Use Your Immune System To Your Advantage During Cold, Covid and Flu Season

Chances are if you are reading this, you are a human being. One who is concerned with avoiding, or at the very least, navigating through this winter season as unscathed as possible. By the looks of it, we are greeting 2022 with a ton of flu-related illness and positive tests. Cold and flu variants will certainly come and go, so now is a great time to take stock of your health and plan on making sound lifestyle choices to support a healthy, robust and functional immune system.

Immune system 101 – You Got This!

To be immune means to be protected.

Our immune system is designed to do just that, to help us fight off sickness when we are confronted with viruses, bacteria and irritating people. This amazing network of germ fighting cells called leukocytes, can chew up invading pathogens and allow the body to remember and recognize previous invaders. If we see those germs again, our army of infection fighting soldiers will have their strategy and arsenal of weaponry ready to deploy. This is the concept behind using vaccines as PART of a strategy known as “Whatever You Do, Don’t Get Sick!”

Given what we’ve already seen this winter – with the onslaught of variant number 157, AKA the Oh-Come-On-Already variant – we need to help our immune system in as many ways as possible.

Here are my top tips for getting your immune system runway ready for winter.

One: Optimize your Vitamin D levels

I’m not sure how many times I can say this, but this hormone (that’s what Vitamin D really is…)  is mission critical to getting you through the winter season more safely. Vitamin D and COVID-19: An Overview of Recent Evidence is a nice summary for you researchers out there. The key is to get your serum levels checked twice a year – winter and summer – and aim to get your levels between 60 and 80 ng/ml all year round. Don’t take the old “your levels are normal” garbage lying down. Know your number!

Three: You’ve got to wash those bugs right out of your mouth (and nose)

If you plan on interacting with anyone ever again, other than your cat, start the day gargling with mouthwash and repeat once you get home. Twice a day use a Listerine, Scope, or Crest mouthwash. Swish it around and gargle for 30 seconds then spit out. This lowers the burden of virus and bacteria in your mouth and throat, and will increase your social status because of your dazzling minty fresh breath!

After you have been out and about, mingling with the hoi polloi, masked, or unmasked, some iodine nasal drops and spray may help inactivate viruses that have nested in your nose. This is where these bugs take hold, and then grow and multiply. You can use a Betadine nasal spray – 2 squirts to each nostril 2x/day. Or you can get Betadine from your local pharmacy and add 2 teaspoons into 6 ounces of distilled water or saline. You will need to squirt it up each nostril, which is extremely pleasant and makes me quite popular with the patients. You want to actually get it to reach your throat if possible and spit it out. I recommend this nasal rinse bottle for ease of application. Ha! You see what I did there? EASE of application. I delight myself.

Four: Make Sure You Are Pooping

It’s not really an Anita Sadaty post if I don’t work in the pooping angle somehow. Pooping normally, 1-2 times per day, helps you eliminate toxins and waste. Toxins suppress your immune system. Constipation will thus hamper your ability to fight off infection. Got the picture?

Five: Get RId Of Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is normal when our body’s immune system needs to deal with an unwelcome virus or bacteria. When the inflammatory response lingers on and doesn’t fully resolve, this will lead to disease and immune system problems. If you’ve got an “—itis” or an “—algia” or a pain syndrome or a chronic condition – this could be you. Colitis, arthritis, myalgia, fibromyalgia, cystitis, vestibulodynia, chronic headaches, chronic back pain, the list goes on and on.

Steps to decrease inflammation

• Get rid of vegetable oils – the canolas, corn, safflower, sunflower oils of the world.
• Stick with avocado, coconut, and olive oils
• Eat your veggies and eat the rainbow. Not just a piece of iceberg lettuce and a carrot. Change it up and up the dose. Aim for 5-10 servings of veggies a day (1 serving is a cup of leafy greens or ½ a cup of solid veggies.)
• Boost your omega 3 fats – wild fish, purified fish oil gel caps will both work well.
• See about cutting out gluten, dairy, sugar and processed foods. I saved that goody for last.
• If you have gut issues, find out if you have food sensitivities. You can either try some food sensitivity testing or consider doing an elimination diet.

Six: Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is easily the most important and underrated aspect of health and immunity. Considered optional for many Americans, lack of adequate sleep is responsible in part for the growing number of people with cardiovascular disease and cancer. Resetting your internal biological clock each night protects you from chronic disease and poor immune system function.

Seven: Work on your Co-morbidities and Live the Blue Zone Lifestyle

When your body is healthier, your ability to get through the cold and flu season will be that much easier. Comorbidities are health conditions that increase your risk of severe disease. These are the top comorbidities that matter:

• Hypertension
• Obesity
• Diabetes, pre-diabetes and insulin resistance
• Over 65 years-old

Obviously you can’t make your birth age smaller (unless you’re my mother and tell people you’re a full 10 years younger than your actual age) but you can try to follow the lessons we have learned from the blue zone people. These blue zones are pockets around the globe with the greatest number of people over 100 years of age.

Here are the 7 secrets to longevity:

1. EAT WHOLE FOODS: Vegetables–Fruits–Herbs–Nuts and seeds–Beans and legumes–Quality fats like olive oil–High-quality dairy products, like grass-fed goat milk and homemade cheeses–Fermented products like yogurt, kefir, tempeh, miso and natto–Whole grains, or locally grown (organic) corn
2. AVOID PROCESSED FOOD WITH ADDED SUGARS, PRESERVATIVES AND CHEMICALS
3. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS: Your home and your kitchen should be filled with healthy, whole foods. Get rid of the temptations.
4. MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT, LOAD UP ON VEGGIES AND EAT LESS
5. STAY ACTIVE. WALK EVERYWHERE. AVOID A LOT OF SITTING. MAKE EXERCISE ENJOYABLE!
6. SET UP A HEALTHY SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
7. SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN NATURE.

And finally, if all else fails, and you do find yourself sneezing, coughing and fevering, early intervention is best. Check out the FLCCC website (Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance) PROTOCOL section. These leading critical care specialists formed a non-profit organization dedicated to reviewing the existing and emerging scientific literature. They have developed strategies to try to improve outcomes for people impacted by Comicon, I mean, Covidcrom. I personally started building my little cold and flu kit at home. Have it ready to go if you develop cold and flu symptoms, no matter which specific virus is cramping your style.

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For more information about my wellness programs and my practice, check out my website drsadaty.com. Hey Look!  You are already here…

Ready for the legal disclaimer? Information offered here is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. As with any health recommendations, please contact your doctor to be sure any changes you wish to consider are safe for you!