Written by Alexander Sperry,
Medical College of Wisconsin – Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate 2021
This information is to serve as general knowledge and is not medical advice. We always recommend talking with your primary care provider for any medical advice.
Immune Support with Zinc, Bromelain, Vitamin C, & Quercetin1,2
The combination of these four supplements are though to help inhibit virus replication, decrease the side effects of the body releasing to many chemicals to fight off on infection, and to help regulate the immune system. Various products, such as Immune Active, have many of these supplements in then, and the right one for you may depend on what you currently take, so you should consult our pharmacists.
Zinc blocks the ability of a virus to replicate allowing you to have your immune system to catch up. It regulates how our adaptive immune system which is needed more now than ever since this is a new virus.
Quercetin increases the cells ability to absorb zinc. This means more zinc enters the cells and further regulates the immune response. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant helping with various symptoms caused by COVID including inflammation in the lungs. It can also reduce the risk of infection and improve mental health and performance.
Bromelain helps to regulate out natural killer cells in our body. They produce chemicals that signal the rest of the body to kill an invading target. Two of these chemicals are IL-2 and IL-6 which work in the immune system to fight off infection and help to activate our Helper T cells which identify and kill the invading virus.
Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant that reduces the amount of free oxygen radicals. If our body doesn’t have enough Vitamin C then these radicals are in higher abundance resulting in potential organ damage. COVID makes it difficult to breath meaning these levels can accumulate and result in damage which is why we need even more.
More Immune Support with Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K24
Vitamin D is an important supplement to help regulate the immune response in the body to prevent it from attacking itself. It is thought that Vitamin D regulates some of the “stop” chemical signals (PD-1) so that they do not turn off our bodies Helper and Killer T cells. This results in a reduction in inflammation and has been seen to be beneficial in patients with cystic fibrosis. Vitamin K2 can help to regulate more calcium in the cells. This helps to maintain optimal cardiovascular function, especially when fighting off COVID. Micellized D3+K2 by NuMedica is an excellent brand that can provide these two supplements simultaneously.
Sleep Aid3
One of the most important things to get when you have an infection is sleep, and Melatonin can help with this. The immune cells need time to regenerate at night to fight infection again. It is hypothesized that melatonin can allow for this regeneration to occur meaning the cells can be more effective killers again. We recommend DaVinci Liposomal Melatonin spray. Liposomal drugs can achieve higher levels in the blood stream which can make them more effective. This can help increase the effects and mean you get the sleep your body needs to fight against infection.
Cough Support
In some cases, a patient may or may not have a cough, but the last thing we want is to be caught without something to help your symptoms. Nailin’ my Coughin’ has Elderberry, mullein leaf, and elecampane which helps to soothe and support the respiratory system. Elderberry is known to help with the immune system too.
Probiotic Support
Probiotics are something we all need. Depending on how COVID affects you, you may have your gut slow down or speed up. This means that we can get constipation or diarrhea. There are many products out there that can help with your gut health, just like Ortho Biotic.
Strongest Antioxidant on the Planet
Glutathione is a natural antioxidant present in our body that helps to relieve the oxidative stress in our body. This means that your organs have more protection if free radicals are made, and reduced fatigue symptoms. Auro GSH Spray is an excellent that supplies glutathione.
References
- Zinc https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7395818/
- Zinc, Bromelain, Vitamin C, Quercetin https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT04468139
- Melatonin https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7405774/
- Vitamin D https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5543500/
