Updates from Kelly Milano

That was the title of an email I received today from our local medicaid insurance company. As a doctor, I get all sorts of info on what the insurance companies and Big Pharma think is best for us. When I saw the first part of the title I thought "YES! Yes it DOES start with you!"  But then the rest of the title talked about what they felt was the proper step to "protect yourself and those you love". 

The seasonal flu is a respiratory illness caused by a virus and lowering your overall risk factors is your BEST prevention against it.

Below are 5 things you can do to help keep yourself healthy this year.

1. Lower your sugar intake. Viruses (and bacteria) thrive on sugar. it is estimated that 80% of all viruses bind to the sugars that are on the outside or your cells. When they do this, they are able to break through the cell wall and infect the cells. Once inside the cell, the virus reproduces, causing the cell to rupture and spewing gout all the newly created little viruses to go and further infect other cells. This is part of why a virus can move through the body so quickly and become systemic. Cutting your sugar intake can slow do the speed that the virus replicates. 

2. Increase your water intake. Water is a large part of every cell in the body so it is crucial to make sure you are getting enough water to both help fight off a viral infection once it's settled it, but to also help ward off the infection to begin with. Sufficient amounts of water also keep the mucus membranes and skin hydrated and help to act as a barrier against viral infection.

3. VitaminD is actually a hormone that is created in the body when we are in direct access to sunlight. During the winter months, when the sun is much more scarce for many parts of the northern hemisphere, vitaminD levels need to be supplemented. Iit is recommended in many health circles that when supplementing with VitaminD that a female takes 4,000-5,000iu a day while pregnant and nursing women should take 5,000-6,000iu a day. Men should take a minimum of 5,000iu a day and kids should take 1,000iu per 25 pounds of body weight of if your child is 75 pounds, they should be getting roughly 3000iu a day. Check out this article that goes into more depth on the importance of Vitamin D and the symptoms and issues when deficient. 

4. Probiotics play an important overall role in gut health, but most people don't realize that gut health plays an important role in the immune system. In our medical system, we tend to look at the body as individual units (cardiovascular system, immune system, digestive system, etc) and see specific doctors for each system, instead of seeing how each system interacts and benefits the others.  When it comes to the immune system, over 80% of it is located within the gut so having a health microbiome is essential. My favorite probiotic contains over 17 billion live cultures from 9 beneficial bacteria, all helping to create the ideal microbiome in the gut. 

5. Over the centuries, simple herbs have been used to keep people healthy and many have scientifcally been proven to be affective.  A few of these are clove, cinnamon and oregano. Lemon and orange have also been found to have cleansing properties, which is why you will often see if many cleaning products. One of my favorite products to help keep my family healthy is Thieves. It combines the power of clove, cinnamon and lemon as well as adds eucalyptus and rosemary into the mix. This product is so important to the overall health of my family that I was thankful when my favorite company came out with an entire line of products to keep my house clean and my family health. With products ranging from toothpaste, soaps, hand sanitizer and mouthwash to laundry soap, household cleaner, and dishwasher detergent, all areas of our household can reap the benefits. 

None of these things are going to keep you 100% from getting sick this season but all will assist you in staying healthy. Sleep and stress levels also play an important role in your immune system strength so make sure to get plenty of rest this winter! I have my hands on 20-30 patients, or more, a day so staying healthy is important to me, especially when they come in sniffling and sneezing. Thieves hand sanitizer is my best friend most days! Stay healthy my friends!! You've got this! 

Last night was the most beautiful night here! The full moon was low in the sky (referred to as the Wolf Moon) and for hours cast enough light on the fresh snow that it looked more like 5pm than 11pm. The night sky illuminated by the moon. There was a lantern lit snowshoe walk about 20 miles from us and the pictures that were posted were amazing! People were out enjoying the gorgeous night and our local TV channels facebook page is full of picture proof of it. I was able to snap a few pictures outside my house and the sky looks blue! It was encouraging to see so many people enjoying the moment, not fretting about the cold.
   

Find the happy!  In each moment of each day, look for the thing that makes you smile, that lights up your heart, that makes you happy. It might be a new coffee mug or seeing a deer crossing the road up in front of you. It might be the peeking of the sun behind the clouds or the sunset over the lake. No matter where you are or the negative and disarray that seems to be around you, find the happy! Look for the little moments that create a break in your thinking and make you smile. Today, find the HAPPY! 

