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Supplement Quick Reference

  • Probiotic: Children under 2 years of age: 5 billion CFU daily with food. Children age 2-6: 5-10 billion CFU daily with food. Children >6: 25 Billion CFU daily with food.

  • Zinc: Children under 6 months of age: 7mg daily, or consult your healthcare provider (if you are nursing, take 30mg daily). Children 6 months- 2 years: 15mg daily. Children >2 years: 30mg daily

  • Vitamin A: Under 12 months of age: 450mcg (1500iu) daily, Age 1-3: 450mcg (1500iu) daily, age 4 and up: 900mcg (3000iu daily) or 1500mcg (5000iu) every other day

  • ​Omega-3 DHA: Under 12 months: 200-450mg DHA daily - Children and Adolescents: 450-900mg DHA daily

  • ​Vitamin D: Under 12 months of age: 400IU daily (10mcg), Age 1-5 years: 1000IU (25mg) per day, ages >6: 2000IU per day (with food)

  • ​Vitamin C:  Infants up to age 1 year: 125mg 2 x day, age 1-3: 250mg 2-3 times daily - sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and ascoric acid are great choices - just pay attention to bowel tolerance. If diarrhea occurs, decrease the dosage.

  • ​Detoxification and Elimination Supplement (VaxClear): 10-30 lbs: 5-10 drops daily, 31-60 lbs: 10-20 drops daily, 61-100 lbs: 21-30 drops 1-2 times per day, over 100 lbs: 30 drops 2-3 times daily

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Purchase the Probiotic, Vitamin A and D, Omega-3 DHA, Zinc, Vitamin C, and VaxClear: 

Dr. Green Mom's Essential Immune Support (infants & kids) includes vitamins A, C, D, Zinc for convenience. 

Order Now!

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Begin Supplementation Two-Four Weeks Prior To Vaccination

(Continue a minimum 4 weeks post vaccination. Monthly vaccine visits will require continued supplementation.)

1. Start your child on a good probiotic. If you are still pregnant or nursing, mom should start one, too.

Research indicates probiotics raise immune response to protein antigens, the important component in vaccines that we want to mount a response against. Infants were vaccinated against DTaP, Hib, and polio. The results speak for themselves:

“..feeding LF19 (name of the probiotic) did not prevent infections, but increased the capacity to raise immune responses to protein antigens, with more pronounced effects in infants breastfed <6 months." [6]

 

When choosing a probiotic for your child, make sure the following strains are included. When studied, each of the following have shown to increase immunogenicity and/or support the immune system through vaccination:

 

L. casei

L. paracasei

L. rhamnosus

B. longum

B. bifidum

B. infantis

 

Note: Probiotics should be taken with food (rubbed around areola for nursing infant or wet your finger and dip it into the powder probiotic and have infant suck your finger).

 

For infant and adolescent probiotics that were specifically formulated to include the above strains around vaccination, visit the Dr. Green Mom® store.

 

2. Start your child on zinc, and if you are still pregnant or nursing, the zinc is in your prenatal vitamin.

3. Dose with vitamin A.

I love what vitamin A can do for the immune system. Check this out:

"Dietary supplementation with vitamin A to children has been used to improve antibody responses to several vaccines, including measles, tetanus, diphtheria, and polio." 

 

Another study in Africa:

 

"Vitamin A enhanced the antibody response to measles vaccine given at 9 months of age significantly, especially in boys. The effects were sustained over time; the children who had received vitamin A with their measles vaccine were more protected against measles at 6-8 years of age." [10]

 

Further:

 

"To protect against the consequences of vitamin A deficiency the World Health Organization recommends that high-dose vitamin A supplements be given together with routine vaccines to children between 6 months and 5 years of age in more than 100 low-income countries." [10]

 

Dosage recommendations of vitamin A set forth by the WHO, as measles treatment is this:

 

"A high dose of vitamin A is given immediately on diagnosis and repeated the next day. The recommended age-specific daily doses are 50 000 IU for infants aged <6 months, 100 000 IU for infants aged 6-11 months, and 200 000 IU for children aged ≥12 months." [11]

 

On a cautionary note:

 

I used to prescribe the WHO higher doses to kids prior to vaccination (seen above), however there is a study that has been done on vitamin A showing a lower dose for girls, in particular, was more effective and decreased the potential for side effects. Talk to your pediatrician about dosage recommendations that are right for your child. You can also visit our store, where my dosage recommendations are available.

