How to Prepare for the Fall Virus Season

June 2nd, 2020 by Loretta Lanphier, NP, BCTN, CN, CH, HHP

How to Prepare for the Fall Virus Season

The fall season will be here before we know it. While I’m not totally convinced the fall virus season will be much different than in previous years, I believe everyone should know how to prepare their body for the fall virus season. Currently, we receive daily media reminders suggesting that a wave of the coronavirus during the fall months is possible or even probable, depending on who you listen to. Fall is also the time when flu season arrives, so the possibility of dealing with two viruses is very real. If you find yourself in the categories of being immune-compromised, in the over 65 age group, or both, then right now is the time to begin working on supporting and boosting your immune. Let’s discuss how to prepare for the fall virus season using natural means.

Most people understand that the gut-wall houses about 70 percent of the cells that make up the immune system. To keep your immune system functioning at optimum levels, it’s necessary to focus on both gut health and liver health. The liver is the primary filter for your body and, as such, needs to be working efficiently in order to have a healthy immune system. There is no one supplement or modality alone that can effectively restore an unhealthy immune system, even though many would have you believe differently. To repair and support your immune system naturally, it’s crucial to address proper cleansing, eat a healthy diet, lower stress levels, get restful sleep, take quality supplementation, and employ health modalities such as chiropractic and lymphatic drainage. All of these work together in perfect harmony to provide a synergistic effect in supporting immune system health.

RELATED: Calculate Your Immune System Function

How to Prepare for the Fall Virus Season

Below are 14 suggestions you can implement to boost your immune system health and prepare for the fall virus season.

1. Digestive tract cleansing and Liver/gallbladder cleansing

The most important thing you can do to prepare for the fall virus season is to perform both a digestive tract and liver-gallbladder cleanse. In fact, I consider it a must, especially at the beginning of the fall and spring seasons, as well as after a round of antibiotics or other prescription medications. If you have never performed a cleanse, I suggest first performing a digestive trace cleanse, and then three back-to-back liver cleanses with five-seven days in between each one. For digestive tract cleansing and bouts of constipation, Oxy-Powder is one of the best oxygen-cleansing products on the market today. While cleansing may seem a bit cumbersome, the health benefits of cleansing are astounding — when you heal and cleanse your gut, you automatically boost your immune system!

oxy-powder-colon-cleanser

2. Parasite – Harmful Organism Cleanse

Unfortunately, parasites are easier to pick up than most people realize; in fact, everyone has parasites. Many worm parasites have a long life span and can cause chronic infections. When infected, you can remain asymptomatic for many years while these pests are setting up house, continually making babies, and even going to the bathroom in your body. Some worms can live a long time and secrete things that will control your immune system, tricking it into thinking they are part of your body. Using several rounds of a parasite/harmful organism, cleanse enables the ability to get the entire life-cycle of parasites. I highly recommend and personally use this harmful organism cleanse.

3. Eat Healthy

Robust immune system health depends significantly on a healthy diet full of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. In fact, a healthy diet is foundational for a healthy immune system, and the summer months are an ideal time to begin eating healthy. A nutrient-deficient diet, on the other hand, can cause your entire system to turn upside down, starting from a sluggish digestive system to a distressed elimination system—both of which can bring a healthy immune system down. Eliminate gluten, refined sugar, processed dairy, and most pre-packaged foods. Too much refined sugar can bring your immune system down and can ruin your health. Overconsumption of refined sugar is likely the most significant reason many people get sick around holidays. Cook at home with fresh and organic ingredients and try to eliminate dining out for a while. Many people find that removing gluten from their diet helps with weight loss as well as with other types of lifestyle health issues such as diabetes. Consuming green leafy vegetables every day is excellent for your immune system. Put a capful of organic raw apple cider in each glass of purified water that you drink throughout the day. Incorporate essential fatty acids into your diet. Eat as close to nature as possible. Drink pure, clean spring water or distilled water and green tea, or prepare some of the organic fruit water recipes.

DID YOU KNOW? Unlike antiviral drugs, green tea (Camellia sinensis) seems to work by boosting the immune system, enhancing the proliferation and activity of gamma delta T cells, a type of immune cell that acts as “a first-line defense against infection.” This Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study found that “Subjects who drank six cups of tea per day had up to a 15-fold increase in [infection-fighting] interferon-gamma production in as little as one week.”

