By Dr. Linda J. Dobberstein, DC, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” “Bah Humbug!” Which one describes you? The onset of winter with the shortest daylight hours of the year, colder temperatures, holidays and social events, travel, year-end to-do-lists, family stress, and other factors can readily add to the overwhelming bah humbug feelings.
Enjoying the season and keeping up with all the demands requires some deliberate TLC. Make sure that you schedule downtime to rest and recover. Support your sleep quality and recovery needs. Keep your digestive tract happy and moving. Give your adrenals, thyroid, and brain the nutrients necessary to manage demands. Optimize your immune system. Make sure you have support for season changes. Help your body detoxify from alcohol. Ward off blood sugar swings and sugar cravings. Here are some recommendations to help you improve your stress tolerance during the holidays!
Sleep and Recovery
A good night’s sleep is priceless. However, sleep can become disrupted with travel, an upset stomach, different sleep environments, and stress, etc. Minerals like magnesium and calcium are readily depleted by stress, and daily wear and tear. Customer favorites for sleep include RelaxaMag and TriCal.
When the “bah humbugs” and challenged sleep need more intensive support, consider PEA Ultra, Daily DHA, Phosphatidylserine and/or Sleep Helper. The latter product contains L-theanine, taurine, lemon balm, and passionflower. These products are highly supportive for sleep quality, stress recovery, nervous system relaxation, and stress resiliency and are commonly taken with RelaxaMag and TriCal. These items may be taken during the day and at bedtime to support brain health, mood, and stress recovery.
Holiday Foods and Digestive Health
The holidays, events, travel, and stress can be a significant challenge to your digestive tract. Rich foods, treats with sugar, alcohol, different types of foods, etc. can lead to indigestion, gas, bloating, and bowel irritability.
Avoid your food sensitivities as much as possible. A friend recently told me about an experience that he had after attending a holiday gathering. The host had prepared many foods that he normally didn’t include in his diet. He consumed these foods not wanting to hurt the host’s feelings. Later that night, he woke up with severe indigestion and thought he had appendicitis, because his abdominal pain was so bad. His symptoms thankfully resolved by morning. If you have had a similar experience, I encourage you to avoid the foods that you know are problematic. Ask your host or server to see if there are other options.
To help with the digestion of food and occasional acid reflux consider Digestive Helper and d-Limonene. Digestive Helper is a blend of plant-based enzymes with special enzymes to aid in the digestion of gluten and dairy. It also contains other nutrients to protect the lining of the stomach. D-Limonene is helpful for the occasional acid reflux indigestion and supports gallbladder function.
If digestive upset has been significant and led to sluggish, dry bowels, bowel irritability, or changes in intestinal permeability, add GI & Muscle Helper to your supplement regime. This product helps rebuild the gut lining and supports mucosal barrier repair. More in-depth information may be found in the article A Closer Look at GI & Muscle Helpers’ Nutritional Power.
Make sure to watch your dietary fiber intake as it often declines during the holidays and times of travel. If you need a little extra support, consider the addition of Fiber Helper or Daily Protein Plus. The latter product is a blend of whey protein with various fibers depending on the chosen flavor.
Stress and Demands
Stress of any type makes your entire body work harder. Higher amounts of free radicals are released that stress your brain, thyroid, and adrenal glands. Adrenal Helper and Thyroid Helper provide a blend of adaptogenic herbs that help your brain and endocrine system manage stress without the use of hormones. These adaptogenic herbs are especially helpful with long-standing stress, when you feel like you’re “running out of gas.”
Stress also increases the need for antioxidants and B vitamins for your brain, adrenals, and thyroid and throughout your body. Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, and Daily Protector Eye & Immune can be very helpful in these times. Extra Vitamin C and magnesium can be very supportive too!
Immune Support and Resiliency
As you travel and get together with family and friends, make sure you support your immune system. A little extra nutritional preventative support can keep your immune system fortified during the cold and flu season. Customer favorites include:
• Colloidal Silver – squeeze a few dropperfuls in the back of your throat at the first sign of a tickle or scratchy throat. It can also be used for sinus support. It is meant for short-term use only.
• Oregano Oil– provides strong support for respiratory and gastrointestinal health. It is pure wild oregano oil with 55% carvacrol and no soybean or olive oil added.
• Super Immune Booster contains olive leaf extract, colostrum, beta-glucan from maitake mushrooms, and arabinogalactan. It provides more in-depth support, affecting immune health, gut microbiome and gut lining, lymph drainage, and provides natural antimicrobial effects.
• Immune Plus contains one ingredient – arabinogalactan, which is also found in Super Immune Booster. This prebiotic compound helps engage Natural Killer cell activity and supports lymph cleansing. It is excellent for the very young and very old and everyone in between. It is helpful for clearing congestion from sinuses, throat, ears, and respiratory tract. It is often used with Oregano Oil, Quercetin, and/or Daily Protector Eye & Immune.
• Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Strengthener Plus, which contains zinc and copper, are also customer favorites. These nutrients are essential to hundreds of different functions throughout your body. Optimize your immune system with these essentials!
More information may be found in these articles:
Arabinogalactan Supports NK Cell Activity for Healthy Immunity
Restore Health After an Immune Challenge
Wintertime Blues
Shorter daylight hours, colder temperatures, and staying indoors can weigh you down and contribute to the wintertime blues. Key nutrients needed for circadian rhythm, body clock genes, and mood involved with seasonal changes include vitamin D, melatonin, omega-3 DHA, magnesium, and vitamin B12.
Learn more in this detailed article: 5 Nutrients to Combat Wintertime Blues. 28
Alcohol Use
Support your body to help detoxify the effect of alcohol. Daily Detoxify, Pantethine, Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Glutathione Ultra, Brain Protector, and/or R-Alpha Lipoic Acid provide nutrients used by your brain, liver, kidneys, and other tissues for detoxification and antioxidant support.
Sugar Cravings and Blood Sugar Management
Everywhere you look, there are rich, indulgent, sugar-filled temptations “calling your name” at this time of the year. It is easy to reach for these treats only to find that it’s hard to stop at just one.
Extra protein, good fats, and fiber with your meals help calm down sugar cravings. Make sure you start your day off with a great breakfast as this sets the tone for the day. Stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, and boredom often make people reach for the treats. Be mindful. Probiotics and sugar buster support may include Super Dophilus, LeptiSlim, Gluco Plus, Cinnamon Plus, and/or GI & Muscle Helper.
Making your way through a stressful time is much like preparing for an exam, only it’s an exam of your body’s health and vitality. You need to sleep well, eat well, pace yourself, and prep your mind and body. There are often unexpected bumps along the way, but the more fortified you are with your body, mind, and spirit, the more resilient you will be. Don’t let the “bah humbugs” get the best of you. Enjoy this special time of the year!