 

4. Dose with Vitamin D.

Vitamin D’s crucial role in the innate and adaptive immune system/response has been studied for years and cannot be disputed at this point. Both vitamins A and D are critical to combat viral illness. Recently, researchers have taken an interest in the role vitamin D plays with regards to vaccination. 

 

Currently, there are ongoing vitamin D studies for measles, rubella, hepatitis B, pertussis, tetanus, influenza, meningococcal, pneumococcal, Haemophilus influenzas b (hib), to name a few. There has been evidence of increase in immunogenicity with vitamin D supplementation around vaccination so far.

 

I recommend vitamin D supplementation globally as a foundational approach to health, so around vaccination time I find it to be crucial for the immune system and potential immune response.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC recommends 400IU daily to breastfed and partially breasted infants. I recommend 400IU daily to all my pediatric infants and higher around vaccination. 

 

5. Dose with an omega-3 that includes high potency DHA along with EPA.

Omega-3 supplementation has neuromodulatory effects and decreases inflammation. There is great research that suggests positive anti-inflammatory effects with vaccination in certain populations. 

There are two ingredients to look for in a good omega-3 fish oil: DHA and EPA. DHA is highly beneficial for proper brain and nervous system development, so pregnant and nursing mothers, infants, and children mostly benefit. EPA is mostly beneficial for the cardiovascular system, hair, skin, and nails!

 

When choosing an omega-3 supplement, keep in mind it needs to be from a reputable company, ethically and sustainably sourced, and free from and/or third party tested for heavy metals and toxins. 

 

Resources:

Probiotics

  • Youngster, Ilan & Kozer, Eran & Lazarovitch, Zipora & Broide, Efrat & Goldman, Michael. (2011). Probiotics and the immunological response to infant vaccinations: A prospective, placebo controlled pilot study. Archives of disease in childhood. 96. 345-9. 10.1136/adc.2010.197459.   

  • ​del Giudice MM, Leonardi S, Galdo F, Allegorico A, Filippelli M, et al. (2014) Probiotics and Vaccination in Children. J Vaccines Vaccin 5: 226. doi:10.4172/2157-7560.1000226

  • ​Harris VC, Armah G, Fuentes S, et al. Significant Correlation Between the Infant Gut Microbiome and Rotavirus Vaccine Response in Rural Ghana. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2017;215(1):34-41. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiw518. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225256/

  • West CE1, Gothefors L, Granström M, Käyhty H, Hammarström ML, Hernell O. Effects of feeding probiotics during weaning on infections and antibody responses to diphtheria, tetanus and Hib vaccines. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2008 Feb;19(1):53-60. Epub 2007 Dec 11.

  • ​Wei-Te Lei, Pei-Ching Shih, Shu-Jung Liu, Chien-Yu Lin, and Tzu-Lin Yeh. Effect of Probiotics and Prebiotics on Immune Response to Influenza Vaccination in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients 2017, 9, 1175; doi:10.3390/nu9111175. 

  • Shu E Soh, Dave Qi Rong Ong, Irvin Gereza Xiaoe Zhang, Pavithra Chollate, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Bee Wah Lee, Marion Aw. Effect of probiotic supplementation in the first 6 months of life on specific antibody responses to infant Hepatitis B vaccination. Vaccine: Volume 28, Issue 14, 19 March 2010, Pages 2577-2579

Zinc

  • Kuljeet Kaur, Rajiv Gupta, Shubhini A. Saraf, and Shailendra K. Saraf. Zinc: The Metal of Life. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety r Vol. 13, 2014. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12067

Vitamin A

  • ​High-dose vitamin A supplementation administered with vaccinations after 6 months of age: sex-differential adverse reactions and morbidity.Vaccine. 2013 Jun 28;31(31):3191-8. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.04.072. Epub 2013 May 14.

  • ​High-dose vitamin A with vaccination after 6 months of age: a randomized trial. Pediatrics. 2014 Sep;134(3):e739-48. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-0550.

  • Vitamin Supplementation at the Time of Immunization with a Cold-Adapted Influenza Virus Vaccine Corrects Poor Mucosal Antibody Responses in Mice Deficient for Vitamins A and D. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2016 Jan 6;23(3):219-27. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00739-15.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26740391 (Vitamin A and D)

  • The effects of vitamin A supplementation with measles vaccine on leucocyte counts and in vitro cytokine production. Br J Nutr. 2016 Feb 28;115(4):619-28. doi: 10.1017/S0007114515004869. Epub 2015 Dec 18.

