Enhance Your Health

Health Tip of the Week: Benefits of Zinc

The science of geology has taught us about minerals.  When we think of minerals in nature we typically think of rocks. Minerals are a solid chemical compound that occurs naturally.  Minerals are also found in foods that we eat.  There are 13 minerals that are considered essential in our diet and play major roles in bodily functions and in turn our health.  Essential minerals include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sulfur, chloride, iron, iodine, fluoride, zinc, copper, selenium, chromium and cobalt (which is part of the vitamin B12/cobalamine).  To give you an example of how minerals help with the body’s health here are a few examples:  Calcium for bone and teeth health.  Magnesium for muscle function.  Potassium for heart health.

For the rest of this article, I will focus on the essential mineral zinc.  Zinc is considered an essential trace element.  Small amounts are needed in our body daily for optimal function and health.  Zinc is not stored in the body, it must be consumed daily.  Natural sources of zinc are meat, poultry and fish.  Zinc is used in wound healing, blood clotting, thyroid function and maintaining good vision.  One of zinc’s most important functions is helping the immune system do its job of defending against germs, viruses and bacteria.

According to leading medical researchers, zinc is a second messenger of immune cells, and intracellular free zinc is needed in the immune system cells to participate in the immune cells doing their job.   The problem is that zinc is largely insoluble and has trouble getting through the immune cell walls on its own.  It is extremely important that zinc gets through the fatty cell wall of the immune system cells because inside the cell walls is where viral replication takes place.  Viral replication is the process of the virus growing, spreading and becoming an issue to your health.

The good news is that zinc can get through the cell walls with the help of an ionophore.  Ionophores are substances that transport ions across fatty cell membranes.  Ionophores are what allow zinc to cross the cell wall and help the immune system fight off germs, bacteria and viruses.  The implications of this process are huge and makes the difference of zinc just being an essential element for bodily function to helping zinc become a viral fighter in our body, helping the body heal from these types of illnesses.

Ironically, the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine acts as a zinc ionophore which probably explains why the drug appeared to be useful against COVID-19, but only when given with zinc. I say ironically because the drug has gotten a lot of bad press when it was suggested to be a covid-19 treatment.  Currently, some progressive doctors are using hydroxychloroquine with zinc, niacin,  IV vitamin D and C as well as an anti-clotting drug like heparin in treatment of covid-19 cases and having great success in the resolution of the virus and even preventing long haul covid-19 symptoms.

A naturally occurring ionophore is quercetin.  This should be part of your medicine cabinet as it will help to push zinc into your immune cell walls.  Quercetin also has its own antiviral properties.   Kale and red onions contain high amounts of quercetin.

In summary, zinc is a potent antiviral helper and not only modulates cell-mediated immunity but also has its own antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  I take 15 mg of zinc daily and one quercetin.  If I was starting not to feel well, I would do that 3 times a day until feeling better.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information

As part of informed consent for your personal information here is the latest reported events from the CDC vaccine adverse reaction reporting system (via their website) to help you make your own health care decision concerning the vaccination.

As of 2/21/21, 61.3 million people have been given at least one dose of the vaccine.  Adverse reactions total 15,785. Of the 15,785 reported events, common reactions such as arm soreness and swelling, fatigue, fever, body aches and headache are included. Also included are the more severe reactions such as anaphylaxis.  The most common reactions are chills (over 2,203 cases), headache (3,227 cases), shortness of breath (2,267cases), nausea (over 2,033 cases).  Also, 454 people contracted the covid-19 virus after receiving the vaccine.  In addition, it has also been reported on the CDC web page that 660 people have died after receiving the vaccine.

Pregnancy News

If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, prenatal vitamins are a must prior to pregnancy. As a chiropractor, I recommend good nutrition for the health of the baby.  One way to ensure that you are getting all of the proper nutrients during pregnancy is to take prenatal vitamins.

It is important to start prenatal vitamins prior to pregnancy so that all of the important vitamins are present for a healthy conception. Pregnancy trained chiropractors offer pregnancy chiropractic care but also offer advice on all aspects of prenatal care.  Find a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy if you are planning on becoming pregnant.


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