It’s been a long time coming but everyone is noticing the longer days and warmer nights as we slip into the Summer sun and warm balmy days ahead. After covid we all need some respite so please take advantage of the better weather and get out in it.
But do remember to be sun smart and wear wider brimmed hats and no toxicity sunblock (avoid the common commercial brands that contain a wide range of toxic and potentially toxic chemicals). Ironically the Cancer Society version is one of the most toxic! It is far quicker to mention the brands that are best than the best ones to avoid.
Best brands from my initial research are the ones that contain no parabens and have an SPF of at least 30. If you have sensitive white skin, like me, you can go as high as SPF 50 if you are in sun during the heat of the day like trades people working outside a lot as well as those who work in office buildings and don’t get much sun, who are so much more likely to burn when over exposed at the weekends on the beach!
No sunblock is biochemically perfect if you want upwards of SPF 30+, but one of the common ones you can get in most Pharmacies or better Health Food Stores in the New Zealand-made “Oasis Sun” brand with the orange tube packaging. It has less of the nasties and is as organic as they can make it in New Zealand. If you can’t find it then “Jason’s” brand is one of the best out there as it is totally organic and has no nasties in it but has become harder to find in New Zealand as it is imported from the USA and shipping routes are not as busy or as regular as NZ retailers would like. They are having trouble getting enough stock in as with winter coming in the Northern Hemisphere production of sun blocks is dropping.
Good luck and remember the best protection is clothing and avoidance if you have had issues with skin cancers, like I have unfortunately. A good sunblock is a necessary back up these days, especially with kids over summer.
In these challenging times during Covid-19 and the coming post Covid-19 era, now more than ever we need to pay attention to our immune system. Medical authorities aren’t telling you what to do other than social distancing, washing your hands and (or not) wearing a face mask.
The reality is there is so much you can do to be proactive to strengthen common immune weaknesses in winter, ideally before the really cold weather hits. In an article of this size I can only cover the basics, we do way more in consults both online and face to face when lockdown level 2 is activated. I won’t go into the politics of Covid-19 here; that’s for a face to face discussion!
It takes at least 2-6 weeks to fully elevate immune responses depending on your age, state of health and risk factors. All the research I’ve done shows there are specific nutrients and herbs that can help with immune activation and optimisation. Let’s cover the basics here and if you want something more specific to you please contact us to be tested to find out what your missing, so we can get specific in your particular case.
In a nutshell the key areas to look at are:
All the medical advice above, is obvious, especially hand washing as is well publicised. Face masks especially if you have an infection, mainly to protect others.
Look at your diet, cutting out sugar and refined carbs as much as possible as they weaken the immune system and play havoc with your blood sugar levels adding to immune weakness.
Making sure you are sleeping well is crucial for active immunity aiming for 7-8 hours for adults more for teens and pre teens. If you’re not sleeping well contact us as we have options for you!
Increase your levels of vitamin C, D3, Zinc and vitamin A, especially so you can help prevent colds and flus before they circulate at school and in the workplace. Yes, your kids should be on these too!
These are the most potent and indispensable of all the supplements out there to help prevent as much as possible all viral infections; there are many others but it all depends on your budget and your ability to enhance immunity.
The testing we do in the clinic assesses if you have xenobiotic toxins, synthetic chemicals like sprays, insecticide, pesticides, solvents, heavy metals and parasites, not just viruses, bacteria, fungi or worms. These all help suppress immunity and with Phenolic Homeopathy, herbal medicines and specific supplements we can significantly reduce their impact helping your immunity recover.
Nearly every patient we test has significant xenobiotic loading that is not looked at by conventional medicine at all. This is what we do and is a rapid way to restore immunity back to health and vitality. These toxins add to co-morbidities and this is what makes the difference between surviving or not, with serious infections.
Most all the fatalities reported in the media with Covid-19 are with people who have other serious illnesses or who are aged and invariably on a plethora of pharmaceuticals that have their own side (main) effects.
We all know the benefits of vitamin C in helping shorten the length or duration of a colds and flus, and there is good evidence that Zinc & vitamin C combined will help prevent colds and flus and certainly shorten their length if taken regularly during the cooler winter months. I can recommend the better-absorbed products that will work more cost-effectively than many products available over the counter, usually at cheaper cost and easier to dose up to effective levels. The key is absorption, especially as we age.
With many formulas available you just don’t get the best absorption especially if you are already immune compromised or over 40. This is why Lypospheric C is best as it is very well absorbed and stays in the blood stream for longer, giving you better protection, but some brands taste disgusting and aren’t easy to use. I use several liquid forms as they taste much better are cheaper than sachet brands and stay active in the blood stream longer than straight vitamin C powders or tabs.
