Respiratory Health in Winter
Many of you will have good respiratory health. You have no underlying respiratory problems, but like all of us, you are likely to experience respiratory symptoms if you contract a virus that affects your respiratory system.
Others, like me, have a history of respiratory problems. I had childhood asthma and severe hay fever, with a tendency towards sinus infections. In my late 20’s I contracted a severe flu. This really floored me. It weakened my immune system to the point I also contracted Epstein-Barr Virus (glandular fever).
My respiratory health steadily deteriorated to where I had developed asthma, chronic bronchitis, and the beginnings of bronchiectasis. Both these are now classified as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). I had a cheerful respiratory physician who told me that I would experience steady deterioration in respiratory health. In my 30’s I was prescribed big jars of antibiotics and was semi-permanently taking these.
This all started to change when I was 41. A friend told me about an amazing antioxidant product that was based on OPC. My respiratory health steadily improved to where now at 69 it is better that it was in my 20’s before I was sick. I no longer have COPD and have only slightly reduced lung capacity from a decade of repeated bronchitis. I no longer have hay fever or sinus issues. I put all these changes down to effective supplements and of course a good diet and exercise.
Supplements to prevent and help respiratory problems
We need to have a winter preventative supplement programme in place. This is a maintenance programme designed to support your immune system.
Vitamin D
Immune health starts with vitamin D. Inadequate vitamin D will mean your immune system is unable to respond quickly to infection and secondly will have a muddled response to getting rid of it.
Low vitamin D is a known risk factor of lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. Conversely, high vitamin D is protective and has even been shown to make asthma medications more effective.
We know vitamin D exerts strong effects on the immune system. Vitamin D helps to reduce inflammation released by immune cells and importantly can help reduce Mast cell activation, a major issue with asthma.
Broad spectrum immune supporting supplements
Once we have sorted vitamin D, we need to look at the wide range of, minerals, vitamins, and biologically active compounds we in theory should get from food. While we can target vitamins from food, trace minerals are a different matter. If soils are deficient in trace minerals, so will the plants and animals that are grown from that soil.
And this is a real problem. Many soils are naturally low in trace minerals. Most NZ soils are deficient in selenium. On average, Kiwis have half the optimal levels of selenium.
Low selenium means low levels of the critically important enzyme Glutathione peroxidase (GPx). This, along with Superoxide dismutase (SOD) are the most important antioxidants in the body. They are the frontline defences against free radical damage.
Omega 3 from fish oils
Marine Omega 3 is the only direct source of the important Omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is one of the preferred ‘brain’ fats and helps with brain function, especially memory and other cognitive skills. In terms of immunity, it is the EPA that is critical. In short, EPA blocks inflammation while releasing anti-inflammatory chemicals.
If you are not taking blood thinners, you should target 500-1000mg of EPA daily.
Vitamin C
This is important for respiratory and general health. My preference is for powdered supplements that you make into a drink. A teaspoon of powder into a large glass/bottle of water and sip throughout the day. This is much better than taking it all at once as we have a limited ability to absorb a lot of vitamin C at once.
Specific nutrients if you have an underlying respiratory issue
Those who have an underlying respiratory issue (affecting lungs or sinuses) should consider taking a maintenance winter dose of Antiox Plus. While Antiox Plus has other uses, (such as circulatory health) I formulated Antiox Plus primarily to support respiratory health. I included compounds like OPC and Quercetin that help prevent inflammation of airways.
While most of the ingredients help respiratory health, it is the OPC (grape seed extract) and Quercetin that have the most direct action. Both OPC and Quercetin help reduce over-expression of inflammatory chemicals, especially histamine, in airways.
Histamine is normally a helpful chemical produced in special immune cells called Mast cells. Incorrect immune function can lead to unwanted production of histamine. This causes inflammation and narrowing (constriction) of airways.