Why Kids Get Sick After School Starts

Back-to-school sickness spikes fast, but it’s not just because kids share germs in close classrooms. We break down the routine changes that weaken immune function, why normal exposure helps build resilience, and the daily habits that keep families steadier through fall. 

• more germ exposure when kids regroup in classrooms and bring bugs home 
• sleep schedule whiplash and why sleep supports immune health 
• stress and anxiety at school and how it affects the body 
• nutrition drift toward sugar and packaged lunches and what to prioritize instead 
• exercise and outdoor time as immune and mood support 
• adaptive immunity and why healthy kids build resilience through exposure 
• common parent mistakes such as waiting too long to focus on prevention 
• hygiene basics without going overboard on sanitizer and harsh chemicals 
• thoughts on school shutdowns and avoiding a fear-based culture 
• immune-support nutrients including vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc with copper, probiotics, quercetin, luteolin 
• rapid-fire myth checks on cold weather, antibiotics, supplements, and staying home 

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Transcript

Why Fall Illness Spikes

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

It's really the way our bodies were designed and the world was designed, which is we're not born with immunity to every single thing that comes across our plate or that we come across in our daily activities. But thankfully, a lot of the immune health that we have, we do have passed down from mom to child in the womb, and they have some immune health. And God has designed our bodies to really grow over time as it becomes exposed to different things. And as we grow older, our body, it's called acquired or adaptive immunity. We start to acquire that immune health. So exposure actually is a great thing for us, especially when we're kids, because it's helping to really educate our immune system to see what is good and what is bad.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Frontline Health Podcast, where we share news, tips, and insights to help you take ownership of your health. I'm Evan Patrick. With me is founder and CEO of Centurion Health, Troy Duel. Every year it happens. Summer ends, kids go back to school, and within a few weeks it feels like every household has someone coughing, sneezing, or staying home sick. Today we want to investigate is school itself making kids sick? Is it just because they're around more germs, or is there actually more going on beneath the surface? Today we're looking at why illness seems to explode every fall and what parents can realistically do to help. Troy, you've been in the health and wellness industry for many years, and uh the answer to this question is probably intuitive for our listeners. But what do we typically see happen at the start of every new school year in public health?

SPEAKER_00 1:53

We always see an increase in people getting sick, young and old alike, and um it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

So break that down for us. Why does this happen so quickly when the school year starts?

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Yeah, I think if you stop and really think about it just for a second, you're gonna get kids from all over a city, all over a town, and they come together in close quarters of a classroom, and most of them may not have the best hygiene when it comes to washing their hands uh or sneezing and coughing all over each other, and then they take those new germs home to share with the rest of their family, as a good kid really should. And then we see the spread of all these germs.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

And uh, I know parents really appreciate that when the kids do share that with them. That is a a great surprise that every every parent loves. Yes, it is. We know uh so we know why this happens on a large scale, right? Fairly self-evident, as you just kind of explained. Germs have more opportunities to spread as kids get back together for school. But we know that there are some really big lifestyle factors that play into an individual's likelihood of getting sick or staying healthy when they are exposed to these germs. And would you mind just kind of going into that and breaking down those major factors that really impact our immune health that are disrupted when kids go back to school so that we can kind of begin to see like what people can actually do to help uh keep their families healthy this uh this school year?

