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Zinc Benefits Your Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

06/15/2021

I titled this post zinc benefits your immune system because this trace mineral is absolutely essential to a healthy immune system.

Currently our world is going through a major health scare due to COVID-19.

Now it’s important to note a couple of items before we get back to how zinc benefits your immune system.

Item #1 – Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that include the common cold. Some of these viruses are extremely deadly like the MERS and SARS virus. At least initially, because people have not built up an immunity to them.

This is why COVID-19 has had such an effect on the health of people. It’s a new strain that the human body is not used to, and doesn’t have an immunity to. Which leads to the next item.

Item #2 – COVID-19 has been deadliest to older adults who have a compromised immune system. This is not to say that those with a good immune system will not get sick. But those who are younger, and have a more vibrant and active immune system, usually respond well to treatment.

So what does this have to do with how zinc benefits your immune system?

Well, as people age they suffer what is called “micronutrient malnutrition.”

Micronutrient malnutrition is when a person lacks essential vitamins and trace minerals. This situation is common in older adults because they tend to eat less. And they have less variety in their diet.

Add to this the fact that today’s food supply is sorely lacing in trace minerals, and you can understand why the immune systems of older adults are compromised.

A good example of this is a 2007 study of adults aged 55 to 87 who had lower plasma zinc levels when compared to younger adults. These older adults also had higher oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. This group of older adults were split so that half took a zinc supplement and the other half took a placebo.

After 12 months they were retested. The zinc group had a significantly lower rate of respiratory infections. And their markers for inflammation and oxidative stress were also lower.

More recently, a 2017 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated how zinc benefits your immune system. In this study they gave zinc-deficient nursing home residents either a zinc supplement or a placebo. After three months, the zinc group had an increase in their T cell numbers as well as an increase in their serum zinc.

(If you would prefer to view this information in a video format, then please click on my YouTube video below:)

Top 5 Health Benefits of Zinc

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/15/2021

Zinc is a key mineral for optimal health. Because of this we want to look at the health benefits of zinc.

This mineral is needed for proper immune function, wound healing, bone health, metabolism, and DNA synthesis.

(If you would prefer to view this information in a video format, then please click on my YouTube video below:)

Because your body can’t produce or store it, zinc is considered an essential nutrient. This means you need a daily consumption of it through either diet or supplementation.

The normal RDI is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.

Because zinc is present in every cell, it’s the second most abundant trace mineral in your body. Needed for over 300 different enzymatic reactions, zinc helps with the following:

The production of more than 90,000 enzymes.
Repairs and strengthens proteins, especially hemoglobin.
Helps with digestion and absorption of calcium.
Responsible for transporting amino acids and magnesium through the cell membranes.
Important for proper blood flow and growth of new red blood cells.
Essential for healthy skin, hair, and nails.
Helps the body absorb magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamins B2 and B12.
And Zinc is a powerful antioxidant, which gives it anti-inflammatory properties.

That’s just a small sampling of the health benefits of zinc. Which brings us to the 5 key benefits. Read More →

Reduce Flu and Colds Naturally

Posted by Dan Hammer //

12/08/2020

As we head into the winter months, is it possible to reduce flu and colds naturally? And the answer is Yes if you know how to properly combine a prebiotic with the right probiotics.

In fact, in a recent clinical study this combination of probiotics with a prebiotic reduced flu-like illnesses by 75% and colds by 39%.

And while most of the country is focused on the CoVid19 virus, it is important to note that in the 2019-2020 flu season, 62,000 Americans died from influenza. It is estimated that 70-85% of these deaths were in people aged 65 or older.

Colds and the flu are typically treated with medications to reduce the symptoms.

These medications typically do nothing to promote immunity. Or help boost your immune system to defend your body against the invading virus.

This is were probiotics can help.

75 to 80% of your immune health is determined by your gut health. Specific probiotic strains help to balance your gut flora to improve your immune system. Especially your immune system that helps you fight off the viruses that are responsible for the flu and colds.

This means that if you consume these probiotic species on a daily basis, then you can help maintain the needed gut flora to boost your immune system.

Several studies have identified five probiotic strains that help to reduce upper respiratory tract infections. They are:

B lactis (BS01)
L plantarum (LP01)
L plantarum (LP02)
L rhamnosus (LR04)
L rhamnosus (LR05)

Now some would think that you could reduce flu and colds naturally by increasing your consumption of these five key probiotic species.

But a more effective way to increase their presence in your gut flora is to give them an ideal food source. This is where the prebiotic comes in.

