Sickness is all around us and the messages about how to avoid it are even more prevalent. Why aren’t more doctors and healthcare providers talking about boosting the immune system? I don’t have the answer to that, but I do find it disheartening.
As an Integrative Medicine physician, two of the basic principles of Integrative Medicine are to 1. be proactive, not reactive and 2. to focus on prevention instead of waiting for a disease to develop. Both of these principles are very important given the current situation that we are all facing.
Is it possible to boost the immune system? You bet! There is a slew of scientific evidence about things that we can do to boost the immune system. Some of them are easier than others like going for walks, getting fresh air, and spending some time in the sun. While others like juicing, infrared sauna, and IV therapies are more challenging and expensive.
When discussing immunity with my patients, I try to focus on what makes the biggest difference with relative ease for daily practice. I often start with 3 different supplements that I believe are synergistic in improving immune health.
When we designed our new Raise Them Well Immunity Chewable, we wanted to be sure to prioritize these nutrients in order to best help our customers.
I will do my best to describe how each nutrient helps boost the immune system by using a battlefield analogy.
Vitamin C: Produce More Soldiers
Vitamin C is professionally researched and respected in the Integrative Medicine community for its immune stimulating properties. Vitamin C works by increasing the number of white blood cells available. Our white blood cells are the immune cells that fight off infection. We want a lot of soldiers floating around in our blood to encounter and take out the bacteria or virus.
Vitamin D3: Activate The Soldiers
Vitamin D3 is one of the most popular supplements today and for good reason. Most of us are Vitamin D deficient, and most have levels that are chronically low. Vitamin D3 helps with bone strength, muscle growth, energy, mood, and enhancing the immune system. Interestingly, Vitamin D3, works more like a hormone than a nutrient. That is because it is a signaling molecule that tells different cells what to do. Virtually all our cells have Vitamin D receptors, including our immune cells. When our immune cells (white blood cells) interact with the Vitamin D molecule it, in essence, activates, or turns on, the immune cells. This makes the white blood cells ready and primed to seek out and destroy pathogens. It is important to note that Vitamin D3 works together with Vitamin K2 so the two fat soluble vitamins should always be taken together.
Zinc: Weaken The Enemy
Zinc is important to take whenever there is a concern about viruses. Zinc does have some immune boosting properties, but I like to think of Zinc as a mineral that specifically weakens viruses. It does so by invading viral cells and decreasing the ability to replicate. That way there are fewer viruses to fight and the ones still around are weakened and easier to destroy by the white blood cells.
These three nutrients are particularly important for boosting the immune system and enhancing the white blood cells’ ability to fight off viruses which is why they are all included in our new Children’s Immunity Chewable. We have combined the synergistic effect of Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 (with K2), and Zinc in an easy to take, great-tasting chewable tablet that your kids will love. We give this to our kids everyday and I recommend this combination of ingredients for parents that are trying to help their kids thrive during cold and flu season.
Our chewable is also free from artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, fillers, and sugar and it’s NOT a sugar-filled gummy, but instead a delicious citrus burst flavored chewable that kids love!
Grab your Immunity Chewables HERE! Or save even more with our Back to School and Kids' Wellness Bundles!