Sleep Stress Food Exercise Changes

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Absolutely. And I I think the first and easiest is you talk about sleep because these kids are used to sleeping in or staying up later, and all of a sudden their sleep cycle just totally changes and it has to adjust. So it's gonna take a little bit of time and they'll probably end up having less sleep. And we know that sleep ultimately affects our immune health. Uh, you're also gonna have higher stress because there may be new classmates, there may be old classmates that you don't like, and it increases that anxiety along with new teachers that you're gonna have to get used to. And the schedules start to get busier. So not only do you have school, but you also have the sports activities after school, and it becomes much more jammed and they're not near as laid back or just kind of doing what they want to throughout the day. And then you talk about uh nutrition, they're certainly not getting uh fresh food as often. It's usually going to be more of those pre-packaged foods for lunches in particular, and they're gonna have a higher sugar intake. And they also don't have mom or dad there to help them uh walk through the choices that they have, whether at breakfast or lunch, oftentimes, and they may end up exchanging for other foods that they like the taste of, but are really not that great for them from a health standpoint. And then, of course, you have exercise itself. We know exercise is huge in helping us uh obviously get some toxins out through sweat, but it also increases our endorphins, increases our ability to overcome things and our immune system to get a little bit stronger because you're gonna be inside all day and you're gonna be sitting down and you're not gonna have near the opportunity to really kind of get out and stretch your legs.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Yeah, those are all great insights, Troy. And I think it's it's really interesting that these things are not only, you know, tools that uh or are I guess things that kids need to not get sick, but really just to thrive overall. I mean, so many kids are not getting enough sleep. So many kids are are scrolling on their phones way too late at night, they're playing video games, they're not getting the you know, like nine or ten hours really that that most kids need of sleep per night, especially when they when they are going back to school and they're having to get up early. You know, you mentioned the stress. I I think everyone who's uh who's been involved in school, you you know what it's like to be that age and to be, you know, going through these experiences. And um, yeah, there there are just so many things about a kid's school day that are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Um, but there are still things that we can do to make sure that um we're emphasizing things, these things, and at least helping our kids understand the importance of, you know, making healthy choices with their food, helping to make sure that they're going to bed on time and uh and making sure that they're not just sitting inside all the time, but are getting the outdoor time, you know, when they're when they're not in school and being involved in things like that that would be good for them.

How Kids Build Immune Resilience

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Um another big part of this that goes beyond just sort of those general lifestyle tips that kids need, that there are a lot of misconceptions around and a lot of fear because parents don't want their kids to get sick, right? Every parent is is scared of their kids getting sick. A big part of this, especially for younger kids, is how their immune system learns and builds up resilience. So can you can you kind of explain this to us and maybe help put some parents at ease for when their kids do get sick?

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Yeah, I think understanding that it's really the way our bodies were designed and the world was designed, which is we're not born with immunity to every single thing that comes across our plate or that we come across uh in our daily activities. But thankfully, a lot of the the immune health that we have, we do have passed down from mom to child in the womb, and they have some immune health. And God has designed our bodies to really grow over time as it becomes exposed to different things. And as we grow older, our body can, it's called acquired or adaptive immunity. We start to acquire that immune health. So exposure actually is a great thing for us, especially when we're kids, because it's helping to really educate our immune system to see what is good and what is bad and what to go after. And that's why usually once you get over a certain age, A, you have typically better hygiene, but your body is also better at uh taking on bacteria and viral infections than it is as a child because it's been uh introduced to those viruses and bacteria through time.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

So you would encourage parents of young children not to panic when their kids get sick, but to sort of just help them get through it and get better and understand that this is really a normal part of a child's healthy development.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

That's absolutely correct. We need to obviously teach our kids, again, good hygiene. We don't need them or their parents really to be scared of germs or getting sick. I know part of the fear is none of us want to have to clean up anything after a kid, um, especially if if they're really sick. But uh our bodies really are designed to deal with um and when they come into contact with these germs and learn from that contact to then teach itself how to overcome those germs. So uh of course, there are certain times where that's not the case. If you've got a child who has autoimmune disorders or other diseases, they're going to be a little bit different in terms of the caution you need to have when you're in public and in coming into contact with things. But for the most part, uh it is just a part of life and a good part of life that we can have bodies that can adapt to what's going on around us and what we're exposed to. So no need to fear. Certainly pay attention and treat and make sure that your kids are staying well hydrated, but um, no need to fear germs that are out there uh everywhere around us.

Sponsor And 15% Discount

SPEAKER_01 9:59

This episode is brought to you by Centurion Health. We're leading to make life better by providing safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA to help you elevate your health into life. As a special thank you to our podcast listeners, Centurion Health is giving you 15% off when you use discount code Frontline15 at checkout. Visit www.centurion.health to elevate your health today. That's right, kids are much more resilient than we think they are.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

For sure.

Prevention Habits Parents Miss

SPEAKER_01 10:31

I wanted to ask, what are some common mistakes that parents make when trying to keep their kids healthy and in school during the school year?

