[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ah! Autumn. That golden season of crunching through crispy leaves and toffee apples before it segues seamlessly into winter and the festive season bringing with it the dreaded colds and flu.

So now is the time to start strengthening the immune system in readiness for whatever the coming winter throws at it. You know it makes sense right? Because no one wants Father Christmas to bring them a chest infection.

Health4all have a wide range of supplements to kick start the body’s bug-fighting abilities including non-smelly garlic softgels, that great all-rounder the multivitamin, rosehips, and Bee Propolis. Explore our immune support section here.

A gut feeling
But did you know that a healthy immune system starts, not in the blood stream, but in the gut?

Indeed the vital role of the gastrointestinal system in immune health is demonstrated by the massive amount of immune cells that live in the gut. In fact, a thing called GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue) as the main part of mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) represents somewhere in the region of 70% of the entire immune system. [1]

When the immune system has taken a battering it takes around 6 months to get it back into prime condition. And it’s not just prescription medication and illness that knocks it for six.

La Dolce Vita
During the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer many of us are effectively unbalancing or even destroying gut flora. All those BBQs and all that beer, too little fibre in the diet and too many processed foods – especially ones containing such emulsifiers as polysorbate 80 – will have sent the gut’s friendly microbes scuttling off to the hills. So by the time the BBQ has been packed away our 1st line of defence is seriously depleted and is frantically sending out for reinforcements. The good life is not so good for the gut.

Is it any wonder then that, come winter, we’re felled by the first bug that comes our way?

But fear not. Here comes the cavalry! To speed up the rebuild of microflora in the gut then supplementation of acidophilus, psyllium husk, L-glutamine and quercetin will be of benefit.

Hard on the heels of the gut flora cavalry is a battalion of supplements to support the immune system: garlic, vitamin D, Vitamin C and Bee Propolis.

Garlic
Garlic is great and not just at warding off vampires. But if you can’t stomach eating raw garlic don’t fret. You can still benefit from garlic goodness because supplementation works just as well. And it avoids the laser breath problem associated with eating the stuff.

In recent studies garlic supplementation was shown to be effective in both preventing the sniffles and minimising the duration when they did occur. Over a 12-week period between November and February, 146 volunteers took either a placebo or a garlic supplement. The garlic-taking group had 24 colds between them compared to 65 in the placebo group. Volunteers taking the placebo were much more likely to get more than one cold over the treatment period. And there’s more: The volunteers taking the garlic reported a faster recovery rate than those taking the placebo. [2]

So overall the study suggested that garlic provides some benefit against the common cold by reducing both length of illness and occurrence. And you won’t need to keep a wooden stake to hand.

Vitamin D
We’re all familiar with the notion of vitamin C being helpful in cold and flu relief. But vitamin D can be of assistance with almost any kind of infection – not just colds. This is because it stimulates the production of cathelicidin – a protein with natural antibiotic properties.

5000 to 10,000 IU daily is, for most adults, a safe and effective dose for colds and flu prevention. Vitamin D has been extensively studied and the results support its use in doses higher than the RDA. The vitamin D council is a mine of information. Read more about all its benefits here: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org

Vitamin C
When taken at the right dosage vitamin C can have anti-viral and immune enhancing effects. It aids the body in manufacturing interferon, the immunologic protein, as well as anti-stress hormones.

Bee Propolis
This natural substance is harvested from buds and trees by honey bees. It contains the antioxidant bioflavonoids and regular use of it can help to boost the immune system.

In similar fashion to garlic, trials of propolis for the common cold showed the group taking propolis to become symptom free in less time than the placebo group. [3]

In addition, there were fewer cases with acute or chronic symptoms along with a decrease and occasional suppression of virus in the upper airways. [4]

References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11697022
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2695883
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9179964[/vc_column_text]

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