Dr. G’s Top 4 Natural Cold and Flu Fighters
Lower Your Risk of Getting Sick This Winter
Being sick with the flu is miserable.
But if you’re over a certain age, it can also be dangerous.
In fact, 85 percent of flu-related deaths occur in people who are over 65.
I choose to skip the flu vaccine—and I advise my patients to as well.
(To read more about why, click here.)
But I’m not here to talk about what NOT to do. Instead, I’m here to give you specific ways to help prevent colds and flu without resorting to taking the flu shot.
Here are four top ways to help fight the flu this winter.
Zinc
If you want to protect yourself from any kind of virus, it doesn’t get much more powerful than zinc.
If you become infected with a virus, zinc helps stop the virus from replicating and spreading.
A deficiency in zinc can also impact the production of immune cells called T cells. This could make you more vulnerable to an infection from any kind of virus.
The good news is that taking a 75mg zinc lozenge has been shown to shorten the recovery time of people suffering from the common cold.
For best results, take it at the first sign of sickness.
Probiotics
Seventy-five percent of your immune system is located in your microbiome… which means that your immune system is only as healthy as your gut.
It makes sense, then, that improving your gut health with a probiotic can reduce your risk of contracting a flu-like virus and cut down the number of days you experience symptoms.
You can boost your gut health through your diet—by eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and beans. And by eating more fermented foods such as, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut.
Vitamin D
A deficiency in vitamin D has been implicated in numerous types of infections.
A meta-analysis including studies from over a dozen countries determined that when people who were deficient in vitamin D took daily or weekly D supplements, they cut their risk of a respiratory infection in HALF.
In addition to supplements, you can get vitamin D from foods like eggs, salmon, and tuna.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol has made a name for itself as an anti-aging nutrient, but it can help prevent viral infections, too.
Studies have shown that resveratrol has numerous anti-viral mechanisms that make it harder for viral cells to live.
One study even showed that resveratrol specifically inhibited a type of coronavirus called MERS.
Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes, but you’d be “hard-pressed” to consume enough red wine to gain these benefits.
Instead, try taking a resveratrol supplement.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/4-micronutrients-you-must-eat-this-flu-season/
