I am mindful of this because my college daughter just presented a huge project for a huge grade in her architecture studies. She did great. But, to get it done, she literally got 2 hours of sleep a night, spending most of every evening and overnight during the past two weeks at her design studio. Many other students had the same sleep regimen.

But, so far, no health problems. No viral crud, no  fever, no missed class or studio time. As we all know, lack of sleep coupled with little exercise, iffy diet and nutrition, and unabated stress can knock one’s immune system far off the rails. And, as we also know, stress and tension being allowed to build over the course of time can also lead to getting sick once the stressful stretch is over. Hence, many students and adults get sick during holiday break once the job duties or semester studies end.

I do think taking EpiCor may have helped my daughter get through these sleepless, stress-filled stretches. I can’t imagine how she could have performed like she did if she had been out for the count for several days, in bed, waiting to get well enough to get back to class.

Of course, now that I think about it, maybe when she was home during Thanksgiving helped prepare her immune system for the end-of-year grind at college. Watching all the recorded episodes of Glee that she missed, plus massive shopping, seeing high school friends and Mom and Dad’s home cooking might have also helped the cause.

Gelman said that among other wellness products, he takes EpiCor. That portion of the clip (below) starts around the 11:15 mark. Give it a look!

Not surprisingly, the family has a history of kids being sick throughout fall, winter and spring.  Dad is starting to tire of this trend. I’ve provided a 2 month supply of EpiCor for his kids, just to see if they experience anything different this winter. Hopefully, he’ll make sure they all take a capsule each day, maybe when he’s getting breakfast for them in the morning. We’ll see.

With the constant chaos of school and after-school activities for this family, to have sharply reduced incidence of bronchial crud this winter would be a godsend for this family.

This has been a typical scenario during the rare times I get a bug or some URTI misery. It comes on steadily, in the throat, then the nose then the lungs. And after a day or so, it’s pretty much gone. Much different from the old days, before my EpiCor regimen, when something like this would last for days before I gave in and went to the doc for some antibiotics, making for a total of 10 days to two weeks before this crud was over. No more.

The EpiCor story does have science behind it supporting this exact scenario: reduction in duration and severity of symptoms.  Here it is: Alter. Comp Med. EpiCor Cold Flu

If the  EpiCor research could ever be put into a real life picture, this would be it. Here’s hoping her run of good health continues.

EpiCor Science – Summary of Human Clinical Trials on EpiCor R11-03-2009-1

1. Immune-related problems like cold or flu are something you can’t avoid.
2. You just have to give it time to get over a cold or flu. A week to 10 days. Maybe take some over-the-counter remedy to help with fever, congestion, etc.
3. If you want to try some kind of supplement, just pound down a lot of Vitamin C or zinc to boost your immune system. That’ll help get you over the crud a little quicker, or may help you avoid it altogether.

These all have some level of credence, but I think science has now shown there is a forth leg of this stool, one that may outweigh the others in terms of scientific validity and actual experience:

4.  Balance of immune function through natural, nutrition-based modulation of the spectrum of the classes of the body’s immune cells; the aggressive cells and the passive/suppressor cells. This includes the influence of gut microbiota in a wide swath of immune-related conditions, influenced by probiotic and prebiotic effects of nutrition intervention and long-term regimens.

A very good overview of the immune system and natural approaches to immune health management and balance vs. symptom treatment was recently published this month. It’s a little lengthy but worth the read.

A nagging little chest tickle came on a couple days ago, along with some sinus congestion. In my earlier years, I could almost set my watch to what would happen next: the chest tickle turns to a cough; the sinuses turn into a cavalcade of infection; the infection makes its way to the chest, which turns the nagging dry cough into a crunchy, yucky hack that sounds like a St. Bernard barking.  Breathing turns into a wheeze fest. And after 10 days of this crap, I give in and go to the doc to get my Z-Pack. Which may or may not really work, since it may be a viral thing I’m dealing with.

Now, the symptoms don’t really grow into that potpourri of misery described above. They pretty much stay in check and then are gone in a day or two. To me, this is the picture of immune balance: immune defenses reacting proportionally to confront virus or bacteria.  Which means just enough to vanquish the bad stuff, but not too aggressively to cause a lot of overkill symptoms (endless phlegm, inflammation, etc.)  And this year, unlike the past two, I’ve not had the luxury of maybe getting some extra sleep in the morning to help the cause. My schedule this week made that sleep impossible.

I must stress, this is just a description of my experience and is not any kind of suggestion that everyone can have the same kind of result.  Peer-reviewed, published human trials (Alter. Comp Med. EpiCor Cold Flu) do support the kind of experience I’m describing. Still, the trials do not constitute settled science.

So here’s to another year of conquering the crud.

When the cold weather sets in, one question always in the mix is: Does cold weather cause cold and flu virus to proliferate and make more people sick?  And, does cold weather weaken your immune system?

Sounds like the answer is “no” on both counts. Some explanatory info from the American Academy of Pediatrics says that the reason people get the winter crud is because they are cooped up inside during the winter, where closer proximity to other people means an easier exchange of germs and viruses. When people spread out more in the warmer weather months and spend more time outside, that easy swap isn’t as much of a factor.

Another source says that cold weather doesn’t weaken the immune system, but viruses and germs may be more easily transmitted in the dry air that rules in winter. Why? 1) Your mucous membranes get dried out, accommodating greater germ and virus activity 2) the protective “shell” of a virus is stronger in winter, and tends to melt away in warmer temps 3) airborne virus droplets remain suspended longer in cold, dry air, whereas they sink to the ground in heavier, more humid air.

These explanations are not settled science, but they do give some insight as to what’s going on during the winter that makes cold and flu more prevalent. Bottom line: maintaining good immune health can serve you well in any season.

Happy Thanksgiving, Doc.

the winter crud over the past 3 years I’ve been taking it. Told him that just getting an extra half day of sleep when I feel something coming on has been all I’ve done to avoid the full onslaught.

I also told him that my allergy symptoms have diminished big time as well. He was interested in listening to my first-hand account. But he didn’t really say anything in response. Just smiled and said see ya next time.  And speaking of allergies, a new health item on the Huffington Post talks about little known side effects from OTC allergy antihistamines. I can see needing some relief once in a while when your eyes and nose are gushing like Niagra Falls. But long-term intake of such medications, wow, I don’t know what to think now.

Just a note to be sure: EpiCor makes no claims that it treats or prevents allergies, colds or flu. Nor do I. This is just my personal experience and nothing more. Anyone else taking EpiCor may not have the same experience.

I’ve got my two college kids set up with 2 months of EpiCor. Hopefully, they’re washing their hands several times a day, too. I know they’re not getting a solid 8 hours sleep each night. Heck, that probably won’t happen for the next 4 years! With one being an architecture major spending massive hours sketching projects, and the other studying music ed and spending massive required hours in the practice rooms, they can’t afford to be out of commission for too long.

Of course, I’ll be keeping my EpiCor/immune health regimen going…as I do year round. When my kids come home from college for a weekend here and there, they’re bringing a dorm full of exposure with them.

One social media study project at Harvard has formed a method for monitoring heavily-friended Facebook posters in college for predicting two weeks ahead of time when and where a flu outbreak might occur.

Another group simply advocates Vitamin D as a solution for avoiding flu. I don’t know about that. I agree that Vitamin D is much more important for our health than previously thought. Most people don’t get nearly enough D daily or weekly. But I’m not there yet in thinking it’s a flu preventer, although it may help with certain people who already have a strong immune system.