Tag Archives: vitamin C

Boost Your Immunity With The Right Vitamin C Supplement

Healthy Me,

As fall rolls around and the weather gets colder, people generally stock up on all kinds of Vitamin C supplements from chewable to powders to pills hoping to stave off nasty colds and coughs lurking everywhere in the environment around us. Walking into a health food store to pick up some vitamins can be rather frustrating these days as you go through aisles filled with various supplements from so many different companies, each trying to compete against one another claiming to be the better than the last one. This seems to be a common theme with simple Vitamin C supplements – that are now available in 50 or more different forms, so what is the best one to purchase without breaking the bank with so many choices?

Here are a few simple things to remember when purchasing any type of Vitamin C.

Vitamin C, when found in fruits and vegetables, is bound to bioflavonoids. This type of Vitamin C is complete and has great benefits on the body such as improving immune function, improving the integrity of capillaries and structural tissues in the body such as skin and is great at sequestering free radicals form the body as an antioxidant. Whole food Vitamin C supplements work the best on the body. Vitamin C that is usually purchased from health food stores come in various forms such as plain ascorbic acid – separated from the bioflavonoids, which can sometimes be too acidic for the body, and so now we also have it esterified with Calcium – usually called Ester C.  This is a buffered form of C and less acidic for the body. The best form of Vitamin C is the one that contains bioflavonoids such as hesperidin and quercitin, making it a complete Vitamin C; the way nature intended it to be. Quite often, rosehips are added which are great source of Vitamin C, and are great for boosting the immune system and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well.

The more isolated forms of pharmaceutical ascorbic acid are okay but in order to get the complete effect of Vitamin C, the whole food supplements fare better.

Pills versus powders?  Powders or liquids are easier to digest and  better absorbed into the blood streams, followed by capsules and caplets.

By Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Natural Immune System Boosters

Healthy Me, , ,

As the weather changes, you hear more and more people coming into the office with sniffles and coughs. So what we all can do to decrease the chances of falling ill is to boost our immune system naturally using simple natural therapies and supplements.

One of the best ways to keep your immune system in check is to make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. You are most likely to get if you have not been sleeping well and are already run down and stressed, especially this time of year. Your body replenishes / restores itself through sleep and diet, so its very important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you are feeling stressed or are chronically stressed, your immune system will suffer and leave you more susceptible to getting sick, so make sure you are managing your stresss well. Acupuncture and massage are great as relaxing therapies that will help improve your immune function.

Diet plays a role too. Eating foods that are naturally very high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, along with high sterol contents and zinc are excellent to support the immune system.  Try to include plenty of broccoli, dark colored fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds – especially pumpkin and walnuts in your diet. Herbs such as thyme, basil and marjoram along with ginger, garlic and onions have strong anti viral, anti bacterial and anti fungal properties, and are great for taste and boosting immune function when added in cooking.

Personal hygiene is another factor that is important in preventing influenza and coughs.  Its good to keep a hand sanitizer with you especially if you are using transit often. Keep you hands away from touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you have been in contact with someone who has been ill. Hand washing is key when it comes to preventing spread of bacteria and viruses that cause most common colds and coughs.

So stay safe and healthy in this cold season using simple natural therapies.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.