Autumn is here at last! Colourful leaves drifting to the ground (and into your swimming pool), gentler sunshine, some cold mornings but pleasant days. This is a time of preparing and repairing, both inside and out.
Our bodies follow the seasons very closely. It is a fact we do not often appreciate when shuttling between controlled temperature homes, controlled temperature cars, controlled temperature offices and controlled temperature shops and malls. For most of us, the weather is a curiosity and a conversation-starter, not a matter of life and death.
Deep inside of us, however, the seasons keep their time relentlessly. You ignore this deep inner clock at your peril.
Going into winter, one of our bodies’ biggest hormones begins to stir. No, guys, it’s not testosterone. It is cortisol.
Cortisol is the cheer leader of the body’s stress response. During autumn and winter, it begins to rise in the blood, leading to many, many below-the-surface changes. One of the main effects is an increase in blood glucose levels. That, in turn, triggers insulin levels to rise. This, in another turn, causes more of our food intake to be stored as fat (yeah, ladies, you always suspected a secret weight saboteur during the winter months…). Insulin, however, also has knock-on effects that deplete Vitamin D.
What is Vitamin D? Vitamin D is “God’s steroid”. In many respects, it is the opposite of cortisol and its buddies. Chemically, it is a steroid, but in its effects on the body, it has no bad side effects, only good effects.
Auto-immune diseases: As Vitamin D drops, so does our immunity. Ironically, those with auto-immune diseases find these getting worse over winter, as the immune system attacks the body more in the absence of Vitamin D. Arthritis, lupus, etc become worse during winter.
Flus and colds: In fact, the drop in Vitamin D levels is so closely linked to our ability to withstand viral diseases that some scientists have begun referring to flus and colds as “Vitamin D deficiency diseases”.
Diabetes: For diabetics, winter is a time when glucose control becomes very difficult. “It’s not my fault, the cortisol made me do it!” The link between Vitamin D and diabetes is very strong. Finland has been adding Vitamin D to milk since 2003. As a result, diseases such as Type 2 diabetes basically disappeared off the map, while even Type 1 diabetes rates have stopped rising (Ref).
Cancer: A recent German study calculated that some 30,000 German lives could be saved from breast cancer alone EACH YEAR if women would supplement with Vitamin D.
Mood: And, for some of us, the increased cortisol and the lack of Vitamin D leads to Seasonal Depression.
So… Autumn is a time of preparing and repairing.
To make sure this winter is your best one ever, we have a few recommendations for you. It is best to start now, before the winter starts in all earnest. It can take a month or more for a vitamin or supplement to reach its full effect in the body. Super-dosing yourself once you get sick is too late.
Here is our suggested Winter Preparation Kit:
Mega D3 (50,000 IU per capsule x 30 capsules)
Suggested dose: Take 1 capsule per week, with food, preferably fatty food
Effects: Enhanced immunity, lower inflammation, improved blood glucose control
Cancer Bush / Sutherlandia (500 mg per tablet x 60 tablets)
Suggested dose: Two tablets daily, with our without food
Effects: This powerful African herb reduces cortisol levels and boosts glucose control, among many other benefits.
MgO (240 mg elemental Magnesium x 30 capsules)
Suggested dose: One to two capsules daily
Effects: Magnesium is important for Vitamin D activation in the body. It is also essential in 300+ metabolic reactions inside the cell, especially linked to the production of energy.
Ascorbic Acid / Vitamin C (500 mg x 120 tablets)
Dosage: Two to four tablets daily, with food
Effects: Antioxidant, boosts cellular immunity
NoViro (30 capsules or 120 capsules)
Dosage: One to two capsules daily, with or without food. One if you’re generally healthy, two if you suffer from a chronic illness
Effects: Immune booster. For those who only wish to drink one capsule instead of three.
Do I have to buy ALL of the above? No, you probably don’t. If you can only afford ONE supplement, buy NoViro. If you can afford two supplements, get Mega D3 and MgO. If you suffer from a chronic illness, you may need all of the above, but check with your healthcare provider first.
