OR as I'd like to call it low vitamin D, high stress, high sugar season. It's once again upon us - shortened days, less light, more dark, more time with extended family, same workloads and excessive sweet holiday treats. All this combined weakens the terrain of our bodies so that viruses, bacteria and parasites can take a foot hold in our systems.
So here's my secret to mitigate those issues.
1. I take Gymnema to control my blood sugar and reduce my sugar cravings. If I happen to indulge in too much cake, cookies or sweets I will take this amazing ayervedic herb to curb the taste of sugar. Seriously, it completely changes the taste and reaction to sugar and reduces blood sugar levels. Getting sugar out of your bloodstream and improving insulin sensitivity is critically important in controlling inflammation that leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia and other neo-lithic disease. I will sometimes combine this with Diaplex if I become extremely undisciplined.
2. I change my schedule. I will schedule less and reduce social gatherings, patient load and focus on cooking more meals, rest and downtime. I make sure I am extra kind to myself. Self-care is not selfish. Some really helpful herbs I will take during this time are Kava forte and Nevaton from Mediherb that support my nervous system in relaxing and taking the edge off of the grind of life.
3. Vitamin D supplementation. Did you know you have a vitamin D receptor on every single cell in your body? It is improtant in immune, neurologic, and digestive, health. It's everywhere! And, SURPRISE, it's not a vitamin but a hormone. One way I track my vitamin D levels is with a FREE app called dminder. Check it out. The app will take your sex, height, weight, location, and skin type plug it into an algorithm and tell you how long you need to be in the sun and how much Vitamin D you need to be in the normal level. I recommend 50Iu/ng to be optimal. I take ample amounts of Cod Liver oil because it natural has large amounts of Vit D, A, omega fatty acids and DHA/EPA the help with inflammation and energy production.
4. One last thing I take on the DAILY is ION Gut Support. This mega powerhouse contains humic acid and fulvate. These two nutrients derived from soil bacteria combine to optimize your microbiome. In fact I don't take or recommend probiotics for daily use. One characteristic of blue zone inhabitants are a widely diverse microbiome which helps them live into their 80's, 90's even 100's with no chronic disease. With 70-80% of our immune system residing in our guts - making sure our gut is happy means more resilience against colds and flu!
If you are interested in improving your immune system and avoiding winter illnesses call our office @ 724-658-6917!
Until next time, BeWell and God Bless!