Tag Archive for: vitamin C

Immune Boost 1-2-3 Cautions

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Someone recently asked an excellent question: “Is there any risk in taking higher amounts of echinacea?” I’ll extend that to include vitamin C, garlic, and probiotics. The answer is possibly. I’m not hedging, but it’s complicated. Let me give you some examples.

One factor that can apply to any supplement is allergies. Echinacea and garlic are plants, and you may be allergic to one of the components of the plant. Instead of reducing your allergic response, it may heighten the response, causing the watery eyes and runny nose you’re trying to avoid. There’s no way to know for sure other than trial and error. If something makes you feel worse, it goes without question that you’ll stop it immediately.

Another potential issue is your genetics; you may process a phytochemical from these plants faster or slower than typical. That means it could be metabolized out of your system before it really has a positive effect or it could take longer to metabolize and stay in your system longer. There are no genetic tests for how you’ll react to any supplement—it’s trial and error.

One other aspect that’s important is whether you take medications. No surprise that there’s incomplete research on the interaction of every plant with every medication, so there’s no way to know how an herb or nutrient will interact with your meds. Garlic may reduce the coagulation of your blood; if you’re on blood thinners, you may not be able to take garlic because it could thin your blood too much. Or you might be able to take it because of your genetics and how you metabolize it. See how complicated it gets?

What you should know is that most people will not have a problem using the 1-2-3 immune boost. If you do, do what any reasonable person would do and stop taking it. On Saturday, I’ll cover the issue of using echinacea if you have an autoimmune disease.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Immune Boost 1-2-3: Vitamin C

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The third part of our immune system boost is vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, it’s best known as an antioxidant. From the research of Linus Pauling until today, vitamin C has been researched extensively. Even though vitamin C hasn’t been proven to prevent a cold, it does seem to reduce the symptoms of a cold. That may be the result of its antioxidant capacity to reduce inflammation.

When the body is exposed to viruses or allergens, the immune response is triggered. That’s desirable, of course, but what we don’t like are the symptoms associated with the response such a watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, and on and on. While the exact mechanism is unknown, what may be happening is that vitamin C may be clearing up the free radicals on immune response cells, thereby allowing them to function better. No one knows but it makes sense.

Take 250–500 mg three times a day. Some people increase their C to 10 times that amount, but my strategy is always to take the lowest amount to get the result I want.

CGE123Let’s summarize our immune boost 1-2-3:

250–500 mg vitamin C; usually 1 tablet
600 mg garlic; usually 2 tablets
500 mg echinacea; usually 3 tablets

Just remember C-G-E-1-2-3; check the label to make sure you have the right strength. Take this combo three times a day until the symptoms are resolved. Whether a virus or seasonal allergies, I’ve found this works best. Of course, genetics may make one immune booster more effective for some people; that’s where trial and error come in.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Broken Bones and Heel Spurs

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Two questions I regularly get asked about bones: What can I do to help heal broken bones? And what can I do about heel spurs? Without question, you must see a doctor to get a diagnosis. This is something you shouldn’t self-diagnose or try to “handle” it yourself. Once you’ve done that, here’s what I would do.

For broken bones, once the bones are set and you have a cast or other immobilizing device, there are some nutrients that may help:

  • Glucosamine: 1,500 – 3,000 mg per day. Seem odd? Not . . .

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The Big Chill: Do You Need a Flu Shot?

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In this final installment of The Big Chill, I’m going to take a look at flu shots: should you get one or not? Before I do that, a word about echinacea.
Echinacea
Many readers have read that echinacea shouldn’t be used long term or used at all if you have an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. The problem is that there are no studies to support either position and no studies to suggest it’s harmful, either. In that situation, the approach is always to proceed with caution until we know more. The only problem with waiting . . .

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The Big Chill: Immune-Boosting Supplements

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Getting ready for cold and flu season, let’s turn to dietary supplements that may help keep your immune system strong. Dozens of supplements are promoted to strengthen the immune system, but let’s stick to what I know works based on the research and my experience: echinacea, garlic, and vitamin C.

Make sure you read this first before you go to the amounts of each supplement to take below because in this case, close enough is. Don’t obsess about the difference between 200 mg or 250 mg, and if I say 300 mg three times a day, don . . .

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