Children, on average, endure 8-10 illnesses annually. However, during the winter, it feels compounded by reinfections or ongoing sniffles and coughing due to our proximity indoors. Unfortunately, the FDA guidelines restrict the use of cold and cough medications for children under four years old, leaving parents searching for effective alternatives.
So, the question lingers: how can parents navigate this seasonal health challenge? Beyond ensuring their child's vaccinations are up to date, including the crucial yearly flu shot (it’s recommended that children ages 6 months and older receive it), maintaining a consistent bedtime routine and a balanced diet become essential contributors to a healthy immune system—no easy feat with picky eaters in the house.
Parents can employ various safe methods to manage symptoms when faced with a sick child. Here are a few important strategies I always recommend:
In addition to eating well and getting plenty of rest, parents should think about multivitamins or other supplements that help maintain immune systems. I recommend Life's First Naturals bovine colostrum, a chewable or powder supplement that helps recognize and defend against foreign invaders (germs), protects the body, and is a safe solution for children aged one and up (assuming no dairy allergies). I like Life’s First Naturals’ colostrum because it has immune factors that contribute to a balanced and healthy immune response, and prebiotics that foster the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, home to over 70% of the immune system.
Scientific studies underscore the similarities between bovine and human colostrum, the initial fluid ingested by breastfeeding infants. Both contain protective proteins, immune factors, and prebiotics. The most recent research from August 2023, a randomized controlled trial spanning six weeks, demonstrated a reduction in the frequency and duration of upper respiratory tract infections among children using the product.
For any parent, the prospect of fewer illnesses and a speedier recovery for their child is undeniably appealing. While navigating the inevitability of seasonal sickness, remember the above tips, and as always, please consult your child's pediatrician before starting any new health regimen.
Watch Dr. Crosby detail the tips below:
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Nature's first food that provides benefits throughout life, comes from Mom. Her first milk is colostrum, a comprehensive nutrient-dense mixture of nutritional components that provide everything a newborn needs to grow and thrive in their first few days of life.
A mother's colostrum acts like an immunity shield, supporting her baby’s own immune defenses that help prevent disease and illness. It also helps to jumpstart her baby’s digestive health by promoting the right mix of good bacteria in the large intestine and strengthening the shield between the GI tract and the delicate internal systems of the baby’s body.
All mammals produce this valuable first superfood, including cows. Colostrum from cows has many of the same functional components as human colostrum, such as immune factors, growth factors, protective proteins, and prebiotics, meaning we can capture and deliver these powerful and comprehensive immune and digestive benefits to humans at all stages of life.
Before collecting colostrum from cows, it is important that the calf receives what it needs for its own immune health. The excess colostrum is ethically collected within the first 24 hours of calving. It’s natural, it’s produced by nature, and it’s collected responsibly.
Unlike other single ingredients, colostrum contains multiple components and offers a comprehensive, multi-functional approach to immune and digestive health.
The immune factors in colostrum help to support a balanced and healthy immune response. Colostrum also contains growth factors and prebiotics, which help support a healthy gut, where over 70% of the immune system resides.
The growth factors in colostrum help support the gut’s natural repair process and strengthen the protective barrier of the gut, which helps keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out.
The prebiotics found in colostrum promote growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, helping to create a balanced and healthy microbiome.
Colostrum also contains protective proteins, which help maintain peak immunity so your immunes system can recognize and ward off foreign invaders. These protective proteins enable our immune system to function to its fullest.
Colostrum is scientifically supported to maintain peak immunity, upper respiratory and digestive health, and its benefits can help strengthen and sustain optimal health and vitality through all stages of life.
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If you’re a parent, you’ve likely heard of colostrum. It is the first milk that all nursing mothers produce and contains nutrients that are essential for a newborn. In the video, Dr. Crosby states, "To a pediatrician like myself, colostrum is considered to be liquid gold because it is so incredibly important for a child’s overall health." Watch to learn more or read below for Dr. Crosby's expert input on this amazing superfood.
In the newborn period, colostrum is basically a baby's first superfood. It helps to jumpstart gut function, the immune system, and a healthy microbiome in the first few days of life. Nature has designed a substance that contains everything a newborn needs in perfect combination. It contains protective proteins and immune factors which help support the immune system so your newborn's immune system can recognize and ward off potential invaders. It also contains prebiotics and growth factors, which help to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut and strengthen the protective barrier of the gut, helping to create a balanced and healthy microbiome the first few days of life.
Yes, colostrum is produced by all mammals, not just humans. And much the way we drink milk from dairy cows, colostrum from cows and be collected for human consumption. All those components that are found in human colostrum, the protective proteins, the immune factors, the prebiotics, they're all present in cow colostrum as well.
Today there are over 6,000 studies illuminating the science of cow colostrum and its applications for human health. Two of the most thoroughly studied health benefits of colostrum are immune health and digestive health. These benefits have been shown in both children and adults. Colostrum helps support digestive health by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and supporting the gut’s natural repair process. Colostrum supports immune health by strengthening your body's natural immune response and by supporting a healthy gut where over 70% of the immune system resides.
First and foremost, look for companies that put the health of the calf first, and collect only after the calf has received all of the colostrum it needs to thrive. You should also look for companies that support the health and wellbeing of the cows that supply the colostrum. Cows that live on USDA Grade A certified dairies are best. Colostrum is also best when it’s collected on the first days of milking once the calves have received everything they need. After the first day, the components in colostrum start to become less and less potent, meaning it will be less beneficial for your health. The idea that colostrum is readily available beyond the newborn period really amazes me. To a pediatrician like myself, colostrum is liquid gold; it really is a superfood. It provides essential nutrients for growth, as well as strengthens the immune and digestive systems, as well as overall health. It’s wonderful that it’s now possible to receive those benefits throughout life. I’m proud to recommend Life’s First Naturals to my patients, both parent and child.
