Give your immune system some love in the new year

There are many easy ways to help yourself become more resilient, and to treat yourself if you do become ill from acute allergies, colds or flus. First, I want to go over some of the things that could be really hurting your immune system's potential.

Unhealthy fats can cause a big problem. Not only do they cause an increase in certain inflammatory cells (cytokines), but they also have been shown to suppress your immune cells. Avoid these oils/fats: canola, peanut, corn, soybean, safflower, wheat germ, sunflower, cottonseed, grape seed, vegetable oils and margarine.

Sugar can also wreak havoc on your immune system. Stevia, Erythritol and Xylitol are forms of sugar that impact your system much less. There are over 50 variations of names for modified sugars! Fructose, sucrose, sucralose and saccharin are some of the most common. Avoiding sugar is hard this time of year! A small cookie can contain upward of 15 grams of sugar, and juices often contain up to 40 grams of sugar in as little as 12 ounces!

Avoiding alcohol should be another goal if you are looking to boost your immune system's resilience. Even one glass of alcohol daily can cause ongoing immune problems. Keep in mind, alcohol acts as an antiseptic (think hot toddies or using alcohol to clean a wound). Drinking alcohol reduces stomach acid, which plays a huge role in breaking down food so our immune system further down in our intestines doesn't get inflamed. Having a healthy amount of stomach acid acts as a first line of defense against pathogens. I always suggest taking 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water with each meal to help with this.

What about the things we can do to increase our immune system's vitality to prevent illness?

Piggy-backing on the above, we can eat healthy fats which include: avocado, olive, macadamia, ghee, coconut, and grass-fed butter. These fats/oils are very anti-inflammatory. Omega 3s and a diet rich in healthy fats and oils is a great way to enrich your immune system.

Vitamins and minerals also help to bolster your immune system. As a preventative, I encourage people to get enough vitamin C daily. I prefer supplements such as Alive or Camu because they contain the whole vitamin C molecule. If you supplement with just "ascorbic acid," take it with a food high in vitamin C. I suggest 500-1000 mg of vitamin C per day for a great maintenance dose. There is plentiful information now about the benefits of vitamin D for your immune system. Generally, 4,000 IU daily is a good maintenance dose. Some who are deficient might need more, but vitamin D should always be paired with vitamin K2 (MK7) to help it absorb better. Also, 15-30 mg of zinc per day is a great maintenance boost, while at least 30 mg of zinc is recommended if you are acutely sick. Be careful not to take too much at once, though, as it can cause nausea.

Probiotics and foods that are fermented are a great way to help prevent possible illness as well. These gut-friendly foods help to combat the bad guys. Yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha and pickled veggies are just some examples of foods I tend to eat more of when cold/flu season arrives.

A few years ago, I began contracting directly with supplement manufacturers to provide my patients with the highest quality supplements for a fraction of the cost of most of the same brands/formulas. My company, "Orvience," has a formula I end up recommending a fair amount called "Super Mushrooms," which contains 10 different mushrooms. Mushrooms have been shown to help increase our total white blood cell count. For most cancer patients I see, or patients who tend to get sick easily, I recommend taking this for a preventative.

My next suggestion probably won't be much of a surprise: Medical acupuncture is amazingly powerful to help boost your immune system! This has been shown to be true throughout many trials and studies over decades of research. Acupuncture actually increases your red and white blood cell counts, along with increasing your T cell count. T cells are the immune cells that specifically help fight off infections and diseases such as cancer. Acupuncture also reduces IgE levels and decreases the sensitivity and activation of TRPV1, which are antibodies and receptors present in the process of inflammation and allergic reactions.1

And don't ever forget about exercise and water intake! Twenty minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic and/or weight bearing exercise at least 3 times per week is good. And aim for 60 ounces or more of water daily.

Now, what if you do get sick? All the above still helps, but I'd recommend adding in echinacea, garlic, manuka honey and rosemary. These are all very anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and/or antiviral. Sweating is helpful to detox, so take a steam shower or hot bath. Licorice root is a great mucosal protectant and is present in almost all traditional Chinese herbal formulas for acute illness. One of my newer formulas, "Immune Fx," based on a classical Chinese herbal formula, is wonderful for colds/flus where you feel feverish, sweating, sore throat, cough and headache. It contains all organic and grown in the U.S. herbs such as: forsythia, honeysuckle, mint, licorice root, fermented soybean and ginger. Doing a gargle of warm water, sea salt, garlic paste, cayenne, apple cider vinegar, mint and lemon juice is helpful for a sore throat. And I'm sure you all have heard of a sinus rinse—those are awesome to do for sinus inflammation and pain! Turmeric root with black pepper (2,000 mg per day) is another great acute herbal trick if you get sick.

I hope this information is helpful for many. I wish you all health and happiness before the start of our new year!