First, though, this made me laugh...

I can see my dogs thinking this very same thing.

Clearly COVID-19 is all over the news and all over Facebook and every other social media platform. It's something to take seriously...and one the best things you can do (besides good hygeine) is crank up your own immune system and overall health.

 

What I Take For Boosting Immunity

What I want to make clear, right up front, is that what I'm talking about here are supplements for SUPPORTING and OPTIMIZING the function of your immune system. They're going to help your own body fight whatever comes at you...they're no substitute for common sense precautions.

There may be other things that you already take or have heard of, but I wanted to share what I personally take (including brands and dosages) and I think I've been sick maybe twice in the past 10 years.

Here's what I take...

(The first one here is the one I forgot yesterday)

6. Vitamins D3 & K2

You're probably familiar with Vitamin D3, but you may not realize your body also needs K2 in order to utilize it properly.

D3 is essential for powering your immune system. It's one of the suspected reasons that the flu tapers off as the weather gets warmer and the sun is out more (and people are out in the sun more!).

Sun exposure increases Vitamin D levels in the body.

Without that sun exposure, Vitamin D3 supplementation (along with K2) is important for keeping your immune system tuned up.

I take a liquid D3/K2 product made by the same company that makes Athletic Greens. I'd say it'll give you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of cost effectiveness for boosting the immune system.

You can get my recommended brand here.

 

Here's are the first 5 from the list...

1. High Quality Greens Supplement

I've tested and used a bunch of these over the past 20 years and I've come to the conclusion that a good greens supplement, taken daily, is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your nutritional health (and immune system).

The one I'm taking right now is called "Man Greens"...and obviously, it's targeted for men. The ingredients also help support optimal testosterone levels. I'll recommend another brand for women below.

I've actually been using this for about 7 months now and I like it a LOT.

The taste is VERY good (orange flavor) and the ingredients list tells you EXACTLY how much and what is in the bottle...no proprietary formulas.

If you'd like to know what each of these ingredients specifically does for you, he also has that information on his site here (about 2/3 of the way down the page...you should probably just read the whole page, actually, its got good info on it).

For women...I recommend Athletic Greens.

Now, it's NOT just for women...I used it for quite a few years (and I still use it during times when I run low on Man Greens) and I really like it. I keep a supply on hand.

Its a got a wide spectrum of nutrition derived from food sources. Here's the list:

 

2. Probiotics

Your "gut" (i.e. your intestinal tract) is a KEY part of your immune system. If your gut is overloaded with "unhelpful" bacteria, your immune function will be compromised. It's just that simple.

One of the best things you can do to dramatically improve your gut health is to take a high-quality probiotic.

There a ton of them on the market, all claiming to be the best...and I've tried a lot of them...but in my experience, this one is the best. It's called Probonix.

I've been taking this one daily for the past 3+ years and love it. This stuff helps tremendously with the immune system and with overall digestion.

It's been lab tested in an artificial digestive system to actually get through the stomach almost fully intact so that it can actually go to work in your intestinal tract.

That whole "50 billion active cells" is actually complete BS...it doesn't matter how many are there when they go IN...it matters how many are active when it exits the stomach. For most probiotic products, that number is VERY low.

It's sold in liquid form and tastes really good. Should be no issues there at all.

You can get it direct from the maker here.

 

3. Vitamin C

This is something you've no doubt heard of. However, you may not have heard of the best way to get a TON of vitamin C into your system.

The brand I use is Liv-On Labs and the delivery method is lipoomal encapsulation.

You can read more about the delivery method on that page (basically, the nutrient is surrounded by a "fat sphere" so that it gets absorbed instead of broken down.

Unfortunately, they're currently back ordered (because of high demand), but that's the stuff and I wanted to make sure you knew about it. You can sign up on Amazon to be notified when it's available again.

It works GREAT for supporting the immune system.

 

4. Zinc

The immune system LOVES zinc, and if you have low intake and/or levels of it, your immune function will be reduced.

I take 30 mg of zinc glycinate (NOW Foods brand) right before bed, along with 400 mg of magnesium (another critical mineral for a lot of things, including good sleep, which is ALSO critical for keeping your immune system in good order).

With zinc, don't take more than 50 mg at a time or your stomach will regret it. More is not better but enough is ideal.

 

5. Oregano Oil

I'm a big believer in oregano oil...because of personal experience with it and because of SCIENCE that has been done on the active ingredients in it.

This is the brand I'm taking now...it's available in capsule form so it's easier to take (the liquid has a VERY strong taste and smell).

Here's a link to research that has been done on carvacrol (the active ingedient in oregano oil).

Antiviral efficacy and mechanisms of action of oregano essential oil and its primary component carvacrol against murine norovirus.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24779581

It's not specific to coronavirus, but based on my own research and experience, I think it absolutely has value for helping your immune system.

Here's the thing about oregano oil....

You'll read (and hear) on the news about how essential oils shouldn't be relied on to treat this specific coronavirus.

I agree.

But oregano oil has PROVEN anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects. And other infections are opportunistic.

When your immune system is busy fighting one pathogen, OTHER pathogens can pop their heads up as well.

It's why many doctors prescribe antibiotics when somebody has a virus that has knocked them down (the other reason is that people INSIST that they want to take a pill even if it doesn't help...placebo effect style...and the doctor is worried about getting sued).

One other brand that I've used quite a bit is from The Wolfe Clinic. This is the high-potency liquid form. It's like a punch in the face...very strong and very effective.

They may be a bit backordered as well, but I know they should be getting more in by early next week.

There is info about oregano oil on their site here.

You can order on their site here.

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Those are my "Big 6" Immune System Boosters

As I mentioned above, you may have a different set of things that you take...these are the ones that I've been using very successfully for quite awhile.

The Coronavirus is something we need to take seriously...and you can tell with all the closures, it is definitely being taken seriously now.

Be sure to get your information from reputable sources...and keep your immune system strong!

Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle

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