Archive for the ‘Immune System’ Category

Fight Cold and Flu Season from A to Zinc

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Ah, October. Halloween, cool, crisp weather, changing leaves—and the start of cold and flu season. This year, if sneezing, a runny nose, body aches, or fever crop up, don’t reach for over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Instead, give natural remedies a try.

What Remedies Really Work? Rest, of course, drink plenty of liquids, and, yes, eat chicken soup. It’s nutritious and has been scientifically proven to combat inflammation and soothe a dry, stuffy nose. You can get symptomatic relief with the cold and flu remedies that line the shelves of your drugstore. (Avoid the all-in-one combos. If your nose is stopped up, take a decongestant for a couple of days, or if you have a cough, use an expectorant. Don’t expose yourself to medications you don’t need, and use only for a brief period.)

But more important, you need to bolster your immune system so it can fight off these viruses and get you back on your feet. And time is of the essence. All of these natural remedies work best if you begin them in the earliest stages of a viral infection.

Take Your Vitamins From A to Zinc. Vitamin C is the best known of the immune-boosting vitamins, and with good reason. At least 20 double-blind studies have shown that taking this vitamin reduces the duration or severity of the common cold. I recommend taking 500-1,000 mg every hour you are awake. Be forewarned that high doses cause diarrhea in some people; if you are one of them, try 500 mg every two hours, or as tolerated.

Also important is vitamin D. For three or four days at the onset of a viral infection, I increase my patients’ dose of this vitamin to 50,000 IU for five to seven days. After a week, return to your usual dose, even if you still have symptoms. Zinc has become a favorite remedy since a study demonstrated that sucking on zinc gluconate lozenges cut the duration of a cold in half. I suggest trying zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold.

Bring on the Botanicals. My favorite herb for fighting infections is echinacea, which has antibacterial and antiviral properties, in addition to strengthening the immune system. It has been demonstrated in several studies to prevent the progression of colds. Take it when symptoms first strike or throughout the cold and flu season as a preventive.

Other useful herbals include:
• Elderberry, specifically studied for its ability to inhibit the replication of the flu virus
• Garlic and astragalus, other proven infection fighters
• Eucalyptus and menthol, ingredients in many cough drops that relieve congestion and cough
• Cayenne pepper, sprinkled in a cup of tea or on your chicken soup, which unstops a stuffy nose and opens airways
• Teas made with slippery elm, wild cherry bark, ginger, or chamomile, which are soothing to the throat and bronchioles.
Look for products containing these herbs in your health food store and use as instructed.

Prevention is always the best medicine. A healthy lifestyle, scrupulous hygiene, and a broad-based multivitamin and mineral supplement are the foundation of prevention.

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Staying Healthy for the Holidays

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy for the holidays.

Stress Less
With shopping lists a mile long, errands to run, parties to host and attend, and the other stressors of the season, it’s not surprising that anxiety and stress often come into the picture during this time of year. When you’re feeling frazzled, slow down and take a moment to reflect on the many blessings in your life. If that doesn’t work, try a soothing cup of green tea or take 200-400 mg of the anxiety-reducing amino acid theanine.

Other effective stress-busting activities include meditation, yoga, and tai chi. And when all else fails, remember that laughter truly is the best medicine. In addition to boosting immune function, it increases circulation, reduces muscular tension, and just plain feels good. So spice up your life with funny videos, books, and people who make you laugh—and practice “smile therapy” whenever you get the chance.

Eat Healthy
It’s temping to go hog wild during the holidays. After all, there are sweets and treats everywhere you turn. But overindulging is bad for your health in a number of ways. First, there’s the guilt. Next, there’s the weight gain. Finally, there’s the sluggish feeling you get from overeating rich, fatty foods. Fortunately, with a little willpower and a few dietary swaps you can stick with a healthy diet, not just during the holidays but all year long.

Stay away from or severely limit your intake of starches and sugars. These high-glycemic carbohydrates wreak havoc on blood sugar and waistlines. Try steamed and pureed cauliflower with a little garlic in place of mashed potatoes, eat savory steamed veggies instead of loading your plate with stuffing, and bake with xylitol, stevia, or another natural, low-calorie sweetener in order to cut back on sugars. Take the skin off of your turkey to slash fat content, say no to seconds, and try to eat sensible portions. Moderation in tandem with good food choices goes a long way toward improving health. 

