VACCINES TO THE RESCUE

Every day that I am in my office, my patients ask for my opinion on vaccines.  With the current state of affairs, this seems to be a very big topic of late. I always believe it is best to make decisions on an individual basis and to be a critical thinker with weighing out risks and benefits for each person.  However,  I do believe in vaccines and I do think they have done wonders for our public health environment as a population.  At The Natural Path, we are in full support of vaccines for public health!  If we can offer the COVID-19 vaccine in our office at some point – we would love to be able to have it available to our patient population.

We do believe there are ways to support your immune system to help handle the immune response to many vaccines!  It is not a main part of our practice, but we do provide childhood vaccinations and support for those who are interested!   I love offering vaccine support for vaccine hesitant parents and providing an environment for them to feel safe and understood; while also becoming comfortable in moving forward with the vaccine process if it feels like the right choice for the child.

Get vaccinated if you can!

This article is also not meant to replace medical advice from your doctor. Please consult with your established physician before taking any recommendations from this article.

HOW DO VACCINES WORK?

Vaccines assist our immune system to create antibodies that fight specific diseases.  Once the body produces antibodies to the specific disease or virus, it will also create antibody-producing memory cells, which remain alive even after the “pathogen” has been taken care of by the body’s antibody response.  If the body is exposed to the same pathogen more than once, the antibody response is increased due to the fact that the memory “T” cells recognize the invader know how to deal with it.  A vaccine prompts the immune system to respond to a disease much as it would have on its first reaction to the actual pathogen.  This science helps us to avoid getting sick and spreading disease into the future.

VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS CAN BE NORMAL

Vaccine side effects usually come along with the body’s immune response to the “pathogen” or a piece of the pathogen that may be in the vaccine.   It is not uncommon to have soreness at the injections site, low grade fever, body aches, fatigue, headaches, etc., for a few days post vaccine!  There will some people who have more drastic reactions and I have actually seen them all first hand in my own family. My oldest son has had seizures, anaphylactic reactions, neurological tics, prolonged joint pain, etc. Over time, we learned that when we supported his immune system he could handle vaccines a lot better! I have also seen this in a few of my other patients as well.

There are many ways to support your immune system prior to vaccination and it may not help everyone but I have seen it help many!

Potential IMMUNE SUPPORT PRIOR TO VACCINATION

*check with your doctor before taking this is not meant to replace medical advice and is simply what I have seen be helpful

VITAMIN D

Vitamin D has proved to be a key player in our immune response. There is literature to support that optimal vitamin D levels can keep a more robust immune system.  A recent study showed that 80% of patients hospitalized due to COVID 19 had low levels of Vitamin D.  Vitamin D blocks viral acquisition by strengthening barriers, it inhibits viral replication, it supports immune defense systems, it supports mitochondrial function in your cells, and it reduces inflammation.  It is advised to begin supplementing with Vitamin D right away.

I recommend a maintenance dose of 5000 IU daily.

MULTI-VITAMIN

Vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, magnesium and selenium are some of our favorite nutrients to help boost the immune system.  Most high-quality multivitamins include all of these vitamins and minerals in the formulation.

GLUTATHIONE OR N-ACETYL CYSTEINE (NAC)

Glutathione acts as an important antioxidant in your body by combatting free radicals (molecules that can damage your body’s cells).  Glutathione and NAC play an important role in many reactions in your body as they help you detox chemicals from drugs and pollutants as well as the ones your body creates naturally.  I always recommend detoxification support to many of my patients.

IMMUNE SUPPORT PRE and POST VACCINATION

*check with your doctor before taking this is not meant to replace medical advice and is simply what I have seen be helpful

The basics are always important to support your body. Stay rested. Stay hydrated. Choose healthy, organic, whole foods and eat lots of nutrient dense vegetables in your diet.

I recommend that many of my patients take Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Zinc and NAC pre and post vaccine.  The dose I recommend is based on the individual for many reasons.  Epsom salt baths are always a nice part of a detoxification protocol.

Make sure you are well rested when you get your vaccine. If you can, try to allow for rest the following day. Epsom salt baths are always a nice part of a detoxification protocol.

Check with your doctor if you have a past history of vaccine reaction or other health conditions.

Choose gratitude that we have vaccines to help keep our population free from disease and sickness.

Categories: General Wellness, Uncategorized