Watch or read below as Pediatrician, Dr. Lauren Crosby answers common questions on colostrum collection, safety, and uses.
As a natural substance, colostrum is completely safe. Colostrum has been studied extensively and has been demonstrated to be safe in adults and children as young as a year of age.
While the safety of colostrum has been demonstrated in children as young as a year of age, it is not recommended for children under the age of 12 months. If you have questions about using colostrum for your newborn, it is always best to consult with your pediatrician.
Interestingly, cows produce far more colostrum than a newborn calf can consume. Once the calf has received all it needs, the excess can be collected for other uses rather than disposed of, as is typical in many dairy farms.
Colostrum is a dairy product and should not be used by those with a dairy or milk allergy; however, colostrum typically contains less lactose than milk and it should not cause an issue for lactose intolerant individuals.
There's extensive clinical research supporting the health benefits of cow colostrum. Today there are over 6000 studies illuminating the science of colostrum and its applications for human health.
]]>Breast milk is a breastfed baby’s first food. It is naturally designed to meet all of a newborn’s nutritional needs. It also helps to build and support a baby’s immune system as breast milk contains immune factors and protective proteins that help to fight infection. These components are present in very high amounts in the very first milk produced by breastfeeding women, called colostrum. In addition to containing high levels of immune factors and protective proteins, colostrum is also higher in protein and lower in sugar and fat than breast milk, and it provides all the nutrients a baby needs to thrive in those first few days of life. Often referred to as “liquid gold” because it is so precious and so beneficial, colostrum contains numerous components that help jumpstart your newborn’s immune system and help them fight off infection, illness, and disease.
The benefits derived from colostrum and breast milk are, in part, linked to the fact that the fluids are ingested, pass through the stomach, and then head straight to the gut where the different components start to work, while other nutrients are absorbed and circulate through the body. That process aids in the development of a balanced immune system and promotes a healthy microbiome. Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from ear infections, gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and some types of meningitis. And having a healthy microbiome can also help decrease the risk of asthma, allergies, obesity and other chronic disease.
The benefits of breastfeeding are well-known to most parents and people in general. What is not yet well-known is that colostrum, the very first breast milk, is available to more than just newborns. Colostrum supplements, made using colostrum from dairy cows, are available to both children and adults. Interestingly, cows produce colostrum well in excess of what a newborn calf can consume, so once the calf has received all it needs, the excess can be collected for human use rather than disposed of.
Research has shown that colostrum from cows can play an important role in supporting the immune health of people of all ages. Today, there are over 6,000 studies illuminating the science of cow colostrum and its applications for human health. Clinical studies have shown that colostrum from cows is very similar to human colostrum and because it contains so many of the same components, the way it works in the body is highly similar as well. Both human and cow colostrum contain protective proteins, immune factors and prebiotics. Let’s break down what these components do.
The science is clear. Cow colostrum when consumed by children and adults provides numerous health benefits and has been clinically demonstrated to support immune health by strengthening the body’s natural immune response, and supporting a healthy gut.
Colostrum, the first fluid produced after a woman gives birth, and the breast milk that follows are the best nutrition for a baby. Fortunately, we are now able to bottle the benefits of colostrum so that children of all ages as well as adults can benefit from colostrum, nature’s original superfood.
Digestive health. What does that phrase really mean, and why is digestive health so important? In honor of World Digestive Health Day, we’re taking a look into the importance of gut health. The digestive system plays a major role in your overall health, as it is responsible for breaking down the food you eat and absorbing nutrients from that food. But what many people do not know is that the digestive system also plays a major role in immune health, since 70% of the immune system resides in the gut. If your digestive system is not functioning well you may suffer from uncomfortable symptoms such as pain, bloating, and indigestion, as well as other complications related to an unbalanced immune system. All of these can impact your overall health and wellbeing.
When your digestive system is not working well, you just don’t feel well. The good news is that having and maintaining a healthy gut is an achievable goal. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly and avoiding processed foods, as well as minimizing the use of antibiotics, can all make a big difference in the health of your gut. But, a healthy digestive system truly starts when life starts -- with colostrum. Colostrum is the first fluid that breastfed babies receive and provides all of the nutrition a newborn needs during the first few days of life. It is crucial to supporting a newborn’s digestive health because it contains prebiotics, protective proteins, immune factors, and growth factors, in exactly the right amounts to ensure a baby grows and thrives.
Let’s break down the components of colostrum and how they work.
Of course, this is great news for a newborn baby but production of colostrum is fleeting, only lasting a few days. Figuring out how we can continue to benefit from colostrum beyond the newborn period is something that scientists have been studying and researching for many years.
It turns out that cows also produce colostrum, well in excess of what a calf can consume. Once the calf has received all it needs, the excess can be collected for other uses rather than disposed of as is typical of most dairies. Research has demonstrated that cow colostrum can play an important role in supporting the digestive health of humans of all ages. Cow colostrum is almost identical to human colostrum in terms of its makeup, and because human and cow colostrum contain so many of the same components, the way they work in the gut is highly similar as well.
Cow colostrum has been clinically demonstrated to support digestive health by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut and supporting the gut’s natural repair process. Fortunately, we are now able to package the benefits of colostrum so that both adults and children can benefit beyond the newborn phase. With the regular consumption of a colostrum supplement, you can help maintain a healthy digestive system and feel good!
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