083 Immunity Updates you Need to Thrive this Winter

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The Investigation

Where I live, the pandemic is still very much in full swing with cases continuing to rise. This may not be what we want to hear or think about after the year we’ve just had but I want you to know that all of this can’t take away your power. You still have the power to protect your body and your immune system so that you can best deal with whatever comes at you in the coming months.

As we learn more about the virus and as the situation shifts, my immune recommendations have also shifted. There is a lot of information floating around and not all of it is good or relevant to people with certain immune conditions.

In this episode of Health Mysteries Solved, I want to share my latest updates on immunity. I’m including the best information on how food, nutrients, contraptions and health-hacks can help you stay healthy this winter.

Protecting Your Autoimmune Self

When you have an autoimmune disease, the immune system is already overactive against your own organs. Many immune formulas (supplements) boost the immune system which, when your immune system is already overactive, is not good. This is why it’s so important that people with autoimmune issues don’t take general immunity advice. Otherwise, you might end up making your immune system even more overactive resulting in your immune system attacking your organs even more. We sure don’t want that!

Immune Recommendations to Avoid (for those with Autoimmune Diseases)

If you know that you have an autoimmune disease or may suspect one, please be very mindful about immune boosting herbs. Specifically, these ones that are often recommended by health practitioners:

• Echinacea
• Astragalus
• Reishi and other immune supporting mushrooms
• Green Tea and
• Elderberry

Make sure you read the labels of all supplements being touted as immune boosting because these ingredients may be included.

Immune-Boosting Dangers with COVID-19

We’ve learned that when covid goes to the later stages, it can produce something called a cytokine-storm. This is basically an inflammatory cascade that can then affect many other areas of the body. This happens because the immune system is in overdrive trying to fight the virus and not succeeding. Taking immune boosting herbs (like the ones listed above) can make that worse because the immune system is already in a state of disarray.

Autoimmune Safe Immune Support

Not to worry, there are other nutrients that are not only super-effective but also very safe when it comes to both autoimmunity and preventing immune dysregulation.

In this episode, I got into greater detail with each of these but I wanted to provide you with a list of my go-to recommendations for my clients and myself. Here are my top recommendations for autoimmune safe immune-boosting supplements:

1. Vitamin C

This is my first go-to, my power tool, and the one that I think many people overlook. My recommendation for general immune support for a typical 150 pound adult is 1000-2000 mg of vitamin C per day. I personally use the C+Bio Fizz from Designs for Health (makes a yummy, fizzy drink) but capsules like Stellar C are great. For some, vitamin C can cause loose bowels. If that happens for you, Liposomal Vitamin C is a wonderful solution to this problem as it absorbs through the mucous membranes in your mouth first and is easier to absorb - just remember to refrigerate.

Please note that if you are already sick (with COVID or any other virus, respiratory illness, or cold), you will want to shift your Vitamin C protocol. I, along with many of my integrative colleagues, recommend increasing vitamin C significantly for the course of a week or so while not well. Do this in divided doses and more frequently. So, it would look something like taking 500 to 1000 mg of C (it can be powder, liposomal or capsules) every 30-60 min to bowel tolerance (until you get diarrhea which is when your body says it's saturated and had enough). You would then restart it later in the day or next day. Do this for a few days when you are sick. There is a ton of research about high dose vitamin C in helping fight infections.

2. Vitamin D

It’s imperative that our vitamin D levels are optimal as we head into winter. The dosage of D is going to vary based on your actual vitamin D status (if you know it). I like to have people somewhere between the 50-80 range on a blood test (lab range is only 30-100). If you don't know your levels but you have not supplemented with vitamin D recently, and especially if you live in the northern hemisphere, 5000 IU of vitamin D would typically be recommended.

Vitamin D is huge for balancing the immune system which is why it is so wonderful for illness prevention but also to keep the immune system in a place of homeostasis to help prevent upregulations on your own tissues if, or when an infection strikes. Vitamin D should ideally come with Vitamin K so that we prevent calcification of tissues and organs. I use a Liquid D for those who may have issues with fat soluble vitamins and the Vitamin D Supreme capsules for all others.

3. Zinc

This is not a new recommendation. Zinc has been widely talked about online and in the media. However, while it is very beneficial, many people have been taking extra zinc since the start of the pandemic (about 9 month). The issue is that zinc is a mineral and like other minerals, it works synergistically with other minerals. In particular, taking a very high dose of Zinc over an extended period can deplete your copper. That is why I don’t recommend more than 30 mg of zinc generally for prevention (unless you are taking extra copper) and while its safe to double the zinc if you are feeling sick, you are doing this for a short period of time, a week or 2 so that it doesn’t cause an issue with copper.

Note that copper deficiency can potentially lead to more bacterial infections and problems with the blood and even things like aneurysms. A hair test is a great way to measure levels of both zinc and copper. When you get the results, look at not just the individual zinc and copper levels but at the ratio of the 2. Ideally the zinc to copper ratio should be at around 8. If you are lower than 8 you can use more zinc however if you are above 8 you would take extra copper along with the zinc. Even a multivitamin with copper would help.

4. Oregano & Garlic

I love them because they work well and they work quickly. Plus, I typically don’t see many side effects with them. They both have not only anti-viral properties but they are also anti-microbial in general (meaning they can work on bacteria, yeasts and other ...