The 5 Best Winter Supplements for Your Cabinet

by Barbara Mendez, RPh, MS on January 16, 2012

We’re entering the heart of cold and flu season and many of my readers are reaching out to ask what the best supplements are for the prevention and treatment of these wintertime scourges.

While neither the flu nor the common cold is associated with bacterial infections, many physicians prescribe antibiotics in a misguided attempt at covering all their bases. This is not only ineffectual, but can lead to resistant immune response to antibiotics down the road. Much better to keep yourself well and healthy and shore up your defenses naturally so when the time comes that you truly in fact need an antibiotic, it will do the job that it was meant to do. Plus, in taking good care of yourself and trying alternative remedies before antibiotics, you are helping to maintain a healthy balance in your gut flora, which is necessary for your overall wellbeing.

The following are what I consider to be the most valuable supplements to have on hand during the cold winter months. Some can be taken every day as a preventative and others are only to be used once you are feeling sick. Either way, try these at the first sign of a cold or the flu and see if you are not back on your feet lickity split!

1. High Potency Probiotic Formula

This is something I recommend for all of my clients. Replenishing beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract is one of the most important practices in keeping your immune system functioning optimally. Look for a high potency blend that includes acidophilus and bifidus. One of my favorites is Jarrodophilus EPS by Jarrow.

2. Healthy Levels of Vitamin D!

Vitamin D is necessary for more than just healthy bones. It also helps protect your immune system. Find out your levels through a simple blood test administered by your doctor at your next physical and then if you need to, supplement accordingly. For more information on the importance of vitamin D, and how to up your levels naturally, check out my video: The “Sunshine” Vitamin D!

3. Ester C with Bioflavonoids

It’s important to maintain healthy vitamin C levels. Shoot for 500mg twice a day to build immunity. If you do get sick, you can bump up the dose to 2000 to 3000mg daily in divided doses.

4. Olive Leaf Extract

This is one of the very best supplements I know of to help with both viral and bacterial infections, which means it will work well whether you have a cold, the flu or the beginnings of a sinus infection. If you are running a fever and experiencing chills, contact your doctor as this is a sign that you have an active infection that may require antibiotics. My favorite: Olivir by Davinci Labs

5. Oscillococcinum

This amazing homeopathic remedy is a great alternative to the flu shot in helping prevent flu. Trick is, you have to take at the very first sign of the flu. Once the virus takes hold, this will do little to help you overcome it. So keep some in your home and office so that if you need it, you have it available at the very first sign of illness. Another option: take one tube every 10 days, prophylactically.

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Video: The “Sunshine” Vitamin D

by Barbara Mendez, RPh, MS on January 9, 2012

How Important is Vitamin D?

When people think of vitamin D, their initial thought is hugely in relation to its importance in bone health. It is very true that vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption – without it, calcium is not properly absorbed into the bones, and instead deposits into soft tissue like the arteries and can create blockages. However, vitamin D is equally important for many other reasons. The nutrient plays a vital role in supporting immune function, so it helps protect against colds and flu, and autoimmune diseases like lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been shown to help protect against certain cancers like breast and colorectal cancer.

Having Low Levels of Vitamin D is Very Common

Many people are surprised to learn that they have low vitamin D levels, but most people who come into my practice tend to come in fairly low on the spectrum. Having low vitamin D levels may indicate that you’re simply not in-taking enough in the first place, or it may also be related to poor absorption once in the system, for any number of reasons. What’s more, vitamin D deficiency often has no obvious symptoms, until the time that you develop chronic illness, that is probably hard to attribute specifically to this nutrient. So it really is worth getting your levels checked, and then doing what’s necessary to boost them if need be. Healthy levels of vitamin D range from 30-100 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter). Ideally, the average person wants to aim for between the 50-60 ng/mL range. A large portion of my clients come in below the 30 ng/mL level.

Who Are Most Likely to be Deficient in Vitamin D?

It’s also a common misconception that only people who live in colder, darker climates are likely to have low vitamin D levels. There are other demographics who typically need to take action to raise their levels. People who are quite likely to find they have low Vitamin D levels include:

  • People who have had their gall bladder removed
  • People who suffer with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s, and ulcerative colitis
  • Vegans (those who do not eat animal products)
  • Long-term diabetics

So What Can Be Done to Increase our Vitamin D Levels?

While it’s easy to become deficient in vitamin D, fortunately, there are some simple ways to boost your  levels. Here are my best suggestions:

  • Spending time outside in the sun is the very best way to boost your levels naturally and organically. Ten minutes outside everyday can safely increase your levels. Keep in mind that the skin ought to be bare to absorb the sun’s rays, and should not be covered in sunscreen. So be mindful about going outside after the strongest, midday sun has passed so that you do not get burnt. Obviously this is easier to do during the warmer months, but remember that even on cooler or seemingly cloudy days, it’s still worth allowing the skin to kiss the sky if you can. Making this a habit is a great way to get to enjoy the great outdoors a little every day, and will also boost serotonin levels!
  • Eating wild Alaskan salmon. If you find it hard to come by this particular type of salmon in your local stores, I recommend Vital Choice, an online supplier of wild seafood.
  • Dairy is often the first source that people think of when it comes to upping their vitamin D levels, but often dairy foods like milk and yogurt are fortified with Vitamin D2, which is not very compatible with the natural vitamin D found in our bodies, and so is not so easily absorbed. Additionally, as I mention fairly often, dairy is very mucus forming in the body and so I don’t recommend it as a main staple in the diet.
  • Taking a vitamin D supplement may be the best option for people who have had their levels positively diagnosed as very low by their health care provider. Once your levels have been established, you can begin to supplement them carefully under their guidance. If vitamin D supplements are recommended, be sure to take a cholecalciferol vitmain D supplement. Gel caps are the best absorbed, taken after you eat. If you do go this route, be sure to get your levels checked again a few months later, so that your supplementation can be adjusted if necessary.

If you are getting your vitmain D levels checked, it’s important to request the correct blood test. Your doctor may not receive this request very often and there are several different vitamin D blood tests available. The correct one to request is the Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy level test.

Have you found that your Vitamin D levels were low? Was this a surprise to you? If you have a story or question surrounding this topic, please share it in the comments section below – I am interested to learn of your experience and I’m sure my readers will be too.

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