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While we sit at home (hopefully) and watch this COVID pandemic play out throughout our community, our country, and our world I’m sure we all have many things on our minds and hearts. While I can’t tell you what the future holds, and I can’t help with all the things that might be concerning you right now, I can rejoice with you in the good things. I can celebrate the ways we are protecting each other, I can breathe with you (from at least 6 ft away) and enjoy air that is now less polluted than it has been in decades, and I if you are interested, I can share my knowledge with you, to help you take control of the things we can control regarding health and wellness.
Now, perhaps more than ever, people are ready to take action to improve their health. Boosting our immune systems through some simple steps can at the very least improve your well being, perhaps reduce the effects of stress, or in a best-case scenario, it may even prevent the severity of illness if you do get sick. There are many ways to boost the immune system, including exercise, improved diet, stress management, and getting enough sleep. I encourage you to consider all of these things and start making healthy changes now. Today though, I want to specifically talk about what may be the easiest method of boosting the immune system, which is adding immune-boosting vitamin supplements to your daily routine.
Some of the vitamins that are particularly helpful with supporting the immune system are:
(Warning! Scientific babbling and sources of said babbling ahead! Feel free to skip ahead if these things make you nod off unless of course, you’re trying to get more sleep to increase your immune function!)
Vitamin C: Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Supplementation with vitamin C appears to be able to both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections. (Source)
Vitamin D: Vitamin D can modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Vitamin D has numerous effects on cells within the immune system. It inhibits B cell proliferation and blocks B cell differentiation and immunoglobulin secretion. Cells of the immune system are capable of synthesizing and responding to vitamin D. (Source)
Vitamin E: Immunomodulatory effects of vitamin E have been observed in animal and human models under normal and disease conditions. Vitamin E is a major fat-soluble antioxidant that scavenges peroxyl radicals and terminates the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In humans, the effects of vitamin E on the natural incidence of infectious diseases have been determined in several studies. (Source)
Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is an important micronutrient for our health, and its deficiency could weaken immunity. Results demonstrated that vitamin B6 deficiency influenced the immune system in three ways: (1) downregulation of SOCS-1 expression, as well as upregulation of T-bet expression, (2) suppression of T lymphocyte differentiation, and (3) decreased levels of IL-2 secretion and increased levels of IL-4 secretion. Appropriate supplementation of vitamin B6 could recover the impaired immunity caused by a short-term vitamin B6 deficiency. (Source)
Zinc: Zinc affects multiple aspects of the immune system. Zinc is crucial for the normal development and function of cells mediating innate immunity, neutrophils, and NK cells. (Source)
As always, be sure to consult with your physician or health care provider before beginning a supplement regimen. Once you have the green light to take this step, we are here to help! The Smoothie Shop is now offering personalized vitamin packs to help you get just what you need and nothing you don’t. These packs consist of medical grade vitamin supplements, so you don’t have to worry about quality or consistency. They are packaged as daily packs, so every vitamin you need is in a convenient pack that you can easily grab and have everything you need in one place. No sorting through vitamins, no filling up the cabinet with bottle after bottle that all have a different number of pills so you run out at different times. Once we are able to be out and about again, or if you have an essential job, they are easy to throw in your pocket or purse to have on hand when you need them and they make keeping up with your vitamin routine while traveling super easy! These packs are completely customizable, so you can include everything you need all in one. All you need to do to order your personalized packs is email Kevin at ko@thesmoothieshop.com and he will get you all set up to have these delivered right to your door! We are also happy to help with any questions you have! I’m sending you all virtual hugs and I hope you and yours are and continue to be, healthy and safe.