Have you been sick this year? Read This: HOW TO BULLET PROOF YOU IMMUNE SYSTEM

I always thought catching several colds and/or the flu every year, was just part of life – especially in the winter. Some years were worse than other, I just thought I had really bad luck. I would catch several colds, bronchitis and the flu. I had asthma, so my breathing was always impaired. Exercise was impossible – walking was the extent of my exercise and sometimes that would take my breath away. During the inversion in Salt Lake City, Utah – I was always sick. I expected to be put on Prednisone at least once per year. I told my doctor I was sick of being sick. She told me I needed to take Advair every day and that would keep me from getting brochitis....

I took my Advair for my asthma, I took a grocery store multi, and got the flu shot every year (that would make me sick for a week). It didn’t matter how many times I washed my hands and how much hand sanitizer I used…I still got sick. (To read how sick I really was, read my blog). If someone walked past me with a cold, I caught it. I didn’t feel good and I was determined to get better. 

I made a lot of changes in my life. I cut out soda, processed foods, I did a good detox program, took vitamins and I felt a lot better. I went from being sick ALL of the time, to catching 4 colds a year…they’d last a week or two, and no more bronchitis. Would you say 4 colds is average? I didn't want to be average, I wanted  to be the person who NEVER gets sick…is that even possible with my crummy immune system? Well, I'm happy to say - SUCCESS!

Here's my story: Two years ago, I was one month into eating an extremely healthy diet and taking my vitamins every day (not the same ones I take now) and I caught a cold. I decided to switch up my vitamins and I ordered them from Life Extension.  When my order arrived, I was still sick with the cold and I was having trouble with my asthma – plus living in Salt Lake City, we were in the middle of a very polluted inversion. (Yes, that brown layer of air in the photo, is what we have to breath several weeks out of the year in Salt Lake City). I took one dose of the Life Extension Buffered C and instantly,  I felt better. I could breathe better and I had a little more energy. The next day, I took a dose with my breakfast. I noticed I felt great for about an hour. Hmm….what is it about this product that makes me feel so much better than the 1000 mg of Mega C I was taking before?

Life Extension Buffered C has 4,000 mg per dose. Every vitamin C product at the store only has 1,000 mg – at the most.  It's the high dosage that makes a difference. So does that mean, if you take 4 doses of your regular vitamin C, it will have the same effect as Life Extension Buffered C? No – other vitamin C products will hurt your stomach if taken in that high of dosage. It’s the buffering minerals in the Buffered Vitamin C that protect your stomach.  

Immediately I started researching buffered vitamin C and WOW – this stuff is freaking amazing!!. (You can read what I found here). According to my research, this buffered C, if taken every hour, will help get over a cold very quickly. It’s called a buffered vitamin C flush.

Sure enough, I started taking it every hour and within 24 hours, my cold was gone. GONE!!! When you take the buffered C dose every hour, it does have a side effect, and can upset the stomach. It won’t be painful like regular vitamin C, but it can flush you out. No big deal  - I can tolerate that, and it's better than being sick.

Since I started doing this 2 years ago, I haven’t had a full blown miserable cold. I’ve had a few close calls when I was inconsistent with my daily vitamins.  But If I hit the buffered vitamin C right away, I only had 2 symptoms: asthma and fatigue. I also found that 1 dose, 4-5 times per day will do the trick (instead of taking it every hour) and my stomach seems to tolerate it a little better. I take 4-5 doses a day until I feel normal, usually 3 days.

I did have one brief cold when I was on vacation and I didn’t have my vitamins. I started feeling sick on the plane and I took 4 EmergenC’s but it wasn’t enough. I was sick (congested) for 1 day while I started my vitamin C flush. The next day, I was fine. I recommend continuing the flush for a few more days until you feel normal again.

Not only does the Buffered C help with my asthma when I feel a cold coming on, but it helps me every day. I no longer need to take Advair….yep…asthma medication is gone. I haven’t had to use my rescue inhaler. Here we are in dirty Salt Lake City – in the middle of a nasty inversion…no asthma medication required. Granted, I’m not out running in this dirty air, but I can handle exercising indoors without a problem.