4. Vitamin D3 Level

There’s convincing evidence that indicates optimizing your vitamin D level can lessen your risk of COVID-19 as well as other viral infections such as the seasonal flu. The optimum time to work on your D3 level is during the summer months. I advise getting your levels checked before beginning supplementation and then again at 4-6 months. The best way to bring up your levels and keep your levels optimum is to get out in the sun for at least 30 minutes each day. If you are unable to get sun every day as well as during the winter months, consider taking an organic Vitamin D3 supplement such as Organic Vitamin D3. Most people need at least 2000 – 5000 IU per day, more for those fighting illness. 

5. High-Quality Probiotics

When you consider the fact that 70% of your immune system dwells in your gut, perpetuating a balance of probiotic bacteria (good bacteria) becomes necessary in elevating your immune defenses. The good bacteria in your gut, known as probiotics, have the responsibility of supporting digestion, fighting against harmful organisms, and keeping your immune system health in check. One particular probiotic strain, Brevibacillus laterosporus (B. laterosporus), attacks yeast and fungus such as Candida. Candida albicans overgrowth can cause yeast infections, brain fog, fatigue, and other unpleasant health issues. Using B. laterosporus can help to reset the gut balance and allows the helpful and friendly bacteria strains to take back over. I highly suggest using a spore-bearing probiotic such as Latero-Flora taken at night before bed.

6. Enzymes

Enzymes aid in digesting food, transporting nutrients, carrying away toxic wastes, purifying the blood, and the conversion of protein. On a larger scale, enzymes also slow the aging process and support our body’s wellness and homeostasis. Though our body produces enzymes naturally, our natural enzyme production begins to decline after age 25. As we age, our body produces fewer enzymes, and eventually, we may become enzyme deficient. At this point, many people begin to notice the effects of aging, including joint pain and circulatory problems, slower injury and wound healing, and increased internal inflammation and disease. In terms of healthy immune system function, enzymes are vital. White blood cells are especially rich in enzymes, which help them to digest and destroy any foreign organisms – such as viruses and bacteria that try to harm our bodies. Every day, millions of enzymes within our bodies help to renew, sustain, and protect us, making them very necessary for a healthy immune system.

Preparing for the Fall Virus Season

7. Iodine

Iodine is excellent for supporting your immune system. Every cell in your body relies on iodine. No bacteria, virus, or mycoplasma can survive or adapt to an environment that is rich in iodine. Iodine also gives tremendous support to your thyroid, which is very important for supporting the immune system.

It’s a good idea to obtain your iodine from food. Foods such as seafood, seaweed, and sea vegetables are all fantastic sources of iodine, even in small amounts. If foods sourced from the sea are not your thing, you can supplement with an organic nascent iodine supplement. As always, consult with an iodine-literate healthcare practitioner concerning the amount of iodine that is right for you.

8. Selenium

Selenium is an essential mineral that comes with many health benefits, such as being critical to thyroid health and healthy immunological activity. Studies have shown that increased blood levels of selenium a vital to an enhanced immune response. Selenium deficiency is shown to harm immune cell function and can lead to a sluggish immune response. Supplementing with high-quality selenium may help strengthen the immune system in those presenting with influenza, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C.

Good sources of selenium are goat’s milk, free-range eggs, Pau d’Arco Tea, or a quality selenium supplement. Dietary selenium is considered an essential micronutrient that affects many aspects of our health, including optimal immune responses. I recommend and use a plant-based selenium supplement extracted from mustard seed containing other natural co-nutrients from the plant. It is highly bioavailable, vegan-friendly, and a powerful antioxidant that performs several critical functions within the body. It is essential to include selenium when taking iodine.

9. Vitamin C 

Vitamin C helps with stress and may act as an antioxidant. Antioxidants can help to combat free radicals, better equipping your immune system to fight invading bacteria and microbes. Vitamin C also boosts the activity of phagocytes, immune cells that can “swallow” harmful bacteria and other particles (R).

Also, it encourages the growth and spread of lymphocytes, a type of immune cell that increases your circulating antibodies — proteins that can attack foreign or harmful substances in your blood. (R)

You can also get a good amount of vitamin C from a healthy diet that contains a large variety of fruits and vegetables, which naturally provide vitamin C along with many other nutrients and antioxidants.

