I’m going to start this message by noting, clearly that this post is not meant to be a treatment of any kind or a cure. Also, make health your priority the next few weeks or months- get enough sleep, essential nutrients such as Vit C & D, as I share with you what I’m doing:
I personally prefer prevention over cure. So during the cold & flu season, I usually prepare myself and family with enough in nutrition, minimal stress, adequate sleep and spiritual self care. I also encourage social connection despite the temptation to hibernate- so take advantage of technology and connect with loved ones, daily.
Here are a few supplements that I top up with food, for myself and family and the few extra steps I take to boost immunity.
Vitamin C
We all know the importance of Vitamin C, since it acts as a vital function of leukocytes- your white blood cells that help fight any infections. It is also important for the absorption of iron, so if you’re like me struggling with some form of anemia or iron deficiency, Vit C certainly help with the absorption from food or supplements. Adequate doses of Vit C has proven according to many studies, before getting a cold to slightly reduce the severity or duration of a cold. A cup of orange juice, cut kiwi or even tomato juice may be a good addition to your daily diet to ensure additional Vit C into your system. If you wish to supplement, a max amount of 500 mg might be sufficient.
So far there’s no evidence that taking a vitamin C supplement at high doses can protect people from the coronavirus, so please be careful not to overdose on vitamin C despite it being a water soluble vitamin (excess vitamin C is excreted from the body), it can also comes with risks. Google.
I love this one, because it comes in an easy to use spray and enhanced with Amla berries.
Vitamin D
It’s been a few years now since the popularity of supplementing with vitamin D has become essential, especially in the winter. If the vitamin is taken in sufficient levels, it can reduce your disk of infectious diseases and strengthen your innate immune system. Vitamin D does some switching-on in our bodies again- turning key peptides in your immune system that trigger a strong anti-microbial response, helping you to fight off invaders before they turn into an infection. Vitamin D has also been proven to reduce the risk of respiratory infections and viruses such as Flu A& B in both kids and adults, who are typically deficient during this season. It’s an easy test to take if you have access to blood screens, so I recommend you get tested for deficiencies in Vitamin D because it’s so essential for our immunity.
Dosing Vitamin D requires caution. First of all, vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and it’s important to be cautious of dosing because in large quantities, it is of course, dangerous. I usually give my kids around 1000 IU and depending on how deficient I am in the season, I take between 3,000 IU and 5,000 IU.
I like this supplement because as with the vitamin C, this company derives all their vitamins from Whole Foods, eliminating doubt for synthetic supplements.
Zinc
As mentioned above with vitamin c & d, as we age, our immune system gets weaker and diminishes in function, hence the susceptibility towards influenza and pneumonia, get higher. Maintaining a healthy Zinc status has been proven to be essential in limiting this decline of immune function. Even though our diet offers us plenty of opportunity to consume adequate amounts of zinc, our problem may be the ability to absorb it properly. There’s enough research that suggests the importance of adding zinc to your diet or supplement program to prevent pneumonia. Zinc is essential for DNA synthesis and cell proliferation, and for this, highly proliferating cells, like immune cells, are dependent on an adequate supply of zinc. In addition, zinc also reduces oxidative stress, plays a structural role by stabilizing proteins, regulates the expression of many genes, and drives hundreds of chemical reactions in the body. Please make sure you stick to strict dosing since an overdose of zinc may also be dangerous.
I really like bioavailable products because they have a higher absorption rate, so these drops- in it’s most natural form, act as a good zinc supplement.
NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
I started using this supplement for a completely different reason- for my postpartum liver detox for when my liver enzyme levels were high. But I’ve only recently realized that it has an excellent antioxidant and expectorant capacity that can improve lung function by decreasing inflammation as well as breaking up mucus. NAC is a semi-essential amino acid – which means, your body can produce it naturally from other amino acids and it is found in most protein rich foods such as chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds and legumes. If our body gets enough NAC, you’ll find that it is useful for a variety of health reasons — such as replenishing the most powerful antioxidant in your body, glutathione. These amino acids also help with chronic respiratory conditions, fertility and brain health. As with above, please check with your health professional incase this supplement interferes with any preexisting conditions or medication.
I have been using this brand for myself and my family due to the low milligram dose and I’m personally a fan of Jarrow products.
Probiotics
I think by now we are all aware that our immune system cells are largely contained in the gut, so naturally, probiotics are a great way to boost immunity. Not to mention how they address many unwanted symptoms such as IBS, recurrent yeast infections, bloating and other digestive issues. Probiotics may also help with absorption of vitamin D3, minerals, and other nutrients. Also note that not all probiotics are made equal- most of them do not survive the acid in your stomach before they reach the intestines. So, make sure you take something that is not cheap or contains a commonly marketed strain like acidophiclus. Some of the most effective strains are lactobacillus reuteri (a strain found in breast milk) and bacillus coagulans– check your labels and nutrition info.
Colloidal Silver
Ok, so this is not really an “immune booster”, but it has the ability to stop anything viral in its tracks and therefore works well to bring high fevers under control while reportedly kill the culprit- I’ve attached links for you to check out. A word of warning though- you have be very sure of correct dosage according to the label. The best thing is, it has no particular taste and can easily be mixed into some water or a green smoothie. Be sure to follow with probiotics as this is a natural antibiotic and just like the normal antibiotics- it can wreak havoc on digestion. Also, please be sure to buy the right kind, NOT ionic silver or protein suspended, you want real colloidal silver, we get this one and it’s amazing for infection of any kind. I just hope they haven’t sold out! Unlike antibiotics, it kills bacteria, viruses, and parasites without harming your cells and does not breed antibiotic resistance.
To end this- I just wanted to note that I am not a doctor and by no means do my suggestions below act as professional advice. Consult your health professional or doctor and always, always (and of course) the most important thing you can do to avoid infecting yourself or those around you with coronavirus is to prevent exposure by following the any advice or recommendations released by the CDC and World Health Organization. Wishing everyone good health during this period and stay safe- wash those hands!
