Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Bronchitis Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Bronchitis is one of those things that you may have heard of but what exactly is it? You’ve probably heard some people say they have acute bronchitis while other people have chronic bronchitis. Is there a difference? What cause’s …
WATER~THE INCREDIBLE LIFE FORCE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Water is our life force. It is such a necessity but something that very few people seem to get enough of on a daily basis. As I discuss this topic numerous times each day, …
The Greatness of Green Tea!!!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Green tea is everywhere these days! Green tea is found in everything from tea bags to lattes and even ice cream! But as we all know these forms are chock full of sugar and additives that aren’t exactly very good for us. So what forms of green tea do we recommend? Green tea is available in tea form, tincture form and even in capsules. Personally I recommend choosing either a tincture or capsule form since they tend to be more concentrated in that form.
Green tea has been studied and been found to have many health benefits. Green tea has been found to help strengthen the immune system. Green tea has also been found to inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori. Additionally green tea has been found to be effective when used to treat influenza, Herpes and adenovirus. Green tea has also been found to be effective in treating diarrhea. (1) In addition to helping against different viral infections green tea has also been found to be antifungal and is effective against Candida albicans. (2)
One topic that people frequently call with questions is regarding the topic of how to increase their White blood cell count or their immune system. Studies have found that when green tea is used for 14 or more days it can increase the white blood cell count. In one study they were particularly looking at leukocytes and found that they increased after 14 days of green tea use. (3) Other studies have found that green tea can help to increase natural killer cells and macrophages both of which are important parts of the immune system. (4)
Green tea does much more than just help our immune system fight infections – in fact studies have found that the EGCG that is found in green tea can inhibit the release of both histamine and leukotrienes. Both of these are important when it comes to both allergies and asthma. Studies have found that green tea is able to help with inflammation and can help to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines. (5)
In addition to being antibacterial studies have also found that green tea can enhance the activity of certain antibiotics thus making them more affective. For example studies have found that green tea can enhance the effects of tetracycline in its use against staphylococci. (6)
Green tea does even more than help us fight against pathogens or bad guys! A 2017 study found that green tea may help improve overall brain health, memory and even improve our mood. (7) A more recent study from 2020 found that those who used green tea had a 64% lower chance of cognitive impairment. (8)
Green tea has also been found to help metabolism and to help with our cholesterol. (9) In fact a 2022 study found that green tea use was associated with a 44% lower chance of abdominal obesity. (10) An interesting study from 2021 found that those who use green tea had a 62% lower risk of death. (11)
Overall green tea has many benefits. But how do you know which one to take? Invite has 2 forms of green tea, tincture or concentrated liquid form and capsules. To help decide which one is best for you there are some questions that can be helpful. The first question is do you prefer liquids or capsules? Are you sensitive to caffeine? What are your overall goals? Are you on any medications? Invite green tea tincture is a liquid and decaffeinated. That makes it a great choice for anyone who prefers liquids or who would prefer to eliminate caffeine. For anyone who is still confused I just want you to remind you that you can always talk to an Invite nutritionist to help find the right products to reach your goals!
Our next topic will be Bronchitis!
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FATS~THE SKINNY YOU NEED TO KNOW By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT When talking about health, wellness and diet, the subject of fats always seems to scare people. I’ve heard such things as ‘fats are bad’ to ‘I don’t consume any fats because they’ll …
Mushroom Hx
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Omelets, risotto and even salads are all places you might find mushrooms. But did you know mushrooms are also an amazing supplement for our immune system? There are so many different types of mushrooms that sometimes it can get confusing. How do you know which mushrooms work best together? That’s a good question! Mushroom Hx is a combination of 8 different types of mushrooms that have been found in studies to promote health. Combining 8 mushrooms in 1 supplement makes it easy to add them into your daily supplement routine. But what exactly do mushrooms DO for us? Let’s do a review, shall we?
Studies have found that mushrooms are antimicrobial. This means that they actively help to kill off any pathogens or bad guys you come into contact with. Studies have also found that mushrooms help to modulate the immune system. Interestingly studies have found that mushrooms help to increase malignant – cell phagocytosis. This is a fancy way of saying that mushrooms help the immune system to go after malignant cells. (1)
Studies have found that one way that mushrooms stimulate the immune system is by actually binding to certain receptors that activate the immune cells. Another way that mushrooms appear to activate the immune system is by turning on certain genes that in turn activate parts of our immunity. (2)
I know what you’re thinking, Doc this is great BUT what the heck does it mean on a practical level? It means mushrooms help us to fight off pathogens such as colds by both killing the bad guys and boosting our immune system so that our body can go after the bad guys itself. In fact studies have found that mushrooms help to protect against viral infections and may even help to reduce cytokines, which are seen in the cytokine storm associated with COVID 19. (3)
In addition to helping fight off viral infections mushrooms have been found to potentially help with asthma symptoms as well as other lung infections. (3) By lung infections I am referring to more than just viral infections. Studies have found that mushrooms help to fight against bacteria such as those that cause pneumonia. In fact mushrooms have been found to help fight against drug resistant bacteria. When it comes to our lung health not only have mushrooms been found to help kill pathogens they can help to reduce the incidence of lung inflammation, which often occurs after a viral infection. (4)
Studies have also found that mushrooms can help to lower histamine (remember my blog on allergies and how important histamine is). As a consequence of lowering histamine mushrooms have been found to help to reduce the signs of allergies and even asthma. (5) In addition to helping fight off respiratory infections mushrooms have been found to help fight off other infections such as Human Papilloma virus. (6)
Now we all know inflammation is a huge risk factor for many different types of illness. Having high inflammation is also reduces how well our immune system works. Mushrooms have been found to help reduce inflammation which helps keep our immunity up. (7) Additionally mushrooms have been found to help with stress levels. Anyone who has ever had stress knows that during periods of high stress we are more prone to getting infections such as colds. Mushrooms have been found to help reduce stress and thus they can help protect our immune system and keep it working well when we are going through a stressful situation. (8)
In addition to helping our immune system, mushrooms have been found to have so many benefits it’s no wonder most people consider them to be a superfood! Overall I find Mushroom Hx to be an amazing supplement.
In our next blog we will be talking about a virus that is very serious in our society, COVID 19
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