What isn’t being broadcast in the media is that IVC (Intra Venous Vitamin C) will actually eliminate most viruses on contact, as will ozone, but both are expensive to use and ideally should be given in a clinical setting. Many Integrated Doctors are now doing IVC but not Ozone – both are frowned upon by orthodoxy; I won’t go into the politics here but there is little money to be made by drug companies with either!
But what about vitamin D3? (Not D2 which has minimal immune benefit). This is a fat-soluble vitamin and takes weeks to get up to adequate levels in your system even with high dose supplements. As sunlight is reduced this time of year sunbathing for many in NZ isn’t an option as it gets too grey and cloudy in the winter months.
Vitamin D3 is just as important for immunity as vitamin C, some research shows it is even more important. We use either a liquid form or a spray form that is better absorbed faster. This needs to be a part of your armoury with viruses and bacterial infections of all types, not just Covid-19. Contact me if you want access to the better brands cheaper.
Vitamins C and D combined are brilliant at giving your system that kick it needs to help ward off immune infections of all types including Covid-19, but if you actually get Covid-19 then you do need to seek professional advice as several immune boosters can be detrimental if you get deep lung infections that can cause the “cytokine storm” where the immune system over reacts to the virus and can attack the lungs and all mucous membranes requiring expert medical help and often hospitalisation.
Do not keep taking immune stimulators if you get a bad chest infection without professional advice please! Vitamin C is the only exception to this.
What most people don’t know is vitamin D3 is a potent fat-soluble immune stimulator. You can only get small amounts from foods, larger doses from sunshine which is now becoming harder to get, and from supplements.
If you get sunlight safely over your body it takes at least 4-5 hours before the vitamin D produced in reaction to the sun in the dermal layers of the skin to fully absorb. If you shower within that 4-5 hours with body soap you wash all of the vitamin D produced on the skin down the plug hole! So best to wash with warm water only no soap that day of sun exposure, then wash with soap the next morning to allow the vitamin D produced in response to the sun to be properly absorbed.
Over-the-counter vitamin D3 is often poorly absorbed in tablet form and can be a waste of money. We use a new practitioner-only liquid form or a sublingual spray, which is easy for kids and the elderly to take, and has the best possible absorbency. It is best taken with meals that contain fat in it, like fish or nuts and seeds or flax, chia, or olive oil. I recommend at least 1,000iu daily for kids below age 10 and 2,000iu daily for those below age 14 or under 40kg. In adults up to 5,000iu daily in winter or more if over 90kg or you have immune compromise like a history of colds and flus in winter, or a diagnosed disease like diabetes, arthritis or cancer.
I can get a blood test done for you to find out your exact levels via Lab Test for under $50, the beginning of winter is the best time to get this done. If you want the best vitamin D3 for you contact me via text.
Vitamins C and Zinc are also potent immune builders and require only hours for vitamin C and a couple of weeks for Zinc to build up in your blood stream. This is more important for those with poor diets like teens and small kids as well as fussy eaters and anyone who has elevated work or home life stress levels.
I recommend the Metagenics Meta Zinc & Vitamin C powder which is easy to get into kids and can be added to water or smoothies or any liquid of your choice to boost the levels quickly and easily. If you don’t have a Metagenics account call me and I can set one up for you, it’s easy. Dose is children 4 to 8 years ¼ metric tsp 1 x daily in liquid or sprinkled on food of choice; Children 9 to 13 years ¼ metric tsp TWICE daily as above; Adults & kids over 14 ½ tsp 2 x daily as above, if you have an actual cold or flu or immune health issue you can safely double this dose.
Deficiencies of vitamin C & Zinc combined can increase susceptibility to colds and flus and impact the production of T & B lymphocyte production, and reduce the activity of the Thymus gland producing Thymosin that helps fight all infections in the body. So the importance of these nutrients can’t be over stated when it comes to immune health at this time of the year. Start dosing now and give yourself a head start!
Lastly Vitamin A is specific to protecting all mucous membranes, especially those in the chest, lungs and sinuses. To help prevent chest infections avoid heavy dairy products in your diet like cheeses and ice creams as they stimulate mucous production. Getting enough vitamin A from carrots and carrot juice as well as supplements is really helpful to combat this, best done professionally as you can overdose on preformed vitamin A, but not easily on beta carotene from carrots.
If you want more info or to place an order contact us now on 09 282 3588 or email david@hhc.nz subject line “help my immune system”. Texting me is always the fastest way to get me.