Prebiotics are indigestible plant fibers to you. But they are an ideal food source for your probiotic species. One class of prebiotics called galactooligosaccharides, provide plant sugars that remain in your colon. They then feed and promote the growth of these beneficial gut microbes to enhance your immune system.

In a randomized, double-blind study of 250 healthy adult volunteers these five probiotc strains were combined with the prebiotic galactooligosaccharides. The study lasted for 90 day and was conducted during the flu season. These volunteers were given either a placebo or this probiotic-prebiotic blend. And the following results were observed:

75% reduction in flu-like respiratory illnesses
39% reduction in the number of colds

And for those who did develop the flu or cold, the following was observed:

37% reduction in flu symptom severity
19% reduction in cold symptom severity
An average one-day reduction in the duration of the cold
A three-day reduction in the duration of coughs
And a 1.5-day reduction in the duration of all acute respiratory tract infections

I’ve written numerous articles on the importance of improving your gut health to improve your immune system. Here is another reminder that you can reduce flu and colds naturally, if you take the time to feed your gut with the right ingredients.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Onions

Posted by Dan Hammer //

10/01/2020

Today we’re going to look at the health benefits of onions. Just as there are multiple layers to this vegetable, with multiple ways you can cook it, there are also multiple health benefits of onions.

Onions belong to the allium family of vegetables, which include garlic, shallots, chives, and leeks. This means they are a good source of sulfur, which help in both detoxification and protein formation. But they also have important antibacterial and immune-boosting properties.

And while modern day medicine is beginning to acknowledge these health benefits, onions have been used since the beginning of recorded history as key to treating a wide range of health concerns.

Nutrient Dense

A medium onion is only 44 calories but packed with key vitamins and minerals. It is high in vitamin C, which is a key nutrient in helping to regulate your immune system. And as a powerful antioxidant, it helps to protect you from free radical damage. This means that it can aid in reducing cellular membrane damage and inflammation.

Onions are also a good source of both B6 and B9, which aid in regulating your immune system. Plus these two B vitamins play a key role in metabolism, nerve function, and the production of red blood cells.

And like bananas, they are a good source of potassium, which is key for proper muscle relaxation.

Heart Health

As already noted onions help to fight inflammation. Inflammation is at the heart of almost all cardiovascular health issues.

A key antioxidant found in onions is the flavonoid quercetin, which has been shown to be a powerful anti-inflammatory ingredient that helps to reduce heart disease risk factors. One of which is helping to reduce cholesterol levels.

Antioxidant Powerhouse

As I’ve shared many times in my health articles, antioxidants protect you from free radical damage. Plus they inhibit oxidation. It is oxidized LDL cholesterol that typically starts plaque formation in the vascular system.

Onions contain over 25 different flavonoid compounds, which all act as excellent sources of antioxidants.

Particular to red onions is the flavonoid called anthocyanins. There are multiple population studies that show how a diet rich in anthocyanins can lower the risk of a heart attack in men by 14% and for women by 32%. Read More →

Health Benefits of Quercetin

Posted by Dan Hammer //

09/15/2020

Today we’re going to talk about the health benefits of quercetin, which is a plant flavoniod that helps to address multiple health issues.

Quercetin is found in a wide range of foods such as grape skins, red onions, green tea, and tomatoes. And while this ingredient is naturally abundant in plant foods, most people do not get enough quercetin through their daily diets.

Part of the reason why is that the American diet is centered on high protein from animal sources. Or high in carbohydrates from processed grains, which strips out needed nutrients.

This is unfortunate because the research clearly shows the health benefits of quercitin on a wide range of concerns.

Cardiovascular Disease

The number one killer of all people is cardiovascular disease. Quercetin can be a significant help in this area. In a study of 805 men that ranged in age from 65-84 years old, those with the highest intake of quercetin were 68% less likely to die from coronary heart disease when compared to those with the lowest intake.

Other studies in this areas showed a reduction in death rates of 31% for women and 24% for men, when all causes were factored. And scientists attribute this reduction to several key factors, which include the following:

Reduction of dangerous accumulations of abdominal and liver fat.
Reduction in total cholesterol.
Reduction in LDL (Bad) cholesterol.
Increase in HDL (Good) cholesterol.
Reduction in blood sugar.
Reduction in blood pressure.
Increased plasma levels of nitric oxide.
Inhibits platelet aggregation to reduce potential for blood clots.
Inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

This last benefit of inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol is significant because oxidized LDL cholesterol causes vascular inflammation that leads to plaque formation and the disease know as atherosclerosis.

In one human study, those who supplemented with just 30 mg/day of quercetin had a 28% reduction in LDL oxidation in as little as two weeks.