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things is we don't, as parents, typically focus on prevention until it's too late. And what I mean by that is kind of like uh Ben Franklin's adage where he said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We really go on with our day. We don't think about anything unless we hear about four or five other kids suddenly getting sick in a class. Well, at that point, it's probably a little too late. Uh, we really need to be focusing on doing the right things every day in order to give our bodies and our kids' bodies the best chance against whatever germs they're coming into contact with, which means you need to be sure that you're eating as clean and healthy as possible, and that your kids are eating as clean and healthy as possible. They need to be cutting back on sugar. They need to increase their intake of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables specifically. You need to be getting at least six to eight hours of sleep as an adult, eight to ten hours for our kids. We need to be staying well hydrated, drink plenty of water to help flush those toxins and bacteria out of our body. And we need to be sure that we're exercising to get our bodies working at their best because, again, you're increasing the endorphins, you're building up your immune system by doing that. And we really need to teach our kids good hygiene. So teach them how to wash their hands well, teach them how to cover their cough and their sneezes to make sure that they're not spreading germs and really manage their stress. It's not something that as parents we think about because we don't think kids have stress, but they really, really do. And if we can manage that and help them uh learn how to cope with stress, then that's going to help their immune system function and deal with what it needs to deal with from those bacteria and viral infections instead of these things that we're uh coming up with from a stress standpoint.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

And I know if if you talk to pretty much any teacher out there today, they will talk about how self-regulation is such a problem for kids who are getting stressed out and worked up over things that really, in the grand scheme of things, is not a big deal, but in their minds it is. And uh, and and that is a true skill that kids really do have to learn, that all of us have to learn, uh but kids really have to learn is how to calm themselves down when they're dealing with things that are frustrating or stressful.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

For sure. And then something that we learned about from one of our other podcasts with a guest was the fact that we're seeing increased anxiety levels because some of the processed foods and the other toxins that we have in our communities and uh that are all around us. So it it isn't always necessarily just uh teaching these kids ways to to deal with that stress, which we need to do, but we also need to take that stress out of their life by changing their diet and changing the exposure.

Sanitizer Cleaning Chemicals Balance

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Yeah, and I I don't want to shame anybody. Uh this is just my personal preference. I do know in schools a lot, um, a lot I knew a lot of teachers who they use a ton of like Clorox and um, I don't know, just like really, really use a lot of these harsh chem cleaning products with harsh chemicals constantly in their classrooms. And we know that some of those things have endocrine disruptors, they have things that um maybe not uh won't have like an immediate effect, but we know that are not really that good for us to be to be consuming all the time. And so um, yeah, just do you have any thoughts on that? Or I I think of other things um that are used in schools that maybe are not the best a lot, like hand sanitizer. Do you have any thoughts on any of any of that kind of stuff and how it's how it's used so much in schools?

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Yeah, I mean, I think it's it's just like anything else. Hand sanitizer can be a good thing, but really the best thing you can do is to go wash your hands with soap and water and do that as often as possible. And then just remind kids and adults alike that the fewer times you can touch your face, touch your nose, touch your mouth, um, those are going to keep a lot of that bacterial and viral infection from getting inside our bodies, which is the first and best way to avoid getting any of those. So uh I'm in total agreement. We need to we need to make sure we have good hygiene. We're certainly wiping things down, but we don't need to necessarily go overboard with it because we do need to be introduced to a few of these um bacterial and viral infections in order for our bodies to learn how to deal with them.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Thank you for sharing that.

School Shutdowns And Fear Culture

SPEAKER_01 15:21

And uh one other thing I wanted to ask you about before we move on to the next segment is we s it seems very common now for when you get into flu season, uh it's not uncommon for schools, if they're having a lot of cases, to maybe shut down for a few days or even a week. And it seems like that's not really something that used to happen. It used to be that more parents had the approach of even if your kid is sick, go ahead and just send them to school because it is so important for them to be in school. It's so important for them to not miss out on classroom time and learning and and things like that. So is there a healthy balance there? Is one right and one wrong? What is what is kind of your view on this new thing that we're seeing where schools will shut down for a week, you know, a few days, a week, a couple of weeks when a bunch of kids start getting sick?

