Summary on Respiratory Health
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
I hope that this blog series on respiratory health has been both fun and informative! I have tried to review some of the most common respiratory concerns that come up here at Invite health. Additionally I have reviewed some of my personal favorite and in my opinion best products to use for both respiratory health as well as our immune system.
What are the best ways to naturally protect our respiratory system? Hands down the best way to protect ourselves from respiratory illness is by washing our hands!! And it is also vital to AVOID touching your face. If I could only mention 2 things to do to help protect ourselves from illness it would be to wash your hands and avoid touching your face. That is how important these things are to our overall health. The next tip is to clean regularly touched surfaces. Avoid sharing things that go into your mouth. Now I know you’re probably scratching your head saying wait – what does that even mean? Well by things that go into your mouth I mean eating utensils and obviously tooth brushes. If you are ill please be considerate and stay home if possible. Also always cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Overall good hygiene is the key to success when it comes to keeping healthy. (1)
Next and probably just as important as hygiene is life style. Studies have found that a Mediterranean diet can benefit our respiratory health. (2) Another life style that is important for respiratory health is to stop smoking. (3)
Over this blog series I have reviewed a number of products that I feel are the best nutrients from Invite to help with both overall immunity and respiratory health. One such nutrient is Immunity Hx. This is a combination of 3 nutrients, vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. Studies have found that these are critical for “the growth and function of the immune cells”. (4) Please see my blog for more information on this fantastic formula. Another nutrient that has come up frequently during this series is Olive Leaf. Studies have found numerous benefits to using olive leaf. These include anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory benefits. (5) NAC is another favorite nutrient of mine! Once again studies have found many benefits for NAC including helping with thinning mucus and relieving the symptoms of conditions such as COPD and even bronchitis. (6) Black Seed is another personal favorite that has also come up quite frequently. However I’ll direct you to my product highlight for more information on this.
But how can you add these products to your daily life? For powders it is simple to mix them into smoothies or even juice or water. Pills can be swallowed or even opened and mixed into those same smoothies. If you aren’t fond of smoothies you can always mix these things into yogurt, applesauce or even into cooked oatmeal. Here are some yummy ideas to help you! Remember there aren’t any misstates in the kitchen, just an opportunity to learn!
- Banana Immune Pops! Take 1 large banana and cut it into chunks. Add to a blender. Add 2 Probiotic Hx capsules. Add in 2 500mg Vitamin C capsules. Add ¼ – ½ cup water and blend. Add to Popsicle molds and enjoy!
- Orange Fruit Bars! Grab out your trusty blender! Add 2 scoops Renalaid, 1 scoop of Reds Hx, 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (or lemon if you feel frisky). 2 large eggs, 1 cup oats. Add water as you blend until it is a smooth dough like texture. Place into either a muffin tin or into a brownie pan. Cook at 350 degrees for between 20-25 min.
- Sunshine oats! In a bowl add ¼ cup of ricotta cheese, ¼ cup milk of choice and mix. Add ½ cup oats and 2 scoops of Oranges Hx as well as the contents of 1 Probiotic Hx. Mix together and refrigerate over night!
Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/disease/respiratoryic.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377870/
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/nutrition-and-immunity/
- https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/olive-leaf
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nac-benefits