Your immune system is one the most complex systems on the planet. It is highly evolved and is able to cope with an amazing diversity of challenges. The problem is however,that the amount of stuff that your immune system has to deal with is increasing. Our world is not becoming cleaner, but is changing rapidly, with new chemicals and toxins introduced every day. The fact that allergies and many immune disorders are increasing is hardly surprising.
Our immune system is highly dependent on some specific nutrients. The main ones are zinc and vitamin C. And guess what? They are also what your adrenal glands need to help you recover from and cope with stress. So, if your stress levels are high and your adrenals have used up most of your zinc and vitamin C supplies, you may likely have a lowered immune system.
Zinc
Many people consider zinc to be the number one mineral. Unfortunately, we often see, and research shows, that many peoples’ zinc level are extremely low. This results in a very poor immune system with increased risk to infections and allergies. Low zinc is also associated with poor growth, skin disorders, low fertility, and also low mood. Unlike other minerals, there is a very simple test for your zinc status. One of the first indications of low zinc function is a loss of taste and smell. At Paddington Clinic, we use a taste test to determine zinc level, which is remarkably effective. This is a very quick and easy test that we recommend all people have done on a regular basis.
Restoring low zinc level however is not always a simple process. We test many people who take a zinc supplement and find that they are low to very low in zinc. Switching to a more bio-avaliable, high potency liquid zinc supplement has a dramatic effect, not only on their taste test, but also on the many signs of low zinc level.
Note: Your highest source of zinc in food is: Sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, yoghurt : porridge every morning made from these ingedients would be a great start to boosting zinc levels.
Vitamin C
It is a similar story with vitamin C. Anyone with a highly processed diet is guaranteed to be vitamin C deficient. Your immune cells have the highest concentration of vitamin C of any cells in your body. Most animals make their own vitamin C in large amounts, but humans lack a specific enzyme, and so we are unable to make vitamin C. This is thought to be due to an evolutionary response to a diet that was very high in fresh fruits and vegetables. To keep your immune system in top shape, we recommend a vitamin C supplement containing a blend of mineral ascorbates proven to get into your immune cells fast.
Note: Vitamin C rich foods include all dark greens like baby spinach, rocket, broccoli, asian greens and fresh herbs.
High Quality Immune Herbs
It is an extraordinary thing that there are some herbs that have potent stimulating effects on our immune system. There are some that can reduce allergies, and some that can increase our defence against invading organisms. It is important, however, to ensure that you are getting the highest quality product and using it at the appropriate dose.
A highly researched and highly effective immune stimulating herb is Andrographis paniculata. This extraordinary herb has been shown to fight back against infections and to be effective against viruses. It is important with all viral infections is to get in early. Once a viral infection has taken hold, there is little that can be done to stop it. Having a robust immune system and having the right nutrients and herbs on hand to catch viruses early is the main defence against all those infections that we can get at any time.
Call us now for your zinc assessment and immune boost