You may have heard that vitamin C is good for your immune system,
but do you know what kind of vitamin C?
Do you wonder if garlic really works to ward off viruses?
What about all of the marketing in local food stores for immune supplement blends?
Are you curious if any of these are worth the investment?
When it comes to herbal supplements for immune health, questions abound. And during a time in our lives when immunity is more important than ever…they should.
As cold and flu season closely awaits us, now is the time to make our immune system a top priority so it’s prepared to fight any bugs or viruses in the coming months.
In addition to healthy lifestyle habits, the world of herbal supplements can provide excellent support for our immune health.
Do you need to take all of them? Not necessarily. Although Dr. Graves highly recommends the first 3 supplements, selecting 2-3 others for increased support can provide extra sustenance.
Following are Dr. Graves’
Top 10 Herbal Supplements for Supporting Your Immune System
(please note dosage recommendations are for adults)
- Probiotics: On average, 30-50 billion CFU’s are recommended for daily consumption, with an ideal 100 billion CFU if budgeting allows.
- Vitamin D: 2,000-5,000 IU daily.
- Multi-Vitamin: daily
- Mushrooms: a daily variety of mushrooms such as those in Host Defense® Mushrooms™ blends
- Astralagus: mainly used in combinations with other herbs, our favorite product is Chronic Immune™ by Mountain Peak Nutritionals (2 a day)
- Liposomal Vitamin C: a liquid form of vitamin C that allows for much better absorption, opt for 1 teaspoon per day
- Garlic Capsules: 300-600mg per day
- Zinc: 15-25mg per day.
- Adaptogen Herbs: excellent for stress and anxiety management, click here for recommended options
- Vitamin A: 5,000IU daily of beta-carotene based vitamin A (be cautious of retinol based vitamin A as too much can be toxic)
Ok, so you’ve picked a few supplements you’d like to try. Now, you may have a few more questions…
Where should you get these herbal supplements?
Our office carries many options such as:
– probiotics
– Ultra Preventative® X multi-vitamin from Douglas™
– Vitamin D3 Complete from Allergy Research Group®
– Vitamin A from Allergy Research ®
– Astralagus blends such as Chronic Immune™ by Mountain Peak Nutritionals
– Adaptogen herbs such as Adrenal Response® by Innate Formulas and Cortisol Manager™ by Integrative Therapeutics®
and local health food stores or online shopping can provide other great options, but be mindful of quality.
What brands does Dr. Graves prefer?
Quality brands are essential to supportive supplements.
To buy online or from a local store, Dr. Graves typically recommends:
– Nordic Naturals
– Gaia
– Jarrow
– Host Defense
for brands available outside of the CNMA office.
When should you take these?
Herbal supplements for immune health can be taken all year long, but are especially important during cold and flu season, typically between October – May.
If you are interested in adding herbal supplements to your daily regimen, but aren’t sure of what would be most beneficial for your health specifically, please call us at (303) 688-6698 or click here to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Graves to ask further.
At CNMA, we are here to help you and communities such as Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Parker, Larkspur, Monument, Colorado Springs, and the greater Denver metro area get healthy and stay healthy.
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