I’m sure you’ve heard enough about the awesome and amazing Buffered C….but that’s not the only thing I take to keep me healthy. I also take:

Vitamin D, 5000IU: Vitamin D is so important to your immune system and your overall health.  You can read more about vitamin D here.  I do visit my doctor each year for my annual exam and I ask my doctor to test my vitamin D levels. This will tell help me to determine how much vitamin D I should be taking. Its important to keep your levels above 50 but not over 100. If you are below 50, you will feel tired and you will be more susceptible to illness and diseases. Get your vitamin D levels checked every year.

Magnesium 500 mg – it’s a must, it’s responsible for over 325 biochemical reactions in the body. (You can read more here).

Omega 3’s – We all know that these are a must. However, be smart when you shop for omega 3’s. Yes, they can be full of contaniments like mercury. Look for omega 3’s that have been 3^rd party tested by a reputable company for impurities. Also look for brands that have sesame lignans and olive fruit extract to help with absorption.

Multi-vitamin:  Most multi-vitamins on the market, don’t really do anything and just make your pee really yellow. Some are so full of junk and full of cheap, non-absorable forms of vitamins, they are just a waste of money. The last time I looked at the ingredients of Centrum, I told the person who bought it, they’d be better off throwing it away….yes, the entire Costco size bottle. It’s filled with unhealthy junk and cheap vitamins your body probably won’t absorb anyways. So why bother? However, there are good multis out there. Life Extension has two multis to choose from: one is a Two-Per-Day vitamin and retails for $22.50 for a 60 day supply. That’s pretty dang cheap for a good vitamin. The other retails for $110 for a 30 day supply –and you have to take 14 a day. Personally, I like the 14 a day, but I usually only take 4-6 and sometimes I rotate with the 2 per day. A nice side effect of their multi-vitamins: my nails grow like weeds...

Pro-biotic – part of your immune system is your gut - if that’s out of whack, you will get sick more. Getting on any anti-biotic makes it worse. Take a pro-biotic daily, especially after taking antibiotics.

Green Superfoods – awesome energizing greens, full of nutrients, enzymes and probiotics. I add it to my daily protein shake with ground flax seed and water (or almond milk).

Essential Oils – I love essential oils but they are not the end all be all for fixing your health issues like some people believe. If your immune system is impaired by diet and vitamin deficiencies, slapping a little oil on your feet every day isn’t going to cure the problem, but there are benefits to them. There is a wonderful essential oil blend reported to help the immune system. I was told to put it on my feet daily and you won't get sick. I did, it didn’t help me from getting sick. However, now I use it on my teeth daily- I put 2 drops on my toothpaste when I brush my teeth. It makes my teeth feel fresh from the dentist clean – and strips all the fuzz off my teeth and helps keep them whiter longer in between whitening. Overall my oral health seems to be better since I started using it. The oil blend is called Deliverance and you can read more about it here.

I eat HEALTHY. None of that Special K, Yoplait, Lean Cuisine, Diet Coke, 100 Calorie Pack, – FAKE healthy foods that taste like cardboard or have chemicals that make it addictive. I eat whole foods…salads with dressings I make myself. Lots of VEGGIES - Lightly sautéed or steamed veggies, leafy greens, Wild Alaskan salmon, organic chicken breast, eggs from pasture raised chickens, quinoa, fruits and nuts….REAL FOOD and it tastes amazing. I read the ingredients on everything I eat and I don't put food made of chemicals in my body.

Exercise – yoga, cycling, pilates – I try to stay very active. In the past I tried to stay active, but my energy was always zapped. Now I have the energy and I actually like working out….I couldn’t say that before. Exercise and sweating, helps to eliminate toxins and strengthen your immune system.

Stress – when we are under a lot of stress, physical, or mental – our bodies require more vitamins. Unfortunately, most people forget to take their vitamins when they are stressed….I know, I’m guilty of that. It’s so import to not only take your vitamins, but take more – especially vitamin C….once again, another reason to always have buffered C on hand. Look for ways to reduce stress - do yoga, meditation, exercise, eat healthy, or change jobs if you have to.

Whole Body Detox - Every year I complete one Whole Body Detox for 30 days and a few 7 day detoxes during the year. Every detox experience has been slightly different but instead of getting older with age, I feel like I'm getting younger....reversing the clock by getting rid of toxins.
 

Look at it this way. Think of your immune system like a big bucket. All the junk you put in your body, from the polluted air we breathe, to the chemicals in food and personal care products, every virus, parasite, etc. goes into this bucket. When your immune system is functioning properly, you’ve got this big ladle that scoops the junk out to keep your bucket from overflowing and making you sick.