I use and recommend Vitality C with GMS Metabolites. Use the bowel tolerance test when deciding how much Vitamin C to take.

Vitality C -high dose vitamin c

10. Zinc

Zinc is a key mineral that is important for the proper functioning of the immune system. The NHI indicates that children and the elderly with zinc deficiency in the developing world are more vulnerable to pneumonia and other infections. The agency reports zinc allows the body to produce and activate T-cells (t-lymphocytes), which are some of the white blood cells that respond to infections. This 14-page review article discusses the evidence and the benefits of zinc for viral prevention. Food sources for zinc include red meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, and dark chocolate. In supplement form, I use and suggest Zinc Orotate.

Did You Know? A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine estimates 60 to 80 percent of primary care doctor visits are related to stress. Yet only 3 percent of patients receive stress management help.

11. Reduce Your Stress Levels

We live in a very fast-paced and stressful world. Chronic stress is quickly becoming known as the real “silent killer” in adults and children. “Some kinds of stress — very short-term, that last only a matter of minutes — redistribute cells in the bloodstream in a way that could be helpful,” says Suzanne Segerstrom, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky who has conducted studies on stress and the immune system. “But once stress starts to last a matter of days, there are changes in the immune system that aren’t so helpful. And the longer that stress lasts, the more potentially harmful those changes are.” This makes it imperative to deal effectively with stress issues before they become a factor for illness or disease. Walking is a great stress reliever. Activities such as gardening, rebounding, hobbies, sports, etc., are also useful for relieving stress naturally. Talking to a trusted friend, practitioner, or pastor can also be helpful. Working on anger, resentment, victim mentality, and other toxic emotions are also healing to the entire body.

12. Restful Sleep

Adequate and restful sleep is VERY IMPORTANT for repairing, healing, and even boosting your immune system. Lack of sleep reduces the activity of T-cells (a crucial type of immune cell) and weakens your immune response. Studies of identical twins show the sleep-deprived twin had increased inflammation markers and unfavorable immune markers. Going to bed (sleeping — not reading, watching TV, or on your laptop) by 10:30 PM every night goes a long way in restoring stress hormones to healthy levels, thus supporting healthy immune function.

13. Chiropractic

Chiropractic is more than cracking bones. Frequent chiropractic adjustments can also improve your immune system as well as provide stress relief. Your nervous system and immune system are connected and work together, creating optimal responses for the body to heal correctly. Neural dysfunctions due to spinal misalignment stress the body, creating changes that can lead to a poorly coordinated immune response. Chiropractic adjustments can boost the coordinated responses of the nervous system and the immune system. It’s worth your while to find a good chiropractor and get several adjustments over the summer months.

14. Lymphatic Drainage

Your lymphatic system works with your circulatory system to deliver nutrients and oxygen from the blood to the cells, as well as removing toxins and waste from these cells. When the lymphatic system becomes blocked, you become defenseless against attacks by viruses and bacteria. Lymphatic drainage improves the functioning of the lymphatic system as a whole, which plays a vital role in the body’s immune system response. You can achieve this by gentle, rhythmical, circling movements of the skin that stimulate the contractions of the lymphatic vessels. 

Dry skin brushingrebounding, and mindful breathing exercises can activate lymph and interstitial fluid circulation as well as stimulate the functioning of the immune and parasympathetic nervous systems. The benefits of these gentle self-healing therapies include reducing insomnia, detoxification of the entire body, relief from chronic pain, and can be compared to using a plunger on a slow-moving or stopped-up drain.

In Conclusion

Many of us have lived long enough to have seen history repeat itself in one way or another. In the 1950s, we experienced the polio epidemic, which, in fact, was already declining when the polio vaccine was introduced. In the 1980s, we experienced the AIDS pandemic that was supposed to wipe out the planet. Then the SARS epidemic of 2003, which killed 774 worldwide. Next was the 2013 Avian Bird flu, which infected 1500 and killed 600 people. All were labeled as pandemic situations. So let’s put all this in perspective. Every single day in the USA, 1660 people die from cancer…and no one blinks, and we hear nothing from the media. The takeaway? Prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually. Learn about the importance of boosting your immune system naturally. Work on your health every day. Viruses burn out soon. Stay calm. Always follow preventative measures, one of which is to prepare for the fall virus season during the summer. Use common sense. Live your life.

