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Keeping Your Immune System At Its Best
Jimmy Wang • December 29, 2020
Learn more about what supplements are best to use
December 2020
The winter season is upon us – and with that, the one thing many of us are usually concerned about is the flu season. However, that seems to be in our rear-view mirror giving the current situation of our country.
We all know what I am referring to, the novel coronavirus aka Covid-19. Regardless of what we are all doing to stay safe during this time, when it comes to this virus or any viruses our bodies encounter, the biggest difference on how it effects each person is how strong one’s immune system is – the Host!
Think about it this way – when someone gets a common cold, how long does that cold last? Well, some recover in 3 days, some in 7 days, while others can be sick for weeks. Is it because they got a stronger infecting virus? No – it is the immune response and job of your body to help fight it off as quickly as possible.
That is the simple truth of it. The one common denominator when it comes to each person encountering any virus is how strong is your immune system? This will determine the severity of the onset of symptoms.
As a Healthcare provider, I am often asked by my patients on what they can do to stay as healthy as possible; what more can they do other than following guidelines of wearing a mask or social distancing. Other than the obvious, have a good healthy and
balanced diet and exercise, we should also be supplementing. Taking vitamins and
minerals are great ways to put the good stuff into our bodies that we do not normally get enough of through our diets. I am going to
address and answer a few of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to supplements:
What supplements do you recommend I take and how much of it?
To start, as a good base, I would recommend a multivitamin and Omega-3 fish oil for everyone. There are plenty of benefits of just taking those 2 alone. Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory in nature, which helps to reduce inflammation in your body, along with promoting better heart function.
Next, we need to take a few other supplements to help boost our immune system. The first being Vitamin D3. There are so many benefits Vitamin D3 gives us. It is the KEY nutrient to innate immunity. This means, Vitamin D3 not only arms your body’s defense for immediate response, but it also helps to protect your cells and prevents viruses from entering them. Vitamin D3 is an Ace2 Inhibitor, which works by blocking the sites where viruses can attach on your cells.
Research shows adequate amounts of Vitamin D3 in serum levels can reduce the risk of contracting viruses by up to 77%.
Additionally, Zinc is a very important mineral that has over 300 different functions in our body. Zinc is a natural antioxidant and is used to make White Blood Cells (WBC), which is extremely vital for our immune system. One of the great benefits with Zinc is, it helps to reduce oxidative stress levels. This is important to understand because viruses will attack your cells if it senses high oxidative stress levels
in your body. In other words, Zinc is helpful in reducing the reproduction or proliferation of infected viruses.
Let’s review what I just mentioned – Vitamin D3 blocks viruses from attaching to your cells and Zinc reduces the spread of infected cells! I cannot stress enough the importance of taking these two supplements together in helping to boost your immune system.
How do I know which brands are good or not good?
This is a really tough thing to distinguish, as there are hundreds of different brands to choose from. If you are like many, you don’t want to take any drugs and are looking for a more natural way to help. When asked, typically your doctor will just broadly tell you to take this vitamin and that vitamin and you can easily get them at any local store. Our challenge is, what is available to us on those shelves (not all, but most) are usually very low-quality products that will bear minimal benefits when taken.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to vitamins and minerals is, you get what you pay for. There is a bit of a higher cost for buying healthier products, which in turn, will yield better efficacy. If you are currently taking any supplements and have questions on whether it is good or not, I encourage you to bring them in the office and the doctor will be glad to take a look at the list of ingredients for you.
Are supplements safe for my kids to take?
Growing up, most of us have been told, at one point or another, by our parents that we should always take our vitamins. Well guess what, vitamins are supplements and are completely safe to take for children. These days, vitamins for kids come in all shapes and forms. This is even more important to be careful on the quality of products. For example, gummy vitamins will typically have corn syrup or other offensive ingredients that our children should not be consuming regularly.
