Preparing for Vaccines

Have you thought about how to prepare your body to receive for a vaccine?

As with any new medicine or medical decision, you should always consult in advance with your healthcare professional, your doctor or pharmacist.   Take your time and be sure to ask lots of questions – what are the risks and benefits to you given your own personal medical history, what are the ingredients, what are the side effects?  Arm yourself with enough correct information to make an informed decision.

If you do decide in favour of a medical intervention you can help your immune system to accept and use the active agent more effectively and then to detoxify any undesirables afterwards.

Grab N’ Go Immune support

Research indicates that there are some key vitamins and minerals that play a key role in supporting your body to recover from adverse reactions that may occur with a CoVid19 injection. There are at least 5 major players for immune support  - Vitamin D, C, A, Zinc, Quercetin, Melatonin and there are many others, but let’s start with the most important ones.

Vitamin D

Vitamin  D is more widely known for its role in calcium metabolism in the body.  However, Vitamin D is also a potent immune system modulator. The vitamin D receptor is expressed by most cells of the immune system, including the T-cells and also antigen-presenting cells. There is considerable scientific evidence that Vitamin D has a variety of effects on the immune system function which may enhance innate immunity and inhibit the development of autoimmunity.  Vitamin D also reduces viral growth and can reduce upper respiratory infections.  We know that Vitamin D status in reduced in CoVid patients and is therefore recommended as a preventative treatment. 

Vitamin C

Vitamin C contributes to immune defence by supporting various cellular functions of the immune system.  As a water-soluble vitamin, humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C so we must obtain it through our diet. 

 Vitamin C affects several components of the immune system.  It has been shown to stimulate both the production and function of leukocytes (white blood cells), especially neutrophils (which attack foreign bacteria and viruses) lymphocytes and phagocytes. In addition, several studies have shown that supplemental Vitamin C increases blood levels of antibodies. It may also protect the integrity of the immune cells.  Vitamin C is a highly effective antioxidant and been used in some hospital ICUs to treat CoVid 19 infection.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is actually a generic term for a large number of related compounds – retinol, retinal, retinoic acid and carotenoids that can be converted into retinol.  Vitamin A is known for its role in vision and the regulation of gene expression.  It’s lesser known for its anti-infective role.  It is required for normal functioning of the skin and mucosal cells that line the airways, digestive tract and urinary tract. Mucosal cells act as a barrier and form the body’s first line of defence against infection.

Vitamin A and retinoic acid also play a central role in the development and differentiation of white blood cells such as lymphocytes which play a critical role in immune response. (Note also that zinc deficiency is thought to interfere with vitamin A metabolism.)

Zinc

A large body of research shows that zinc has strong anti-viral properties against many viruses.

Zinc has multiple roles in the body – growth and development, the immune response, neurological function and reproduction. It plays a structural, regulatory and catalytic role . Zinc and Vitamin A interact in several ways.  Zinc is required for the enzyme that converts retinol to retinal, which is necessary for the absorption of light.  Zinc deficiency is associated with a decreased release of vitamin A from the liver.

Adequate zinc intake is essential in maintaining the integrity of the immune system and zinc deficient individuals are known to experience increased susceptibility to a variety of infections agents. Populations at increased risk of zinc deficiency include infants and children, pregnant and lactating women, teenagers, older adults, strict vegetarians malnourished individuals including those with bowel diseases.

Quercetin

Quercetin is found in fruits and vegetables and has a wide range of benefits including decreasing viral growth.

Quercetin has also been used as an anti-allergic agent for over 30 years.  In vitro studies have demonstrated that Quercetin inhibits histamine release by acting as a mast cell stabiliser and by inhibiting mast cell and basophil degranulation. A study conducted in Japan on 123 people with moderate to severe dust mite sensitisation and perennial allergic rhinitis, found that Quercetin inhibited histamine release from nasal scrapings ex vivo.

 In the allergic response, Quercetin has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation, and to inhibit enzymes involved in the release of inflammatory mediators. Human epidemiological research reports an inverse association between intakes of Quercetin and asthma incidence. Animal studies provide some evidence that Quercetin may deliver therapeutic potential for allergic airway disease reducing eosinophil and neutrophil counts as well as infiltration in lung tissue, and by reducing allergic airway inflammation.  As CoVid 19 is a respiratory disease quercetin may assist the immune system in its response.

 Melatonin

Sleep plays an important role in a healthy immune system.  In addition to promoting restful sleep, melatonin has been shown to reduce inflammation.  It is also a very important anti-oxidant which protects the nucleus and mitochondria from oxidation.