Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
The Greatness of Green Tea!!! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Green tea is everywhere these days! Green tea is found in everything from tea bags to lattes and even ice cream! But as we all know these forms are chock full of sugar and additives …
FATS~THE SKINNY YOU NEED TO KNOW By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT When talking about health, wellness and diet, the subject of fats always seems to scare people. I’ve heard such things as ‘fats are bad’ to ‘I don’t consume any fats because they’ll …
Mushroom Hx
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Omelets, risotto and even salads are all places you might find mushrooms. But did you know mushrooms are also an amazing supplement for our immune system? There are so many different types of mushrooms that sometimes it can get confusing. How do you know which mushrooms work best together? That’s a good question! Mushroom Hx is a combination of 8 different types of mushrooms that have been found in studies to promote health. Combining 8 mushrooms in 1 supplement makes it easy to add them into your daily supplement routine. But what exactly do mushrooms DO for us? Let’s do a review, shall we?
Studies have found that mushrooms are antimicrobial. This means that they actively help to kill off any pathogens or bad guys you come into contact with. Studies have also found that mushrooms help to modulate the immune system. Interestingly studies have found that mushrooms help to increase malignant – cell phagocytosis. This is a fancy way of saying that mushrooms help the immune system to go after malignant cells. (1)
Studies have found that one way that mushrooms stimulate the immune system is by actually binding to certain receptors that activate the immune cells. Another way that mushrooms appear to activate the immune system is by turning on certain genes that in turn activate parts of our immunity. (2)
I know what you’re thinking, Doc this is great BUT what the heck does it mean on a practical level? It means mushrooms help us to fight off pathogens such as colds by both killing the bad guys and boosting our immune system so that our body can go after the bad guys itself. In fact studies have found that mushrooms help to protect against viral infections and may even help to reduce cytokines, which are seen in the cytokine storm associated with COVID 19. (3)
In addition to helping fight off viral infections mushrooms have been found to potentially help with asthma symptoms as well as other lung infections. (3) By lung infections I am referring to more than just viral infections. Studies have found that mushrooms help to fight against bacteria such as those that cause pneumonia. In fact mushrooms have been found to help fight against drug resistant bacteria. When it comes to our lung health not only have mushrooms been found to help kill pathogens they can help to reduce the incidence of lung inflammation, which often occurs after a viral infection. (4)
Studies have also found that mushrooms can help to lower histamine (remember my blog on allergies and how important histamine is). As a consequence of lowering histamine mushrooms have been found to help to reduce the signs of allergies and even asthma. (5) In addition to helping fight off respiratory infections mushrooms have been found to help fight off other infections such as Human Papilloma virus. (6)
Now we all know inflammation is a huge risk factor for many different types of illness. Having high inflammation is also reduces how well our immune system works. Mushrooms have been found to help reduce inflammation which helps keep our immunity up. (7) Additionally mushrooms have been found to help with stress levels. Anyone who has ever had stress knows that during periods of high stress we are more prone to getting infections such as colds. Mushrooms have been found to help reduce stress and thus they can help protect our immune system and keep it working well when we are going through a stressful situation. (8)
In addition to helping our immune system, mushrooms have been found to have so many benefits it’s no wonder most people consider them to be a superfood! Overall I find Mushroom Hx to be an amazing supplement.
In our next blog we will be talking about a virus that is very serious in our society, COVID 19
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PROTEINS~WHAT ARE THEY? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT While we all know protein, do we really know how much we need on a daily basis? It’s also something we all like as there seems to be endless choices. There is also no wrong …
The Common Cold! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Today we will be talking about something everyone knows about and that topic is the common cold! Having a cold is probably one thing that both children and adults understand. But what cause’s a cold? Well when …
Boost your Immune Health with Beta Immunity
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Today I want to talk about a supplement that is great for those times when you’re fighting off a cold or other upper respiratory infection. That supplement is Beta Immunity! Beta Immunity is a combination of Beta 1, 3 Glucan and Black Elderberry. Now don’t get Beta Immunity confused with a different product with a similar name, Immunity Hx! For more information on Immunity Hx please check out my blog on that particular product! But let’s go back to Beta Immunity!
Let’s start with Beta 1, 3 Glucan or Beta Glucan for short. If you look at the supplement facts on Beta Immunity you will notice the name BetaVia™ which is a powerful clinically studied algae extract. This is the source of the Beta Glucan. But what is Beta Glucan? Beta glucans are a type of fiber that comes from places such as the cell wall of bacteria, fungi, yeast and algae. While I want to focus on the immune benefits I also want to remind everyone that Beta glucans have been found in studies to help with heart disease and heart health. (1) Studies have suggested that Beta glucan can increase immunity and result in fewer upper respiratory tract infections in children and teens. (2) Studies have found that Beta Glucans can help to strengthen the immune system by affecting several of the different types of immune cells. (3) Additional studies have found that Beta Glucan is also antimicrobial and can help fight off pathogens. (4) Overall studies agree that Beta Glucan is an amazing supplement for helping to boost our immune system when we are sick or have been exposed to a pathogen or “bad guy”. (5)
Let’s move on to elderberry! I know what you are thinking, elderberry sounds like a yummy berry. Let me go out and pick some to put in my smoothie! But wait – STOP! Raw elderberry can cause nausea, vomiting and even diarrhea! So it’s best to stick with prepared forms such as jams and supplements. (6) Studies have found that those suffering from upper respiratory infections such as a cold would find the cold to be shortened on average by 2 days when using elderberry. Elderberry has also been found in studies to help decrease the severity of symptoms experienced. (7) Further studies have found that elderberry is a safe option for helping with upper respiratory infections such as colds or the flu. Studies have also found that elderberry is very helpful when you have an upper respiratory infection such as a cold, however the studies are inconclusive as to how helpful it is in using it to prevent an infection. (8) In my clinical experience elderberry is a great tool when you feel as though you might be getting sick. Other studies have found that elderberry helps stop a virus form replicating as well as helps our immune system fight the virus. (9)One fun fact if you will is that while elderly can and does boost our immune system it does not appear to produce an overproduction of cytokines or “cytokine storm” which creates a situation where the body starts attacking itself. (8)
As I’ve said Beta Immunity is a great product as is my other favorite Immunity Hx. But when to use which product? How do you know which one to use? In my clinical experience I find that Immunity Hx is what you want to use to help ward off an infection. It can be used long term to help keep our immune system ready. Elderberry, in my experience is very helpful once you become sick and need help fighting off those pathogens or bad guys. It is also very helpful if you are exposed to a pathogen. So for example, you go to a party and find out that oh no Bob has a cold and he sneezed on you! Well that’s the time to add Beta Immunity in the mix. If you are still not sure which one is best for you remember that Invite Nutritionist are always there for you!
Our next blog will be about the common cold!
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