Give Your Immune System A Fighting Chance
Believe it or not, cold and flu season is upon us. On top of this seemingly never-ending battle with Covid and its variants, we now have to be wary of all the other viruses out there that make us sick in the winter. So how can you give yourself the best shot at enjoying a winter with minimal sick days? The answer lies in taking care of your immune system now.
What does your immune system do?
If you really think about it, it’s not hard to see your immune system as this amazing and complex piece of machinery. For our purposes, we’ll just stick to the very basics. The immune system is a network of organs and cells that work together to keep you healthy. Its sole purpose is to protect you from all the things inside and outside your body that are trying to destroy you. Trust me when I say there are a lot of evil villains lurking about.
Your immune system is divided into two networks of defense: the innate system and the adaptive system. Bone marrow, lymph nodes, blood vessels, the thymus, and spleen all coordinate with one another to create immune cells and antibodies that fight invaders. They are your internal army. These cells can spot an intruder, call for back-up, and organize an all-out attack. This is your innate system working. It’s the immune system we are born with.
Then, they create a “memory” of what those intruders looked like, just in case they show up again. That way, your body can react quicker the next time those nasty little bugs appear. This is your adaptive system. Everyone’s adaptive system will be unique to them depending on what bugs and viruses they’ve encountered in their lifetime. Your body has some incredible superpowers!
So how can we keep our body’s defensive forces healthy so they are in tip top shape when we need them?
You Guessed it….Lifestyle Changes!
The famous lifestyle changes are back. It’s no secret that healthy habits create healthy bodies and minds. It’s easy to talk about making these changes, but actually doing them requires determination and will power. It takes 30 days to make a good habit stick…it only takes 3 days to break it.
I’m sure you all know the lifestyle changes that should be made but I’m going to list them anyway for good measure:
Eat a healthy diet
Drink lots of water
Exercise
Get enough sleep
Stop smoking
Reduce stress
Reduce alcohol intake
No surprises there! Working on any or all of these things can make you feel better overall and improve the way all your bodily systems function – immune system included. So now that we’ve stated the obvious, let’s get into some nutrients that are necessary for a healthy, functioning immune system.
Nutrients that are necessary for a healthy immune system
You’ve probably heard of all these vitamins below at some point, especially when it comes to boosting your immune system. Each vitamin plays an important role in keeping you healthy and ready to fight off any invaders.
Vitamin A – Known as an anti-inflammation vitamin.
Vitamin D – Helps create immune cells
Vitamin C – Stimulates immune cells to fight off invaders and offers protection to your own cells
Vitamin E – Stimulates immune cells to fight off invaders and helps them communicate with each other
Zinc – Keeps immune cells strong and functioning
Omega-3 fatty acids – Helps attract immune cells to the invaders and aids immune cells talk to each other
A deficiency in any of the vitamins above can slow down your body’s immune responses and you may find yourself sick with a cold more than usual. If you feel run-down or like you’ve been sick a lot, talk to your doctor. They may suggest you start taking certain vitamins.
Vitamin Supplements are available over the counter
It’s important to have a conversation with your doctor before starting any vitamin regimen, especially if you take any other medications. There is always the possibility of interactions. Just because something is a natural supplement and available OTC does not mean it’s free from possible drug interactions. If you get your all your medications at the same pharmacy, the pharmacist can help you determine if taking an OTC supplement is safe.
Other immune supplements
Echinacea and elderberry are two popular medicinal herbs that have been used for a very long time to support immune health. Both are believed to have immune boosting powers and can be found in a variety of cold and flu fighting products.
Echinacea
Echinacea is native to North America was used by the Native Americans as one of their traditional medicines. Over the years, there have been many studies performed to test its cold fighting ability. The consensus is that there is some proof that it can help boost your immune system to fight off an incoming cold. However, the evidence is less clear when it comes to shortening the length of a cold once you’ve already caught it.
It’s generally safe for most adults to take over short period of time but it can cause an upset stomach and nausea. It’s important to know that it can interact with some medications (tacrolimus & cyclosporine) that are used to prevent organ rejection after a transplant. You should also not use Echinacea if you have an autoimmune disease like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Elderberry
Elderberry is a dark purple berry found on the black elder tree. It’s native to the warmer parts of Europe, North America, Northern Africa, and Asia. Just like Echinacea, it too has been used in traditional medicine to fight off cold and flu viruses. But you can’t go eating the raw berries – the berries, leaves, and stem all contain a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting. Cooking kills the toxin.
Elderberry has not been studied as much as Echinacea so there’s not much data out there on its cold fighting abilities. It does seem to be able to help lessen the severity of cold symptoms which is why you’ll find it in a lot of cough and cold products. You should not take elderberry if you are on immunosuppressant medications. There’s also the possibility that it could interact with some blood pressure and diabetes medications so you should monitor your pressure and blood sugar and watch for changes.
How do I know if the vitamin or supplement I’m buying is good?
Not all supplements are created equal and I always recommend buying from a reputable manufacturer. One way to weed out the bad actors is to look for supplements that have the US Pharmacopeia (USP) verification seal of approval. Any product with this seal means:
The product has been independently certified for quality
Does not have harmful levels of specified contaminants
Contain the ingredients listed on the label in the amounts stated
Will break down and release into the body in a specified amount of time
Has been manufactured according to the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices in sanitary and well-controlled procedures
There are no strict regulations on dietary supplements like there are on prescription medications and other OTC products so you have to be aware of what you are buying. Purchasing a product with the USP seal is a good way to know that you are at least getting what is stated on the label. Remember - if a company starts making statements that sound too good to be true, they most likely are.
The time to start taking care of your immune system is now. Once cold and flu season is in full swing, it may be too late. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about starting a vitamin regimen and don’t hesitate to ask any questions. Keeping you healthy is the goal!
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