Essential Supplements for a Healthy Immune System

• Updated on: 2020-02-04
• Read original article here

Coughing, runny nose, sore throat, headache, fever, tiredness, too many sick days off work – does any of this sound familiar? There's nothing worse than getting a cold or flu, especially if it happens more than three times per year, or you get bit by another bug as soon as you're over the stomach flu. This is why I've written this post today so you can get the help you need to boost your immune system!

I've talked about lifestyle strategies for preventing a cold or flu before and I've also shared recommendations for keeping your child's immune system strong so that if they do end up with a cold or flu, it's less severe and they can get better faster. So in this post, I'm going to focus specifically on supplements. 

Before we get to my list of supplements, I first want to explain more about the immune system because whether you realize it or not, you're under attack all the time! Your body is constantly fighting off bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungus to keep you well. I'm sure you know this to be true, especially if you've got a snotty cubicle neighbour or sneezing child! 

Your immune system is complex and fascinating. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks foreign invaders and destroys them. The amazing thing about your immune system is that it's constantly adapting.

An interesting example of this adaptation is why you can only get chickenpox once. Your body makes antibodies against the chickenpox virus so that the next time your body comes into contact with the virus, the antibodies are there to do their job. You now have lifetime immunity, thanks to your immune system doing its job! 

If you're a parent, I have good news for you. While it may seem like your child is getting sick all too often, the good news is that each bout of sickness is educating and developing a healthy immune system for them.

The bigger worry would be if your child NEVER got sick. I remember when I was a kid, parents would have "chickenpox parties" and literally bring their child to a party with other children who had chickenpox so they could just get it over with. 

Beyond these physical and physiological barriers, you have several types of white blood cells including neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes and monocytes that are the invisible part of your immune system working behind the scenes. 

However, if you do not eliminate factors that lower the immune system, you're fighting an uphill battle. All the supplements, elixirs and magical potions in the world won't work until you make a healthy lifestyle a priority. 

Now let's talk about natural health supplements, but please remember there is no one magic pill that can immediately get rid of your cold or restore a suppressed immune system. As stated by Dr. Michael Murray N.D. "the immune system is truly holistic, as evidenced by the close association of psychological, neurological, nutritional, environmental and hormonal factors with immune function. This means the body must be looked at as a "whole".

If you want to research more about this then search "psychoneuroimmunology".

Here are 5 supplements for a strong, robust immune system.

Please note, this is not medical advice and does not override any advice you've been given by a medical doctor or your natural healthcare practitioner. Please speak to your MD or natural healthcare practitioner before taking any supplement and for dosage recommendations. 

Given the importance of the gut microbes for immunity, it makes sense to take a probiotic. Bacteria educate our immune system from the moment we are born. When newborns travel through the birth canal in a vaginal birth, babies swallow massive amounts of microbes which help to colonize their gut and shape their immune system.

 Women who breastfeed will pass along microbes that are associated with a decreased risk of allergies and other problems of the immune system. However, if you're reading this thinking "well, I wasn't breastfed and I was born via C-section", don't worry, there is much you can do to support your microbiome like eating fermented foods regularly. 

A diverse gut flora teaches the immune system to differentiate between friend and foe (bad bacteria, viruses etc) and prevent the gut from absorbing foreign invaders into the blood stream. Having the right set of gut microbes boosts the activity of immune cells in the gut. This is why having a strong immune system reduces the common cold and flu and therefore it is absolutely essential to have a healthy gut microbiome to achieve this. 

Have to take an antibiotic? Please avoid it unless it's absolutely necessary as it will wipe out up to a third of your gut microbes, making you more susceptible to colds, flu, oral thrush, yeast infections and so on. 

Since you have a multitude of different strains of bacteria in your gut, your probiotic should reflect the same. Unfortunately, yogurt just doesn't have enough probiotics to make a significant difference. That's why I personally use Genuine Health's probiotics daily. There are many benefits even beyond supporting the immune system such as reducing constipation and supporting the microbiome of a pregnant mama.

Vitamin D is an extremely supportive nutrient to boost the immune system and when we are ill, it helps the immune system identify and destroy bacteria and viruses. It prevents viral and bacterial upper respiratory infections, and turns on key peptides in the immune system to trigger a strong antimicrobial response.