When our detoxification system is impaired from a poor diet and vitamin deficiencies, the big ladle is just a slotted spoon. The little slotted spoon can’t keep up with all of the toxins and soon our bucket overflows.

Before I changed my diet and started detoxing, my bucket was overflowing – flooding my body with toxins. Eventually I repaired the deficiencies and changed my diet, fixing my ladle.  I dump my bucket out every year with a complete detox plan. Now everything is functioning properly and I don’t get sick like I use to.

SO what do the detoxes, vitamins and healthy eating all cost me? A hell of a lot less than doctor bills and missed time at work – plus it will save me money in the future.  The cost of all these products runs about $100 with discounts on my web-site. I’m sure most people think that’s a lot of money…but it’s a lot less than most medications. Not to mention the fact that I FEEL FREAKING AWESOME! I think that’s worth a $100 a month…easily. My detox program runs about $329 for 30 days but it’s worth well over $445…actually if you ask me, its priceless….it gave me my life back.

I'm not someone who never gets sick, telling you how to stay healthy. I am someone who was always sick and made changes telling you how to get healthy. There is a difference coming from someone with first hand experience.

You can find all the products I recommend here and offer awesome discounts: 

• Life Extension, Buffered C
• Life Extension, Vitamin D
• Life Extension, Magnesium
• Life Extension, Super Omega 3
• Life Extension, Two Per Day or Life Extension Mix
• Futurebiotics, Colon Complete, Pro-biotic
• Amazing Grass, Green Superfoods
• Butterfly Express, Deliverance – Essential Oil Blend.
• Whole Body Reboot 30 Day
• Whole Boy Reboot 7 Day

I try to take these products every day, and normally I feel pretty good. When I do start to feel sick its usually when I have been inconsistent with my vitamins and my diet. As soon as I feel the tickle in the back of my throat, or I get sneezy, or I just feel really wiped out and tired,  I immediately start the buffered vitamin C flush.  Then I increase my D to 10,000 (if I haven't been taking 5,000 daily), and I try to eat as clean and healthy as possible.

If you are sick right now and don't have these vitamins on hand, but you want relief, follow these steps.

1. If you live in the Salt Lake area, contact me, I have them in stock and you can pick them up today. If you don't live here, I can ship them.

2. Go to Whole Foods and buy Kombucha, when I was sick, I loved Mystic Mango.

3. Forget the chicken noodle soup, buy the vegetables to make this healing broth. 

Have you had problems with your immune system and health in the past? What changes did you make in your life to strengthen you immune system?

RECIPE: Healing Broth

I use to use the broth on my Whole Body Detox plan to assist in detoxification and to take away cravings when trying to lose weight. I now prefer to use homemade bone broth. I'm leaving this up because I have friends that still like homemade vegetable broth.

Healing Broth

Ingredients

• 10 cups of filtered water (or enough water to submerse the veggies)
• 4 one-inch slices of fresh ginger (use more if you like the zing of ginger)
• 4 cloves of whole garlic (not chopped or crushed)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks
• 1-2 cups of sweet potatoes
• 2 cups of chopped beet greens (or use kale, collard greens, chard, dandelion, cilantro or other greens. I prefer beet greens, it gives the broth a nice red color)
• ½ cup of cabbage
• ½ cup fresh shitake mushrooms
• 1 cup of daikon or white radish root and tops (ideal, but optional)
• 1 teaspoon of Dulse powder (or use a few sheets of nori)
• Himalayan salt, to taste

1. Add all the ingredients to a large stock pot and place on a low boil for approximately 60 minutes. It may take a little longer. Simply continue to boil to taste.
2. Cool, strain (throw out the cooked vegetables), and store in a large, tightly-sealed glass container in the fridge.

Heat gently and drink up to 2–4 cups a day. If possible, avoid using the microwave. Heat on the stove or diluted with hot water heated in a teapot or heated water filter spout.

Makes 8 cups

Blossom Tips:

Save, wash and re-use glass juice bottles or Kombucha bottles for your broth.

I prefer to make the broth very concentrated so it doesn’t take up too much space in my fridge (I always make a double batch). Plus I don’t like to heat it up in the microwave and I don’t care for it cold. I prefer to pour the concentrated broth into a mug and fill half way. Then I add hot water to dilute it and warm it up.