Exercise More
I realize this is a busy time of year, but that’s no excuse to put exercise on the back burner. In fact, staying physically active will actually give you more energy to tackle all of your holiday tasks. If you don’t have time to go to the gym, simply incorporate these calorie burners into your daily activities.

Park in the far corners of the lot at the mall or grocery store, use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, pick up the pace as you do housework and chores, do jumping jacks, push-ups, or sit-ups for a few minutes when you have some idle time—just get moving!

Bolster Your Immune System
You know what they say: The best defense is a good offense. The upcoming weeks are bound to be busy and stressful, and that combo can really take a toll on your immune system. Don’t end up on the sidelines. Protect yourself by giving your body the nutrients it needs to fight off infection and keep you in the pink.

Start by taking 2,000-5,000 IU of vitamin D daily. Your goal is to get your blood level in the 50-80 ng/mL range. Next, load up on vitamin C, a minimum of 1,000 mg per day. Other immune boosting supplements to consider are echinacea (use as directed), colostrum (4,500 mg twice daily on an empty stomach with water), and a fermented bakers yeast product such as EpiCor (500 mg daily). You can purchase these supplements in health food stores or online from various retailers.

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Practical Tips for Preventing Colds and Flu

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Fall is fast approaching, and with it cold and flu season. Here are a few practical tips for staying healthy this autumn and year-round.

1. Wash Your Hands
Microbes can enter your system when an infected person in the vicinity coughs or sneezes. More commonly, however, you bring them in yourself by touching the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, or eyes after coming into contact with a contaminated person or item such as a glass or towel. That’s why it’s important to wash your hands regularly.

It sounds like a no-brainer but you’d be amazed at how many people are just plain lousy at hand-washing. In a study by the American Society for Microbiology, almost everyone—92 percent—claimed to wash their hands in public restrooms, but only 77 percent actually did. And it’s often a haphazard rinse. You really need to lather up and scrub for a full 20 seconds. Use good old bar or liquid soap and avoid antibacterial products. Antibacterials contain triclosan, an agent known to increase risk of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.” More than three-quarters of liquid hand soaps contain triclosan, so read labels carefully. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are another viable option.

2. Flush Microbes Out
Another method of staving off infection is to wash germs out of the eyes and nostrils before they have a chance to enter your body. One way to do this is with facial dips. You simply fill a basin with warm water, add a special solution, and submerge your face in the water for a few seconds. (Clenzology makes a line of reputable products; however, an alternative is to use only warm water.) Another option is to cleanse the nostrils with salt water with either a saline nasal spray or a neti pot, a small container with a spout that allows you to gently pour water into your nostrils. Neti pots have been used for centuries, and saline nasal sprays were shown in a study of college students to reduce colds.

3. Boost Your Immunity
It goes without saying that living a healthy lifestyle boosts immune function. This includes regular exercise, a healthy diet, adequate sleep, stress management, and a good daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. But there are additional supplements you should take during flu and cold season to strengthen your defenses. Vitamin C is indispensable. It increases the number and function of microbe-fighting white blood cells as well as the production of interferon, which helps prevent viral infections. I recommend taking a minimum of 1,500 mg a day, in divided doses, at this time of year.

Though vitamin C is a must-have, there is another supplement that you shouldn’t be without this season: vitamin D. Ensuring that you have an adequate blood level of vitamin D may be your best protection against all types of “bugs” this winter. That’s why you need to beef up your intake now. The most predictable way to do this is to take vitamin D3 supplements—enough to bring your blood level up into the optimal range of 50–80 ng/mL. (For most adults, this requires about 5,000 IU per day.) To make certain your levels are in the proper range, ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) test.

I hope you are able to put these tips to good use. Feel free to share this information with your friends and family. You know what they say—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Natural Solutions for Conquering Colds

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

A sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, and sneezing—the common cold is just no fun. Head to any supermarket or drug store and you’ll be overwhelmed by the vast number of products at your fingertips. But these over-the-counter remedies have their drawbacks—from treating symptoms you don’t have to being only marginally effective.

Though I know it sounds trite, prevention is always the best medicine. That’s why you should wash your hands regularly and/or use hand sanitizer often, get plenty of sleep, stay away from sick people, stay hydrated, and take a high-potency multivitamin and mineral supplement. After all, a good offense is the best defense.

