Worried about cold and flu season? Knowing your immune system nutrient levels is the first step in prevention….
We’re back in school and the germs are flyin’….
And I’m hell bent on not having another fall like last year when everyone in our house was sick for a month.
It was a revolving door of colds, flu, who knows what… it felt like we had it all… and we couldn’t catch a break.
I missed one of my favorite weekends of the year — Texas-OU and nearly missed Halloween, too.
This year I’m doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Starting with checking on a few immune system nutrient levels to make sure my immune system’s got what it needs…
Immune System Nutrients
- Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy)
- Vitamin A (Retinol)
- RBC Zinc
- RBC Magnesium
The first three are absolutely critical for immune function.
Flu Season or Low Vitamin D Season?
So much so that some even say the idea of there being a “flu season” is a misnomer.
That it would be more accurate to call it “low vitamin D season.”
What happens is, as we leave summer, the days get shorter, colder, we spend more time inside, less time in the sun and vitamin D goes down.
With that goes our defenses.
We need enough vitamin D to be able to boost immune cell production in the face of an infection.
If we’re low, we’ll come up short and that bug has a much easier time settling in.
At the same time vitamin D is naturally going down, candy’s coming out.
Sugar and the Immune System
Not to be a total bummer, but you need to know…
Studies have shown sugar to directly suppress immune function for up to 5 hours after eating it.
All the more reason to fill in any gaps and make sure the immune system has what it needs so a little indulgence doesn’t tank the ship…
Immune System Nutrient Levels: What’s High Enough?
Vitamin A and Zinc are needed to make white-blood cells, which we need more of in the face of an infection.
Magnesium makes it’s required for vitamin D absorption. So a good one to know the status of if D does end up being low and needing to supplement.
Speaking of, for all of these, you want to be in the top quadrant (upper 1/4) of the reference range.
Lab reference ranges are not based on what’s ideal, optimal or “healthy. They’re based off the results of 90 percent of the population.
We’ve got a lot of poor health here in good ol’ America so you want to be way better than average — that’s why we shoot for that top 1/4 of the range.
Opinions vary on the exact optimal range of Vitamin D. For me, I want to be between 50-80ng/mL.
All together these markers give a pretty solid check of immune system nutrients.
This is at the top of my to do list next week. I’ve gotta get routine labs done anyway so I’m just gonna throw them in.
Want to get your own immune system nutrients checked?
I can order those for you.
It’s something we can add on to a health evaluation session and review the results in the context of your complete health history, symptoms, and any lab work you already have.
This session is like an audit for your health. You’ll leave knowing how your symptoms are connected and the key first steps to get you on your way to feeling so much better.
Stay well (and in the sun!),
P.S. Curious about your own immune system nutrient levels going into fall/winter? Feel like yours may need a tune up going into the madness that is Oct-Dec? We can check a few nutrient labs and review the results as part of a health evaluation session. This is a detailed health audit that will show you how your symptoms are connected and what you can do to start feeling so much better. Schedule your session here.
The content in this email is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice.
