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.
