by: Dr. Craig A. Maxwell
Does your child have hives? Hives in children can be embarrassing, annoying, and painful. Children with hives need special treatment to boost their immune systems and prevent their bodies from overreacting to their environment. Conventional medicine treats just the symptoms. For a cure for hives in children, I recommend a more holistic approach.
What are Hives?
Hives are the itchy, red, bumpy rashes that can develop on any area of your child’s body. Hives in children are commonly caused by an allergic reaction.
When the immune system detects something in the environment it believes is foreign or dangerous, the body produces a protein called histamine, which causes inflammation, pain, and discomfort.
This histamine causes the capillaries to leak fluid, which accumulates in the skin and causes hives.
Causes of Hives in Children
Rashes in children are caused by an overreaction of the immune system. Children with hives often have very sensitive skin and may also suffer from hay fever, multiple food sensitivities, and emotional trouble.
Here are the common triggers of rashes in children:
- Environmental Triggers
Environmental triggers are everywhere and for children with hives, this can mean frequent bouts of painful and embarrassing rash breakouts. Chemicals such as laundry detergents, fabrics, soaps, lotions, latex, air fresheners, carpeting, toys, and even new mattresses can all contribute to the development of hives.
- Medications
Medications are another common trigger for rashes in children. This can be prescription and over-the-counter medications. NSAID pain relievers, antibiotics, anti-depressants, and heartburn medications routinely cause hives.
- Food
Food allergies are incredibly common these days. Gluten intolerance and food dye intolerance can cause hives in children. Figuring out what your child is allergic to by doing an elimination diet can be very frustrating. Children are finicky eaters by nature and are often not receptive to giving up their favorite foods or trying new ones.
For my young patients with hives, I recommend parents discover what’s causing the allergic reaction by using two very important tests:
- Alcat Comprehensive Wellness 1-Kit – This kit will reveal exactly which foods and chemicals your suffering child might be sensitive to, and how severely. Just take it to the nearest LabCorp office for a quick blood drawing and they pack it and send it off for you. You should receive your results in 7-10 business days!
- Doctor’s Data Comprehensive Stool Analysis x 3 DD Kit – Oftentimes, poor digestion is a contributing factor in the development of hives. This test evaluates for parasitic infection, leaky gut syndrome, and candida while measuring dysbiotic bacteria, digestive enzymes, digestion capability, and even a count of all probiotics!
- Sunlight
Believe it or not, your child could be allergic to the sun. Sun hives, also known as solar urticaria, occur in many children and can make ordinary activities and family outings difficult. Children with sun hives will experience itchiness, burning, inflammation, and rash within several minutes to an hour of being exposed to the sun. This is due to an over-reaction of the immune system to sunlight. Histamines are triggered in a mistaken allergic reaction to UV rays.
- Stress
Children with highly stressful lives are also at risk for developing stress hives. Bullied, abused, special needs, and highly emotionally sensitive children can literally become allergic to the stress hormones in their bodies and break out in hives regularly.
Why Conventional Medicine Doesn’t Cure Rashes in Children
Conventional medicine is a good place to go for children with hives to get temporary relief. If the rashes are chronic and extremely uncomfortable, an allopathic physician will prescribe oral or topical antihistamines and/or cortisone creams to quell the symptoms.
Unfortunately, this is only a temporary solution. This is because these treatments only treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause of the chronic rash.
Natural Cures for Children with Hives
The first step to curing hives in children is eliminating as many triggers as possible. This means first using the Alcat Comprehensive Wellness 1-Kit and the Doctor’s Data Comprehensive Stool Analysis x 3 DD Kit to clearly identify any environmental or food triggers as well as get a better understanding of your child’s digestive system.
The second step is adding whole-food supplements designed to support the immune system and fight chronic inflammation and allergic response.
For my young patients, I recommend the following dietary supplements:
Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Foundation Vitamins
No matter how hard you try to make sure your child has a healthy, balanced diet, there may still be gaps in your child’s nutrition. Vitamin deficiencies are a common cause of chronic health problems, including hives. If you’re already giving your child a multivitamin, I strongly suggest you discontinue it.
It may shock you to know that store-bought multivitamins can actually cause the allergic reaction you’re trying to avoid. Most conventional vitamins are nothing but a synthetic concoction of chemicals, sweeteners, preservatives, and dyes that can ultimately damage your child’s health. For children 12 and under, I recommend Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Foundation Vitamins.
This complete vitamin for children contains:
- Vitamin A – 4,000 IU
- Vitamin C – 350 mg
- Vitamin D3 – 400 IU
- Vitamin E – 50 IU
- Vitamin K – 10 mcg
- Thiamine – 10 mg
- Riboflavin – 10 mg
- Niacin – 10 mg
- Vitamin B6 – 10 mg
- Folic Acid – 400 mcg
- Vitamin B12 – 25 mcg
- Biotin – 30 mcg
- Pantothenic Acid – 10 mg
- Calcium – 50 mg
- Iron – 1.25 mg
- Iodine – 75 mcg
- Magnesium – 50 mcg
- Zinc – 2.5 mg
- Selenium – 10 mcg
- Manganese – 100 mcg
- Chromium – 25 mcg
- Molybdenum – 1 mcg
- Potassium – 25 mg
- Inositol – 5 mg
- PABA USP – 5 mg
- Vanadyl Sulfate Hydrate – 100 mcg
- Boron – 25 mcg
Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Foundation Vitamins provides all the nutrition your child needs in a whole-food preservative-free foundation!
Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Probiotic Formula
For children with hives, a probiotic formula is critical. Children with over-reactive immune systems often have very low gut bacteria. This goes doubly for children who eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates, sugars, and food dyes. I recommend Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Probiotic Formula for children ages 12 and under.
This formula contains seven strains of good bacteria with 5 billion CFUs (colony forming units) of live, active cultures in each scoop. These seven strains are lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus rhamnosus, lactobacillus casei, bifidobacterium longum, streptococcus thermophilus, bifidobacterium bifidum, and bifidobacterium lactis.
Diamond Nutritional’s Balanced Omega Chewables
Omega 3 fatty acids are excellent for treating chronic inflammation, sinus problems, and hives. For children 12 and under, I recommend Diamond Nutritional’s Balanced Omega Chewables. Unlike other fish oil supplements, this formula offers a great flavor kids love with no fishy aftertaste. Each dose contains 300-600 mg of molecularly-distilled EPA/DHA for optimum skin health.
Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Sinus Formula
Children with hives often have chronic sinus problems as well. Even without sneezing or a runny nose, I still recommend Diamond Nutritional’s Children’s Sinus Formula. It contains a proprietary blend of ingredients designed to control inflammation and quell excessive histamine release so your child can get the relief he or she needs.
My formula contains:
- Vitamin C – Supports immune system and relieves chronic inflammation.
- Quercetin Dihydrate – Turns off histamine and inflammatory response.
- Stinging Nettles – Eases inflammation and allergic reaction.
- Bromelain – Improves digestion and cuts down on inflammatory response.
- N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) – Stabilizes the immune system and reduces allergic reaction.
If your child is suffering from horrible rashes, don’t despair. Eliminating the cause, cleaning up their diet, and adding dietary supplements may be all you need to cure the condition instead of just treating the symptoms.
Give real, lasting relief to your child today. Invest in his or her future with my comprehensive testing kits and complete line of whole-food dietary supplements today!