  • ​Long-term sex-differential effects of neonatal vitamin A supplementation on in vitro cytokine responses. Br J Nutr. 2017 Dec;118(11):942-948. doi: 10.1017/S0007114517002938. Epub 2017 Nov 23. 

  • ​Vitamin A and mortality: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29166972 (dosages of 100,000IU-200,000IU- NOT the daily amounts I am recommending)

Omega-3 DHA

  • CATRIN FURUHJELM, MARIA C. JENMALM, KARIN FA¨ LTH-MAGNUSSON, AND KAREL DUCHE´N. Th1 and Th2 Chemokines, Vaccine-Induced Immunity, and Allergic Disease in Infants After Maternal -3 Fatty Acid. Pediatric Research volume 69, pages 259–264 (2011)

  • ​Heinrichs SC. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for optimizing neuronal structure and function. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2010 Apr;54(4):447-56. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.200900201.

  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170823093831.htm

Vitamin D

  • Sadarangani SP, Whitaker JA, Poland GA. "Let there be light": the role of vitamin D in the immune response to vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2015;14(11):1427–1440. doi:10.1586/14760584.2015.1082426 

  • Vitamin Supplementation at the Time of Immunization with a Cold-Adapted Influenza Virus Vaccine Corrects Poor Mucosal Antibody Responses in Mice Deficient for Vitamins A and D. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2016 Jan 6;23(3):219-27. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00739-15.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26740391 (Vitamin A and D)

Vitamin C

VaxClear: Detoxification and Elimination

  • Shaw CA, Tomljenovic L. Aluminum in the central nervous system (CNS): toxicity in humans and animals, vaccine adjuvants, and autoimmunity. Immunol Res. 2013 Jul;56(2-3):304-16. doi: 10.1007/s12026-013-8403-1.

  • ​Shaw CA, Li D, Tomljenovic L. Are there negative CNS impacts of aluminum adjuvants used in vaccines and immunotherapy? Immunotherapy. 2014;6(10):1055-71. doi: 10.2217/imt.14.81.

  • ​Bellia JP, Birchall JD, Roberts NB. The role of silicic acid in the renal excretion of aluminium. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 1996 May-Jun;26(3):227-33.

  • Foglio E, Buffoli B, Exley C, Rezzani R, Rodella LF. Regular consumption of a silicic acid-rich water prevents aluminium-induced alterations of nitrergic neurons in mouse brain: histochemical and immunohistochemical studies. Histol Histopathol. 2012 Aug;27(8):1055-66. doi: 10.14670/HH-27.1055.

  • ​Davenward S, Bentham P, Wright J, Crome P, Job D, Polwart A, Exley C. Silicon-rich mineral water as a non-invasive test of the 'aluminum hypothesis' in Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;33(2):423-30. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-121231.

  • Queiroz ML, Rodrigues AP, Bincoletto C, Figueirêdo CA, Malacrida S. Protective effects of Chlorella vulgaris in lead-exposed mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes. Int Immunopharmacol. 2003 Jun;3(6):889-900.

  • ​Kwak JH, Baek SH, Woo Y, et al. Beneficial immunostimulatory effect of short-term Chlorella supplementation: enhancement of natural killer cell activity and early inflammatory response (randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial). Nutr J. 2012;11:53. Published 2012 Jul 31. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-11-53.

  • ​Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its' Effects on Human Health. Foods. 2017;6(10):92. Published 2017 Oct 22. doi:10.3390/foods6100092

  • ​Predes FS, Ruiz AL, Carvalho JE, Foglio MA, Dolder H. Antioxidative and in vitro antiproliferative activity of Arctium lappa root extracts. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011;11:25. Published 2011 Mar 23. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-25

  • ​Johnson TA, Sohn J, Inman WD, Bjeldanes LF, Rayburn K. Lipophilic stinging nettle extracts possess potent anti-inflammatory activity, are not cytotoxic and may be superior to traditional tinctures for treating inflammatory disorders. Phytomedicine. 2013;20(2):143–147. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2012.09.016

  • ​Kregiel D, Pawlikowska E, Antolak H. Urtica spp.: Ordinary Plants with Extraordinary Properties. Molecules. 2018;23(7):1664. Published 2018 Jul 9. doi:10.3390/molecules23071664

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