SPEAKER_00 16:13

Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm certainly more old school when it comes to that. I don't believe they should be shutting down schools because we talked about it earlier. What we're doing is we're creating a culture of fear every time we do that. And we don't need to be fearful of it. We need to be cognizant of what's going on around us, and we need to make sure that we're uh learning how to live with the viral infections that are out there. And flu is a part of our everyday life. So, how do we live with that? And I think by doing some of the things that we've talked about, which is making sure they're getting plenty of sleep, making sure they're exercising, making sure they're eating right, and that they're doing all the pieces that they can to help deal with this because it's something that we're all going to come across. And it doesn't do anybody uh any favors by saying we're gonna shut down the whole school. Now, I've I've heard there are times when they just didn't have the teachers or the personnel, and that may be a different circumstance where maybe you have to because you just don't have anybody to teach the kids. But at the same time, I think there are ways that we as a culture and we as a society should step up and say, okay, they don't they don't have enough teachers, but let's combine some classes, let's get them together, and let's make sure that we're not creating this fear that isn't going to be healthy long term for all these kids. And, you know, there's so many things. Uh we talked about the endocrine disruptors and uh the vaccines and issues that it's causing with a lot of uh long-term health with uh some of these kids because we're seeing greater autoimmune issues. And maybe that's part of what's going on, as well as the food, and there's so many factors that seem to come into play that could be causing this more than it was years ago. And um, but I think if we can just start doing a few of the things right, we can hopefully turn the tide and and see things go in the right direction.

SPEAKER_01 18:21

Yeah, I I think you really made a great point also with the with the fear aspect of that. And I think um I think one of the things that that happens is leadership in a school responds to parents who are dealing with a lot of fear. And I think what we have to get back to, not just in school, but in a lot of different areas as a society, is um leading when when you're in a position of leadership, not leading with fear, but leading with confidence and helping to put others who are afraid at ease rather than uh them playing on that or or giving into it. So great insights, uh Troy. Thank you, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on

Key Immune Nutrients That Help

SPEAKER_01 18:57

that. Um now we really want to zoom zoom in on the nutrients that help support immune function. Um, again, you were talking about being proactive and uh and nutrition is really kind of the foundation of doing that in a lot of ways. When it comes to specific nutrients that help strengthen our immune system, what do parents need to make sure their kids are getting?

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Yeah, I think uh it starts with vitamin D. That's one of the things I'm sure that more and more people learned during the the COVID uh pandemic that we had. We understand that vitamin D is crucial to respiratory health, to helping fight off infection. We know that vitamin C, and we've always heard vitamin C. I think uh there's not a mom around who doesn't suggest taking more vitamin C, drinking more orange juice, whatever it is, when their kids getting sick all around. You'll often hear people say, We need to be taking your vitamin C. So we know that one for a long term, a long time has been a crucial part of health. But zinc is another one. Zinc is one that can get into our cells. And once it gets into our cells, it really uh starts to wreak havoc on any viral infection that may have gotten in. Um, so that is super important when you're talking about immune health, but just make sure that you're taking copper along with it in order to avoid that zinc-copper uh imbalance that can cause other health issues. Uh, you know, probiotics is another one that's big because we know that gut health and having good gut health is crucial when you're talking about fighting off germs, because we often interact with those germs for the very first time in our gut. And our gut is a big part of our immune health, and we're learning more and more about the importance of the gut over the past 20 to 30 years. And then when you talk about bioflavonoids like quercetin and luteolin, those seem to really come into play in helping fight off infections, in helping zinc get inside the cells when you're talking about quercetin and uh fight off those viral infections. And they're found in a lot of the fruits and vegetables. I think that old adage, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. That may be where quercetin comes into play because uh you have uh apples have probably the highest level of quercetin outside of onions when it comes to uh that level of providing it for our bodies to to help our immune health. So those are some that I would certainly um suggest looking at and getting into your routine and even your kids' routine in order to help them with their health.

