Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
INTRODUCING PROBIOTIC HX IMMUNE~GUT AND IMMUNE SUPPORT By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT We all know about the benefits of a probiotic. Whether you know about it through a healthcare or wellness provider or from commercials and advertisements, it’s rather familiar to us all. …
HERPES VS COLD SORES~ IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Herpes…the word always seems make people cringe and curl their face in disbelief. It is associated with sores along the nether regions of the body. Many people are plagued with …
L Lysine
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
L Lysine is an amino acid you may have heard of. When most people think of Lysine they usually think of cold sores. However Lysine is much more than “the cold sore supplement”. Before we talk about what Lysine is good for let’s do a quick review on exactly what it is. L Lysine or Lysine for short is considered to be an essential nutrient since it is vital to our health and yet our body can’t make it. More specifically it is an essential amino acid. Amino acids are the “building blocks” our body use to build different compounds. (15) That being said what exactly does Lysine do? Studies have found that having appropriate levels of Lysine in our diet can improve immune health. On the other hand studies have found that being deficient in Lysine can increase pro-inflammatory cytokines and decreases the anti-inflammatory cytokines. In other words if you are low in Lysine it can lead to a pro-inflammatory state. (1)
Studies have found that Lysine is important when controlling different viral infections. (2) Other studies have found that Lysine can help to decrease the healing time of lesions associated with viral infections such as herpes. (3) When Lysine is used in a combination with other amino acids it has been found to be antiviral and help with influenza A virus. (4) Additionally Lysine has been found to help with viral infections such as adenovirus, cytomegalovirus and even measles. (5)
While the immune boosting benefits of Lysine are impressive I want to review a few of the lesser known benefits of Lysine. Studies have found that Lysine can help to decrease stress and anxiety especially for those who are experiencing very high stress levels. In fact after 3 months Lysine was found to help decrease cortisol levels in women. (6) In one study supplementation with Lysine and arginine decreased anxiety and cortisol levels after only 1 week. (7) While more research is defiantly called for studies show that Lysine may work with medication to help improve symptoms of schizophrenia. (8)
Lysine has also been found to help with our bone health. In a 2018 study Lysine was found to increase the bioavailability of calcium in those with osteopenia. (9) Another study from 2022 found that certain amino acids, including Lysine have a positive effect on bone health. (10) Now as we all know calcium is just one part of our bones. The other part of the equation is collagen. Lysine has been found to help build up our collagen levels. (11) Collagen is a vital part of our bones, joints and also our hair, skin and nails. In fact a 2023 study found using a Lysine cream was helpful in healing diabetic foot ulcers. (12) Other studies have found that having inadequate amounts of Lysine can impair would healing. (13)
While these are certainly the most well studies benefits there are other potential benefits such as for eye health. In fact in a 2022 study Lysine was found to help alleviate the symptoms of dry eye. Studies have also found that Lysine can help to regulate blood sugar and even help with normalizing blood pressure. (14)
As you can see Lysine has many benefits! To determine if Lysine is good for your goals Invite nutritionists are always here to help! Our next top is going to be The Flu!
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Renalaid for Going Beyond Bladder Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Today’s product highlight probably seems out of place in a conversation mostly about respiratory health. However the health of our respiratory tract is inherently linked to another system. That is our immune system. Keeping …
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 …
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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