Supplements for Healthy Life and Strong Immune System

One of my main objectives in life is to be healthy. But I am sure that it’s also the main objective of most other people. No one really wants to be ill, although, sometimes we don’t have a say in the matter. Back in March 2020, I got infected with the coronavirus. I was ill for two weeks, but I successfully recovered. I’m pretty confident that my healthy nutritional habits significantly contributed in the fight against the virus. By eating good, natural food, I’ve built a strong immune system, which I additionally support with selected supplements.

WHY DO I TAKE SUPPLEMENTS?

If we regularly eat, good, healthy, natural food, we should get all nutrients necessary for healthy functioning of our bodies. But, it’s not always possible to eat nutritious food. This is especially the case when we are away from home and when we can’t have a complete control over what we eat.

Additionally, some nutrients are only available is certain foods which may or may not regularly feature in our diet. Certain nutrients are scarce or they may only be available in reduced quantities, especially in vegetables grown in the nutrients depleted soil.

That’s why I use supplements. I try hard to eat well, but I also think that it’s important for me to complement my diet with selected supplements. I have a pretty good idea of what I get in sufficient quantities and what I miss in my diet. For example, selenium is a scarce mineral, available in trace quantities in a limited number of food products. Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium. But, how often do I buy and eat Brazil nuts? That’s why I take selenium as a supplement.

In this post, I will talk about supplements that I take on a regular basis. But, some of them I take every day and the others from time to time. I do this in order to help my body function properly, to increase and maintain strong immunity and to help my body detoxify.

FLUSH NIACIN

Nicotinic Acid plays an essential role in the dynamic regulation of thermodynamic equilibrium, more precisely within cellular organelles.

Flush niacin, in nicotinic acid form, offers wide spectrum anti-pathogen, anti-inflammation and immunity-modulation properties through its ability, with sufficient supply, to thermodynamically regulate clearance of disease particles and maintain homeostatic bio-energetic metabolism.

What does this mean? It means that, for example, flush niacin is a causative antidote for SARS-CoV-2 virus. Inhibition of lipolysis by flush niacin, within minutes, literally inhibits collection of lipid deposits. SARS-CoV-2 enters and replicates through cholesterol. The abundant presence of cholesterol within lipid rafts plays an essential role in viral entry and fusion. Cholesterol depletion from cellular membranes inhibits SARS-CoV-2.

To find out more, you can check this web site.

I’ve now been taking flush niacin for nearly a year. I know it’s anecdotal, but I’ve never felt better than now. Also, I was in close contact with many people with corona in the past year, but I remained healthy. I can’t even catch a cold.

I take 500mg flush niacin every day. The first time when I experienced the flush, it was a very strange and slightly unpleasant feeling. Nowadays, I flush very rarely. Keep in mind, the flush is totally harmless.

There are other well documented benefits of this supplement. For example, it reduces bad (LDL) cholesterol. But I’m not going to get into that now, for the time being my objective is to keep the coronavirus at bay. If I get re-infected, the objective is to recover within 24h.  Although, I am pretty sure that, for as long as I take flush niacin, I’ll never get infected again.

Having said that, I also believe that my natural immunity would eliminate the virus efficiently, while there is no harm in supporting my immune system with this vitamin.

ALPHA LIPOIC ACID

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA)  is a powerful antioxidant on it’s own and a recycler of vitamin C and vitamin E. It can restore the antioxidant properties of these vitamins after they have neutralised free radicals.

ALA also stimulates the body’s production of glutathione and helps absorption of coenzyme Q10, both important antioxidants.

Additionally, it helps to detoxify the liver of metal pollutants, reduces blood cholesterol levels…

There are two versions of ALA, namely R and S forms. R is a natural form, S stands for a synthetic form. A supplement that I take, that you can see in the photo below, contains both forms in the 50/50 ratio.

For as long as you are sure that there is the R form in the ALA supplement, it should be fine. I take one or two 300mg capsule per day, together with flush niacin.

MELATONIN

The pineal gland, a cone-shaped structure in the brain, naturally produces melatonin. But in our early life, the pineal gland produces it in abundance. As we get older, the production of melatonin starts to drop.

Remarkably, melatonin is one of the most powerful antioxidants ever discovered. By reading this, you should also be sufficiently intrigued to do your own research on this hormone, like I did.

I take 3mg every now and then, before I go to sleep. I don’t really have any problem sleeping, but I’ve noticed that, after taking melatonin, I sleep better. The following morning, I feel much fresher and with a completely clear head.

I also take it for its anti-oxidant properties.

Melatonin is prescription only in the UK, thus I order it on-line from the US.

N-ACETYL CYSTEIN (NAC)

I started taking N-acetyl cysteine at the same time when I started taking flush niacin.

N-acetyl cysteine is a precursor to glutathione – one of the most powerful antioxidants.

There is a lot of available information about NAC and glutathione, should you wish to learn more.

I take this supplement three, perhaps four times per week.

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is readily available in a number of different products. Citrus food is the best source of vitamin C. I regularly eat fruit but in limited quantities, because of its fructose (sugar) content. I try to limit my intake of sugar as much as possible. That’s why I take vitamin C supplement, in addition to what I get from food that I eat every day.

