Transcript by Deb
Hello again, and welcome to this special edition of Young Living’s Audio Education Series. I’m Scott Johnson, Young Living’s Director of Global Education and U.S. Sales. This important webinar is being made available to our global members by popular demand and mirrors a live event we held in our state-of-the-art auditorium in Lehigh, Utah.
As both parents and children prepare for school to begin again, some parents and children are celebrating while others may be shedding tears, but one thing is certain. Parents want to keep their children healthy and avoid the germ sharing that is so common in the classroom. Fortunately, Young Living members have some excellent tools in their toolbox to protect their children from germs. Before we get into how we protect our children, we need to understand why our children may need more protection when they go back to school.
First, childrens’ immune systems are not as developed as adults’, particularly young children, making them more susceptible to germs in their environment. When a child is born, their immune system must mature and become fully functional. The immune system develops and is educated during gradual exposure to different germs. This is called adaptive immunity. The immune system is considered mature or fully developed between the ages of 10 and 14. Now the immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to defend the body. I want to highlight a few of these so we have an overall view of how the immune system works.
The tonsils and adenoids, which unfortunately are often considered useless and far too often prematurely removed, act as filters to remove debris and germs that enter the respiratory tract. Lymph nodes are distributed widely throughout the body and collect fluid, debris and germs and filter out harmful substances. They also foster contact with T-lymphocytes which regulate the immune system’s response to harmful substances.
The thymus contains cells that mature into T lymphocytes and specifically react to certain germs. It is also involved in cell-mediated immunity.
The majority of the spleen’s functions are immune system related. It produces and stores white blood cells that assist in removing harmful substances from the blood supply.
Something not often thought of when it comes to the immune system are peyer’s patches. These round bundles of lymphatic tissue protect the mucous membrane of the small intestine from harmful substances.
The skin provides a barrier to keep out germs and other harmful materials. The epidermis contains special cells called langerhans cells that act as an early warning for the immune system. In addition, enzymes present in sweat and friendly bacteria on the skin all work to prevent easy access into the body by germs.
Bone marrow contains stem cells that can develop into immune cells including B cells, natural killer cells and red blood cells. These mature cells then respond to germs.
So, what makes the classroom a perfect germ sharing environment? Typically, you have 20-35 children and a teacher crammed in a small classroom for an extended time period. Combine this with childrens’ propensity to put their hands in their mouth, nose and ears, and the number of shared surfaces to transfer these germs to, and you have a perfect germ sharing environment. Not surprisingly, this leads to an average of 9 colds per year among preschoolers, 12 among kindergarteners, and 7 among adolescents. This could mean a lot of missed school days and homework to make up. To avoid missed school days and protect them from germs, we suggest a 3-fold approach.
One, children need to have a strong foundation, which is good hygiene habits. Secondly, we want to sanitize surfaces and avoid the most germy places as much as possible. Lastly, we will share some essential approaches to build and support childrens’ immune systems.
We discussed how children often put their hands in their mouth, nose and ears creating a great opportunity for germs to enter the body. A practical way to avoid this is by encouraging them to wash their hands frequently. Thieves Foaming Hand Soap is a great way to sanitize hands, but it’s not always practical for your children to use at school. So, a great alternative is the Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier. It is super convenient, quickly sanitizes hands and something that should be sent to school with all children. Remarkably, a sneeze forcefully propels a plethora of organisms out of the mouth and nose at about 200 mph. This can quick