Additionally, I would also encourage children to take probiotics with the multivitamins. We have about 80% of our immune function in our gut. A probiotic with 10 billion CFU, which is good for ages 2 and up, would be a good basic one to take. Moreover, there is a specific probiotic that focuses on E.N.T. – Ears, Nose, Throat. E.N.T. Biotics are extremely helpful in preventing or helping children who frequently gets ear infections, sinus issues, or even sore throats.
In summary, I would encourage everyone to get a set of blood lab test done with their doctor. It would be good to see if one is indeed deficient in Vitamin D and Zinc. Also, if you are on other medications, please consult with your doctor as well prior to adding supplements.
In our office, we support a company called, Protocol for Life Balance. They are based in the U.S. and have consistently created products that are of higher quality than most. I can always rely on them not putting offensive ingredients in the production of their supplements. At the end of the day, supplementing with high quality Vitamins and Minerals to boost your immune system will help in keeping your body as protected as it can be, not just during the winter season, but all year long.
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There are so many things I can cover regarding food and nutrition – it is endless. Theoretically speaking, “you are what you eat” is a true statement. What we put into our bodies, chemically, is one way to affect the nervous system – good or bad. My patients often ask me what else they can do, in addition to getting regular chiropractic adjustments, to better their health. Although there are many complementary recommendations, diet and nutrition is among the most important. By no means am I a dietitian or a nutritionist. My goal in covering this topic is to provide general knowledge so that you can make better informed choices for your health. This topic will be covered in several posts over the next few months. For now, we will keep things basic and talk about organic vs. non-organic. Why Organic? There are many benefits to consuming organic foods compared to non-organic foods. Some of these benefits include: 1. Minimal/fewer pesticides 2. Fresher food 3. Organic farming is better for the environment 4. Organically raised animals are NOT given antibiotics or growth hormones 5. GMO-Free Intaking GMO’s and pesticides daily can have varying health implications, especially to mental and emotional health. GMO’s and Pesticides GMO’s, known as Genetically Modified Organisms, are engineered to make food crops resistant to the herbicide Roundup. Roundup is used to prevent the weeds from damaging the products. The problem here is two-fold: One, we are eating foods that are genetically modified. Secondly, because the crops are resistant to herbicides, we are consuming the herbicides/pesticides. Can you imagine every time you eat a GMO or non-organic food product; you are ingesting pesticides a little at a time? Here is a list of some of the food items that GMO’s are commonly found in: - Corn/Corn Syrup - Soybean - Squash - Zucchini - Canola - All Processed foods This is just a short list of many GMO products. Risks of Pesticide Consumption Most of us will have a build up of pesticides that we have consumed and accumulated over years of exposure. The chemicals impact on our bodies can lead to health issues, such as, headaches, birth defects, or added strain on weakened immune systems. Even at low exposure, there have been studies published indicating this could increase the risk of certain cancers. Additionally, pregnant women, fetuses, and children are among the most vulnerable to pesticide exposure. During pregnancy, pesticides can be passed from mother to child in the womb, and then again in breast milk. As immune systems in children are still developing, early exposure to pesticides can cause developmental delays, behavioral disorders, or motor dysfunction. The Dirty Dozen (Produce only) Often times, it is difficult to know what we should buy organic or not. The general rule of thumb is: if it is something that you can peel away and do not eat, you can get away with it not being organic. In other words, these food items will have minimal or no amounts of pesticides in them. They are also GMO-free products. