In Good Health For The New Year

“There’s something going around” – this is a phrase that we seem to hear every autumn and winter, when temperatures fall, and folks are more apt to stay inside. The amount of daylight we receive daily becomes shorter and shorter, and with folks gathering for the holidays, the threat of a virus spreading becomes more imminent, and before you know it, “there is something going around.”
It is at this time that many people want to purchase multiple supplements that are geared to “boost” the immune system, but this concept is not necessarily a good thing; the body’s immune system needs support, not an overload.
Taking a variety of immunity supplements can over stimulate the delicate balance of the body’s natural immune system, and you can end up with it over-reacting. This is where people begin to get into trouble, as autoimmune conditions and allergies can develop as a result. Combine this concept with over-excessive hygiene practices (think anti-bacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, etc), and you may end up with a perfect storm.
So how should we support our immune system? Well, a large portion of that system can be found in the IgA lining of the gut. If you are consuming a standard American diet, chances are your secretory IgA levels are extremely low, and you find yourself feeling miserable. Inflammation is a driver of almost all illnesses, and the SAD contributes to this.
What to do then? Consume a diet that is rich in color, and foods that are nutrient-dense and packed full of vitamin C, such as peppers, broccoli, acerola cherries, and of course, your citrus fruits. If you are going to supplement with C, go for the liposomal form (best) and make sure the brand specifies from where the C is obtained.
Take daily, even in the summer, vitamin D3, and preferably one that states it comes from lanolin, or, if vegan, reindeer lichen. It is a fat-based molecule, and therefore needs fat with it for proper absorption (coconut and olive oils are best). In the winter, 5000 mcg is often recommended.
Zinc chelate – zinc may be obtained from foods such as grass-fed beef, oysters, liver, eggs, sardines, (and more), and, like magnesium, is often deficient in many people. While most of the zinc chelates have excellent immune support properties, studies have shown that a simple zinc gluconate lozenge can reduce the length of a cold by at least two days and/or lessen the severity of the cold. If you take another form of zinc, please balance it with copper, at a 15 to 1 ratio.
Exercise daily! Exercise lowers inflammation creates more mitochondria and helps to lower blood pressure and blood sugars.
Sleep – it is imperative that the body get seven to eight hours of sleep per night; this allows it to enter a state of rest and digest, and the immune system actually produces more of its front-line soldiers, known as the T-cells, during a state of rest.
To sum it up, remember that while it is completely fine to take immune supportive supplements, such as elderberry, garlic, thyme or licorice and the others listed, you cannot out-supplement a bad diet or bad lifestyle.

Kelly Sieberg
Integrative Health Practitioner, FMCHC