Updated in March, 2020 for Current COVID-19 Outbreak

 

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Help your immune system to function optimally by getting enough sleep, exercising (but not excessively), managing stress, eating an abundance of raw, colorful vegetables every day, keeping sugar to a low level, avoiding foods to which you are sensitive or allergic and testing for – and correcting – any underlying nutritional deficiencies.

To prevent a cold or the flu, fruits, vegetables and berries are especially critical.  Studies suggest we need a pound of produce, including 1-2 pieces of fruit, per day – so aim for 60-80% of your plate being veggies, with at least half of that raw, every day.  Juice Plus+ capsules, with 30 raw fruits, vegetables and berries and no sugar, are a proven way to decrease colds and flus.

Several peer-reviewed published studies using Juice Plus+ capsules have looked at immune function and all found very beneficial effects.  One study in particular, out of several, confirmed what I have seen repeatedly for the past ten years:  that people who take Juice Plus+ have fewer, shorter and milder colds and flus in general.  Vitamin C is the least of it!  The synergy of thousands of phytonutrients working together is what we need for optimal health.  The variety of produce in Juice Plus+, raw and whole, including the skin and seeds of 30 vine-ripened, colorful plant foods makes it very nutritionally dense as well as gentle and easy to absorb.  So, do both; eat more fresh produce and take your Juice Plus+ green, red (Garden and Orchard Blends) and Vineyard Blends every day.  

Add raw garlic, ginger and turmeric to your diet and recipes.

An adequate blood level of Vitamin D is essential (50-80 ng/mL is optimal) for immune health.  Take 2,000-5,000 IU of D3 daily if you are not sure of your blood levels but, ideally, take what I have told you that you need based on your blood levels.  If you have not had a recent (6 months, ideally or 12 months, maximum) blood test for vitamin D (25-OH Vitamin D), ask your regular doctor or call my office (or, there is now a home-use, finger stick Vitamin D test for all of you busy folks – and all of you needlephobic folks!).

Probiotics (beneficial bacteria) are vital to a robust immune system.

Zinc is also key; eat plenty of zinc and selenium rich foods such as Brazil and other nuts, pumpkin seeds, avocados and berries.  Vegetarians and many others may need to supplement with zinc as flesh foods are a significant source of zinc.  Zinc gets used up daily when detoxifying metals and other toxins, so you don’t want to run low.  Blood levels are sometimes needed to see where you are.

Sugar paralyzes your immune cells for 4-6 hours.  After the sugar equivalent of a can of soda, white blood cells temporarily stop moving and are unable to attack and destroy a microbe.  Avoid refined sweets – and even fruit — especially if you feel like you are coming down with a bug.

Finally, adequate hydration is critical to a well-functioning immune system.  Drink lots of water.  And wash your hands frequently and thoroughly for 20 or more seconds.  Check out the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)’s handwashing website for details on how to do this properly!

Your thoughts affect your immune function.  Your brain and your immune system are intimately connected and your brain believes everything you tell it; so please, talk nicely to yourself and others.  Keep the news in perspective and avoid overreacting to the media.

IF YOU GET SICK ANYWAY………… 

Even when one is very healthy, eats kale by the pound and does everything else we all try to do, sometimes the bugs gets us sick anyway.  It’s not personal!!  It happens to the best of us…sometimes your immune system is just overwhelmed by one or many bugs (viruses or bacteria) that you have never seen before and so you have poor existing immunity against the onslaught.  You can catch anything from a cold virus to an influenza virus, as well as bacterial infections like strep throat or pneumonia.  Sometimes when you are sick with a virus, you are susceptible to a secondary bacterial infection (such as a cold becoming a sinus infection).  Your very best chance at thwarting or shortening the course of any upper-respiratory tract infection, be it viral or bacterial, is to act at the very beginning, when you are first noticing small warning symptoms.

What to do when you first feel sick (if you have a scratchy throat, congested nose, headache, body aches, fever…):