Cancer

The second leading cause of death in the United States is cancer. This is another area that the health benefits of quercetin show up. Numerous research studies have shown those with the highest intake of quercetin had a significantly lower risk for most of the leading causes of cancer. For example: Read More →

What is Convalescent Plasma

Posted by Dan Hammer //

09/08/2020

Given the current CoVid19 pandemic, and new treatment programs from the FDA, a lot of people have been asking:

What is Convalescent Plasma?

I hope to give you a non-political answer. As well as links to key resources to help you make your own decision about whether this treatment program is safe and effective.

Now the following definition for convalescent plasma is taken from Cedars-Sinai:

“This is plasma that is collected from people who have recovered from a disease, whose blood is presumed to have antibodies for that disease. These antibodies are what helped the person fight off the initial infection.”

As people are exposed to new viruses or pathogens, they can be infected. Once that happens, the Adaptive part of your immune system kicks in to create specific immune cells to help destroy these viruses or pathogens.

Part of this process is to create antibodies.

Antibodies surround the infected cells to prevent the virus or pathogen from spreading. This gives your body time to ramp up its ability to create the specific immune cells that then destroy these inflected cells. And help to prevent further spread in your body.

Once a person has fully recovered from their illness, these antibodies float in their blood plasma, which is the liquid component of the blood.

Qualified medical personnel can than harvest this plasma and its antibodies. Test it for safety. Then purify it to isolate the antibodies to create “convalescent plasma.”

This convalescent plasma can than be injected into another patient sick with that same type of virus. The antibodies in the convalescent plasma can help fight the virus. And give the patient time for their own immune system to generate antibodies in sufficient quantities to then overcome the virus or pathogen.

This is where the controversy surrounding convalescent plasma comes in.

When do you give it to an inflected person to help their bodies produce the needed immune cells to overcome the infection?

I’m going to use an analogy here to help you understand this.

Starter Yogurt

Starter yogurt is a balanced blend of bacteria that consume the lactose in milk. They convert the lactose to lactic acid, which then gives the yogurt its taste and texture.

Now you don’t put starter yogurt into yogurt.

Instead you but starter yogurt into milk to help start the process of converting that milk to yogurt.

And the same with convalescent plasma.

To improve your outcome (which is to keep the illness from causing death) you give the convalescent plasma as early as possible once the virus or pathogen has been identified in the person’s system.

Recently, the FDA gave an Emergency Use Authorization or EUA for the use of CoVid19 convalescent plasma to treat people hospitalized with CoVid19.

Much of the work in this area has been spearheaded by the Mayo Clinic.

They released data in June of 2020 showing that this type of plasma treatment was safe. Their findings suggested that using convalescent plasma to treat patients with CoVid19 was associated with a lower likelihood of death.

The controversy about this treatment program is when to administer it to have a positive outcome.

When given within three days of a CoVid19 diagnosis, the seven-day death rate was 8.7%. When the convalescent plasma was given at day four or more, the seven-day mortality rate increased to 11.9%.

And the other factor that was not completely assessed was how long have these patients been inflected.

Once you test positive for CoVid19, that doesn’t mean that you just got the virus. It could have been in your system for several days before your symptoms causes you to go get tested.

And like “starter yogurt” the sooner you introduce it into the process the better the results.

Here are some excellent links for additional information on this topic. They will provide you with more information on the FDA’s decision to issue a EUA allowing doctors to prescribe this use of convalescent plasma to treat CoVid19.

https://www.fda.gov/media/141478/download

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/investigational-new-drug-ind-or-device-exemption-ide-process-cber/recommendations-investigational-covid-19-convalescent-plasma#:~:text=Convalescent%20plasma%20that%20contains%20antibodies,with%20COVID%2D19.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/covid-recovery-overview#1

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/convalescent-plasma-therapy/about/pac-20486440

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

3 Key Vitamins for the Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

08/31/2020

There are 3 key vitamins for the immune system that everyone should know about. And be supplementing with. They are:

Vitamin D

Vitamin C

Vitamin B

I’ve listed them in what I believe are their importance. Not to your general health. But to improve the function of your immune system. In today’s blog post I’ll provide you with additional information on why these 3 key vitamins for the immune system are so important.

Let’s start with Vitamin D.

According to the National Institutes of Health from their article titled “Vitamin D and the Immune System” they state the following:

“Vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infection.”

In my article “Understanding Your Immune System” I cover both the Innate and Adaptive components of the immune system. Here’s a link to this article.

https://www.danhammerhealth.com/understanding-your-immune-system/

In looking over the information from the National Institutes of Health, the critical role that vitamin D plays is in the communication process of the immune system.

When to turn it on and off. As well as which of the immune cells of the Innate and Adaptive systems would best serve the direct needs of your body.

