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Read Dr. Elena Krasnov's Weekly Column in the Health & Fitness section of the 24 Hours Magazine. Look for new articles every week!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Boosting your Immune to Fight off Winter Bugs

Q: Dear Elena: My friends call me a hypochondriac, but I legitimately feel that I am just predisposed to illness. I am usually sick every 6 weeks as I seem to catch everything that comes my way. Are there some people who are just more susceptible to illness?

A: The people who are "just susceptible to illness" are those who have a weak immune system and need to work at it to get it up and working.

"Immunity" is a medical term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion.

If you are sick every 6 weeks I would suggest a thorough check up. Get you doctor to check your blood work, rule out any serious immune conditions, and make sure your blood count is normal. If all check out fine, you can proceed to do a naturopathic immune boost.

Naturopathic approach to strengthening your immunity starts with the digestive tract. The gastrointestinal tract is a lymphoid organ, and the lymphoid tissue within it is collectively referred to as the gut-associated lymphoid tissue or GALT. The number of lymphocytes in the GALT is roughly equivalent to those in the spleen. Lymphocytes, macrophages and other cells that participate in immune responses are found through out the gut. It is important to have a healthy gut. It is useful to take lactobacillus supplements or eat organic yogurt to maintain strong gut associated immunity. That will prevent any food intolerances, will minimize inflammation and will allow your immune system to strengthen. Supplements are also a good idea. Especially in the winter months, it is useful to take a good amount of Vitamin C with bioflavonoid, Vitamin E and A as well as Vitamin D and fish oil. All these supplements will help you strengthen your immune system and may be instead of being sick every 6 weeks you will see the disease free period start to get longer. It is always a gradual progression. You never go from being frequently sick to not getting sick at all. That takes time, but you may notice that instead of being sick every 6 weeks you are now good for 9 weeks. That would already constitute improvement. Oregano oil taken regularly through winter can help to fight off flu and cold bugs. Taking Colostrum extract will give you passive immunity for a quick fix result. Homeopathic remedies such as Thymuline should be taken weekly through the winter month for flu prevention and can also be used through the summer as an anti-allergy boost.

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Dr. Elena Krasnov is a registered Naturopathic Doctor and Clinic Director of the Toronto Naturopathic Clinic. Submit your questions online at 24hrs.ca

Co-written by Miranda Tallon-Malisani Holistic Nutritionist