If you haven’t had a Winter Wellness Check up please book one in and I will assess you for your immune nutrients and give you a plan with foods and drinks that will help boost you up over the cooler winter months.
David is doing a Covid-19 special for $95 you will need to fill in a form and book this time, it only takes 45mins and can be done remotely.
Book Now or text to 0274 837 188 / or leave a message on 09 282 3588
David is doing a Covid-19 Consultation special for only $95. It only takes 45mins and can be done remotely.
To book now, text to 0274 837 188 or leave a message on 09 282 3588.
Senior Naturopath & Nutritional Biochemist
David has over 30 years of experience in Natural Medicine and Natural Therapies to help YOU! He trained in 3 countries spanning 12 years after training as a Scientist/Technician in Microbiology & BioChemistry with the National Health Institute in Wellington in the 1980’s.
Yes its that time of year when Christmas and the New Year is a distant memory and when we look down – oops! Its time to set the wheels in motion to do a weight loss plan that will not only get rid of excess fat round your middle, and the upper thighs, but also a time to look at how we can make some permanent changes that will help us keep the weight off once we have got down to where we want to be.
In my 30 years of full time clinical practice I have used 3 main weight loss programs and all of them had issues, either expense, time consuming or just plain difficult. With the advent of Dr Michael Mosley’s “The 5:2 Fast Diet” all these issues go out the window! His plan is good, it works because it is based on science. As a science nerd I like that, as it is quantifiable, and we can prove it works with the VLA testing that I do as a part of my new 2020 Weight Loss Plan package.
This plan includes a copy of the book FREE as well as 3 sessions spaced out 2 weeks apart so over 6 weeks you see me 3 times – first session to do baseline Antioxidant testing and Thyroid testing to make sure this is OK. If it isn’t then we need to help restore your Thyroid back to normal correct physiological functioning.
In my experience over many years most GP’s completely miss low thyroids especially in women, as they depend on a simple blood test which doesn’t give all the info needed to accurately assess thyroid function. The thyroid is extra important in helping relay chemical messenger info from the pituitary gland deep in the brain to the ovaries. If the thyroid isn’t functioning properly, ideally at optimum, it will sabotage all efforts to lose weight. It is rather like a car wheel spinning in mud, lots of noise but no motion.
Balancing the thyroid isn’t that hard when you know what you are doing, but it can take a few months to get it right. This is an extra cost (mainly the supplements & herbs) that is not included in the special price offer we are giving you today. But as thyroid is SO important it is vital we tick that box or you won’t lose the weight you want to. If you suffer from tiredness in the mornings, mood swings tending to depression, hard to lose weight and irritable and out of sorts that time of the month for the ladies then suspect thyroid and you will be correct almost all of the time.
So once we get the thyroid regulated then we put you on the Fast Diet where you limit your calories to 500 per day for just 2 days a week for Women and 600 per day for Men. These 2 low cal days as we call them need to be at least 2 days apart. This does 3 things; it trains your brain to accept smaller meals as a norm; it shrinks the stomach so you are satisfied with less on your normal eating days AND it sets you up for getting used to feeling lighter and less full. All of these help re-program your brain into accepting less calories on a regular basis which makes sticking to a healthier diet that much easier after you have finished the diet when you have reached your goal weight.
Age need not be a barrier to weight loss, my elderly mother (bless her she is no longer with us) went on the 5:2 Fast Diet when she was 85 and lost 8 kg in 8 weeks! So if she can do it anyone can. I have used this plan myself and with at least 50 patients in the last year with GREAT results! So I know it works which is why I am offering a money back guarantee!
During the second and third sessions I recheck the Thyroid scores, Antioxidant Scan to make sure you are eating the right foods and getting all your needed nutrients and I redo the VLA test. This accurately tells us exactly how much fat you have lost to 2 decimal places and it breaks down the numbers to fat and ATM muscle. ATM is one thing you don’t want to lose if you can avoid it as this is what keeps your fitness up and improves immunity. I talk you thru it so you get what is the best diet for you, your body type and your age and ethnicity as all of these need to be factored in. So as you can see it is not a one size fits all type plan.
This is one reason why it is so successful, so much so that I am offering a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!! If you pass a simple AK test that tells me if you have stuck to the plan and not cheated and in the unlikely event haven’t lost at least 5 kg then I will refund your money no further questions, but we will ask for the book back!
So what are you waiting for? Call 09 282 3588 or email and book your first weight loss session today before we sell out of the books or the offer expires at the end of this month.