me.

Also, I don't take the IgG Pure powder much any more. My naturopath doctor said to mix this into yogurt and after finding out that I'm allergic to milk, I quit eating yogurt. Might try it again with soy yogurt soon. I cant tell if it was helping much.

I want to mention that I feel that it is the NAC that is helping me the most. I've done some testing by omitting some supplements and it seems that the NAC helps my chest and sinuses the most so I can avoid getting sick. The Vital Nutrients brand multi-vitamins probably make a big difference too. Before I was taking hard vitamins that dont absorb well.

When I get a chest cold the Benzonatate (prescription Tessalon Perles) helps a lot. Please remember to ask your doctor about this drug. Its typically prescribed for hard coughing but it really helps me fight a chest cold from becoming bronchitis. I have never had any side affects to this drug.

In the spring for my hay-fever (grass pollen allergy) I now use a nasal spray called Nasal Crom. Helped last May-June (I live in Seattle).

If you have IgA deficiency, you must try natural supplements. There is no reason not to. You can still take whatever drugs your allopathic doctor has prescribed. After a while you might not be sick very often and wont need antibiotics much (thats what I have discovered).

-Bryce

Hi Bryce:

Glad to hear you are doing so well with naturalpathic treatments. I'm the same way with allergies. I'll be humming along just fine then suddenly WHAMMO! allergic reaction. No change in diet, medicines, skin care products... nothing? Then I have to figure out what the heck happened!

I swear by oil of oregano. Many other people also speak highly of it. I take it at the first sign of cold. Usually for me it's a throat tickle, colds usually hit my throat first. A few drop of oil of oregano under my tongue and I'm good again. It burns like crazy but it's worth it. I've read to use it sparingly since it's hard on the liver. I only take it when I feel the tickle at the start of a cold.

Also how does IgG powder work? Where does the IgG come from? How does it get to the bloodstream without being broken down by digestion? It's a protein and proteins digest from what I remember from biology.... just very curious ;-)

Cheers,
K.

http://www.xymogen.com/2008/formula.asp?code=000147

Here's a link to the IgG product online. I have no idea how it is digested, but it doesn't bother my GI system and it's supposed to "stimulate the immune system" (see label). I started taking it again today. Recently I have been sick so maybe this will help give me a boost. The label says 2 scoops but my doctor said take one heaping scoop.

Let me know what you think.

-B

Hi Bryce:
I had a chance to look up the product. I understand now bovine IgG from milk concentrated in Whey. The article didn't mention how it works since we are well designed to digest protein. It might do some good though. Maybe to signal the body about common bacterial pathogens... maybe helps with immune memory. Don't know though just throwing out ideas.

Unfortunately I can't use it. I'm supposed to say away from milk... whey intolerance. Even switched to soya creamer.

K.

Hi all,

Just discovered your thread here. Good information. I too have lived with IgA defciency for quite awhile. I want to share my recent expereince with you as it may be helpful to others. I had my first bout with pneumonia last winter that reoccured in the Spring and was told this Fall to get vaccinated with Pneumovax to help prevent a reoccurence. This was adminstered by an immunologist/allergist, and in doing so he took blood work before and then 5 weeks after the vaccine. My antibody response (IgG) was less than robust. He adminstered it again and found the same thing. Turns out in additional to the IgA deficiency, I have what's called an IgG functional deficiency. Although my IgG total levels in my blood are normal, the IgG reaction to the vaccine challange was subpar. After 20 years of living with low IgA, I just have discoverd this "wrinkle" this week. From what I have been reading it appears that IgA deficincy is linked with IgG functional or subclass deficiency (as well as autoimmune diseases as an aside...I have had RA with the IgA def. since childhood). Others with IgA def. may want to have there doctor challange them with the pneomovax or otther vaccines with bloodwork to monitor your IgG response (even if your IgG levels in your bloodwork are normal). Have others on this thread explored the IgA-IGG connection? From a tratmnet perspective, there does not appear to be a lot I cna do then all of us are trying here. Evidnetly in cases of more complete IgG deficiecny one can adminster IgG to invoke immune protection. At first blush, it also appeared that IgG can be adminstered for those with a functional IgG subclass deficiency as well if your infections are often and serious....but here's the kicker...if you have low IgA, then it is not indicated as there is a relatively high probability that you can go into anaphlactic shock when IGIV is adminstered. Wow...another little wrinkle with this ailment. So, in sum, IgA is not availalble for those who are deficient, and if you have a concurrent IgG deficiency, sparing life threatening situations, IgG given is not recommended either. So it's holistic living with supplemental antibiotics as needed. One thing I didn't see mentioned in the the thread that I have used with some success (when I take it regualarly and stomach it) is garlic. Allegdely garlic is a potent anibacterial and antiviral agent. Whiel you can buy concentrated or aged garlic tabs, I prefer to "down" a couple of cloves of raw garlic a day, esp. when I am sick. I found the best way to do this is to mince the garlic, put in ona teaspoon and swallow it (on a full stomach) with a jucie or milk chaser. I am told that you alos must mince the garlic to actiate the active compound in it (allicin among other sulfer containing compounds). Also I use fish oil and MSM (both good for arthritis, but alos for the immune system and lung tissues I have read). I would love to hear from anyone else who has IgA deficiency combined with an autoimmune disease and/or IgG deficincies nad what other treatments you may use. I am a bit scared to use some of the immune boosting herbs/fungii with an autoimmune disease. I have read in German monogrpahs for herbs, that plants like echinecea are not recommneded with autoimmune disease (I am a living testment to that as well...used to take echincecia all the time to treat colds, etc.. and actully got sicker and had reoccurent EBV infections, until I stopped using the echincea...then come to learn that this herb is not recommended for use with autoimmune diseases (the theory is I guess is that you are stimulating an already overstimulated immune system). I do not know if other immune modulating substances like astragulus or miatake are contraindicated or not with autoimmune dissease associated with IG deficiencies, but would be curious on anyone else's experiences. Enough for now. Sorry about the misspellings....I am a horrible typist. Best to all.

Hi synovial welcome to the group :-)

Garlic I've heard is excellent. I don't take it myself since I just don't like the taste ;-)

It is suspected that people with IgA deficiency that are chronically sick have some other immune system issues that are also going on like a IgG subclass deficiency. My vaccine challenge was good so I'm lucky my body can mount a defense. I do tend to have real problems with some pathogens like Candida and I can't seem to clear respiratory infections on my own (But that could be because I grew up in a house with a chain smoking mom). I know there are more tests that I could be performed but they aren't offered where I live.

As for auto immune problems, yes, I have undifferentiated autoimmune issues. But thankfully I've never fully developed anything. After dealing with my underlying infections my ANA did go back down. I do avoid Melatonin since it is contravened if you have autoimmune issues.

There is a theory that autoimmune problems are caused by some low level infection in the body and it has been shown that low level antibiotics can force Rheumatoid Arthritis into remission. The theory being that the infection not being cleared take up shop in the bones and since the body is fighting hard autoimmune problems ensure.

I recently read the book "The Autoimmune Connection" which talks about our lifestyle, environment, toxins in our environment and our own personal genetic make up can lead some of us to be more vulnerable to develop autoimmune problems. the author Rita Baron-Faust describes your body as a container. You have a certain amount of big rocks in the container that is your own genetic make-up, then we throw a whole bunch of little rocks into it. diet, lifestyle, stress, infections and toxins et al. There is no way to know how big the container is but at some point it just overflows turing into autoimmune problems. I like her analogy.

My container sometimes get too full ;-)

Again welcome and looking forward to more wonderful information from you.

Cheers,
K.

K,

Thanks for the book suggestion and the head's up on Melatonin (have used it occasionally, so will reconsider). Yes, fresh garlic can be a chore; just discovered some potent garlic capsules by New Chapter as an alternative.

It's a challange to keep one's "container" in equlibrium...IG defeciency certainly cuts does the volume that your working with; our job is to poke a few holes in the bottom to relieve some of the pressure...

All the best, and excuse me if I'm being to forward here, but I might add that, while looking stylish, you are a bit pasty..:)) a little sun may be helpful!!

Syn

Oh that... it's just the radioactive glow from the computer monitor ;-)

K,

yes! and evidently I am just a shadow of myself! On a more serious note, I see from some posts back that you were receiving acupuncture treatments..does it help for overall immune health? How ofter do you go? I would assume that you would have to commit to fairly regular and lenghty intervals to receive a "whole body" type effect from it (then say, using it for treating acute pain)I assume you feel it has been beneficial? Any insights/details you could provide would be useful!

On another naturopathic front, to prevent sinus infections/colds, I have had good success with using a saline mixture for flushing the nasal cavity/sinuses (I use the Ayr brand bottle that comes with saline packets....2 packets seems to work best) as well as putting a little Bacitracin in the nose with a Q-tip....this combination has worked really well this winter (knock on wood)....however now I need to focus on preventing the lung infections that I have had for the last two winters.


It's odd how this deficincy clincically manifested itself primarily in the sinus, throat and gut for most of my adolescence and early adulthood (with no lung problems at all). Now with the prevention regimen I mentioned above, I've been able to stave off ENT infections to some degree, but now the lungs have suddenly become involved for the past two years..

Hi Syn:

Yes, I started acupuncture for acute pain. I had a shoulder muscle that went into spasm and that just would not release. I was willing to try anything so was referred to a TCM (traditional chinese medicine). She did an excellent job untangling the muscle spasm with a technique called dry needling. Where there is a fairly thick needle with a plastic sheath that is gently tapped into place. I could literally feel the muscle relax. She was the first doctor to alert me to the fact that my immune system wasn't working right. I then went to my GP and asked him why my immune system was so twitchy and he tested my immunoglobulins and came back with the diagnosis of selective IgA deficiency. The TCM only treated acute muscle problems so I only saw her for about 6 months. I then went to see another acupuncturist that was also a naturalpath in my own neighborhood. She did the more traditional tiny needle acupuncture and this was primarily for my immune system issues. She mostly placed needles in my hands, chest, legs and feet. It was really relaxing and I was always somewhat zonked afterwards. I went about once a week to see her. But when I first started a went a few times a week. I haven't gone in a while since I've moved and haven't had time to find a new TCM and naturalpathic doctor. But I've had the healthiest winter that I can remember in a very long time. So I know that is was all working for me. I'll probably find a new doc in the fall when cold season picks up again.

K.

I have grandchildren diagnosed with IGA, does anyone know of any Naturapathic doctor for children in Broward or Palm Beach county Florida? Are there any children out there using these methods?
Any answers?

Thank you.