Secrets for Staying Healthy this Season
No one wants to suffer through the holidays with a cough and sniffles, yet November is one of the months when that risk is highest. There are some simple things that have been proven to be effective for reducing your chances of catching an unwanted bug, and it just takes a bit of time and attention!
1.Get a good night of sleep—eight hours is optimal to keep the immune system in tip-top shape.
2. Try to maintain your healthy eating habits as much as you can and don't overdo the sugary foods that are so prominent this time of year.
3. Support your immune system with herb and nutrient supplements so your body can actively fight off invading organisms.
It's smart to boost your chances of staying healthy through the season with a little help from immune support supplements. Some products help support the immune system directly through prevention, and some help with the cold/flu symptoms to shorten the duration if you do get sick. Know which products should be taken consistently throughout the entire winter season to prevent getting sick. Also, be familiar with which ones are designed to be used just when you start to feel initial symptoms. Have them on hand so you can start them the instant you need them, which will improve your chances of a quick recovery and minimal symptoms. We put a few of our favorite products on sale this month so you can stock up your supplement shelf!
How ViraPro can Help
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is one of the most clinically-studied botanicals for fighting colds and flus. It provides a powerful array of anthocyanins, quercetin, rutin, and other strong components that help restore the body's ability to fight off invaders. These compounds interfere with the very structure of viruses, preventing them from entering cell walls and replicating. They also activate the body's own antiviral "police force" of phagocytes to move toward any cells that are under attack. 1-4
Our immune response depends on vitamin A for strong macrophage and natural killer cell protection. In one study, patients who were treated with vitamin A following surgery saw an increase in lymphocytes—the white blood cells that police our system when we are most vulnerable to infection. 5
Vitamin C is probably one of the bestknown immune boosters. Taken as a preventative nutrient, it may reduce the incidence of colds by as much as 50 percent. Beyond colds and flus, vitamin C appears to have a natural antihistamine effect, alleviating allergy and other respiratory symptoms. 6
If you live in a northern climate, chances are good that you are vitamin-D deficient. Even if you spend time outdoors in the summer, when your body's chances of synthesizing vitamin D from sun exposure are the greatest, you could still be at risk.7
The best guarantee of vitamin D intake is through supplementation. And because vitamin D is responsible for so many health factors, deficiencies of the nutrient usually show a susceptibility to allergies, flus, and respiratory ailments. For example, a long-term British study found that each increase of vitamin D3 corresponded with a seven percent lowered risk of infection. 8
An American medical survey found that low vitamin D correlated with a prevalence of rashes, sneezing, and sinus infections, even after averaging out the differences for age, gender, race, and other factors. So proper vitamin D intake isn't just about preventing respiratory problems during the cold and flu season—it is important all the time. 9,10
Zinc is a required nutrient for T-lymphocyte (white blood cell) activity, helping them keep out potentially dangerous invaders, including bacterial and viral infections. In one study, zinc reduced cold symptom duration by 42 percent on the first day. 11-13
Keep Your Immune System Finely Tuned
It can be easy to ignore your health until a cold and flu appears. These nutrients— combined in ViraPro, help prevent them. Add just one to your regimen every day when you're feeling fine, and boost the amount up to six per day for the first couple of days if you feel a cold or flu coming on. Then, work back down to one when you're feeling well again.
References:
1. Altern Med Rev. 2007 Mar;12(1):25-48.
2. MC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Feb 25;11:16.
3. Phytochemistry. 2009;70(10):1255-61.
4. J Int Med Res. 2004;32(2):132-40.
5. Vitamin A. In: Hendler SS, ed. PDR for Nutritional Supplements. 2nd ed. Montvale, NJ: Physician's Desk Reference; 2008:627-678.
6. ibid
7. ibid
8. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2011 Nov-Dec;32(6):438-44.
9. Br J Nutr. 2011 Nov;106(9):1433-40. Epub 2011 Jun 6.
10. Ann Nutr Metab. 2011;59 Suppl 1:28-42. Epub 2011 Dec 21.
11. Zinc. In: Hendler SS, ed. PDR for Nutritional Supplements. 2nd ed. Montvale, NJ: Physician's Desk Reference; 2008:731.
12. Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2003;48(3):417-26.
13. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Feb 16;(2):CD001364
