9 Simple Steps for Preventing Colds and Flu Part 2

8. Nutritional Supplements

Nutritional supplements can be very useful in helping to support and strengthen the immune system. However, this is assuming that you have implemented the other previous steps effectively. Failure to do so would be like driving your car up the side of a mountain with the handbrake on. Nutritional supplements can be extremely useful in supporting health when used correctly, but if the rest of your lifestyle choices are not aligned with their benefits then you are just wasting your hard earned cash.

So assuming you DO have your diet and lifestyle choices in check, what nutritional supplements could you use?

Well some supplements I recommend are outlined below. I have categorised them in two areas as either preventative or treatment based solutions. This is because different nutrients support or strengthen immune health in different ways and the amount to use will vary depending on how you are using them. Prevention simply refers to advice on what to do when you are not ill and wish to keep it that way. The advice can be followed continuously or at times when the risks of getting ill are much higher. Treatment simply refers to what to do and what to take when you first experience symptoms.

The herbs and nutrients suggested are not the only ones you can use but they are some of the main ones to use. You do not have to use them all, but I have deliberately made my suggestions around those that support the immune system in different ways so you can certainly use them all and this will provide you the greatest benefit. It is also worth noting that each herb and nutrient will offer benefits not just to your immune health but other areas of your health too.

Preventative Phase

Goal: Support and strengthen immune health:

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C has lots and lots of benefits associated to it, some of which relate to immune health. It is probably the most important vitamin for strengthening the immune system. It not only has anti-viral properties in its own right but it will also strengthen the immune system directly. Research shows that in order to get most of the benefits of this important vitamin you need to supplement with fairly high doses of at least 1 gram a day, but ideally 2 grams per day. The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin C is 60mgs, but you will see virtually no benefit from such quantities. The government RDA’s were calculated over 50 years ago and are really guidelines of minimal quantities in order to avoid nutritional deficiency diseases, so they are not useful as a guide for good health.  High dosages of vitamin C are not toxic so there are no risk of toxicity with this. Because it is a water soluble vitamin it passes through the body very quickly and does not get stored. On this basis it is best to spread the dose of vitamin C across the day. You need to be careful of the type of vitamin C used. Ascorbic acid is the most common form of vitamin C found in supplements however it is often not the best type to use. Other forms have been shown to be more affective. Some people (i.e. those of certain metabolic types) do best with a different form of vitamin C known as calcium ascorbate whilst others do best with the ascorbic acid form.

• Zinc: Zinc is the most important mineral for supporting the immune system. It is involved in the production of antibodies that help to fight infection and also helps in other areas of immune function such as T Cell and natural killer cell function, and in lymphocyte activity. Zinc is also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which will further help support good immune function. Unfortunately despite its importance, zinc deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies seen today.
  

• Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement: No nutrient in the body works in isolation, therefore the importance of a broad multi-vitamin and mineral supplement cannot be under-estimated.  The benefits of vit C, zinc or any other nutrient important to immune function can never be realised without adequate levels of many other nutrients. A good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement will also help to support the other systems that are connected with immune health.

• Probiotics: Probiotics is a term used to describe bacteria that have been shown to benefit health.  You have more bacteria than cells in your body and whilst some types are harmful, many will benefit and strengthen your health. Those found in the gut work closely with the immune and digestive system to protect against invaders. For this reason one of the most effective ways of preventing ill health and disease is to help ensure you support and maintain good bacteria levels in the body. You can do this two ways; regularly consuming probiotic supplements or through consuming foods rich in good bacteria.  Raw dairy, kiefer and fermented foods are three ways by which you can increase good bacteria in your diet. I would not recommend the heavily marketed commercial food products such as probiotic yogurts and yogurt drinks for increasing bacteria levels. They usually have very low levels (only a few hundred million – you need billions) of bacteria and contain all sorts of colours, preservatives, flavourings and sugar. I would recommend varying daily sources of good bacteria as each source will offer different species of bacteria all of which have different benefits associated to them. Biocare and Design for Health are two reliable brands that produce good quality probiotic supplements  that I most often recommend to clients. Many other brands produce poor quality probiotics; there are a number of things to be aware of when buying probiotics. I will try and produce a post in the future covering the subject.

• Colostrum:  This is a relatively unheard off supplement that can be particularly beneficial to the immune system. Colostrum is created from cows milk and contains essential vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, importantly from an immune perspective immune factors (mainly immunoglobulins). Immunoglobulins form the bodies first line of defence against infection and so by supplementing with colostrum you will be directly boosting your bodies natural levels of these immune antibodies, giving it a much greater chance of combating any potential source of infection.

• Garlic: Garlic is a herb that has many beneficial effects on the immune system. It contains sulfide and ajoene which have both been shown modulate the inflammatory response of the immune system. Allicin, another ingredient found in garlic has been shown to work with vitamin C to kill certain types of bacteria and viruses, and can help the immune system to protect you from colds and flu. It has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of the common cold. A final benefit of garlic is its anti-pathogenic properties. By helping to prevent such infections from occurring it will help to reduce the load placed directly on the immune system by invaders such as parasites, bacteria and fungi. Rather than relying on garlic capsules as a supplement to the diet I would highly recommend introducing garlic into your diet in its natural form on a regular basis i.e. 2-3 times a week. It should be consumed in both a raw and cooked state as some of its beneficial properties are reduced by cooking and some are enhanced.

• Echinacea: Echinacea is herb that has been shown to stimulate the immune system. Whilst I would not recommended using it for a prolonged period it is ok to use for cycles of 1-2 weeks to help prevent infection i.e. when you are in an environment where those around you all have colds and flu. You do not want to be using Echinacea very often however as stimulating the immune system too much or too often can potentially cause a host of problems. Many people should avoid Echinacea all together such as anyone that is pregnant or with immune conditions.

If you are in an environment where there are a lot of sick people take some Echinacea (not something you want to be taking on going though i.e. no more than a couple of weeks at any one time), and extra colostrum.

Treatment Phase

Goal: support, strengthen and stimulate immune system
Whenever you feel coming down with something:

• For first 24 hours increase Vitamin C up to 1 gram per hour max – you can do a lot less if get symptoms i.e. 1 gram every 2 hours (the experience of loose stools will indicate you are taking too much), then 1gram 3-4 time perday thereafter
• Take probiotics as per normal. In the case of diarrhea take high doses of probiotics around the time as diarrhea is a clear indication that the body is trying to eliminate an infection in the gut and the extra beneficial bacteria  will both support this process and replace any drop in bacteria levels that may occur from such a reaction.
• Take extra colostrum i.e. 3x/day rather than 2
• Include garlic with at least one meal a day
• Take Echinacea as per instructions

Hope that helps. That is advice for adults, not sure for kids, perhaps half those doses. There are lots of other nutrients and herbs that are useful but these are the ones I focus on with clients. It is also worth remembering that with any nutritional supplement that if it is cheap then it is most certainly produced very cheaply and as such will offer very little benefit so it is best to avoid the cheap types of supplements – i.e. most commercial brands found in the supermarket. If you do source your supplements locally make sure you source them from reputable companies – Biocare, Solgar, Thorne Research, Designs for Health and Metagenics are some of the better brands.

In part 3 I will discuss my final step – Further Investigation.

Zinc:  Zinc is the most important mineral to support the immune system. It is involved in the production of antibodies that help to fight infection and also helps in other areas of immune function such as T Cell and natural killer cell function and lymphocyte activity. Zinc is also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which will also help support good immune function too. Unfortunately despite its importance, zinc deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies that exists.

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