How To Prevent Colds, Flu, & Sinusitis

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The following information has been reprinted here from Dr. Bruce West’s “Health Alert.”

Vitamin D: A Key Contributor To Immune System Health

“This is about real vitamin D from real cod liver oil. It’s about real supplements from plants, animal and glandular extracts to prevent germs in your sinuses, throat, bronchi, and lungs from causing you colds, flu, sinusitis, bronchitis and even pneumonia.

Even medicine is finally saying that vitamin D has a major impact on your immune system, is a major fighter of inflammation, plays a critical role in prevention and treatment of asthma, favorably influences hormone levels via its role as a steroid hormone in the “vitamin D endocrine system,” is a potent cancer inhibitor, and plays a major role in cases of chronic sinusitis and sinus infection.

The other main source of vitamin D is the sun. Since Americans are turning up with low levels of vitamin D, probably from all the sun phobia of the last 20 or so years, we may have one more major therapy to help with these winter challenges. Did you know that these viruses are just as prevalent in the summer as they are in winter? What is not as prevalent in winter is vitamin D from the sun. A lot of speculation is pointing to the lack of vitamin D as one of the reasons why we get these diseases more in winter. Being in close quarters of course doesn’t help. Here are just a few things that the immunology experts are now saying:

Vitamin D directly and favorably affects the cells of your immune system, including monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, and Tcells (all immune cells that fight infection and disease.)
Vitamins A and D influence dozens of immune system reactions to bacteria, viruses, and fungi via T cells, B cells, calcitriol (which regulates over 100 genes), monocytes, interlukin-17, interferon, CD4 and CD 8 cells, plasma cells, and immunoglobulin.
Vitamin D suppresses inflammation (the source of most of your suffering) in the sinuses as well as in your nasal and breathing membranes.
Vitamin D favorably regulates cathelicidin. This is the only antimicrobial (fights microbes such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi) agent of its type produced by humans. With adequate vitamin D, cathelicidin is produced on your skin, in your breathing passages, and throughout your digestive system. These are all the areas that are constantly exposed to germs, microbes and pathogens.
Vitamin D levels are consistently and significantly lower in patients in the intensive care unit with hospital infections and sepsis.
Vitamin D levels are consistently lower in people who suffer from chronic sinus problems, and even nasal polyps.

We now know that vitamin D comes in many forms or isomers. It is not just D2 or D3. There are hundreds of various forms and even various colors of vitamin D in nature. You need to get the real thing. Do not take store bought vitamin D. Studies are showing that synthetic or high doses of isolated vitamin D can cause problems. Some of these problems relate to calcifications in your body. That means that hardening of the arteries might worsen, kidney stones might form, artery blockages to your heart could worsen. These problems are rare but real. That is why you must get vitamin D from whole food and the sun only.

The best form of whole food vitamin D is real cod liver oil (CLO). Unfortunately, most CLOs are now industrially produced and heavily treated, with most brands removing the natural vitamin A and D and adding back synthetic versions. Real cod liver oil contains thousands of molecular structures. It contains the counterbalancing nutrients to vitamin D that render it totally healthful and safe. The vitamins A and F (essential fats) are just a couple of these. As the vitamin D drives calcium into your bones (calcification), the vitamin A and F maintain calcium in your soft tissues and muscles, providing the natural antidote to calcification. Therefore, while more than 1,000 international units (IUs) of synthetic vitamin D might be problematic, thousands of IU’s of real vitamin D from cod liver oil are powerful nutrition. Again, that is because vitamin D is more properly used by your body and balanced by the naturally occurring nutritional counterparts found in the CLO. Besides real vitamin D and A, CLO is also loaded with the essential omega 3 fats, DHA and EPA. It can replace the other fish oils so you have one less supplement to take and more benefits to reap. Standard Process Cod Liver oil comes in a lemonized pearl making it pleasant.”