Dr. Elisa Song discusses how gut health affects kids' immune resilience during a severe flu season driven by a mutated AH3N2 strain. She recommends fiber-rich foods, fermented foods, and specific probiotics, citing a study showing 73% fewer fevers and 84% less antibiotic use. Microbiome testing can personalize which interventions work best.
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So much. Let's move on now. Cold and flu season already ramping up and early surveillance suggests this could be a very tough respiratory virus season with influenza, RSV and other flu like viruses circulating very heavily. So joining us now is integrative pediatrician and chief medical officer for Tiny Health, Dr. Elisa Song. Doctor, thanks for joining us. And one thing you hear when you're talking to anyone in the D.C. area is what is this bug that's going around that's taken people out just for days at a time? It seems like a different, more aggressive type of flu.
Yeah. Well, thank you for having me. This is definitely one of the worst flu seasons we've seen. We have influenza. One of the circulating strains is this AH3N2, which has mutated over the past month. And we are concerned that this means more severe illness, especially for children. So parents are understandably worried. And on top of that, we have a whole host of other respiratory viruses, just like you mentioned, a number of cold viruses, rsv, there's even whooping cough going around. And it's really important for families to understand there's so many much we can do right now to help our kids get sick less often and recover faster. And that starts in the gut.
Okay, so tell me all about that. I've got three kids under the age of four. They're little germ factories. They're always coughing and sneezing directly into my eyeballs. So when you talk about the immune system living in the gut, how do we make use of that?
Yeah, so about 80% of our immune system actually lives in the gut, communicating with the trillions of microorganisms that make up your gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome. Biome has actually been linked with fewer infections and a healthier response to fighting viruses more effectively. On the flip side, if your child has a disrupted gut microbiome, they could potentially get sick more frequently, have more serious symptoms, or take longer to bounce back. So the gut is the foundation for a healthy response to any of the viruses going around right now.
And what is the biggest misconception that parents often have about immune health, especially with young ones?
So the biggest misconception is that a good and strong healthy immune system means never getting sick. In fact, true immune resilience doesn't mean that your kid never gets sick. It does mean, though, that when they do get sick, they bounce back quickly and completely and their immune system is even stronger for the next time. Because let's face it, as parents, we know there's always going to Be a next time, right?
These kids are very snotty. Honestly. What are your top three pediatrician backed tips to boost the kids immune health this winter and beyond?
So we always start with the gut immune system connection and tip one is to feed the good gut bacteria that are keeping your immune system healthy and strong. In my book Healthy Kids, Happy Kids, I teach kids to load up on three microbiome champions. So fiber rich foods like beans and whole grains, phytonutrient filled, colorful fruits and vegetables and even fermented foods like yogurt or kombucha or sauerkraut if your kids will eat them. So food is medicine for your gut and and your immune system. Tip two is to use probiotic supplements strategically, not randomly. There was one fascinating study in kids that found that two specific probiotic strains given to kids during the winter months reduced fevers by 73% and the need for antibiotics by 84%. The specific probiotic strains can lead to fewer fevers, fewer antibiotics and fewer missed days of so school. And tip three, you want to test, don't guess. We want to know where your child's gut microbiome is starting from so that we can optimize their gut immune connection. And Tiny health is the gold standard in microbiome testing for all ages. When we can understand where your child's gut microbiome is starting from, we can provide a personalized plan to optimize their gut immune system connection and have them on the best foot footing for the rest of the winter.
Dr. Song, I have been taking copious notes. I will be putting all of this into play and reporting back. Gotta keep these kids healthy through this cold and flu season. Thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it. Happy New Year.
Thank you for me. Happy New Year.
All right, let's head back out live to our Gwen Talbert. This is really important information.