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the list of the 12 dirtiest food items, as of 2020 are: 1. Strawberries 7. Peaches 2. Spinach 8. Cherries 3. Kale 9. Pears 4. Nectarines 10. Tomatoes 5. Apples 11. Celery 6. Grapes 12. Potatoes The Clean Fifteen As mentioned before, there are some food items where we peel away the skin and do not eat it – these tend to be the cleanest ones and safe to consume non-organically. They include: 1. Avocados 8. Asparagus 2. Sweet Corn 9. Cauliflower 3. Pineapple 10. Cantaloupes 4. Onions 11. Broccoli 5. Papaya 12. Mushrooms 6. Sweet Peas 13. Cabbage (frozen) 14. Honeydew Melon 7. Eggplant 15. Kiwi I understand some of the items above do not have skins to peel away, such as, cauliflower or broccoli. These items typically have the lowest amount of pesticide residue. To be clear, if you cannot find the organic items from the Dirty Dozen list, it is still better to just consume these non-organically, than it is to avoid them altogether. At least you would still get some nutrients from these produces than not. What about Cows, Chickens, or Pigs? In addition to fruits and vegetables, it is just as important to buy organic meat, eggs, and dairy if it is within your budget. Industrially raised animals are typically fed corn, grains, antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides, and sewage sludge. These will have health consequences for the animals, and in turn, we are consuming those unhealthy animals. As humans, we are essentially eating what the animals are being fed. When it comes to choosing meat, eggs, and dairy, we should always be looking for products labeled: • Pastured Raised (dairy) • 100% Grass Fed (beef) • Certified Organic (chicken, pork, eggs) I understand to go 100% organic can be costly. To keep things in budget, consider buying produce when they are in season. That is when produce is the freshest and cheapest. Also, buying certain cuts of meat from organically raised animals – organic chicken thighs vs. organic chicken breasts, for example.
January 2021 According to some sources, the human body is made up of more than 70% water. Therefore, it would make sense to stay hydrated daily. In fact, it is a vital part of our health. Many people will say they drink plenty of tea, coffee, or sports drinks – which all contains water, yes. Logic suggests if something has water in it, it should suffice as our daily intake. However, this could not be further from the truth. Once you add something to water, your body will digest it as a food product and start to break down any chemical or nutrient. How Much Water Should I Drink? We have all been told to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. The problem with this recommendation is, I do not believe in a one size fits all type of recommendation. We are all different people, and our body types are all different as well. For some people, 64 oz of water may be too much! For some, that may not be enough. So, it would make more sense to drink as much as our individual body needs. The BEST recommendation is – Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces…minimum! Increase the daily minimum when exercising or excessive sweating occurs. Why Stay Hydrated – Signs & Symptoms Dehydration can cause many health issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the common signs & symptoms to determine if you may be dehydrated are: extreme thirst, dry mouth dark-color urine less frequent urination fatigue, dizziness, and headaches Dry skin Overtime, you can start to develop some mild to severe health conditions when you do not consume enough water. Some mild to severe complications include: heat stroke or heat exhaustion during vigorous exercise urinary and kidney problems, leading to UTI, kidney stones, or even kidney failure Muscle cramps Is Bottle Water or Filtered Water Better? To start, I DO NOT recommend Aquafina and Dasani water. These brand-name companies put additives into purified tap water. Also, the pH level of these waters has a pH of around 4-6, which is highly acidic and is not good for us. Normal drinking water should always be neutral, with a pH of 7. Some of the safer bottled waters to drink are: Evian, Fiji, Crystal Geyser, Arrowhead, Voss, and Mountain Valley Spring Water. Additionally, just drinking filtered water from your home is a better option than Aquafina or Dasani. Although drinking some of these bottled waters can be safe, to get real health benefits from drinking water, I recommend Ionized Alkaline Water. Noticed I said, Ionized Alkaline Water, which is different than the “alkaline water” you see at grocery stores – a major difference! Alkaline vs. Ionized Alkaline Water It appears some companies are coming out with Alkaline water as a healthier option. This is a misconception. You get no health benefits from just drinking alkaline water alone. In fact, drinking too much bottled alkaline water can cause health concerns. One of the biggest benefits in drinking Ionized Alkaline water is, you get antioxidants compared to the bottled alkaline waters sold by these companies. Most alkaline water is around a pH of 8-9.5. However, you can take any water, add chemicals, minerals, and buffers to it to increase the pH and call it “alkaline water,” which is what these companies do. But these waters lack the antioxidants needed for healing. One big company who is currently taking advantage of this marketing propaganda is: Essentia