It's estimated 1 billion people worldwide across all ethnicities and age groups have a vitamin D deficiency. This statistic is from 2012, meaning that number has likely increased. This is a scary reality given how many roles vitamin D has in our body. I always recommend you get your Vitamin D levels checked. In Ontario where I live, the cost is $36 but it's worth it to establish a baseline. I've written a whole blog about Vitamin D if you want to learn what the best food sources are and what else it's good for in the body. 

There are a lot of great vitamin D choices out there and it's a very inexpensive supplement. I would personally avoid cheap tablets as they often have unnecessary fillers and you'll get better absorption using an oil capsule or a liquid; vitamin D is fat soluble after all, so it makes sense to take it in an oil. I personally love the taste of the Genestra Vitamin D. Right now we are giving Vienna these orange flavoured chewables because she likes the taste of them. She won't do the oil otherwise we'd all be on the same supplement.

I love Elderberry Force by New Chapter! In fact, I'm megadosing on it right now. I woke up with a sore throat the other day and it hasn't manifested into anything serious, so fingers crossed I've nipped it in the bud! I think I've told pretty much everyone about it because it's saved me a multitude of times with Vienna bringing home many flu bugs from preschool.

The amazing thing about elderberries is that they contain naturally occuring chemical compounds called anthocyanins which stimulate the immune system. Supplementation of elderberry has been showm to reduce the duration and symptoms of a cold and flu. The flavonoids in elderberry have been found to bind to certain influenza viruses and mitagate the symptoms. Not all elderberry supplements are created equal! 

Speak to your natural healthcare practitioner if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Elderberry Force is my preference because the extraction process maintains the integrity of all the healing benefits of the elderberry. It also happens to be sourced from the best elderberry in the world, Austria!

Deep Immune by St. Francis has been around for over 20 years. It's a tried and true natural health product and with all the junk out there, it's nice to find something that's legit. It works by boosting your body's own natural defenses and it's clinically proven to prevent the common cold and flu. I take it all throughout cold and flu season, not just when I feel like I'm getting sick. It's a blend of certified organic herbs including astragalus, reishi mushroom and schisandra to name a few. These herbs are regenerating, immune-supportive and modulating.

I have a lot of friends and colleagues who swear by this product. St. Francis has a "kids" formula that we give to Vienna when I can sneak it in a smoothie. I bumped into a mom just the other day who uses it for her daughter and she said her daughter has avoided all cold and flus this season because of it. She swears this stuff! You can get it in capsule or tincture form but I believe the tincture is more effective. Not to be used if pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Gut health is one of the most important aspects of a healthy immune system in both children and adults alike. You likely know this to be true if you've ever had to take a course of antibiotics only to end up with more health issues once the course of drugs is done. Even if you've never had to take antibiobitcs (does this person actually exist? haha), supporting gut health is key but you already know that based on my previous point above! 

Genuine Health's Gut Superfoods is something I take nearly every day - it's a regular in the McJordan home! I love it because it's made with 22 fully fermented plant-based organic superfoods and prebiotics to nourish a healthy gut ecology for total body health. Prebiotics are as important as probiotics. They are literally the food for the probiotics to flourish! I've created lots of recipes with this amazing product too, such as my Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and my Pumpkin Spice Cookies. 

You'll be happy to know this is safe for kids too. I put it in my daughter's smoothie. More often than not, she'll only drink half or 3/4 of her smoothie but I know she's getting some of it!

Finally, there are many other notable nutrients for a healthy immune system including mushrooms, vitamins A, C, E, B-complex and minerals such as zinc and selenium; all the thousands of phytonutrients (plant chemicals that give foods their colour and taste) that exist in nature to enhance our immune system. So in summary eat lots of colourful foods!

I hope you found this post useful and helpful. Before I finish, please note that I really encourage you to focus on whole foods first, like bone broth, fruits & vegetables and tea and then supplements. What I mean by that is if you're eating a poor diet and simply taking everything I recommend here, it won't help. Just like Dr. Michael Murray states, it's a truly holistic (wholesome) approach. 

Ps. If you want to learn my thoughts on the flu vaccine and get more in depth into ways you can support your immune system, check out this online sebinar where I review the available evidence. Then you can make an informed decision if it makes sense for you. The key thing to remember about the flu vaccine is that it may not actually protect you from getting the flu (which means it may not protect others) and it doesn't make you any healthier. 

Please speak to your MD or natural healthcare practitioner before taking any supplement and for dosage recommendations because every person is unique and there may be contraindications with some of these supplements if you take prescription medications.