Healthy Notes » Immunity http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog Helpful Hints For Living Well Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:43:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Don’t Get Sick! http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2011/10/don%e2%80%99t-get-sick/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2011/10/don%e2%80%99t-get-sick/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:07:46 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=86 What are the best and most proven nutrients to keep from getting colds and flues? This has become the number one question in the supplement business these days. And there are certainly a lot of opinions to be had in this area. You hear about Echinacea, Goldenseal, Elderberry, and a wide range of other “immune boosting” nutrients. For the last decade Echinacea has been all the rage, but this year it seems to be Elderberry based products that are the big fad. Let me make it clear, I am not apposed to any of these herbal products and the jury is still out on there true effectiveness. But I do believe strongly in the following nutrients, they are not fads, and are not flashy, but my decisions are truly based on lots of history and research. These are the nutrients I use to keep from getting sick, and they work.

Multi Vitamin (1 a day)

Vitamin C  (2000mgs)

Vitamin E  (400IU)

Vitamin D (2000IU)

Zinc (50mgs)

Obviously, this formula is not going to prevent 100% of every possible bacteria or virus that tries to get us sick, but I truly believe it can help prevent an awful lot of unnecessary sick days. Also, if you do get sick I believe these nutrients will help to lessen the duration of the illness.

]]> http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2011/10/don%e2%80%99t-get-sick/feed/ 0 How Much Probiotics? http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/09/how-much-probiotics/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/09/how-much-probiotics/#comments Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:52:09 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=615 Probiotics are the friendly natural bacteria that live in our digestive tract and they are getting more respected and more widely used everyday. In years past it was mainly natural practitioners that would regularly recommend them to treat and prevent various conditions. Nowadays I see doctor’s notes almost daily recommending probiotics to their patients for many different reasons. Very commonly they are being prescribed for gastrointestinal disorders such as diverticulitis, diarrhea, and food poisoning. It is also very common to see them prescribed for use during and after antibiotic therapy, because it is know well known that antibiotics kill off the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria in the body. The question most of my clients have is how much should I take? This will be the focus of this article.

Probiotics potency is measured in CFU (Colony Forming Units). Simply stated, how many good bacteria are you getting per dosage? They can be purchased in a wide and often confusing array of dosages ranging for one billion CFU to two hundred billion CFU. From 1 to 200 billion, that is a very wide dosage range. It is no wonder people do not know what they should do. Here is my take on the dosage.

First, are you using them for daily maintenance?  I describe maintenance as “I generally feel pretty good and just want to stay that way”, if this statement describes you than I have found between 1 billion and 15 billion each day to be an adequate dosage. Most experts believe that around 2 billion of total consumption daily is perfect for optimum  benefits.

Second, are you currently having gastrointestinal issues or you currently using or coming off of an antibiotic regimen? If this is the case I would recommend a considerably higher dosage. Usually between 15 billion and 50 billion each day until you feel back to normal. At that point it is suggested to stay on a lower maintenance dose of between 1 billion and 15 billion for a few months until you have built up your active colonies sufficiently to assure good digestion into the future.

Third, do you have continuous and severe gastrointestinal issues? If this is your situation than you should opt for a very high dosage probiotics that contains between 50 and 200 billion colony forming units per dose.  I would suggest continuing with this high dose for a couple of weeks or until an improvement is noticed. After this stage I would continue on a moderate dose pretty much forever. A moderate dosage would be between 15 billion and 50 billion CFU daily.

The final question is will I you have to take probiotics forever?  This answer is not simple. It depends on you. Most people seem to do well once thy have established natural active colonies within their digestive tracts, meaning that the probiotics that you have taken have established themselves and are now naturally regenerating inside the intestines. This is the best scenario, but for some people it seems that that the probiotics are not able to reproduce in enough numbers to alleviate the need to replenish this supply through dietary supplementation.

]]> http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/09/how-much-probiotics/feed/ 7 The Silver Antibiotic http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/09/the-silver-antibiotic/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/09/the-silver-antibiotic/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:22:19 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=606 Around the world, for centuries, silver has been used as a natural antibiotic and wellness nutrient. In ancient Greece and Rome there are writings that attest to the fact that they used silver to keep them well. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine taught that silver supported the healing process as early as 400 years before Christ. During the middle ages the wealthy Europeans used silver utensils and containers to keep there food fresher for longer. Alexander’s armies used silver lined water canisters when they fought Napoleon. In the American old west it was common practice to drop silver coins into drinking water barrels in order to help purify the water.

