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?

Vitamin C – Arming Your Immune System

In my last article I shared with you the importance of vitamin D and its role in strengthening your immune system. Think of vitamin D as your shield to protect you from illness. With time and the right dosage you’ll have the ultimate shield, however, if under attack, you’ll need a good sword too.

You know the feeling when you are under attack; the tickle in the back of your throat, fatigue, sneezing, etc.  The moment you feel those symptoms, it’s time to go to war with the ultimate sword: Vitamin C.

99% of all animals have the ability to synthesize their own vitamin C. Humans and primates lack this ability and require vitamin C through diet and supplementation.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a white, crystalline, water-soluble substance found in citrus fruits and green vegetables (a large orange has about 100 mg). As an antioxidant, vitamin C scavenges free radicals in the body and protects tissues from oxidative stress and also promotes the absorption of iron, while preventing its oxidation.  Vitamin C is a vital co-factor to the formation of collagen, the connective tissue that supports arterial walls, skin, bones, and teeth. In the human scurvy, the body disintegrates from a lack of collagen resulting in death.

More vitamin C is contained in the adrenal glands than any other organ in the body and is required at higher levels during times of stress. Physical stresses on the body such as ingestion of heavy metals, cigarette smoking, immune impairment, extreme temperatures, and chronic use of certain medications such as aspirin also signal the need for increased intake of vitamin C.

Vitamin C has been shown to have a strong effect of preventing and shortening the duration of the common cold. The type of Vitamin C, the dosage and how often it’s taken will determine if you can fight off the cold. After all, you want to fight with a sword not a toothpick.

What type of vitamin C is the best?

You will find several types of vitamin C on store shelves but “Buffered Vitamin C” is a powder containing four buffering minerals, in addition to ascorbic acid. When mixed with water, this product produces a reduced-acid solution that is non-irritating to the stomach or intestinal lining. The minerals also make it a more pleasant-tasting and healthful drink with about 4,000 mg of vitamin C.  Some buffered C products only contain about 1,000 mg per serving. Look for products that contain 4,000-5,000 mg per serving.

What if you feel a cold coming on? Is one dosage enough?

One dose may stab the cold with your sword, but it probably won’t kill it. You’ll feel better for about an hour before the symptoms return to take another stab at you. The Vitamin C council suggests taking 1000-5000 mg of buffered vitamin C every 30-60 minutes. This is called a “Vitamin C Flush”. According to Linda Page author of Healthy Healing, “an ascorbic acid flush accelerates a detoxification program, improves body chemistry to neutralize allergens and fight cold and flu infections. It promotes more rapid healing, and protects against further illness.”

Ascorbate, in the form of the salt sodium-ascorbate, can be administered by a doctor and injected intravenously to control and inactivate viral infections. This is well documented in Dr. Thomas Levy’s Vitamin C Infectious Diseases and Toxins: Curing the Incurable (2002). Vitamin C has been able to cure or contribute to the cure of many common infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and polio. Dr. Levy presents documented evidence that Vitamin C is the treatment of choice for many potentially fatal diseases and toxins.

Dr. Levy suggests healthy adults take 6,000-12,000 mg orally in 3-4 divided doses daily to meet the body’s metabolic needs to prevent disease and infection. The exact dosage will depend on your own bowel tolerance to vitamin C.

Consult your doctor before taking large amounts of vitamin C if you have hemochromatosis, thalassemia, sideroblastic anemia, sickle cell anemia, or erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. You can experience iron overload if you have one of these conditions and use large amounts of vitamin C.

My Personal Buffered Vitamin C Experience

I have asthma and I stopped taking my daily maintenance medication a couple of years ago due to cost. I was only using my rescue inhaler for exercise.  Two years ago, my asthma was the worst it’s been in years and knew I’d have to visit the doctor to get a daily maintenance prescription.  At the time, I was taking about 2,000 mg of “MegaC” each day. I read about Buffered Vitamin C and its roll in detoxification and decided to switch. The day I received my Buffered C, I took 1 dose of 4,000 mg and within 10 minutes, my asthma seemed to improve better than a dose from my rescue inhaler. I’ve continued to take it twice daily.

Four months later – I was not using maintenance medication or my rescue inhaler and I just ran my first 5K.  I’ve also noticed a huge improvement in my allergies. I’ve shared my sword with friends and colleagues who were under attack and the vitamin C flush worked. They all successfully fought the cold without getting sick.

Two years later, I have one cold that was bad for 1 day and was completely gone in 3 days (this was while I was on vacation and didn't have my buffered C on the plane when I started getting sick). I've had a few close calls and a few that seemed like allergies. I immediatly increased my dosage to 4 doses per day and the runny nose went away.

