Healthy Respiratory Tips for the Holiday Season

As we start to move into the winter months, we usually see an increase in upper respiratory infections (URI’s). As people gather for the holidays from different parts of the country, we share our viral infections. This can cause an uptake in cases of SARS-COV2, both in unvaccinated and vaccinated people (1). To that end, it is a good idea to try and keep our respiratory tracts as healthy as possible. Here are some simple strategies to keep our nasal passages and lungs healthy this winter.

• Antimicrobial nasal sprays like Nutribiotic Grapefruit Seed Extract Spray or Argentyn 23 Silver Hydrosol Spray used twice per day can help impede the growth of bacteria and viruses in the nasal passages.

• Sufficient Vitamin D levels decrease the severity of upper respiratory infections (2). Always correlate with lab levels which should be in 60-80ng/dl range.

• Wash your hands often and do not touch your face unless your hands are clean.

• Elderberry tincture is a nice, gentle antiviral medication that can be taken all winter long and can also be given to children. Take one teaspoon per day.

• Do not eat processed sugars. These interfere with our white blood cells and make us more susceptible to URIs.

• Stay well hydrated. Increased intake of clean water contributes to healthy mucosal tissues like the lungs.

In good health,
Dr. Chris Chlebowski

References:

 1.  Anika Singanayagam, PhD, et. al., Community transmission and viral load kinetics of SARS-CoV2 delta variant in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the UK: a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study, The Lancet. 10/21

2. Gal Dubnov-Raz, et. al., Vitamin D supplementation and upper respiratory tract infections in adolescent swimmers: a randomized controlled trial, Pediatric Exercise Science. 2015 Feb;27(1):113-9.doi: 10.1123/pes.2014-0030.