ADAPTATION is the Name of the Game
You’re social distancing. You’re washing your hands. You’re NOT stockpiling toilet paper. Excellent.
Wondering what else you can do to support your health and the health of those you love (as well as those you don’t know but share your community with)? Turns out that some of the best steps we can take while healthy and asymptomatic are those that support immune resilience and a healthy stress response. Naturopathic medicine specializes in this! Supplements can help, too, but keep in mind that there is no magic potion or cure. Instead, we can use nutritional supplements* along with dietary and lifestyle choices to build a foundation of health that makes us more likely to stay healthy and adapt to the changing world around us.
1. DIET – Eat a whole foods anti-inflammatory diet full of vitamins and minerals (leading to less need for supplements!). Choose a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, including fermented veggies that support the gut. Daily protein and lots of good quality fat – fish, olives, avocado, coconut (and their oils), nuts and seeds, full fat dairy if you tolerate it. Antiinflammatory spices like garlic, ginger, turmeric, and rosemary perk up your meals while supporting health. Other nutritional superstars include antioxidants from berries and beans, and sulfurophanes from cruciferous veggies.
2. EXERCISE – Regular moderate exercise supports a healthy inflammatory response while being a great stress reliever & mood booster. Do not overtrain, as it will actually dampen your immune response. Getting into the forest or out in nature has its own unique benefits as well.
3. SLEEP – Do I have to sleep in? Said no one ever (except my 12 year old, but that’s another story). If you can, sleep in a bit. You deserve it! Restful recuperative sleep is crucial for a healthy stress response and for an immune system that’s ready to flex. It also helps you be nice to your cell mates - I mean, family. You may also want to consider amber blocking glasses 2 hours before bed.
4. STRESS MANAGEMENT – I don’t have to tell you that this is HUGE. All of the above helps, but it is imperative that we make time for specific activities that quiet and soothe us – meditation, music, mindfulness classes, prayer, watching a funny movie, making love – or hugging!!! Touch is crucial, and a reason we worry so much about our friends and family who are alone now. Reaching out via Facetime, Zoom, or Skype can help you AND them. And don’t forget our furry friends. They’re SO HAPPY we’re home! I hear that there are next to no foster animals available right now. That is a beautiful thing (see silver lining section below).
Many supplements and herbs can support a healthy stress response, including full spectrum hemp oil with CBD. It can help us manage our stress, decrease our anxiety, and improve sleep quality – all of which are vital to maintain peak immunity. I am a big fan of www.pluscbdoil.com. A green softgel (or two) at night can help sleep, and 1-2 in the morning can help with anxiety. Reach out if you want to talk more about CBD product selection and dosing, as it can be challenging to find your sweet spot.
5. SUPPLEMENTS TO REDUCE FREQUENCY/DURATION OF COLDS & FLUS
The Fantastic Four should be in your toolkit at all times as they support virtually every aspect of health. They have also been shown to enhance resistance during cold and flu season.
Fish oil - 2000mg of EPA and DHA combined daily.
Probiotics - I am a fan of spore-form probiotics that promote diversity of the microbiome. Spores also do not require refrigeration and can be taken with food, making them an easy convenient choice.
Multivitamin - Better to take a one/day than one of a six/day. Be honest about how much you’ll take, and then choose a product accordingly.
Vitamin D - Is especially crucial now for its known anti-viral actions. Since it’s winter, most of us can do with extra D, so 5000IU of D3 is a reasonable dose. Keep in mind that this is NOT a maintenance dose for most people, and after 2-3 months, you will want to test your levels or reduce to 2000IU.
6. SUPPLEMENTS TO AVOID DEFICIENCIES THAT COULD MAKE YOU MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO VIRAL ILLNESS AND RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS
Vitamin C - 500mg at a time, 1000-3000mg daily. Foods high in C include red pepper, citrus, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.
Zinc - 30-60mg. Foods high in zinc include grass-fed meats, oysters, pumpkin seeds, and chicken.
Vitamin A - 10,000-25,000IU retinyl palmitate, not beta-carotene. Foods high in Vitamin A are cod liver oil, eggs, orange and yellow fruits and veggies, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Selenium - 200mcg. Eat your brazil nuts!