But sometimes, you just can’t avoid getting sick. If you do, here are a few natural steps you can take to conquer the common cold.

  • Boost Your Vitamin C Intake. At the first sign of a cold, take 500-1000 mg of vitamin C and continue doing so every hour that you are awake. Some gastrointestinal distress can occur with high doses so if you are sensitive, try taking smaller doses—500 mg every two hours for the first day and moving up to higher, more frequent doses on subsequent days. 
  •  Try Echinacea. Echinacea extracts can be tricky because there are so many different brands and delivery systems. The important thing is to look for a standardized product and use as directed. 
  • Use Zinc Lozenges. If you think you are coming down with something, start sucking on zinc lozenges every two hours. They’ve been shown to reduce cold duration by an average of three days compared to placebo.
  • Your Mom Was Right, Eat Chicken Soup. This folk remedy has more than word-of-mouth to support it.  A landmark study published in the medical journal Chest demonstrated chicken soup’s symptom-fighting ability and other research has shown that chicken soup acts on white blood cells to prevent them from causing inflammation and congestion.
  • Break a Fever With Cayenne Pepper. Despite its fiery taste, cayenne is a cooling herb with a long history of use as a fever reducer. Cayenne is a natural decongestant, which works much like cold and flu medications to restore free breathing. Add some to your chicken soup for added benefits or simply take a bite of hot pepper. This will quickly clear your airways and, as an added bonus, will provide a healthy dose of infection-fighting vitamin C.
  • Drink Ginger Tea. Ginger tea boasts myriad health benefits from relieving nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea to boosting immune function due to its high zinc content. To make ginger tea at home, grind a one-inch slice of fresh ginger and squeeze the juice of half a lemon. Add to a cup of steaming hot water, along with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Let me know how these remedies work for you and if you have solutions of your own, I’d love to hear them. Email me at testimonials@whitakerwellness.com. Here’s wishing you and your family a healthy remainder of the cold season.

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Can Vitamin D Keep Your Immune System in Tip-Top Shape?

Friday, October 16th, 2009

With all the talk of the H1N1 virus and flu season upon us, people are searching for ways to bolster their immune systems and stay healthy. Could the key to better immunity lie in a simple vitamin?

John J. Cannell, MD, an innovative physician and founder of the Vitamin D Council, had a “eureka” experience a few years ago that resulted in a theory that’s now rapidly gaining ground: Vitamin D deficiencies underlie a vulnerability to influenza and other infectious diseases, and boosting levels of this vitamin protects against infection.

Here’s how it came about. In early 2005, an influenza epidemic ran rampant through the California maximum-security psychiatric hospital where Dr. Cannell was working. In his ward, however, nobody got sick. His patients were no younger or healthier than the others, and they had mingled with infected patients and been treated by the same nurses. The only difference was that his patients had been taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D each day for several months.

A light bulb went off in Dr. Cannell’s head. Since then, he’s gathered a wide body of research that backs his theory in spades. (Visit his website, http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/, for more information.) 

In addition to its role in immune function, vitamin D is active in tissues throughout the body. Research shows that deficiencies in this vitamin can lead to a number of other health problems including:

• Cardiovascular complications
• Type 1 diabetes in children
• Parkinson’s disease
• Osteomalacia (softened bones) and osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Depression
• Rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions
• Increased mortality rates

I could go on, but here’s all you really need to know: To prevent flu and other infectious illnesses, and to bolster your overall health, you need to increase your level of vitamin D.

Over the years, as more benefits of the “sunshine vitamin” have emerged, my suggested dosages have slowly crept up. Here are some general guidelines. (Please note, higher doses may be necessary to raise blood concentrations to protective levels.) For infants, 1,000–1,800 IU; for children ages 1 to 12, 2,000 IU; and for adults, 2,000–4,000 IU per day—or more, if needed. Get your 25 (OH)D blood level tested through your doctor and take enough supplemental vitamin D3 to bring your level into the 50-70 ng/mL range.

Vitamin D is perfectly safe at these levels and, for short periods of time, in much larger doses. High-dose vitamin D may be required to overcome deficiencies, but it should be taken only under the care of a physician.

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