Vitamins Don’t Treat Disease
One of the great flaws in our healthcare system is that we tend to think in terms of single cause/single solution. This is even true in natural healthcare. We continually see articles like, “take magnesium to sleep”, “take B vitamins for depression”, “take vitamin C for your immune system”, and so on. The problem is that vitamins don’t treat disease—they treat vitamin deficiency.
Don’t Treat “the” Immune System; Treat YOUR Immune System
Whenever a study looks at a supplement for a particular condition, some of the subjects experience a result and some do not. In one particular study, vitamin D reduced the risk of influenza A by 42%, but it did not make children immune to the flu. Even in the vitamin D group, 18 of 167 children (10.8%) developed influenza A. Nutrients reduce risk—they don’t eliminate it [1].
This is why looking for a single “immune booster” often leads to disappointment. If you have a vitamin D deficiency, supplementing will help your immune system. If you do not need it, taking vitamin D will be of no benefit.
Can Addressing Your Dry Skin “Boost” Your Immune System?
I am going to describe a certain type of patient and how addressing something that seemingly has nothing to do with the immune system can help to protect from infection, colds, and flu. Picture someone who eats more sugar, refined food and processed food than he or she should. The person is maybe 25 pounds overweight and has dry, itchy skin; maybe even some cracks or patches on the heels or elbow.
It is likely that this individual has insulin insensitivity (also called insulin resistance); 89% of patients with insulin insensitivity don’t know they have it. The condition may have progressed to fatty liver and even some congestion in the gall bladder. Because of the situation in the gall bladder, fat soluble nutrients may not be getting absorbed efficiently—hence the dry skin.
If you do not efficiently absorb vitamins A, E, D, and K, it can affect your immune system. Studies have shown that vitamins A and D are especially necessary to mount a good immune response. They are also necessary for the health of mucous membranes and important for avoiding things like sinusitis and bladder infections.
Treat the Gallbladder to Help the Immune System?
Of course, taking the needed fat soluble nutrients will help, but look to why they are in short supply. You can address biliary stasis and insulin insensitivity for a more permanent solution.
Will Taking Vitamin A, D, and a Probiotic Protect Me During Flu Season?
If the above description fits you, and you have issues with insulin sensitivity and gall bladder function, probably. I mentioned the probiotic because our patient most likely has issues with the microbiome and would probably benefit from anything that improved the health of the microbiome. A lot of practitioners will give a single, high dose of vitamin A to someone with the flu or a URI. It works a lot of the time—especially if the patient fits the profile above.
Taking Vitamins Is a Band Aid
Supplementation is great. It fills voids. It is, however, a very superficial approach. Our patient with insulin insensitivity and gall bladder issues would do much better by addressing the core issues.