Simple Back-To-School Action List

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Yeah, thank you for sharing that, Troy. Um what we really want to encourage parents to do as school starts back is to put together, we we've talked about all these different things you can do, but put together an action. Actionable list of things, whether it's whether you're actually writing this down or you just kind of are making sure you're doing these things mentally, um, of things that you can do to help keep your kids healthy as they go back to school. Examples would include moving the bedtime earlier. We talked about how important sleep is to immune health, prioritizing breakfast, making sure they're getting in those nutrients that we that Troy just went through for us, you know, packing nutritious lunches. Once again, Troy mentioned the lunch lines earlier. Uh kids are not always making the best choices there, washing hands before eating, staying hydrated, encouraging outdoor play, and building healthy routines before illness appears. Most important thing when it comes to our health again is is being proactive and taking ownership of it before problems really set in. And uh we really kind of want to wrap up this episode by uh by throwing some rapid-fire questions at Troy that we thought would would be fun for him to

Rapid-Fire Myths Parents Hear

SPEAKER_01 22:55

answer. And uh, some of these are myths that he's gonna debunk for us or um just just things that people are kind of maybe receiving some mixed advice about when they hear these questions talked about in the public. So, Troy, question number one Do cold temperatures make kids sick?

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Well, the answer is no, and I think we've all heard our parents say when you're growing up, hey, you need to grab a coat. It's too cold outside, you don't want to go out with that uh wet hair because you might get sick. But the truth is your hair might freeze, uh, but it's not necessarily going to cause you to get sick. What it can do is it can uh certainly cause your body to start working towards how to stay warm. And then if you're introduced to a bacteria or a virus, then your body is starting to deal with the cold and deal with that, and that can uh possibly cause you a greater chance of getting sick because you're trying to deal with two different things. But cold temperatures and going out with wet hair or without a coat on when it's cold definitely don't cause you to get sick.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Okay, interesting. Question number two can supplements replace healthy habits?

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Absolutely not. Supplements are a piece of the puzzle, but they are not the whole puzzle. So you need to make sure that sleep, uh, eating, good hygiene, all those other things are in place and exercise in order to help your body fight off an infection. Supplements are a piece of the puzzle, but they are not the only piece in that puzzle.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

Question number three. Your kids start sniffling, should they stay home from school?

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Definitely not if it's a sniffle. Now, if it is a fever, I would absolutely say you need to stay home because you want to make sure that you are not passing that on to anybody else and you want to create good hygiene and be a good neighbor to other people. So if you're sick, meaning you have a fever, which means you're contagious, then stay home. But the first sniffle, I would certainly say no. Okay. Next question: Do antibiotics help with viral illnesses? They do not. I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions we see out there is people going to urgent cares, they have a virus and they're given an antibiotic. A lot of times that's just in order to make us feel better, but it's not going to help anything if you're given an antibiotic. Antibiotics are only going to help when you're dealing with a bacteria of some sort.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

Okay. And then our final question: should kids take immune supplements year-round?

SPEAKER_00 25:47

I think it's always a good idea to take an immune supplement year-round. And part of that is because you never know when you're going to run into a bacteria or a viral infection. So when you run into it, you want your body to be at the best place possible to deal with whatever that bacteria or virus is. And I am a big proponent of it. Now, during the summer months, you may be able to back off instead of taking two a day, you end up taking one a day, or you take half of one a day. But I am a big proponent of taking immune supplements year-round for sure.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Awesome. Well, thank you for answering uh those rapid fire questions, Troy, and for uh for humoring me with those. Um, that's really great, great advice. And again, thanks for bringing clarity to some things that parents are receiving a lot of mixed advice on.

Final Takeaways And Share Request

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Um but just to kind of wrap things up, you know, we have talked about how there are reasons that we can point to for why kids get sick a lot when school starts back, and there are specific things we can do to really help make sure that our kids stay healthy or at least able to fight off those viruses well when they are exposed. Um school changes a lot of things, they're exposed to more germs, kids are typically getting less sleep, there's stress that comes with the start of the new school year, different routines, and all of that really affects uh how well the immune system can respond.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Yeah, and I think it's great to be reminded that there's nothing we can do to eliminate 100% of the exposure to bacteria or viruses. So what we can do is we can support our bodies, we can uh support the way that we were made and create some healthy habits in order to uh create the best environment when we come across those to deal with them and not have our bodies shut down totally, but uh to help support it to have the best outcome possible.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

That's right. Well, thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Frontline Health Podcast. Uh, if this episode helped you understand why back-to-school illness happens and you are a parent, share it with another parent uh or somebody else who could just benefit from everything that we talked about. As always, we want to encourage you to take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. Have a happy school year, and we'll see you next time on the Frontline Health Podcast.