Preventing Eczema, Allergic Rhinitis or Asthma in Children Using Probiotics

In 2 of my last 3 blog posts, I have covered gut health and the treatment of beneficial microflora to resolve various health problems.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a healthy GI (gastrointestinal) microflora in infants, toddlers, children or adults to prevent and reverse many disease processes. 

Research studies support this, including a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial reported in the Lancet, a leading medical journal. 

The article states that pregnant women and infants who were given a specific strain of probiotics called Lactobacillus GG, had a 50% reduction in asthma, eczema and allergy in the children at 2 years of age.  In this 2-year study, 132 pregnant women were recruited from families with a history of eczema, allergic rhinitis, or asthma.  They were randomly given either placebo capsules or Lactobacillus GG capsules containing 2 billion organisms of Lactobacillus GG.  They took the capsules daily for 2 to 4 weeks before expected delivery.  After delivery, breastfeeding mothers took the capsules, or the capsule contents were mixed with water and given by spoon to their infants.  These infants were examined during the neonatal period, and on study visits to a department of pediatrics at ages 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.  The outcome measure was atopic disease at 2 years.  Since chronic recurring atopic eczema is the main sign of atopic disease in the first years of life, it was the primary study endpoint.

The frequency of atopic eczema was reduced by half in infants given probiotics compared with those on placebo. The reduction in eczema was independent of the manner the infants received the probiotics, either breastfed or spoon-fed.  The authors of the study concluded that:  

Our results suggest that gut microflora have unique, yet largely unexplored, endogenous immunomodulatory properties. These properties might be indispensable in the fight against the increasing frequency of atopic, and possibly other, immunological diseases.

Parents of children, with eczema, allergic rhinitis or asthma, know very well the huge burden these conditions are to both the parents and the children.  Families dealing with these conditions may

1. suffer sleepless nights or interrupted sleep
2. incur the extra expense of special foods for substituting allergenic foods
3. incur the extra expense of prescription or over-the-counter medications and creams
4. buy laundry and other household products for sensitive skin to avoid additional irritants

Some believe that these conditions are genetically passed on to children.  Also, children that were born by c-section or not breastfed have been found severely deficient in beneficial microbes.  Thus, if the parents of children have a history of eczema, allergic rhinitis or asthma, or the children were born by c-section or are not breastfed, it is imperative to inoculate the children with certain strains of supplemental probiotics as early as possible.  A Certified Clinical Nutritionist or Functional Medicine doctor should be consulted for the proper strains and amounts for your child.  Giving a child the wrong strains and/or wrong concentrations could cause more problems than giving them none at all. 

If you need assistance with this, feel free to contact me at (650) 593-4447 to schedule either a phone consultation or in-office appointment. 

At the upcoming 17th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine held in San Jose, CA on September 10th, I will be teaching on another GI topic.  Its focus is for women.  It is titled: “Optimizing GI Tract Function as a Therapeutic Component of Hormonal Regulation in Women.”