RELATED: How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Modalities

** As always, and especially if you are immune-compromised, check with your doctor BEFORE taking any vitamins or supplements to make sure there is no contraindication with any prescription meds you are currently taking. You can also search this out online by typing into a search engine “the name of the drug + contraindications” or “the name of the drug + the name of the vitamin or supplement” (don’t use quotation marks). Your healthcare provider knows all of your particular health issues, and it’s always best to talk with him/her BEFORE taking vitamins/supplements.

Research and Resources

Cas Lek Cesk, Nouza K, Wald M. Systemic Enzyme Therapy. 1995 Oct 4;134(19):615-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7585873.

Rowe CA, Nantz MP, Bukowski JF, Percival SS. Specific formulation of Camellia sinensis prevents cold and flu symptoms and enhances gamma, delta T cell function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Am Coll Nutr. 2007;26(5):445‐452. doi:10.1080/07315724.2007.10719634.

Hoffmann, PR, Berry, MJ. The Influence of Selenium on Immune Responses. 2008 Nov;52(11):1273-80. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.200700330.

Vitamin D and the Immune System.Investig Med. Aug 2011; 59(6): 881–886.doi:10.231/JIM.0b013e31821b8755.

Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH. Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94. Epub 2005 Dec 21.

Segerstrom, S. C. and Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry. Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 130, No. 4.

Suzanne C. Segerstrom et al. “Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry.” Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 130, No. 4, 2004.

Bruce S. McEwen. “Protective and Damaging Effects of Stress Mediators.” The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 338:171-179.

Sleep as a mediator of the stress-immune relationship, Psychosomatic Medicine January 1, 1998 vol. 60 no. 1 48-51.

Circadian clock governs highs and lows of immune response.

Jockers, Dr. David. Chiropractic Boosts Immunity. February 2011.Natural News.com

Brennan PC, et al. Enhanced Phagocytic Cell Respiratory Burst Induced by Spinal Manipulation: Potential Role of Substance PJ Manipulative Physiol Ther 1991 (Sep); 14 (7): 399–408.

29. Macfarlane GT, Cummings JH. Probiotics and prebiotics: can regulating the activities of intestinal bacteria benefit health? BMJ. 1999 Apr 10;318(7189):999-1003. Review.

Teemu Taipale, Kaisu Pienihäkkinen, Erika Isolauri, Charlotte Larsen, Elke Brockmann, Pentti Alanen, Jorma Jokela, Eva Söderling. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 in reducing the risk of infections in infancy. British Journal of Nutrition. 2011 February. vol. 105 issue 03, 409-416 doi:10.1017/S0007114510003685.

Gomez-Gonzalez B, Dominguez-Salazar E, Hurtado-Alvarado G, et al. Role of sleep in the regulation of the immune system and the pituitary hormones. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Jul;1261:97-106. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06616.x.

Nerurkar A, Bitton A, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Yeh G. When physicians counsel about stress: results of a national study. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(1):76‐77. doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.480

Loretta Lanphier is a Naturopathic Practitioner, Board Certified Traditional Naturopath, Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Practitioner, and Certified Clinical Herbalist as well as the CEO/Founder of Oasis Advanced Wellness in The Woodlands, TX. She keeps up with current natural health information. She extensively researches health science, natural hormone balancing, anti-aging techniques, nutrition, natural medicine, weight loss, herbal remedies, and non-toxic cancer support, and actively researches new natural health protocols and products. A 21-year stage 3 colon cancer survivor, Loretta can relate to both sides of the health coin as a patient and practitioner regarding health and wellness. “My passion is counseling others about what it takes to keep the whole body healthy using natural and non-toxic methods.” Read Loretta’s health testimony, Cancer: The Path to Healing. Loretta is a Contributor and Editor of the worldwide E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellne s. Check out Oasis Advanced Wellness and our natural skin care products, Purely Ageless Natural Skin Care.
†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and do not replace your doctor’s advice. Oasis Advanced Wellness/OAWHealth does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice from Oasis Advanced Wellness/OAWHealth are not a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician of choice.

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