What the research says about asthma and allergies in children…
The research shows that the overuse of antibiotics cause asthma and allergies in children. On December 29, 2010, the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded “that antibiotic exposure before 6 months of age is associated with asthma and allergy at 6 years of age and…[the] adverse effect of antibiotics on asthma risk was particularly strong in children with no parental history of asthma.” They wanted the results to encourage physicians to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use in children.
Researchers wanted to conduct a study without the possibility of protopathic bias. They succeeding and gave stronger evidence that early exposure to antibiotics caused asthma and allergies in children. The study included 1,401 U.S. children to document the pattern between antibiotic use within the first 6 months of life and the development of asthma and allergies at 6 years of age. It took place between 2003 and 2007.
HealthDay highlighted research reported in another study that also came to the same conclusion. In this study, researchers from the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan examined information from earlier research that followed 448 children from infancy to the age of 7. All the children had taken antibiotics for one reason or another. All had been tested for allergies.
By the age of 7, 38% of them developed allergies to pets, ragweed, grass, and dust mites. 5% of them had asthma. Children who had taken antibiotics within the first six months of life were 1.5 times more likely to develop allergies. They were 2.5 times more likely to develop asthma.
The takeaway…
In the past few years, more scientists are concluding that human immune systems will develop the way they are supposed to as long as they are exposed to germs during infancy. The results confirmed antibiotic use in infants encouraged allergies to develop by killing off the normal bacteria in the intestines that are important in proper immune system growth and function. As a result, there is a higher occurrence of allergies.
Acknowledging that the overuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria could help you and your child’s doctor make better decisions when it comes to the use and prescribing of antibiotics. It will also encourage everyone to support the strengthening of your child’s NATURAL immunity. This should be EVERYONE’S takeaway. Let the body develop properly and do it’s own healing! It knows what it’s doing!
At Connected Chiropractic, we care about your infants and their allergies/asthma issues. We want them to get the best care possible! If you’re searching for a way to help your infant’s allergies and/or asthma, or you want to discourage the development of these types of issues in the first place, give chiropractic a try. Chiropractic adjustments directly affect the nervous system. This means that chiropractic can reduce allergy and asthma symptoms. It can also strengthen your child’s natural immunity without the use of antibiotics in order to discourage the development of asthma and allergies from the get-go! To learn more, give our office a call or schedule a new patient appointment today.