What Are Chronic Infections?
Chronic infections, such as repeated ear, sinus and bladder infections, as well as Strep, croup and E. coli are common today. The following conditions indicate a prolonged or persistent invasion of the body by these and other pathogens, which can be viral or bacterial:
- Inflammation
- Reduced immune response
- Fever
- Rash
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Congestion
What Your Doctor May Tell You About Chronic Infections
Most doctors will tell you that the best way to protect your child from chronic infections is through using anti-bacterial products, and by washing hands frequently.
Once a child has an infection, doctors often prescribe an antibiotic, plus Tylenol, aspirin, Motrin, or another pain reliever. If infections recur and recur, your doctor may suggest additional drastic measures, such as ear tubes, removal of tonsils and adenoids, and prophylactic antibiotics.
Another Way to Think About Chronic Infections
Prevention is based on the fear of getting sick. Unfortunately, common medical procedures ignore the ancient wisdom that illness is the body’s way of ridding itself of undesirable invaders. In our grandparents’ days, fevers, rashes and coughs were welcomed as necessary “spring cleaning.”
While treatments such as pain relievers and antibiotics can give immediate relief by suppressing symptoms, they can also have long term deleterious ramifications such as lowering immune resistance. More importantly, they can start a vicious cycle of infections, antibiotics, increased inflammation and more infections. Antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria; they do not work against viruses. They can also increase yeast, triggering more increasingly more chronic infections.
When infections recur, they are often more virulent, and can include behavioral symptoms such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Originally this emotional disorder was linked only to recurrent strep infections, and called PANDAS, short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. As doctors gradually realized that OCD can be triggered by numerous infections, they established the umbrella term PANS for Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome.
These infections include:
- Borrelia burgdorferi (a co-infection of Lyme)
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
- Herpes simplex
- Influenza
- Epstein-Barr virus
- Cytomegalovirus
PANDAS is considered a subset of PANS.
Chronic Infections Healing Checklist
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Sources & References
Nsouli, T.M. The role of food allergy in serious otitis media. Ann Allergy. 1991; 66:91
Pfotenhauer, K.M., et al. Vitamin D Deficiency, Its Role in Health and Disease, and Current Supplementation Recommendations. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2017 May 1;117(5):301-305.
Resources
Books
Dorfman K. Cure Your Child with Food. New York, NY. Workman Publishing, 2013.
Oski R. Don’t Drink Your Milk. 3rd Edition. TEACH Services, 2013.