NOW, in February, this very minute! is the time to prepare for this region’s Spring allergy season. For those of you with allergies, Spring is usually the worst season for runny nose, watery, swollen eyes and sneezing. These are caused by your body’s histamine response which is great when it responds normally and miserable when it hyper-responds. The fatigue that accompanies allergy symptoms can be debilitating.

Even if your symptoms are just inconvenient and annoying, you and your immune system will benefit from this combination of powerful supplements. I would like to add, these are not expensive supplements and can make a huge difference in your spring experience and in your body’s long-term immune system.

You can get my discount on these nutrients. Click here to send an email to LisaEaves@Heal-from-Within.com, and I’ll send you a link so you can get them all in one place, most likely cheaper than on Amazon! I’d like to point out that 3 of the 4 nutrients above are also beneficial for reproductive health.

• Quercitin 750MG (decrease after pollen counts go down)
• Zinc 20-30MG/day (10-20 would be a maintenance dose)
• Vitamin D3 + K2 2,000-5,000iu/day (2,000 with sun exposure)
• N-acetyl cysteine 600MG 2x/day (1x/day maintenance)

These dosages are a guideline and will vary based on your sensitivity, body weight, diet and severity of symptoms. You may want to take the above doses to get your system up to speed and then increase or decrease depending on your symptoms.

If Quercitin is unfamiliar to you, it is a plant flavonoid, found in a broad range of foods: grape skins, red onions, green tea, tomatoes, onions and shallots, apples, broccoli, asparagus, green peppers, berries… It has anti-aging and immune-boosting benefits. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities are found to be cancer-preventive as well as reduce allergic reactions, boost immunity, and protect the cardiovascular system. It’s also a scavenger of free-radicals.

Quercetin blocks the allergic response at several points. It suppresses the actions of immune system cells, reducing the production of histamine, that accounts for itchy skin, watery eyes, and (more dangerously) loss of blood pressure during serious allergic reactions. Quercetin impairs the function of certain cell types that lie at the heart of the allergic and autoimmune processes. Studies show that for skin allergies (contact dermatitis), quercetin is more effective than the standard drug cromolyn at inhibiting inflammatory cytokine release.

In one study, quercetin was at least as effective as standard asthma maintenance medications such as cromolyn and inhaled steroids at reducing the resistance to air flow.

Zinc is a co-factor involved in hundreds of biochemical transitions and benefits the body in many ways: helping with hormone production, proper growth and repair, improved immunity, and normal digestion. Numerous aspects of cellular metabolism are zinc-dependent. Zinc plays important roles in growth and development, immune function, neurotransmission, vision, reproduction, and intestinal ion transport.

Zinc bioavailability is relatively high in meat, eggs, and seafood.

It has the ability to act as an anti-inflammatory agent, which means that it may have significant therapeutic benefits for several chronic diseases, such as cancer or heart disease.

Zinc is needed for healthy cell division. It acts like an antioxidant within the body, fighting free radical damage and helping slow the aging process.

This mineral also has a major impact on hormonal balance, so for this reason, even a small deficiency can result in an increased risk for infertility or diabetes.

Numerous aspects of cellular metabolism are zinc-dependent. Zinc plays important roles in growth and development, immune function, neurotransmission, vision, reproduction, and intestinal ion transport.

In the cold winter months, it’s hard to spend enough time outside to synthesize sufficient amounts of Vitamin D. Vitamin D contributes to the regulation of gene activation, controls metabolic processes, enhances DNA repair, is known for cancer prevention, cardio health, improves beta-endorphins which make you feel happy, and increases Nitric Oxide which dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.

Since covid-19, numerous studies have found that for those who contract the virus, symptoms are less severe when D levels are higher than for those with low D levels. Higher levels of D can reduce lung infections, regulate inflammatory activity, lower risk of autoimmune activity and improve immune function.

Vitamin D deficiency can interfere with sexual function and reproductive health in both men and women. Research has shown that men with higher vitamin D levels have more testosterone than men with less vitamin D. Higher vitamin D levels have also been shown to positively influence hormone balance in women.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an amino acid that helps the body create and use protective antioxidants. It is a precursor to what is arguably the most important antioxidant in the human body, glutathione. The most important mechanisms of action are its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These are due to its ability to increase glutathione levels, scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidative stress.

NAC has the ability to reduce mucus secretions and phlegm, as well as to reduce coughing, wheezing and trouble breathing. 

In addition to protecting the organs from free radical damage, NAC helps control side effects associated with excessive doses of certain medications/drugs, especially acetaminophen.

There is evidence that NAC can defend against cancer by neutralizing free radicals that cause damage to DNA. In animal studies, animals fed with NAC experience less cellular damage and fewer lung, colon and bladder tumors compared with those fed a normal diet. In summary, NAC contributes to:

• Increasing levels of the antioxidant, glutathione
• Treating acetaminophen overdose
• Breaking up mucus in people with some lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis
• Protecting the liver
• Helping prevent bladder or neurologic damage caused by some drugs
• Potentially helping prevent colon cancer

Start enjoying your spring in February this year. Build up your immune system now in preparation and lower your allergy symptoms with these incredibly healthy nutrients.