                                                                                                                                                            Photo by Andrew Corwin

I think we all can agree that stress and anxiety is an epidemic. Seems like everyone we know is trying their best to manage it and to not "break". As you or your child are filled with more and more anxiety, it gets harder to focus on the positive things going on around them. You can't see the smiles on friends faces or the fact that your child just did well on a test. You may be irritated by the laughing of a peer group in the hallway at school, just positive that the group is somehow making fun of them. Anxiety and stress hormones make them prioritize the negative over the positive. They say their whole day was terrible, when really the only problem was that they dropped breakfast on the floor and the dog ate it. 

They get stuck in a constant loop that can be very difficult to get out of, especially if they aren't wanting therapy and trying to do it themselves. We've talked about some ideas to try to help break the cycle and today we are going to talk about some natural supplements that might be able to offer some assistance as well. Because anxiety and stress is different for everyone and affects everyone differently, supplements that work for one person may not help someone else. Being open to trying different options is important in finding exactly what works for your child's particular situation. 

Ashwagandha is Ayurvedic remedy that is often used for those who are dealing with anxiety and insomnia. "What is Ayuvedic?" you might be asking yourself. It's an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. 80% of the population in India and Nepal use Ayurvedic as their primary health and medicine system. 

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen meaning that it's a natural substances that helps the body and brain adapt to stress and help to normalize the stress processes of the body.  Ashwagandha has been shown to calm the brain, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure and alter the immune system. 

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in green and black tea. Studies show that it can improve mood and cognition as well as reduce stress and anxiety.  

Most Americans are quite deficient in magnesium and while all need to be supplementing with it, those with anxiety can greatly benefit from it's daily usage. It has been shown to improve mood and decrease anxiety, enhance sleep, decrease muscle spasms and migraines. There are many different types of magnesium which all have different outcomes for the various ailments, magnesium lactate or oxide have been shown to have the best results.

VitaminD is another vitamin that most of us are deficient in due to the overuse of sunscreen, little things like CLOTHES, and changes in the sun and weather patterns. When VitaminD levels are deficient in our body, not only are we at greater risk for cold and flu and even cancer, but anxiety and depression also increase. There is varied research out there on how much we should be taking on a daily basis but the VitaminD Council recommends 5000iu for adults and teens. If I have someone with severe depression or severe anxiety, I tend to start them on a dosage of 10,000iu a day and go from there.

One of my favorite supplements is called Cortistop. According to the website, "when cortisol is produced too frequently, it can have negative health consequences such as feelings of fatigue, healthy weight and cardiovascular system health. Cortistop helps the body maintain it's natural balance & harmony & supports the glandular system with a combination of herbs and essential oils." It is listed as a female supplement, but rest assured that men can use it and can have amazing results as well.  Remember, men has hormones and stress too. 

Unwind is a simple supplement for kids and teens (and adults too) that reminds me of Pixy Stix. This simple little packet is convenient to keep in a backpack or purse. Your child or teen can just tear it open and dump it in their mouth. It contains the L-Theanine we discussed above, as well as magnesium (citrate) plus a whole marine magnesium complex. It also contains lavender and roman chamomile. This is also a great supplement for your littlest kids who might have a hard time "unwinding" at night to be able to get some sleep. It can promote a restful and relaxed state, help with sleeplessness and reduce occasional irritability and stress.

Mindwise is a combination of fruit juices & extracts, turmeric & premium essential oils. This combination works synergistically to create a powerful supplement for heart and brain function and health. With generous amount of VitaminD3, this supplement is equipped to support normal brain function and mood.

I hope that over the next couple of weeks, you are able to find some good support your child. The one thing I want to encourage you is to remember that this isn't going to change overnight.  Many supplements will take 2-4 weeks to fully see the most results. If you happen to use one and have a negative response with your child, stop that one and move on to the next. I found that for my son, a product called Powergize, which he loves during football and while lifting weights becuase it helps boost stamina, supports healthy muscles and increases his muscle size, also increased his rage and anger while we were learning how to best manage his anxiety and stress. He would text me from school saying he was angry and that he was then made at himself for "being" angry because he didn't even know WHY he was so mad.  When we stopped that supplement, the rage decreased and we were able to best find solutions to help with his daily stressors.