Thus helping to make sure that your immune system doesn’t overreact. As well as making sure that it properly recognizes pathogens so that your body can respond.

A good example of this is how proper levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream help to prevent respiratory infections. This makes proper vitamin D levels extremely important during cold and flu seasons.

And with the CoVid19 pandemic there is new research showing how normal vitamin D levels help to prevent catching this disease. Read More →

Beta Glucans and Your Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

08/22/2020

Today we’re going to look at beta glucans and your immune system. If you’re interested in optimal health, then you need to supplement your diet with beta glucans.

But before we talk about beta glucans and your immune system, you need to understand that your body does not produce this natural compound. It can only be attained through diet or supplementation. If you choose to use diet as your source for beta glucans, then the following are your best choices:

Baker’s yeast
Mushrooms such as Maitake and Reishi
Cereal Grains such as Oats, Bran, Wheat, and Barley

Beta glucans are natural polysaccharides that are also soluble fibers. As a soluble fiber it aids in slowing down digestion while helping to regulate blood sugar levels.

There are excellent research studies slowing how beta glucans benefit heart health. One such study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, showed how a diet rich in beta glucans can significantly lower total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol).

This is significant because oxidized LDL cholesterol causes vascular inflammation that leads to plaque formation and atherosclerosis.

But since this article is about beta glucans and your immune system let’s focus on this area of improving your health.

When it comes to your immune system, beta glucans are classified as Immuno-Modulators. This means that beta glucans help to make positive improvements in your immune system.

Specifically, they stimulate the activity of macrophages. Macrophages are immune cells that ingest and help destroy invading pathogens. Macrophages also stimulate other components of your immune system, which aid in attacking these disease causing pathogens. Read More →

Understanding Your Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

08/15/2020

Understanding your immune system will help you take the needed steps to strengthen its ability to protect you from disease causing pathogens, like harmful viruses, bacteria, and mutated cells that can lead to cancer.

While your immune system is extremely complex, and involves multiple organ systems, it overall function is pretty simple. It’s designed to protect you from infection and “unhealthy cells.”

Unhealthy cells are cells that have been damaged in some way. They can be inflated by microbes such as viruses and bacteria. Or by DNA damage leading to precancerous and then cancer cells.

And while the mission of your immune system is to protect you from illness, the deployment of your immune system is like a military operation. This involves numerous cell types that either circulate throughout your body. Or reside in specific areas as an early warning defense system.

What is key to this whole operation is communication.

Like in a real war, the first places that are targeted for destruction are the communication operations. If these areas are destroyed or damaged, then the enemy (in this case the pathogen) increases its ability to cause cellular destruction.

To help you in understanding your immune system let’s first start with the various bases of operation.

Bone Marrow: Your immune system starts in the bone marrow from stem cells that then develop into mature immune cells. This conversation can take place in the bone marrow. As well as other key locations throughout the body.

These stem cells will go down one of two pathways.

Pathway One is the myeloid lineage which fuels the innate immune system. This branch of the immune system is for general protection against common pathogens. And through this branch or pathway we get the following immune cells:

Basophils
Mast Cells
Eosinophils
Neutophils
Monocytes
Macrophages
Dendritic Cells

These cells are considered “the first responders” to infection.

Pathway Two is the lymphoid lineage while fuels the adaptive immune system. This branch of the immune system develops throughout our lives. As we are exposed to specific harmful viruses and bacteria, your immune system will develop specific cells that are designed to destroy these invaders.

This branch of your immune system gives rise to: Read More →

Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer

Posted by Dan Hammer //

07/22/2020

I came across a very interesting article about cruciferous vegetables and cancer. I’ll provide the link to this article at the end of this post. Modern science has been able to mimic nature in delivering two compounds found in cruciferous vegetables.

But before I highlight this information on cruciferous vegetables and cancer it’s important to identify which edible plants fall into this category. They are:

Broccoli

Kale

Green and Red Cabbage

Cauliflower

Brussels Sprouts

My favorite is broccoli. And it is a good representative for the two key nutrients that have been clinically validated in their ability to fight cancer. They are:

Sulforaphane
DIM or 3,3′-diindolylmethane

Both of these ingredients have numerous studies that show how effective they are in killing cancer cells. Sulforaphane has shown promise in helping to reduce the risk for these cancers:

Breast

Bladder

Lung

Prostate

Cervix

Leukemia

Mouth

Brain

And DIM, that is found in broccoli, has show remarkable promise in resolving precancer cells that can lead to cervical cancer.

Sounds very promising. But there is a catch to these cruciferous vegetables and cancer. That catch is ingredient stability. Read More →