  • REST – Go to bed if you can.  Sleep MORE.  Put a humidifier on in winter.  Use essential oils.
  • DRINK LOTS AND LOTS of water, tea, broth and diluted juice. Add protein powder, amino acids and collagen for extra benefits.  Bone broth is not recommended because of lead contamination.
  • STEAM – Mustard packs, horseradish and wasabi all help to clear out your sinuses, but steam, salt water nose sprays and Neti pots are a lot gentler and work really well.  Do salt water rinses frequently.
  • JP+ FRUIT BLEND – Start taking 1-3 extra Juice Plus+ red capsules every FEW HOURS (the modern version of Vitamin C, Juice Plus+ contains C plus all of the bioflavonoid family, which allows the C to work better).
  • JP+ BERRY BLEND – Take 2-4 per day to a maximum of 8 per day.  Bilberries, elderberries and other dark purple berries have anti-flu and anti-viral effects as well as being potent antioxidants.
  • JP+ VEGETABLE BLEND – Increase your daily green capsules by 2-4 per day, to a maximum of 8 per day also.  Taking them in divided doses, with food (including some fat), will maximize absorption.
  • COLLOIDAL SILVER is effective against many microbes including the flu virus.  It may help with a common cold, strep throat and MRSA and is being investigated against Lyme and anthrax.  It is safe and, in my experience, very effective when taken as directed.  Not all colloidal silvers are the same, though.  The dosing schedule varies between brands — the best brands are ACS, Biotics and Designs for Health.  Do not use silver products that are stronger than 10 ppm (parts per million).  All require a loading dose, which is a double dose taken at the first sign of illness, followed by frequent small doses.  CONTRAINDICATED WITH COVID-19
  • VIRACID– this includes a powerful combination of key nutrients and botanical extracts that provide support for immune challenges.  It boosts immune defenses by providing nutrients such as L-lysine, Vitamins A and C, pantothenic acid, B12, and zinc.  Viracid includes a synergistic blend of the botanical extracts black elderberry, astragalus, echinacea, and andrographis, all of which have been used traditionally for their clinically effective immune-modulating properties.  Take 1-2 capsules per hour for immediate immune support. CONTRAINDICATED WITH COVID-19
  • GARLIC – Eat this peeled and raw, left out for 20+ minutes before ingesting for maximum efficacy.  Take several cloves throughout the day OR high dose garlic concentrates (Allicillin, 2-3 caps a day in divided doses).
  • LIPOSOMAL VITAMIN C – nutrients delivered in a liposomal form offer superior absorption and bioavailability. Almost as good as intravenous, liposomal Vitamin C in addition to Juice Plus+ will raise tissue levels of Vitamin C.  Keep it in fridge and dose frequently.
  • IMMUNITONE – this is an herbal formula that is designed to support healthy immune system function during cold and flu season.  It contains herbs that support normal natural killer (NK) cell activity and the balance of cytokines, which are the regulatory proteins released by immune cells as part of a normal immune system response.  CONTRAINDICATED WITH COVID-19
  • MUCINEX is a safe OTC (over-the-counter) remedy that helps thin out mucus so it is easier to blow out or cough up; the less mucus you have, the better you feel — and more importantly, the less of a chance you have of catching a secondary bacterial infection.  Mucinex 1200mg time-release tablets or just plain Mucinex twice a day is smart if your head or chest is congested.  Take with even more fluids (see above) for it to work.

DO NOT ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT AILS YOU IF YOU ARE NOT IMPROVING.

Warning signs of the flu and more serious illness include a rapid onset, fever over 102 with chills, body pain and/or severe headaches.

CALL YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR, or GO TO URGENT CARE:

if you are short of breath at all, even just a little…

or, if you have a severe sore throat that lasts for more than 3 days (need to exclude strep)

But please do NOT go to ERs to get screened or tested. They need to be available for true emergencies.

Get help and get seen if you are more than the “ho-hum, been here before” level of sick.  In addition to a careful history, you need an examination of your vital signs, ears, nose, throat, lungs and heart, and need an assessment of your overall state (just a look at someone sick can tell me a LOT).  Blood tests or a chest x-ray may be indicated to evaluate the possibility of a serious bacterial infection that may require antibiotics.  As antibiotics do nothing for viruses and their inappropriate use causes resistance and, at times, serious side effects, it is important to only take them when it is clearly necessary.  Not even all bacterial infections need antibiotics, but everyone is different.  It is equally important to be grateful we have them for those cases of serious infections.  If you are prescribed antibiotics, make sure to take the entire course unless you discussed it with me or another doctor, please!  Never take old, expired antibiotics as they can cause serious problems including kidney failure.

PROBIOTICS – During antibiotic (ATB) treatment – the ideal probiotic is Saccharomyces boulardii, a yeast that eats yeast.  Take it twice a day, away from food.  This is not appropriate to take for more than 2-3 months, as it can become a pest itself.  After you have finished your antibiotics, take a PROBIOTIC with beneficial bacteria, such as the Lactobacillus and Bifido species, at high doses, 30-100 billion a day, with food, for two months at least.

A note about fluid and fevers and aches and pains:  your immune system creates many of the symptoms we experience when we are ill with an infection.  They serve a purpose, but when they get out of control, they can hurt us.  The tools the immune system uses (fever, mucus, etc.) to help us fight infections from all microbes require vast amounts of water, so dehydration is a real threat and will hinder your ability to heal.

A fever is produced by your immune system as part of inflammation; it can kill both viruses and bacteria.  The body handles a rise in temperature much better than microbes do, but there is a limit both for comfort and safety.  Try to let a low-grade fever run its course; do not treat it with medications unless it goes to or above 102.5 or is making you so miserable you can’t rest or sleep.  Then use Tylenol (acetaminophen), not ibuprofen.  Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is much safer than the NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Advil or Motrin, as a rule.  Tylenol requires amino acids (protein) and antioxidants to be safe, so it becomes unsafe if fasting (never a good idea) and in the significantly malnourished, or if taken at higher than recommended doses.  It is otherwise the safest pain and fever-reducing pharmaceutical available.  If always taken with a dose of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) or glutathione, and with all of the suggestions above including high doses of Juice Plus+, you will mitigate any potential liver harm.  NSAIDs can erode the lining of the GI tract at any dose and, over time, can contribute to blood pressure problems and intestinal hyperpermeability.  There are more potential side effects from NSAIDs like Advil than with Tylenol; but there are times when only NSAIDs work for the symptoms at hand and, so, they should be considered for very short-term use only.  Inflammatone, quercetin, curcumin, turmeric, Arthroben and Baxaprin are all safer solutions for pain.  Avoid anti-histamines like Benadryl, especially in winter as they dry out mucus, making it thick and hard to excrete.  Better to keep it thin and drain it out.

The products mentioned above are available in our online store and can be shipped to you directly — so you can stay home.

For more information on Juice Plus+ (or to order), go to www.eathealthy.ws.

For all of our Cold & Flu offerings, click here.  Patients, don’t forget to use your code for 10% off!

Please call the office with questions or concerns.

I hope you never need this information, but hope that it is of help to you if you do.

To your good health!