I highly recommend Buffered C from Life Extension. Most the other brands of Buffered Vitamin C on the market only have 1000 mg per dose. Life Extension has 4000 mg per dose and each bottle has 100 doses. Some people are concerned because Life Extension lists "Corn" on the label. It does not contain corn, the vitamin C is extracted from corn. The technology is such that the method using a two-step fermentation process is as follows: Corn> Glucose > Sorbitol + fermentation > Sorbose + fermentation > Keto-Gluconic acid > ascorbic acid.Through the manufacturing process the ascorbic acid is so refined that there is no corn or constituents found in the ascorbic acid. So although the start is corn as you can see through the process there is no corn left in the Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). These ingredients are fine chemicals that have compendial standards to very high purity; does not have corn.

Check out this amazing video about a man who was dead from swine flu and survived after he was given high doses of Vitamin C:

http://www.3news.co.nz/Living-Proof-Vitamin-C---Miracle-Cure/tabid/371/articleID/171328/Default.aspx

Also this great story about Dr. Thomas Levy and curing Pulmonary Embolism.

http://www.tomlevymd.com/health_ebytes/issue_8.html

Order the best Buffered Vitamin C - click here.

Resources:

www.lef.org

www.tomlevymd.com

www.vitamincfoundation.org

The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.

Vitamin D, Building Your Immune System with the Right Tools

What tools do you have in your toolkit to fight off colds, flu and infections? Is it working? Or are you still fighting cold after cold? Are you wasting money on vitamins and “immune boosting” products? Chances are if you’ve been sick this year, you may not be supplying your immune system with the right tools.

Over the last 5 year, no other nutrient or drug has gained more scientific credibility than vitamin D. Insufficient vitamin D is linked to virtually every age-related disorder including cancer, vascular disease, autoimmune diseases, depression, chronic fatigue and chronic pain/inflammation. Adults (and children) with higher vitamin D levels contract substantially fewer cold, flu, and other viral infections.

Studies show 50-85% of the general population is currently Vitamin D deficient. In fact, a startling 36% of the general population has vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL which may represent the world’s leading cause of unnecessary disease and death.

How do I know if I’m Vitamin D deficient?

See your doctor for a simple blood test to check your vitamin D levels. Based on recent and conclusive published studies, the new minimum target level for optimal disease prevention is over 50 ng/mL of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D.

How much Vitamin D?

If you are severely deficient, your doctor may prescribe a 7,000-10,000 IU vitamin D³ daily for 3 months (Or weekly doses of 50,000-60,000 IU). Currently the daily recommended amount is only 400 IU. There is some debate over how much vitamin D³ we should be taking. Some doctors are pushing to change the daily recommendation to 1,000-2,000 IU per day.

Dr. John Cannell, the president of The Vitamin D Council, a non-profit group that advocates higher vitamin D intake. According to Dr. Cannell, adults need to take 5,000 IU a day of vitamin D³ to put the vast majority of them (97.5%) above the 50 ng/mL level. Dr. Cannell says that optimal doses for adults are between 4,600 and 10,000 IU, with persuasive evidence that 10,000 IU a day of supplemental vitamin D³ is not toxic. To answer the question as to exactly how much vitamin D³ an individual needs requires a blood test.

Most commercial multi-vitamins only have 400 IU of vitamin D. Some of the better vitamin companies have increased the dosage to 2,000 IU. In another surprising revelation, scientists have discovered that high-dose vitamin A antagonizes the beneficial action of vitamin D³ in the body. This finding might explain why certain studies of people using commercial multivitamins (that contain too much vitamin A and woefully inadequate vitamin D) have failed to yield expected health benefits. Life Extension foundation and the Vitamin D Council recommend taking vitamin D³ separate from a multi-vitamin.

Human toxicity may occur after chronic daily consumption of approximately 40,000 IU/day of D³. Vitamin D hypersensitivity syndromes are often mistaken for vitamin D toxicity. Those with a rare disorder called sarcoidosis, severe renal impairment, primary hyperparathyroidism, or any condition resulting in an elevated calcium level in the blood should consult with their physician before taking vitamin D supplements.

My Personal Vitamin D Experience

2 1/2 years ago after reading some of the vitamin D reports, I decided to add vitamin D³ to my vitamin regimen. My 2-A-Day multi vitamin had 2,000 IU. I then added a 1,000 IU vitamin D³ (I may have forgotten to take it a couple of days a week).  After 6 months I caught 4 colds and the flu. I decided to see my doctor; I was tired of catching every cold that walked past me and my energy was zapped. She ran several tests, everything was OK – except my vitamin D levels were low - around 40. She suggested taking 5,000 IU in addition to my multi-vitamin.  It can take 3 months or more to bring your Vitamin D levels up to a healthy level.  Taking large doses upon the onset of a cold may not help to kick the illness. But it may help if you've been inconsistant with taking your vitamins. It seems when I'm taking my D daily, I feel great. If I start slacking and only taking them once or twice per week, I'm putting myself at risk for possibly getting sick. If I start to feel a cold coming on, I immediatly take 10,000 IU of vitamin D. Then I take 4,000 MG of Buffered Vitamin C, 4 times per day with food until i feel normal again. Over the last 2 years, I've felt about 4 colds coming on. My asthma usually acts up and I might feel tired. I have not felt congested, had cough or any other cold symptom.

Resources:

www.lef.org

www.vitamindcouncil.org