There was a time when individuals had to protect themselves against severe weather, hungry predators, and hostile tribes. In today’s world, people need to defend themselves against many more insidious threats, and in many cases, much more dangerous than our ancestors. Today, the human body is under a constant barrage of man-made toxins that wreak havoc on one’s development and maintenance, ultimately bogging down the immune system.
Ensuring an optimally functioning immune system is more critical than ever. Many toxins impacting our health are under one’s control and can be avoided. Toxin avoidance through lifestyle changes and immune support supplementation are essential to fostering a robust immune system. But make no mistake; supplements will not make up for a poor lifestyle.
Some of the toxins within one’s power to control:
Vegetable/seed oils
Corn, canola, soy, grape seed, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils all contain over 50% of the highly unstable omega-6 fatty acids and should never be consumed. All these oils are rancid before hitting the grocery store shelves or being used in restaurants. The lovely yellow/gold oils in the grocery store look, taste, and smell a certain way because they are processed with heat, chemical solvents, deodorizers (rancid fats smell horrible), and bleach (for eye appeal). Moreover, cooking with these oils causes further oxidation and produces large amounts of free radicals. These chemical marauders ravage the body, causing inflammation and beating down one’s immune system.
Processed foods
Should these products be referred to as food? Food is a substance grown in its original, organic state, whether animal or plant, consisting of macronutrients and micronutrients used in the body for life-sustaining processes, energy, growth, and maintenance. Food should not harm health. The further a food gets from its original state, the worse it is for one’s health.
Viruses and bacteria
Are pathogens avoidable? No. Can we limit our exposure by adequately washing our hands and not touching our faces? Yes. Do viruses and bacteria attack the body like predators? No. The number one reason one gets ill from a virus or a bacterium is that the immune system is not functioning correctly to deal with them. Of course, in today’s world, people also deal with manmade, enhanced bioweapons that the human body has never been exposed to.
Avoiding recent manmade bioweapons is almost impossible, especially considering the reality of transmission from those who have received the COVID shots. If a person goes to the bank, grocery store, birthday party, school, church, gym, restaurant, etc., they will inevitably be exposed. Over the last 2.5 years, the devastation has illuminated the importance of lifestyle changes, immune support supplements, and in some cases detox.
EMF radiation
Researchers have demonstrated a wide array of adverse health effects, e.g., sleep disruption, rash, and cognitive impairment, resulting from exposure to EMF radiation. Among those negative health effects are numerous ways that EMF radiation exposure can harm and suppress one’s immune system, which makes one’s body more vulnerable to ill health, including cancer.
A great way to reduce exposure to EMFs is to turn the home WiFi off before bed and to limit one’s use of electronic devices. One can also go to websites like Defendershield.com and purchase products that can help further limit one’s exposure. Unfortunately, like many toxins, EMFs cannot be avoided entirely, emphasizing the need for lifestyle changes and supplementation, and using products to mitigate EMF exposure.
The following four supplements have been shown to support the immune system and improve one’s health.
A meta-analysis of 72 studies data from 1,976,099 individuals supported the relationship between low vitamin D and increased susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, severity, and mortality (Neomal et al., 2022). Those with vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency had a 46% higher risk of developing COVID-19, a 90% higher risk of having severe symptoms, and a 107% higher risk of death from COVID-19.
Upper respiratory tract infection, or the “common cold,” is the most common reason for emergency department visits and unscheduled outpatient visits in the US. Ginde et al. (2009) found serum vitamin D3 levels to be inversely associated with upper respiratory tract infections in the most extensive study of its type. Researchers examined 18,883 participants 12 years and older to see the association between serum D3 levels and upper respiratory tract infections. Those participants with the lowest vitamin D3 levels reported more recent colds or cases of the flu. The risk was even more significant for those individuals with chronic respiratory disorders like asthma.
A healthy diet has an obvious relationship to a properly functioning immune system. Some dietary substances have been found to have immune-modulating properties, including micronutrients and macronutrients like fat. Consuming the correct fatty acids is not only an essential source of energy, but they are also fundamental to the structure of cells. Saturated fats and some unsaturated fats positively affect the innate and adaptive immune response. An impaired ratio of Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish) and omega-6 fatty acids (found in seed/vegetable oils) can lead to the development of inflammation, allergies, autoimmune disease, and metabolic diseases.
The role of Omega-3 fatty acids has been studied extensively. Several studies discuss the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and the immune response and immune-related diseases (Fritsche et al., 2006; Yates et al., 2014; Husson et al., 2016)
Vitamin C is water-soluble and well-known for supporting a healthy immune system. Because the human body cannot make vitamin C, it must come from the foods one consumes or supplements daily. Vitamin C supports immune defense by promoting the cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Vitamin C deficiency leads to impaired immune function, increasing one’s risk of infections. “Supplementation with vitamin C appears to be able to both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections” (Carr & Maggini, 2017).
Zinc deficiency adversely affects the immune system resulting in a weakened defense and increasing one’s risk of inflammation, infection, and even death. Zinc is critical for maintaining and developing innate and adaptive immune system cells. Low levels of zinc lead to impaired lymphocyte formation, activation, and maturation, impaired intercellular communication via cytokines, and weakened innate defense (Maares & Haase, 2016).
Michael Furci is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center. To schedule a free consultation or appointment, call (440)239-3438.
References
Carr, A. C. & Maggini, S. (2017). Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients, 9(11), 1211; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9111211.
Dissanayake, H. A. et al. (2022). Prognostic and Therapeutic Role of Vitamin D in COVID-19: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 107(5), 1484–1502, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab892
Fritsche, K., et al. (2006). Fatty acids as modulators of the immune response. Annual Review of Nutrition, 26, 45-73. doi: 10.1146/annurev.nutr.25.050304.092610.
Ginde, A. A. et al. (2009). Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Archives of Internal Medicine, 169(4):384-390. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.560
Husson, M., et al. (2016). Modulation of host defense against bacterial and viral infections by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The Journal of Infect, 73(6), 523-535. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2016.10.001
Maares, M. & Haase, H. (2016). Zinc and immunity: An essential interrelation. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 611(1), 58-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2016.03.022
Neomal de Silva, D., et al. (2022). Prognostic and Therapeutic Role of Vitamin D in COVID-19: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 107(5), 1484–1502, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab892
Radzikowska, U., et al. (2019). The influence of dietary fatty acids on immune responses. Nutrients, 11(12), 2990. doi: 10.3390/nu11122990
Yates, C. M., et al. (2014). Pharmacology and therapeutics of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in chronic inflammatory disease. Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 141(3), 272–282. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2013.10.010.