By Beth Aust, RN, Health Coach
The leaves are changing color, pumpkin spice is everywhere and apple picking is in prime season; but this also means more cold and flu symptoms. Yes, those little bugs like influenza and the common cold can affect us all year round, but flu activity peaks during the fall and winter months. Most people wait until they are ill to take measures, but what IF we chose to be proactive in our wellness, and decided to be our own health advocate?
Five tips to be proactive this Fall Season:
1. Start taking a quality vitamin D supplement. Most of our vitamin D comes from the sun, which decreases during the fall and winter months. This means we need to supplement during the darker months, AND we need to use an effective, quality supplement.
2. Take time for yourself - the changing seasons are telling us to slow down. Journaling to track your moods and get in touch with your emotions and feelings, taking quiet time in reflection or meditation, or simply taking a hot bath filled with Epsom salts and your favorite relaxing essential oils.
3. Stay active. Raking leaves, fall clean up, and even snow shoveling are things that must be done anyway, and can help keep your body moving. Take time every day to move your body, whether it is a YouTube video, a local class, or Yoga in your living room.
4. Eat nutritious foods, especially fruits and vegetables that fuel your body. Drink plenty of water, get adequate sleep, decrease sugar consumption, wash your hands often, and decrease stress.
5. Boost Your Immune system with a High Dose Vitamin C Infusion.
What is High Dose Vitamin C?
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a nutrient found in foods such as oranges, kale, or in dietary supplements. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and helps prevent damage to cells from free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and aging. Many are necessary for life, but the truth is excessive amounts can lead to cell injury, and contribute to many diseases including coronary artery disease and cancer.
Substances that generate free radicals can be found in the food we eat, the medicines we take, the air we breathe, and the water we drink, according to the Huntington's Outreach Project for Education at Stanford University. We are literally bombarded with them on a daily basis.
Vitamin C can be taken by mouth or through an IV infusion. Much higher blood levels are reached when vitamin C is given by intravenous (IV) infusion. If you look at a ¾ cup glass of orange juice, it has 60 mg of vitamin C. Orally the gut can absorb up to 1,000 mg per hour, but it is irritating to the digestive tract and can cause diarrhea when intake is more than the body can use.
Vitamin C can be infused into the blood stream in much higher doses than can be achieved when taken by mouth. This route does not cause diarrhea or digestive tract irritation. Vitamin C, at doses like 10-25 grams (10,000-25,000 mg) depending on the individual, is a potent antioxidant (scavenger of free radicals) that can boost the immune system, fight infection, and improve quality of life.
Can you see how a high dose vitamin C infusion can be a supportive piece of your proactive wellness plan?
Ok, so maybe you are wondering if this is right for you, and what potential side effects a high dose vitamin C infusion may have. Let me break that down for you.
There are very few side effects associated with high dose IV vitamin C as long as patients are appropriately screened before starting their first therapy. Dr. Heidi Puc will do a screening at your infusion consult appointment if you are not yet a current patient. It is not recommended for people who have the following: G6PD deficiency or PNH (paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria), hemochromatosis, kidney disease, renal failure, those undergoing hemodialysis, and patients with a history of kidney stones. Also, high dose IV vitamin C has not been studied for use by pregnant or lactating women, or by children, so caution is warranted in these groups as well. The most common side effect reported is lethargy or fatigue; occasionally patients may experience vein irritation, nausea, and vomiting.
How we can help?
Did you know that we carry an entire line of the BEST supplements right here in our office, carefully chosen by Dr. Heidi Puc, including that Vitamin D supplement you are looking for? AND if we do not have what you need in the office, you can create an account in Dr. Heidi Puc’s Fullscript dispensary to get high quality supplements for all of your supplement needs. You don’t even have to be a patient at IM of CNY to order these direct from the manufacturer supplements. Just visit https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/imofcny to get the best supplements delivered right to your door.
Ready to boost your immunity with a high dose vitamin C infusion? Call the office now at 315-741-5774 and let us get you scheduled. When you come for an infusion, you are treated like family (the ones we like), we honestly have the most welcoming faces at the front desk when you arrive, and you are offered tea or water. Then you will relax in the serene environment of our infusion room where you can slip back in a reclining comfy chair, be offered a cozy blanket, enjoy the peaceful music and the autumn scenery, and have the BEST nurses trusted in your care. Our patients have said they LOVE coming to our infusion room for the peace of mind they just cannot find in their hectic lives. No pressure, but DO NOT WAIT to call as our infusion room fills up quickly.
Remember its best to be proactive, and focus on your wellness now, or you will be forced to manage your illness later.
We want to hear from you! What proactive tips are you taking in your wellness?
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