So, what exactly is colloidal silver? Colloidal silver is silver that has been eclectically charged and suspended into sterilized water. The silver particles have been broken down into the smallest possible size in order for the silver to be efficiently utilized by the cells in the body. Then the small particles are electronically charges in order to keep each particle suspended in the distilled water. This is what the colloidal process is referring to, the electronic charge to each silver particle. If the particle are not appropriately charged they will essentially just fall to the bottom of the solution and provide very little cellular benefit.

The silver particles have been broken down into the smallest possible size in order for the silver to be efficiently utilized by the cells in the body. Then the small particles are electronically charges in order to keep each particle suspended in the distilled water. This is what the colloidal process is referring to, the electronic charge to each silver particle. If the particle are not appropriately charged they will essentially just fall to the bottom of the solution and provide very little cellular benefit.

Up until the 1930s colloidal silver was the common choice for physicians to use for its natural antibiotic and antiviral qualities, but with the invention of pharmaceutical antibiotics the use of colloidal silver was essentially forgotten. Today, with the resurgence of natural medicines colloidal silver is making a huge comeback in popularity. Colloidal silver is known to kill most one cell organisms on contact.  Most bacteria, viruses, and funguses are on cell organisms.

Colloidal silver is what I immediately turn to upon feeling sick. It is effective against all infections, colds, flu, food poisoning and many other illnesses. With many of the bacterial infection strains these days becoming antibiotic resistant colloidal silver is a great alternative. NASA is even using silver in its water purification system for the space shuttle and international space station.

]]> http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/09/the-silver-antibiotic/feed/ 4 For Sinus Problems try Quercetin and Bromelain http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/02/for-sinus-problems-try-quercetin-and-bromelain/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/02/for-sinus-problems-try-quercetin-and-bromelain/#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:52:55 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=117 Millions of people suffer with chronic sinus conditions everyday. Being in the natural health industry this is one of the most frequent problems that people come in seeking help. I have found Bromelain and Quercetin very effective for prevention of many miserable sinus symptoms including congestion and sinus headaches. Both Bromelain and Quercetin naturallywork by keeping the sinus membranes from becoming inflamed.

Bromelain is a natural enzyme from pineapple that has amazing generalized anti-inflammatory properties. Many people also will use Bromelain inflammation of the joints and arthritic conditions. But Bromelain is particularly effective for reducing inflammation in the sinus membranes. Usually1000mgs two times daily is effective.

Quercetin is a natural citrus bioflavonoid that has been shown to naturally inhibit histamine release. It works as natural anti-histamine without the side effects of Benadryl like medicines. When histamines are released the sinus membranes become irritated and inflamed and breathing becomes difficult. Usually 1000mgs two times daily is effective.

From a naturalistic approach to sinus problems these two nutrients are the best things going.

]]> http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/02/for-sinus-problems-try-quercetin-and-bromelain/feed/ 4 Vitamin D for Immunity http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2009/11/vitamin-d-for-immunity/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2009/11/vitamin-d-for-immunity/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:10:10 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=68 Vitamin D is known as the “sunlight vitamin”, and for years the general consensus had been that we got all our natural vitamin D needs met by the natural sunlight we absorbed. That might have been true when we our species was outside hunting and gathering for survival or working long hours outsider on the farm, but many of us nowadays receive very little or often no Vitamin D from the sun. The other traditional source of vitamin D has been through Vitamin D fortified milk, but many people nowadays limit there milk consumption.

It was also believed over the last couple of decades that because vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin it would accumulate in the body and cause potential toxicity if taking what were once considered unnecessary dosages. Over the last few years because of a large amount of research that has been completed on vitamin D the general consensus on what is needed daily has dramatically changed.

When I first began to notice the dramatic increase in vitamin D sales a couple of years ago most people where purchasing it for cardiovascular reasons. Many studies at that time began to be published about the cardiovascular benefits and doctors began to prescribe natural vitamin D for that reason.

Over the last year or so a new wave of people has jumped on the vitamin D bandwagon, those people that have been advised by their physicians to use vitamin D for its immunity boosting benefits. The most common recommendations are for adults to take 2000IU daily and for children to take 400IU. The recommended dosage of vitamin D seems to be continuing to evolve. I am currently using 2000IU each day myself and will post an update if a change in this dosage is warranted.

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