The world is full of fear and we are being told to wear masks, socially distance, limit travel, avoid groups, and close contact. These may be effective measures to limit the transmission of coronavirus but it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get it. As more businesses are opening back up, the majority of people will have to go back to work, and kids back to school. Realistically we have to come to terms with the fact that life must press on, albeit in the safest way possible. Whether you are working from home or having to get out more, most people are likely to come close or actually come in contact with this virus at some point in the future. So here are the ways to stay healthy during a pandemic that they are not telling you about.

This might come as a surprise to some people but you should be supporting your immune system the same way as you would if there were any other virus or bacterial infection risk out there. (pssst, which there always is)

Gut Health

70% of your immune system resides in the gut! Read that again! Did you know that your gut is the pathway in which most of your nutrients and vitamins are absorbed from what you eat and drink and from there are transported to the rest of the body? This makes the gut the most important player when it comes to immune health.

So this means that the 1000mg Airborne vitamin-C tablet you just took does absolutely nothing for you if your body doesn’t absorb it.

Your gut has what is called a “norma flora” which is basically a collection good bacteria that line the intestines. Think of it as the “gatekeeper” to what is allowed to pass between the gut lining. It keeps the bad stuff out and the good stuff moving through. If you’ve ever heard of “leaky gut”, that happens when your flora and the gut lining is now permeable to the bad stuff and the good stuff doesn’t get transported.

So what decreases your normal gut bacteria? Eating or drinking items that your body is sensitive or allergic to will certainly do it. The most common culprits here are dairy products, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and more. Certain medications can decrease your norma flora. For example, antibiotics will wipe your gut clean of all of that good bacteria. This would be a good time to double up on dosages in order to re-populate. Not eating enough prebiotics for the bacteria to live off of will de-populate. Alcohol use, lack of exercise and sleep also decrease good gut bacteria.

There is a supplement that will help you keep up with a healthy functioning gut, it’s called a probiotic and you can learn all about it in one of my previous blogs! https://www.ezellchiropracticllc.com/the-one-supplement-everyone-should-be-taking/

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin along with A, E, and K. What makes vitamin D different is that we primarily make it on our own, rather than relying on food sources. Vitamin D is stored in the liver and in fatty tissues.

The way that our body makes vitamin D is by converting sunshine into D3. D3 is made as the sunshine is converted by the cholesterol in our skin. Vitamin D becomes a hormone in the body. It impacts our skeletal structure, blood pressure, mood, brain function and most importantly, IMMUNITY!

Most people believe (or have heard) that the best way to get vitamin D is by drinking milk, eating fish, eggs, or taking supplements like cod liver oil. While these foods do have some vitamin D, the best way is still by direct sunlight exposure. There are 2 types of supplemental vitamin D: D2 and D3. The type that our bodies make naturally is called cholecalciferol which is the D3 version. D3 is readily absorbed and up to 4 times more effective. D2 is only partly absorbed. D2 is made from vegetarian sources while D3 is animal based. Unfortunately, most products fortified with vitamin D (milk, etc) contain the D2 type and therefore are less absorbable and convertible.

How much vitamin D should you be getting daily? 

• Adult patients shoot for 5,000 IU daily (pregnant women included)
• Ages 5-10 need 2,500 IU daily.
• Children younger than age 5 need 35 IU daily

Of course, the only way that you would really know exactly how much vitamin D to take is by way of a blood analysis, but for reference, in the midwest here like Missouri, you’d need close to 45 minutes to 1 hour of full sun on arms, legs, and face to get this amount for an average adult. One of the major reasons why more people get sick in the winter time is due to the lack of sun exposure and therefore the lack of vitamin D, causing weakened immune system function. This is why it is extremely important to take a vitamin D supplement in the winter months if it gets cold where you live.

Lifestyle Activities

This one goes without saying. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, proper work/rest balance, chiropractic adjustments, yoga, stretching, meditation, and many more things keep you at the top of your game and in a round about way will absolutely effect your immune system either in a positive or negative way depending on how you use (or don’t use) them.

Can you use to tune up your immune system? Share this with a friend that could use to learn about the ways to stay healthy during a pandemic that they are not telling you about!

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell