Positively Healthy: Fight colds, flu with these 6 immune boosters - Redding Record Searchlight
The end of winter is the perfect time to start strengthening your immune system to ward off our up and coming allergy season.
Since the smoke of last year's fire season I've noticed that many of my patients are still a bit run down with compromised immunity and they've had a rough cold and flu season.
If you find yourself in that category then consider building your allergy immunity now while we still have rain.
Many seasonal allergies are really just inappropriate reactions by your body to a normal stimuli.
To put it another way, it's like your body's alert system tells you that there's a life-threatening emergency at play and all systems start to warn you of the possibility of doom and gloom.
Actually, the intruder is really just something normal like "dust" blowing around and the reaction by the body is a very serious overreaction.
Symptoms of coughing, sneezing, swelling, runny eyes and mucus aren't strange at all, but they're a bit dramatic. The reaction is important but maybe a bit overdone and the dust is certainly not life-threatening.
So, what to do?
Think about getting your immunity up right now. Help strengthen your system so you are less reactive to normal stuff like dust or pollen or normal Shasta County flora.
Here are six supplements that may help you:
Start taking probiotics for allergies. There are many strains of good bacteria to look for in a supplement form that are known to help with allergies. Aim for a combination of as many of these specific good bacteria as you can since they're known to help.
Check the label for L. Gasseri, L. Reuteri, B. Longum, L. Rhamnosus, B.Breve and L. Acidophilus. Start with one capsule a week and work up to one capsule daily.
An important mushroom for allergy control is the reishi mushroom. It contains compounds that inhibit the release of histamine in an immediate yet governing way so I'd suggest one 150 mg capsule twice a day.
A popular bioflavinoid that's getting lot of air time is quercetin. Quercetin stabilizes our mast cells which release histamine. Histamine is the main mediator of our reaction to pollen and other allergens. Keep your dose below 250 mg daily, unless you consult with your doctor.
The next three supplements are classically low in us as we hit allergy season.
At the end of the winter we often need more vitamin D, vitamin C and fish oils. As a substitute for fish oils, think ahiflower oil or algae oil.
Typical daily winter amounts for your average person are 3,000 to 5,000 IU per day of vitamin D, 1,000 mg per day of vitamin C and 1,000 mg per day of fish oil.
For supplement use over three months use your supplements in an intermittent manner such as three weeks on and one week off.
If you can get through winter and into allergy season with these classically deficient nutrients sufficiently optimized then your chances of having a stable allergy season are higher.
Gosh, I know that's a lot of information to condense into a column, but we Redding/North State folks have been through a lot this past year and our health and immunity are at risk.
Here's to a strong comeback for our health and our community.
One last word: Always ask your doctor before starting a new program to review your supplements and medications to confirm that they work well together and are right for you.
Trudi Pratt has a chiropractic and nutrition practice in Redding. Find her at DrTrudiPrattDC.com or 244-7873.
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