Glutathione - or one of its precursors, NAC. Glutathione is the master antioxidant in our body, and being able to manage oxidative damage is a crucial part of immune resilience. If using glutathione, stick to forms that have been shown to be bioavailable. Setria is the only brand whose oral products have been shown to increase glutathione in the bloodstream. Sublingual and liposomal are also available. NAC is easy to find. 600-900mg 2x/day will support glutathione levels and also help thin any mucus production.
7. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY SUPERSTARS
Keeping inflammation at bay is key to preventing severe disease later. Never was there a better time to get your ‘underlying inflammatory issues’ in check, friends. Pre-diabetes, borderline elevated blood pressure, extra weight around the middle. If you have been grappling with any of these, maybe for a long time, please reach out to your favorite health care provider and take action. Now is the time.
You can also consider some of these anti-inflammatory superstar supplements that are anti-inflammatory AND have shown early antiviral action against COVID-19. That doesn’t mean these are cures. It does mean they may support your body’s ability to fight off and recover from the illness:
Curcumin 500-1000mg 2x/day.
Quercetin 1000mg 2x/day; also great for seasonal allergies which are SO bad right now.
Melatonin 5-20mg at bedtime; also great for sleep, of course.
Green tea (EGCG) 4 cups daily, caffeine-free is ok.
Resveratrol 100-150mg 2x/day (red grape skins count).
8. HERBAL MEDICINE
Elderberry, Echinacea, Astragalus, Andrographis, Goldenseal
Garlic, Oregano
Herbal Combinations - I am a big fan of Biocidin and Olivirex by Bio-Botanical Research and EHB by Integrative Therapeutics. Biocidin also comes as a throat spray, as do similar products from Wise Woman Herbals, Gaia Herbs, and Herb Pharm. I carry these with me when I’m out and use them for additional protection.
Be Careful with Herbs if You Become Ill - During more advanced illness with this novel coronavirus, when symptoms begin, I would recommend stopping herbal medicine and notifying your herbal savvy practitioner before continuing. There is some concern that certain herbs could overactivate the immune system in a sick person, leading to a ‘cytokine storm’ that could contribute to fluid accumulation in the lungs in late-stage illness. This is mostly theoretical, and there is little data to support that this is happening with COVID19, but in the interest of being as careful as possible, common sense says to stop and let an expert weigh in.
9. MUSHROOMS – Reishi, maitake, shitake (and AHCC from shitake), and turkey tail have all been shown to enhance a healthy immune response. During more advanced illness with this novel coronavirus, when symptoms begin, I would recommend stopping mushrooms and notifying your mushroom savvy practitioner before continuing. See #4 above under Herbal Medicine for more info.
10. BARRIER SUPPORT – Our skin and mucus membranes are key barriers to pathogens. Keep hands moisturized with all that washing, stay hydrated with water, herbal tea, and bone broth - and consider using electrolyte packets. Zinc lozenges, herbal throat sprays (see above) and manuka honey are excellent for throat health. Consider nasal lavage with xclear or xclear rescue.
11. LOOK FOR SILVER LININGS – Optimism supports our immune (and stress) response! And of course, we all know that the quality of our lives is based on where we place our attention. Plenty of things are not going well right now. Many of us are scared and grieving. We are grappling with our vulnerability in a way that is uncomfortable, and even painful. It is hard to be brave in times like these. And yet, looking around for WHAT IS GOING RIGHT is a great way to start. I bet you can find something. (If you need help, you can steal the foster animal one from above!) Make a list and keep it handy. When you catch yourself focusing on the negatives, gently bring yourself back to the positives with your list. Share your list with a friend. Ask what’s going right for them. Hope and positivity is contagious. Spread the word.
*A NOTE ON SUPPLEMENTS
Not all dietary supplements are created equal. Let me know if you would like specific brand recommendations, or feel confident choosing products sold here.
Also, please don't feel like this blog is asking you to buy every supplement discussed in it. Check what's already in your multi and in your cabinets before purchasing. These suggestions are simply meant to help you feel more proactive in optimizing your wellness.
And keep in mind - the dietary and lifestyle suggestions are just as important (if not moreso) than the supplements! So you can always start there.
TELEHEALTH CONSULTS
If you would like individualized support for immune health, anxiety/mood/sleep issues during shelter-in-place, or chronic health issues you finally have time to address, I am available for secure video telehealth consultations. Telehealth is awesome! I can drop-ship lab kits to you, treatment plans can be sent electronically, and supplements are a few clicks away. There is no need to wait to address your health concerns. You can schedule your appointment here.