Our body can’t store vitamin C and it only uses the necessary daily amount. The excess quantity of vitamin C is eliminated. This means that there is no point in taking big quantities of this vitamin, because it will be simply wasted. But it also means that we have to make sure that we take vitamin C every day, either through food or as a supplement.

VITAMIN D3

I take vitamin D3 only in winter. There is no need to take this vitamin in summer, because our body produces it as soon as we are out in the sun. In my case, the problem is that I live in London and there is very little sunshine during winter months. It basically means that there is simply no possibility for my body to produce this vitamin on its own.

Its role is to regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorous and it also contributes to the normal immune system function.

As soon as I get out in the sun, I don’t take this supplement. My body produces whatever quantity it needs. It’s also important not to take too much of it, because of a possible toxicity.

CURCUMIN

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb. People have been using turmeric for centuries, to treat various health issues. This root is native to southeast Asia. It has a beautiful golden colour and people also call it “Indian saffron”.

Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has been extensively studied for its disease fighting properties and health benefits.

The body doesn’t absorb curcumin very well on its own. To help our bodies get the maximum benefit, we need to consume curcumin with black pepper. Piperine, a compound in black pepper, increases bio-availability of curcumin by 2000%. This is very important to keep in mind. You can also use turmeric, as a spice, when you prepare food, but you have to add black pepper. The alternative is to choose a good curcumin supplement, with a piperine extract.

Of all supplements that I take, I consider this to be one of the most important ones. I take it for its anti-inflammatory properties.

SELENIUM

Selenium is a mineral found in Brazil nuts, poultry, fish, eggs and cereal. Its intake is crucial, however both selenium deficiency and excess are harmful. Taking it in the right amount can have wide-ranging health benefits, while its deficiency is linked to numerous health problems.

It’s a vital antioxidant, its main function is to inhibit the oxidation of lipids. In other words, it protects the immune system by preventing the formation of free radicals that can damage the body.

It is very important to take this mineral in optimal quantity, which is 55mcg per day. You have to consider all possible sources when you calculate your daily intake. For example, one Brazil nut contains on average 50mcg of selenium. If you eat two Brazil nuts per day and you eat fish at the same time, you probably don’t need to take the supplement. In other words, if you take approximately 100-150mcg of this mineral per day through your diet, that amount is more than sufficient.

But be careful as its content in Brazil nuts may vary depending on the origin and especially on the type of soil where they were grown.

I’ve been taking selenium on a regular basis for over 20 years now. If I take it as a supplement, I pay attention to the daily dose, which means that I take one 50mcg tablet every day or one 100mcg tablet every 2 days.

ECHINACEA

Echinacea belongs to a group of flowering plants in the daisy family. They are native to North America, where they grow in prairies and open wooded areas. Only three of nine different species are used as herbal supplements. Both, the plant’s upper part and roots are used in tablets, tinctures, extracts and teas.

Echinacea plants contain antioxidants which are molecules that help defend cells against oxidative stress, a state linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and many others.

I normally take echinacea for two months, then I stop for a month. When I get a cold (a viral infection), I’ve noticed that I recover much faster and the cold is not as severe as it should normally be if I take echinacea. I was taking this supplement every day when I was ill with corona.

I take either tablets or liquid tinctures. A recommended dose is 300-500mg for tablets and 2.5ml for tincture.

MILK THISTLE

Milk thistle is a plant with white veins and distinctive purple flowers. The story has it that a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk fell onto its leaves. The active ingredient in this plant is silymarin.

Milk thistle protects liver.

People with liver damage use it as a complementary therapy.

Milk thistle helps reduce inflammation and liver damage caused by free radicals, produced when liver metabolises toxic substances.

The main reason why I use this supplement is to help my liver in its daily detoxification job.

MULTIVITAMINS

I also need to mention multivitamins. Ideally, we should get all our vitamins from natural and nutritious food that we eat on a daily basis.

In fact, I take multivitamins on and off. I eat a lot of vegetables, thus I believe that my vitamin intake is good. But when I travel, it’s more difficult for me to control my diet. That’s why I always take a good multivitamin with me. I normally take one tablet in the morning with my breakfast.

Make sure that you carefully choose a good quality product. Also, carefully check all ingredients as very often cheaper variants contain sugar that may be concealed under different names. You do not want to take sugar with your multivitamins.

SO, TO SUPPLEMENT OR NOT?

Like most thing that we do in our lives, we need to decide what’s best for us and take an appropriate action. The same logic applies to choosing right supplements.

We are lucky because the information is so widely available now. But we need to do some research. I’ve invested a lot of time and effort in order to improve my overall wellbeing and health. Learning that what we eat directly affects our health is a never-ending process. We can all do that. Perhaps, what’s needed is just a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Also, if you’ve come across and read this post, you no longer have any excuse to catch coronavirus. Take flush niacin and don’t be scared of the flush. It’s totally harmless. In fact, you may never again catch any viral infection, at least that’s my experience after I’ve started taking this supplement.

One final note, products in the photos in this post are for illustration only, so that it’s immediately clear to you what I’m talking about.

I use some of these supplements, but not all the time. Sometimes I buy different brands.

You too, make sure to use only good quality supplements.