The cold and flu season continues and with it, the sneezes, runny noses, and coughs. While a healthy lifestyle is important year-round, it’s especially critical right now. The good news is there are lots of things we can do to protect ourselves and the most vulnerable people around us. In fact, one of the best ways to stay healthy is by strengthening our immune systems!

1. Get More of the Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is known for supporting healthy bones and teeth, and it also promotes immune health!

While Vitamin D is important, many don’t get enough from diet alone. While your body can make vitamin D from sunlight, if you don’t spend enough time outdoors, it’s not going to be enough.

Vitamin D supplements are an easy way to increase your vitamin D intake, ensuring you get enough every day. Genestra offers vitamin D in liquid and capsule formats! These formulas can help keep your bones and immune system strong, all season long.

2. Vitamins, Minerals … and Yeast?

In addition to vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc are important for a healthy immune system. Another component is yeast! (Yes, really!)

Baker’s yeast is used to make bread so it may be the last thing on your mind when you think of immune support. But a proprietary extract from baker’s yeast called EpiCor® has been demonstrated to help reduce the risk of developing cold and flu symptoms!¹ Who knew that yeast was so versatile?

For immune support, Genestra’s Cor Defence provides a combination of vitamins C and D, plus zinc and EpiCor®. This formula also includes European elderberry, a plant commonly used in traditional Herbal Medicine.

3. Go Natural

Plants offer a wide range of compounds that help improve their survival and defence against predators. Many of these compounds have been identified and are now recognized for their supportive roles in human health!

We have a comprehensive selection of remedies made from fresh buds and young shoots of growing plants. These pure, standardized extracts are farmed biodynamically and contain a unique profile of therapeutic compounds not found in in the leaves, roots or bark – which are the parts of plants typically used in medicinal formulas.

Two synergistic combinations are Imu-gen and Al-gen. Imu-gen is a blend of Sea Buckthorn, English Walnut and Dog Rose. Al-gen is a blend of Black Currant, Rosemary and Juniper extracts. These plants have all been used in traditional Herbal Medicine. When combined, each combination creates an effect that is greater than the sum of the individual plants administered alone.

4. Proprietary Probiotics Make all the Difference

Probiotics are good bacteria that keep your gut healthy, and since nearly eighty percent of your immune cells are found in your gut, it’s easy to see how good health begins there.

Although probiotics are found in yogurt and fermented foods, supplements provide more of the good bacteria.

When reading the label, look at the types of probiotic strains, as well as the amount of bacteria. Good bacteria vary in strength with respect to how long they can live in the human digestive tract, making quality more important than quantity when selecting a probiotic.  To ensure you are getting quality strains, it’s best to reach for a product that’s backed by research.

Genestra HMF Probiotics

Genestra HMF Probiotics are trusted by healthcare professionals across Canada because we’re committed to research-based formulas with allergen-free ingredients. We only use well researched strains shown to convey a wide range of health benefits, including a proven ability to prevent bad bacteria from multiplying in the gut.

When looking to support immune health our HMF Immune Probiotic is a natural choice. Specifically developed to support upper respiratory tract health, it combines 5 proprietary probiotic strains with vitamins C and D. Included in this blend, along with our four core HMF strains, is Bl-04 – a probiotic strain shown in a clinical trial to reduce the risk of developing and the duration of upper respiratory tract illness in physically active adults.²

Back to the health benefits of certain strains of yeast our HMF Travel is another great choice this time of year. This formula combines the same core four HMF strains found in HMF Immune with a proprietary clinically studied strain of the yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii. Saccharomyces boulardii has been extensively studied for its ability to restore the balance of good bacteria in the gut, while reducing the ability of harmful bacteria from adhering to our cells. Added bonus, HMF Travel is shelf stable, so it doesn’t need to be refrigerated!

How do you boost your immune system?

References

1. Moyad, MA, Robinson, LE, Zawada, ET Jr, Kittelsrud, JM, Chen, DG, et al. Urol Nurs. 2008; 28(1): 50-5.
2. West, NP, Horn, PL, Pyne, DB, Gebski, VJ, Lahtinen, SJ, et al. Clin Nutr. 2014; 33(4): 581-7.