Back to School Immune Support
Back to school season is here and this year it looks quite a bit different for most of us. Whether your kids are going back to school or you have chosen (or had it chosen…) to keep them home this year, supporting their (and our!) immune system is a top priority. The bright side is that there is a lot we can do to keep ourselves and our kiddos healthy, and immune systems strong!
As always there are physical precautions we can take to avoid the spread of germs and illness.
These include things like:
Handwashing
Avoid touching your face
If you (or your children!) are sick, stay home
Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or tissues (then wash your hands)
Use a humidifier at home. Viral particles cannot travel as far in moist air compared to dry air.
Grab an air purifier. I really love this one, it’s available on Amazon and has both a HEPA filter and a UV-C sanitizer for killing virus’ in the air indoors.
We can also support our immune system in a number of ways with the following lifestyle tips:
Prioritizing adequate sun exposure to support healthy vitamin D levels, and fresh air daily can support overall health in general. Aim to soak up some sunshine first thing in the morning, as early morning light provides infrared rays that strengthen and support cellular function.
Hydrate! Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces daily. Water, bone broth, herbal teas and coconut water are all great choices to support hydration levels and also provide electrolytes and other nutrients. If you’re looking for a water filtration system, Berkey is by far the best filter for removing a host of contaminants present in our drinking water. Bonus: it's a gravity-fed system and requires no electricity to operate.
Kick crappy sugars to the curb. Items such as sugary drinks, processed treats, and products containing high-fructose corn syrup all weaken our cells making us more susceptible to illness.
Nasal irrigation with a neti pot or nasal spray 1-2x daily. Viruses try to invade and multiply in the nasal passages for a couple days before you develop any symptoms. Nasal irrigation may wash away these particles before they take hold. We’ll so this if we feel something coming on.
Get plenty of sleep every night! Sleeping can increase your white blood cell production while loss of sleep - even just a few hours each night - can decrease immune response and increase inflammation in the body. Bedtimes aren’t just for kiddos. Set a bedtime for yourself to ensure you get at least 7 hours of sleep.
Laughter is the best medicine! Watch some stand-up on youtube or Netflix! Google for kids jokes. Nothing is better than telling my kids simple jokes and watching them die in laughter. Also, kids joke books are pretty fab, if I do say so myself. Turn off the news. It doesn’t change much anyway!
Additional ways to support a healthy immune system:
Incorporate different foods and spices that have antiviral properties and are immune supportive. Some of these include coconut oil, raw garlic, onions, leeks, ginger, oregano, fermented foods if tolerated, walnut, pomegranate, apple cider vinegar, green tea and mushrooms (turkeytail, cordyceps, shiitake, reishi). If the mushrooms seem scary, Four Sigmagtic is a tea company that incorporates mushrooms into their blends.
Enjoy movement daily. Exercise can boost a white blood cell or immune component called microphages. The job of the microphage is to come in and eat up bacteria and virus’. Types of movement can include exercise like dancing, running or weight training, or more gentle movement like stretching, walking, and yoga.
Rebounding and dry brushing both support lymph movement. The lymphatic system carries waste out of the body, as well as helps transport nutrients through lymph fluid. The lymphatic system does not push lymph fluid around the body on it’s own, so we need to stimulate it’s movement. 5-20 minutes of rebounding a day and a dry brushing session before the shower or bath is great! We have this little trampoline in our basement and the boys are constantly jumping on it. I do a round of jumps every time I walk past to the laundry room. Other ways to stimulate the lymphatic system include running and jump roping.
A warm foot soak to the knees or epsom salt bath also increase lymph flow.
We can also support the immune system with targeted nutrients. In addition to focusing on whole foods in the diet, these are my go-to immune-boosting supplements for cold and flu prevention and support if we get sick.
Vitamin C: 3,000 milligrams (or more) daily, in divided doses. To achieve a therapeutic dose of Vitamin C, take to bowel tolerance (when stools become loose) and then scale back to just before that mark, if possible. This is key and is often used to battle advanced viral issues - was a key option for my severe mono a few years ago. Vitamin C in supplement form is a bit tricky to come by because most Vitamin C supplements are ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is only part of the structure of Vitamin C., A great food option rich in Vitamin C is Camu Camu.
Vitamin D3: 2,000 International Units daily. (Start with 5,000 IU/day for two weeks, then reduce to 2,000). This is particularly key for folks with autoimmune disease as D3 keeps the immune system on track. Bonus points if you track down a D/K2 combo - I love and keep this one in my office. This is another great reason to get sunlight daily. The Vitamin D we absorb from the sun does not need to be converted to a usable form in the body. We reap the benefits as soon as it’s absorbed into our skin.
Magnesium: 400 mg daily (in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form)
Zinc: 20 mg daily. I like aqueous zinc lots as it doesn’t cause the stomach to feel queasy and is easier to tell if you still have a need for it by the taste. If it tastes sweet, then you are likely deficient. If it has a bitter taste, you’re good.
Selenium: 100 mcg (micrograms) daily. Brazil nuts are great food source of selenium. Just two provide us with adequate selenium!
Vitamin C, Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and selenium have been shown to strengthen the immune system against viruses.
Liver capsules - These were my lifeline when I was suffering with an acute mono reactivation. I was barely walking, but after a dose of these guys - literally dehydrated quality beef livers - my body would perk up and I could look a bit like normal. Essentially, they’re nature’s super vitamin.
Olive leaf extract - Has a reputation for decreasing the duration of upper respiratory illness. Works well for me, an upper respiratory prone gal.
Oregano oil - Its compounds are virustatic and virucial against several viral pathogens. Biotics ADP is my favorite version - when I’m sick, I’ll hold one in my mouth (it’s intense!) and it clears out my sinus’ in a jiffy! In a pinch a quality essential oil into a capsule, down the hatch also works. Diffusing this essential oil is a great immune boost, too.
Elderberry syrup - So long as this is honey based (we need no extra processed sugar - I’m not high on the extra honey, either, but elderberry extract is hard to find and honey has great qualities, too!), a dose a day can be wise. In those with autoimmune disease, I suggest using this at the first note of sickness and if it’s not helpful within the first 48 hours, discontinue use.
NAC - N-aectly-L-cysteine is an amino acid that helps the body produce glutathione, a powerful antioxidant. Glutathione is needed to help the body detox, and this is key to ridding the body of a virus. NAC also helps with mucus production and can be beneficial in breaking up congestion.
One major contributor to illness is stress.
Any type of stress on the body increases inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of all disease. Stress comes in many forms and is not always within our control. We can greatly reduce our stress with our mindset and the way we approach other stressors we encounter. Our minds are neuroplastic, meaning we can retrain them. What we set them on rewires our brain toward recalling those things first. Let’s set our minds on those things which are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.
